Student Survey: The Future of General Education at Kansas State University (Fall 2004)

Question #12: As you think about the list in question #11, if you have additional items to suggest or comments to make, please share your thoughts here.

· So far in my gen ed classes I haven't learned any of the things in the list above. Funny huh?

· no

· If I could I would spend a ton of extra money on college class that had all taught all of those concepts because I feel a basic understanding of all of those concepts is imparitive to sucess in the workplace. I also feel strongly about having people take FSHS 350 because I feel that American families and marriages are failing due to lack of preperation and knowledge.

· Interpersonal skills are key. I just read an article in the Wall Stree Journal that put Interpersonal Skills at nearly twice the weight of the next item that employers are looking for. The second item was computer/technology skills.

· I believe a wider range of classes should be offered as GenEd. I know I would like to take Civil War history on its own merits, but due to it being a "common" Gen Ed class it is tough to get a spot.

· Some of these criteria are integral to a particular major. Others are obviously omitted. K-State offers such a wide range of degrees that it is hard to rank these items for all students. I have indicated what items are important for students to receive instruction/experience through an academic major and hope that UGE covers what the required classes don't.

· Once in a while, it's okay to take a class just for the fun of it, I think.

· a lot of the more abstract ideas, like teaching diversity, multiculturalism, self-development, and social responsibility are good things to learn, but are not learned very well in a classroom--at least from my experience in those sorts of classes. foreign language is also not very helpful because little is actually remembered after time.

· Some people need these courses more than others. The truely intellectual people of the world, educate themselves in these areas- most of the time. If only more people in the world would read books.

· the choas theory always works out

· none

· I think information about anxiety and depression should be taught or explained to students. With the increasing amount of pressure that is put on students for various reasons they need to know how to deal with these conditions or how to help a friend deal with them.

· If one fails to learn the basic skills listed in question 11 (ex: reading and comprehension skills) at a high school or lower level, then one has no purpose attending a university.

· Thanks for this opportunity! I feel that you are looking after students needs and it is very much appreciated!

· None.

· The classes aren't necessarily always fun to take but I think you do get valueable resources from them, even if you don't realize it at the time.

· This made me think of what to do to improve the system.....I think that computer classes should be a required part of the Gen Ed program. Too many people are getting out into a technology based world and all they can effectively do on a computer is use search engines on the internet. Everyone should know basic computer applications, ie word, excel, access, etc...

· No way.

· I think general education should be consisted of 100 level courses. As they are now, they should make the classes more enjoyable, and take a more 'You've explored the subject/get an A'. Rather than try to pump so much general information into student's heads that they hate the subject at the end because they had to put so much work into getting an A. Geology 100 is a perfect example.

· All of the items in #11 are very important, I believe. Having them makes it much easier to be successful, especially when your occupation requires communication and understanding throughout an entire group of people. I think that, if you don't have these abilities, you will be able to still do a fine job, but if you do have these abilities, you will be able to be an effective leader and boss.

· I feel for most of the stuff listed it has to do with your major if it should matter to you or not, and gen. ed. classes such as sociology, I feel most of the stuff learned in there is common sense that you pick up with the experience of college and 18 years of life before you get here.

· To me, while most of the items in the above list seem very important to being a fully responsible citizen, it also seems that these are skills that should be gained in the classes required for the major without having to take an additional set of requirements.

· I believe the college educational experience should prepare students for real life and work situations by requiring gen ed courses that promote such things as: self-development, social responsibility, wellness, and communication skills. On the other hand, gen ed classes such as statistics, philosophy, ect. (which may be necessary for specific majors), can actually be a waste of time for people who would never need such skills in real life.

· My Leadership minor has done so much to encourage general education to broaden my academic experience. I wish more interdisciplinary minors existed so that more students could have this opportunity. I think a human relations minor, with coursework in anthropology, psychology, philosophy, etc. would be an excellent addition.

· I only want to say that I think foreign languages are only somewhat critical because we live in the United States. I know we will have an influx of hispanic speaking persons in the future, but I feel like each will learn as needed. However, the way of thinking when one is learning a new language is important. Therefore, if those classes are required or offered for that type of reason, I would require foreign languages to be critical.

