Marywood’s new core curriculum model, which was expected to launch in Fall 2019, will now launch in Fall 2020.
Provost Dr. Susan Turell said she was disappointed by the delay.
“We want to take the time to lay the groundwork for the model as best we can,” said Turell. “I’m disappointed because I’m such a firm believer in the new core; however, we want to make sure that it is the best it can be for the students.”
To help promote the new core curriculum, Marywood’s department of Academic Affairs is partnering with the Marketing Department to develop more appealing ways to present it.
“We have professors who are looking at the new core and deciding what’s the most exciting aspects. They’re taking that back to the Marketing department, who will decide the best ways to present those aspects to students,” said Turell.
This partnership is also looking at ideas to rename the core curriculum. The new model has a working title of “Integrative Core” to represent integrative learning in more planned ways.
The department of Academic Affairs planned on doing a test run this Spring of the “linked courses” component of the new core curriculum, where students who enroll in Dr. Sarah Kenehan’s PHIL 113-05 class or Dr. Adam Shprintzen’s HIST 105-02 class would be automatically enrolled in both sections.
Both sections did not run as linked courses due to low enrollment. Shprintzen said bumps were expected while trying to get the new core curriculum off and running.
“The classes being canceled as linked courses was really a byproduct of trying to figure out how to fit first-year students into those classes,” said Shprintzen.
Shprintzen said although the courses are no longer officially linked together, the two professors will continue working to draw connections between the two subject areas.
“I’m really excited that the new core is an ongoing process,” said Shprintzen. “[Dr. Kenehan and I] have been integrating ideas from different disciplines in our classes for a while. So, now we’re developing methods to do this in more intentional ways.”
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