.5; i .Av_, a»; do ._ b r .p 1. k ‘ THE CADRE, TUES., JAN.'22, 1974 Page 5 ‘CR'VE‘G [ER- SUGGESTS A L TE RNA TI‘VE ' have shown the student to" be Weak. Should the tests indicate that the student meets university standards in all these needed skills, he skips this part of the

‘Core‘Curriculum'andlenrolls A in a field-of concentration,

whenever he’feels he is re- ady, usually after comple- . ting his seventh or eighth trimester. There are two {gmthods of‘examination. For a "pass" degree, the stude- nt and his tutor conduct a

iThe following proposal is r based on curricula at Godd- A ard College, Plainfield, Vermont; Francoinia College, Franconia, New Hampshire; MarkeHopkins College, Brat- tleboro, Vermont (where I \ taught in 1965—6); and Ant-

ioch-Putney Graduate School, Putney, Vermont.

Probably--but not necessa- rily-ea university program in the natural and physical sciences, as well as in the "pre-prdfessional fields, would haVe to be more stru- ctured. ”

I. Academic Year.

The university is open the year round, on a trimester' schedule, except for one or two-week breaks at the mid- dle or end of terms. The

basic unit is the four—mon- _

th trimester (probably Jan- uary to April, May‘to August, September to December). St— udents may begin their stu- dies at the start of any trimester, temporarily ént— errupt them at the end of any trimester, terminate them when they fell ready to be examined for the deg— ree. There are no freshmen, sophomore, etc., levels. Faculty ordinarily teach two of every three annual trimesters, the third being free for advanced study, research, travel or "re-cr- eation." V ‘ II. Degree Requirements There is a degree, presum- ably the Bachelor's, but otherwise most of the form- alized_course—hoursegrade- credit system is eliminated. Students ordinarily com- plete seven or eight trime—,m sters--requiring about four years--before being examin- ed forethe degree, but may Spend more time in prepar- ation if needed, less if‘ not. The academic program may begspeeded up by attene ding university all year, completing studies in as few as 2 1/3 years, but most students leave the universe ity for at least on free trimester a year. During -

some of the free terms, . students may participate in

work-study programs integr—.

atin academic programs g N

which is usually not done

until his second trimester.4

If additional training in

basic skills is needed, the student continues-his skill-

improvement tutorials into his second trimester and, if necessary, beyond,

At the beginning of his

second trimester, the stud-

ent who has not done so, selects a field of concen- tration~from thOSe offered (dependent on qualified faculty, adequate library resources and necessary equipment), and is assigned to a faculty tutor in his

field. The first term of a »'

field of concentration is a trial period, at the end of which a student may transfer to another field or select a new tutor. If the trial period is comple— ted to the satisfaction of both the student and tutor, the two will probably work together for the rest of the student's university _studies. ‘

During the trial period, the student is exposed by his tutor, in individual or small-group tutorials,

‘ to some of the basic pro-

blems he will encounter, Vand disciplinary tools

he will use, in subsequent study in the field of con- .centration. Toward the end of the trial period, if the student is prepared to continue in his chosen fie; 1d, he and his tutor plan a program of study upon which he will be examined for the degree. Each pro- gram of study is tailored as much as possible to the wishes and needs of the in-

. dividual student, and may

be modified later as requi- red.

Curing the greater part of his University-program, the student works very closely- with his tutor, ordinarily meeting with him for an m hour or more every week or

WAS EXAMWMDN

thorough self-evaluation of the student's study pro- ‘ gram. For an "honours" de— gree, the student is exam- ined in_some depth by a committee consisting of his tutor, one or more other university teachers of his choice, and one or more specialists in his field of concentration from outside the university.

Students who fail the de- gree examination may re- peat it after at least one trimester's additional study under tutorial direc- tion.

There are no grades other than -- for the degree ex- amination -- "pass", "pass with honours" and "fail". In preparation for his ev- evtual degree examination, each student keeps a detai-' led record and qualitative evaluation of his work in progress, and a similar written evaluation is made periodically by his tutor. Both of the evaluatiOns be- come part of the studentss permanent university record along with his examination results.

Fm, flat

With practical eXperience. III. Teaching Methods. During his first tri- mester at University eaCh - entering student partici-‘ Dates in a«COre Curriculum. This consists of 1) a semi- Faglconducted by a team of jachers from different disciplines, which examines SeVeral Contemporary social problems from the viewpoints, and uéing’the methodological t001s,f0f these disciplines; and, usually, 2) One or mo- re skillrimprovement cours-l\ ES (tutorials) in reading,

two, individually or with a small group. ' Learning methods are unst— ructured. For the most part students engage in guided a independent study -- rea— ding, language, laboratory, field projects, work-study projects, inductive experi- ments -- under the direction 'of their tutor and Other

faculty. Various disciplin-, ary and interdisciplinary seminars and group projects

are offered from time to '1time on the initiative of

faculty or students.

IV..Evaluation.

The student—is examined I

upon his programs of study

Writing, speaking, logical snalysis, and use of—learn- lng resources, wherever

Standard achievement tests