· I think it would be an excellent idea to require 1-2 years of a foreign language. We as Americans lack the ability to communicate to other cultures. I spent one semester in Prague and it was disappointing to me and other Europeans that we were only able to speak English. Especially now as Spanish is spreading rapidly in the United States.

· i think computer and technology skills, self development, and wellness are important, however, i think that most classes which aim to improve those areas are somewhat ineffective, and often mind-numbingly boring. those areas are probably best explored through personal experiances, though it is critical that they are developed in an individual.

· Everyone has their own interests and own desired career path. Their is no one set of skills each person needs, it's different. My answers reflect that belief since all are crititcal to certain people and not as important to others.

· 11.6 More language options needed (i.e., Italian)

· There are many gen. education classes that are a waste of time. People take them because they have to not because they want to. You say it's to make up more rounded, but we are set in our ways by this time in our life and we won't become more rounded. These classes just milk more money out of us and drive us students and our parents into even more debt. We're going to be working for half of our life after college just to pay for the debt you put us in with classes we'll never use.

· Some of these depend on what it is you are studying, however all of these qualities would be a benefit to any person, not matter what their chosen field may be.

· Too much stress these days, are placed on supposed "values" that some people are missing. I'm sick & tired of hearing about diversity, and multiculturalism, equality, and tolerance. It seems the only people who aren't allowed tolerance, are those who disagree with the current speakers agenda.

· For the most part, being "somewhat critical" to me means it would be a good thing to have those skills, but you could probably learn them along your way in life.

· I think it is very important for students to have a chance to do some "internal research" and learn about themselves. We stress learning about the world around us, but if we do not understand ourselves we cannot understand anything beyond that. I suggest a small class that offers students a chance to reflect on their lives and what they value. Leadership and Spirituality offers this and should be modeled after for other classes.

· If you decide to require more GenEds, remember that they will take away from an education that is disciplined: sure I can excel in science, but how does that help an Econ major get a job? I wanted to take more classes in Human Resources, but I had to make sure I had all my GenEds so that I would be able to graduate

· I took Finite math from a different college and it was exactly like Statistics, but since Satistics is a general education requirement I had to take it. This time going to school, I am a full time mother and it's hard for me to take classes that don't really mean much to me. I feel like I just had to start all over when I came to Kansas State University.

· I think that certain gen ed classes such as the math and science classes should be specifically geared specifically towards students curriculums.

· The only aspect I marked as not critical was diversity and multicultural competency. I am all for learning about this and respecting differences of all people. But I think that K-State, in particular, has almost taken this too far and it seems to be having more of a negative effect than a positive one.

· Expository writing 1 AND 2 is too much.

· A lot of the things above are slightly important, but a lot of it I learned in high school and so doing it again in college when its not in my major is really boring and I wish I could be taking classes in my major instead.

· I think some of the electives and general education courses can be very helpful, but I also think that some are not helpful at all. I understand that it exposes students to a broad range of ideas and may help them to be more creative, but I also think more emphasis should be placed on the area of study instead of general education courses.

· Let there be more classes. a wider variety. It's hard to find a class that interests you after you've taken 4 years of gen ed.

· What about math skills?

· I found it very difficult to answer, as I believe the importance of each varies from person to person, major to major, and career to career.

· Students do not learn the most important parts of question 11 in a gen ed course. Colleagues have taken upper level communications courses, and did not learn communication skills. The qualities important to employers are not learned in a gen ed class room. Most are learned when you are faced with a real world situation where you have to make a choice, or be socially responsible, or have your livelihood depend on your interpretation of a coworker's proposal.

· I do not think that computer technology/data interpretation skills should be emphasized the way they are. Such skills tend to require less guidance and actual teaching than do skills like logical reasoning or reading comprehension. Their scope is more limited than fields like humanities. Personally, I feel that being able to think and write clearly and effectively are the most important things one can learn. It seems to me that these skills will translate to just about any carreer choice.

