IU to expand flexibility in degrees

IU is one of eight universities nationwide that is participating in a pilot project that will give students more control over how they earn their degrees.

That might mean students mix and match courses from different programs, or maybe they don’t fulfill traditional degree requirements.

The goal of the project is to support students working toward associate, bachelor’s or master’s degrees and to help prepare them for careers in particular fields by deciding what is important to learn, said Ken Sauer, senior associate commissioner for the Indiana Commission for Higher Education.

The project is focused on students and faculty in education, history and chemistry.
Provost and executive Vice President Karen Hanson said Ivy Tech Community College students in Bloomington who are involved in these concentrations will also be able to transfer credits to IU.

“I think this could prove to be an important stab at examining post-secondary education in the country,” Sauer said.

Indiana was chosen by the Lumina Foundation for Education out of three states, including colleges and universities in Minnesota and Utah, which will feature the program for two fields of study.

The project is unique because this is the first time it will be featured in America, Sauer said. A version of the program known as the Bologna Process was used in Latin America and Europe.

IU was chosen out of a list of Indiana schools during a formal kickoff meeting for the project in Chicago – Purdue, Ivy Tech, IU-Purdue University Indianapolis and Vincennes will also participate.

“It helps that the Lumina Foundation is also based in Indianapolis,” Sauer said. “In recent years, Indiana has gotten a lot of attention for a number of
initiatives in education, so it is great that Lumina is focusing attention on that.”

Hanson, who is involved with the project, said the process works like an orchestra, where all parts of the group are finely tuned to make a whole. She said the program will not focus on mandates and is completely exploratory for faculty and students in the education, history and chemistry departments.

“The Bologna Process is about helping students move more seamlessly from one institutional setting to another,” Hanson said. “That’s a goal of this project sponsored
by Lumina. It’s all connected with the realization that the environment for education is global. We want to see what works for everyone in terms of what needs to be learned
and what doesn’t in preparation for a future career in one of these chosen fields.”

Hanson said it was important to understand that the project is not a matter of preparing students for graduate school and will not implement standardized testing methods.

“We are not dictating the substance of education or trying to dictate how students can navigate across a variety of institutions,” she said. “This is a unique alternative, because it allows students and faculty to figure out what they’re expected to know within a given field.”

Dean of Students Dick McKaig said the Lumina project could prove to be beneficial because of the recent concerns about accountability in American education.

“There is a legitimate concern about the quality of education in this country,” he said.
“I think a program like this is a good way to certify a grad in how to be more prepared for their profession in each of these fields.”