A Study On Curriculum Setting And Administration Of General Education In Carnegie Mellon University

This paper take the Carnegie Mellon university as research objection, using methods of historical literature study, the case study and comparative analysis, mainly analysis this school’s the historical development of curriculum’s concept of general education, Show the setting pattern, the content structure of general education curriculum and style of management, summarize its practical experience and provide reference for reforms of general education curriculum in our country’s Engineering colleges.First, the historical evolution of the concepts of general education curriculum in Carnegie Mellon university. Three stages of general education concept at Carnegie Mellon University embody themselves in their emergence, establishment, and maturity. The educational philosophy of being educational, technical and operational was proposed, which symbolized the beginning. The Carnegie Professional Program, which focuses on students’ ability to solve problems from different perspectives,marked the establishment of CMU general educational curriculum system. In 1970 s,CMU has developed its system into a mature one via high technologies from international angle, the combination of various disciplines, much emphasis on students’ competence to innovate, individual personalities catering to the market needs, and so on. During its vicissitudes, Carnegie Mellon University has made proper reforms in line with the environmental changes, gradually developing and improving a general education tradition, which stresses students’ ability to innovate and their social responsibilities through inter-disciplines and scientific and research programs;Second, the curriculum system of general education in Carnegie Mellon university. Carnegie Mellon university put forward the goal of objective of personnel cultivation that "pay attention to improve students’ comprehensive abilities of innovative creation, problem-solving, consciousness of social responsibility and the moral concept ".Under the guidance of this objection, course structure can be divided into three knowledge contents, including: language skills on communication, around the "humanities, social and natural sciences" and pay attention to shape students’ individual ability.On the basis of general requirements and each college’s specialized subject and students’ demand of structure system, Colleges formulated characteristics of curriculum of general education that highly integrated of Interdisciplinary curriculum content, stressing the cultivation of students’ verbal ability,pay attention to shaping students’ social responsibility consciousness, respect autonomous construction of students’ personalized study plan and general curriculum mode show originality;Third, the curriculum management of general education in Carnegie Mellon university.Carnegie Mellon university colleges set up a special "undergraduate educational administration department” to manage the implementation of general education curriculum. Setting up service agencies of service center for teacher and development of academic, to provide services, including the improvement of teaching quality, technical support and guidance for students’ academic,promote effective development of general education courses for undergraduates. Specific management measures including curriculum guide of tutor system, Eberly — ascension of specialized guidance for teachers, schoolwork guidance for students, questionnaire of teaching quality assessment and strict standard of course completion, forming characteristics of the management of general education curriculum that promote the sustainable development of the quality of course, multivariate mutual problem solving channels to ensure that the efficiency learning of courses, interconnection of performance evaluation, promotion and completion to form strict and effective curriculum evaluation system";Fourth, the characteristics and enlightenment of the setup and management of general education curriculum at Carnegie Mellon university. The characteristics of general education curriculum and management at Carnegie Mellon university shows the objections of personnel cultivation and curriculum keep pace with The Times, general education courses of interdisciplinary combining with school’s discipline characteristics, Service to teachers and students as the center to promote the sustainable development of the general education curriculum, the curriculum quality and performance appraisal as an important reference on the basis of the promotion and development of the teachers and students, which provide the following several suggestions with our country’s current science and engineering colleges to reform general education curriculum.