· While social science classes tend to make students more sensitive to others, there should be some provision in the curriculum for a class that teaches social skills. I have met college graduates (not specifically from KSU) that although highly educated, had poor manners, and did not know how to behave socially (or possibly, simply chose not to). Social refinement of KSU graduates can only reflect positively upon the university and all who are connected with it.

· Students need to be exposed to a variety of cultures - they need to be encouraged to think about the ways that our society works, and what our social responsibilities are as educated people.

· i think all of the things i mared as extremely important have been required in high school--it doesn't make sense to come to college and pay a buttload of money to re-learn it all--especially the material you won't use for your own major.

· A lot of the items that you had me rate I did not learn or do in any of my general education courses.

· UGE should supplement the major and help you be successful in your future career. Business, computer, leadership, accounting, finance, and speaking skills are all useful in anyone's major. Humanities or wellness type classes may not be as much.

· What is "information literacy?"

· n/a

· Some of these areas are important, but students either already have learned about them, like computers, or will learn by doing, like self-development, social responsibility and wellness.

· All of these subjects aren't necessary for everyone but the areas that relate to the students majors should be explored. For example psychology and architecture have a lot in common, more than architecture and human development. The student should be able to use these credits for their interests and if spanish is their second interest i think that they should be able to use GE to achieve a minor.

· I believe that each response to the questions will probably vary from major to major due to different importance levels for each field of study.

· As I think about the question 11 areas of interest, I know that I put emphasis on what interests me. I think a lot of people would do this so this question seems irrelivant. I believe that people are going to mark what is important to them, and that is the problem with general education. Many times students will put a lot into the general ed. courses that interest them and not so much into the ones that do not. I believe that you get out of a course what you want, and some are then no good

· It's sad that enrollment for physical activities far exceeds the humanities. This generation is being taught that our diet and physical activites are more important than expanding not only how we think, but also how to use all parts of our brain (as opposed to just a few). Emphasize the arts more - my generation is mentally going down the tubes. If not for us, do it for yourselves - we're the ones who will be taking care of you when you're old. . .I'm guessing you don't want inept caretakers.

· The gen ed types of courses, and skills that you need to develop through them depend on your major, and what you want to do with your life

· I think the student should have more control over the classes they take. If their knowledge in a certain area is sufficent then they should not be forced to take more classes from that area if they don't want to. I think that the classes a student took in highschool should be considered as long as they were upper-level classes (not regular required classes).

· College should be more based on real life situations and not about reteaching high school related subjects.

· Some classes like Art I think are a very Critical part of a middle school or highschool grade level. college on the other hand is very expensive and we should be able to spen are money twords are major or the classes we enjoy taking. I do not like wasting my money on a class that I am not intrested in or know is a weak area in my education.I know I won't do well and I would rather spen my energies and money on something elce.

· N/A

· This probably falls under social issues or humanities, but an well-rounded background of religious studies would be excellent, given the current world conflicts. I believe studying all forms of religion from atheism to Islam is vital to improving communication within our domestic and foreign communities.

· I think that we are in a world that you need to be experienced in so many different areas, and it is a priviledge being educated in such a way. The more knowledge and the more we problem solve and orgainize ourselves to attain that knowledge, the more we will be successful and be able to think critically about the different situations that life wil bring.

· certrain general education courses are valuable to areas of study. it depends on te area of study though

· Both of the stats classes I took at ksu were completely useless becuase the grad student didn't know how to put information into a form we (as a class) could understand and further impliment in our future studies. I wasted more than 800 dollars on those two classes.

· Most of the general education classes that I have taken so far have been unimportant to what I want to learn and get an education in. Many classes I feel like I am just memorizing terms for a test, which I will forget and never have to use again.

· Again, classes a student should take varies amongst the individual and what their personal goals are for the future. Some of the questions are more important to master if you plan on furthering your carreer in school.

· I don't understand why some one getting a BA in English has to take Biology or some other Life Science like that. When would that person ever need to know how a cell divides?

· None

· Don't ever bundle oral and written communication skills. They're not the same. And written communication is incredibly important for all majors... oral communication is not. I would have rated written communication higher and oral communication lower.

· Hopefully student are able ot read and comprehend before they get to college. If they can't, they need to learn how to do that for most occupations. Many of the more critical education needs are the job of the parents - financial planning and wellness, for example. However, teaching professional skills may be appropriate for a university lexure or seminar.

