General Education Featured Faculty - November
Dr. Matthew Winslow
Professor of Psychology
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What General Education course(s) are you teaching? In what Element?
PSY 200 Introduction to Psychology, Element 5B
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Why do you enjoy teaching in our General Education program?
I love working with very new students to EKU. Many of the students in my course are in their first year and are still trying to figure out “how to college.” Hopefully they don’t already have a jaded view of General Education and can experience our course unencumbered by expectations.
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As a faculty member, what is your role in teaching students in General Education courses?
In general, I see myself as a facilitator of students’ learning. I used to think of myself as a curator of information but now I focus on helping students become better curators themselves. Long after our course is over and they have left EKU, they will still need to find information to help them lead productive and happy lives, and I won’t be there to help them then. -
What recommendations do you have for faculty teaching General Education courses at EKU?
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Ask your students how they feel about grades and grading. Listen.
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Give your students some choice/control over what they do and what topics you discuss with them.
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Let go of the compunction to “cover” everything. That is likely impossible anyway, and letting go of the coverage urge allows you to do other more beneficial things.
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What is the role of General Education in a student’s academic career?
General Education should prepare students for life after graduation--but not in their career. That’s what their Major/Minor should do. General Education should train students how to find relevant information, think critically about problems, and come up with and implement solutions.
Published on November 05, 2021