Characteristics of Selected Lower Division Courses at the Unviersity of Minnesota

Abstract

The purpose of this report is to inform the General College (GC) community about the teaching strategies students encounter in non-GC courses. The mission of GC is to prepare students to transfer to degree granting colleges of the University. In order to adequately prepare students for transfer, the faculty and staff of GC must have accurate and upto- date information about the curriculum and courses of other colleges. While much information is available from documents such as bulletins and course guides, detailed information about the specific requirements of courses is less generally available. The study was designed to collect information about the structure and pedagogy of non-GC courses that enroll significant numbers of GC students. The information will become part of an ongoing evaluation of the GC curriculum and provide information about ways in which GC courses should be modified to better prepare students for success after transfer.