For the Community: Continuing General Education. Community Colleges and General Education: Three Perspectives. Part 3.

Overview & Synopsis

This analysis of the curricular program for continuing general education of Montgomery College (MC) is presented in the context of the ongoing and increasing effort to provide continuing education to the nation's adult population. Section I discusses general education in the context of the public two-year college and its special curriculum. Section II discusses the distinction between "general education" and other aspects of the curriculum; presents several illustrative formats for general education programs; outlines a taxonomy of eight types of courses; and presents a two-level plan of "general studies" (or fields of knowledge) and "integrative studies" designed to stimulate analysis and application of knowledge from various fields. Section III discusses characteristics of the student population to be served by a general education program, specifically covering age, sex, and family income. It also includes three- and five-year population and enrollment projections. Section IV describes the current state of the curriculum at MC in terms of its legal, administrative, and policy dimensions. The report concludes with Section V on implications of the preceding discussions and recommendations for a continuing general education program. Suggested course titles are appended as well as a general resource bibliography and a special annotated bibliography designed to assist planners of general education courses related to multicultural themes. (DR)