Students graduating next semester and beyond no longer have to worry about taking enough proficiency-intensive courses, thanks to new university policy.
After approval from the academic council, courses will no longer be listed as oral or writing intensive in the course catalog, and taking a set amount of each will no longer be required to graduate. The requirement of CSCI-1100, Using Information Technology, will remain in effect.
“Students that are graduating in May still have to meet the intensive requirements,” said Angela Lewis, associate vice provost at ETSU, “but anyone that comes in Summer 2016 and thereafter do not have to meet them. Students that are currently here and not graduating in May will also not have to meet those requirements.”
ETSU began requiring students to have four writing-intensive courses, two oral-intensive courses and one technology-intensive course in 1995. Under the new system, which takes effect shortly after graduation ceremonies in May, each department will submit new curriculum to a proficiency committee for approval. The committee will ensure that new course requirements are still providing students with classes focusing on writing, speaking and using technology.
“Students will still be learning the information,” Lewis said. “It’s just that they won’t have to check off that ‘I have four writing-intensive or two oral-intensive courses.’”
General student reaction, both from graduating seniors and underclassmen, seems positive to the change.
“The integration is great,” said Jonathan Boyd, a student with a few semesters left before his graduation, “but I think I’ll miss the flexibility of choosing certain classes to fit those needs.”
Alex Morton, a graduating senior, also has an opinion on the university’s new policy.
“I never really had to worry about intensive class requirements because most of them were covered by my minor,” Morton said, “but I think including everything in the program itself is a great idea for future students.”
