Respond to at least two of your colleagues' posts (Note: 2 of my colleague's responses are copied below, I need one response for each person) in at least one of the following ways:
· Provide feedback on your colleague's perspective of the problem.
· Assume a different role and provide a perspective that differs from your colleague's perspective.
· Relate what you have explored about different degree paths to a role or perspective described in your colleague's post.
Laquanda's Post:
Academic deans are a part of a schools transformation process. Because no school is ever completely transformed this is an ongoing transformation process that requires decision making that enhances academic integrity and assists faculty in comprehending and negotiating relationships between the university and different academic departments. The active role of an academic dean urges students and faculty to seek professional advancement directly or indirectly (Pence, 2003) I would like to eventually become a dean in an academic department of a college. The goal of becoming a dean has not always been a goal of mine. As my career continues, I want to be in a position to make an impact on education, not just through teaching, but also by way of influencing and leading. Therefore, my love of academia has encouraged this goal.
As a dean, I would simply use my experience as a teacher in the college setting to try to meet the needs of faculty and students. At any college, there has to be precise need in order for anyone to want to discuss an issue. Therefore, I would substantiate the need based upon collection of facts and data. To introduce the idea of adding a liberal arts element to the curriculum, teachers and students need to see how this can and will benefit them or how the lack of not having this element is decreasing an outcome of success for students. Graduate surveys would be a great tool to gather feedback from students who have graduated and feel as if they would have benefitted from a liberal arts aspect in the curriculum. Therefore, my first step would be to find out if students who have graduated are lacking in skills that a liberal arts aspect of the curriculum can give them. Using this information and faculty input, I would introduce a concern about the lack of liberal arts in the curriculum and propose ways in which the addition of it could increase student progress and even help students after they complete school into their careers. As a dean, I could use this leadership role to let faculty know that students want a practical education. They want to know that what they learn in class will be used and have instrumental value to their careers (Paris, 2007, p.7) "A strong liberal education contributes to effective professional work, responsible citizenship, and a satisfying and meaningful life" (Colby, 2007, p. 40).
Addressing a liberal arts education and how to include it in the curriculum will be difficult because there are still many questions as to what a liberal arts education entails. However, this can only be proven by advocates who are passionate about liberal arts. As an advocate of including liberal arts in the curriculum, I am sustaining the definition through proof that a liberal arts education does enhance student achievement while attending college and during their careers because it gives them so much more than a skill. According to Janeksala(2012)
liberal arts facilitate the effectiveness of student learning by the inclusion of interdisciplinary curriculum; by demonstrating the connections between the liberal arts and the professions; by developing students who have transferable knowledge and skills; by preparing students who can successfully address complex problems; and by developing graduates who can provide leadership in a dynamic and diverse work environment and in their respective profession(n.p.).
These aspects are important to the workforce, and learning for students should be targeted toward them being most successful upon completion of their course work. A liberal arts education allows students to be able to build knowledge beyond the skill but also in theory, which enhances problem solving and critical thinking skills. Students learn these skills from engaging in active leaning, which is the base for liberal arts (Roche, 2013).
As a dean, it is important to use research and experience as a way to encourage others in my institution that there is a need to investigate the benefits that Rogal college can obtain from providing students with more liberal arts courses and experiences. I would do this by being an advocate for liberal arts in the curriculum and finding substantial research that shows how this could work in the student's and institution's advantage.The remediation at Rogal College is established through substantiating the problem as it exists for Rogal College. Next, the benefits of reforming the curriculum should be investigated. Addressing the president and faculty is a must in implementing liberal arts as a part of the curriculum and the basis for the implementation has to have a foundation in research so that faculty and other administrators can see the benefit of making this change to the current curriculum.