· I think more students should take computer classes. Many students come out of KSU and don't really know how to use a computer. They may know how to type a paper and print the paper and maybe play games. But there is more to computer education then just that. Businesses would benifit if more students came out of College with a better understanding of what a computer will do for there business.

· offer more GenEd classes, some fill up too fast and are offered only at times that don't fit the schedule with classes that are needed for major. Also, many of these classes would be better taught in a small classroom environment and most of them are taught as huge lecture classes

· None

· I think in order to be a well rounded person, which is very important in life, you must be exposed to every type of class you can take.

· n/a

· None

· a mandatory environmental education class would be an excellen addition to the general education curriculum

· nope

· I think some gen ed courses that are currently required are a waste of time --- I'll never use college Algebra (I know it's to teach problem solving and critical thinking) in my career. I have good problem solving and critical thinking skills -- I don't need to know how to solve a pointless equation w/out a calculator to help my future. There are other classes that I feel are great and some others I feel are useless.

· The most important thing, in my opinion, is to allow the students enough flexibility in selecting a particular area in which they have interest and really developing good, strong skills in that area. While it is important to have a good, general knowledge of many subjects, it is also important to not just get by with having surface knowledge in all of these areas. They need the opportunity and the university support to have a deeper understanding of another discipline than their major.

· Foreign languages should not be required! Some students are not good at the rote memorization neccessary in learning a new language with tons of vocabulary. In addition, KSU does not offer many languages that other universities do. For example, Italian or Portugese. Not everyone wants to take French, Spanish, or Japanese!

· i think that you covered most of the skills that I find most important for general education requirements.

· It is important to allow the oppurtunity to study an additional topic more extensively. Limiting gen-eds to two per discipline completely rules out the oppurtunity of getting a minor for people like me in a highly intensive program. If My gen-eds could have been from the same discipline I could have gotten a minor of my choice. With the system as it is now, highly impossible.

· Most of these areas were covered in my high school courses.

· Isn't the point just to be well rounded, so that you can function fairly well in any situation or circumstance?

· Please talk to the engineering department about general eduacation classes. They might learn something new. Hence, us students might have more of a chance to realize what we are missing. Thanks!

· My biggest problem with general education courses is the difficulty level. Through my experience with general education classes, I have taken many required courses that don't directly help my major and aren't very important to my success after college. These also tend to take up most of my homework/studying time when I should be able to concentrate more on courses directly involved with my major.

· None

· I think there should be a wider variety of choices in each section if we are required to follow the UGE guidelines. In certain fields it is good for a student to take Biology but in other fields biology or even science has nothing to do with their major.

· Just to let you know, I had to look up information literacy.

· Additional items: pottery (or some other form of art)

· Anything that will open a persons mind, and get the conservative, old, close minded values out of them I am for.

· It is possible to be a well-rounded person. It is impossible to take every class or excel in every discipline. I think the classes that are critical to my development educationally are the ones I am interested in outside of Interior Architecture. Although we all need basic skills in every area, we should have already achieved a basic skill in every area mentioned in question 11 in high school. Let us expand educationally in subjects that we, as individuals, can use and apply to our own lives

· As much exposure to foreing cultures and ideas as possible. Kansas is quite homogeneous in its population and does not have a great diversity. College should offer the possibility to see and learn about the diversity of the world outside of Kansas and the US.

· I think you need to look at what people did in high school. By the time I took speech, which I quizzed out of, I have spoken and given presentations all over the state and in front of thousands of people at a time. Leadership was a waste of my time because I had already done everything when I was a freshman in high school as part of the FFA program. The best class that I have taken here was family finance and firmly believe that everybody should have to take it.

· I wish younger students had the life experience to see the value of alot of the things that they find so boring in their courses.

· I think it would be better if in gened classes they were specific for the major. For example I am in lifespan development and a class like chemistry seems like a waste of time, I think it would be better to tailor some of the gened classes for majors.

· I think it is important to take at least one class that isn't traditional. As in you don't sit the entire class period or you don't lecture much. By doing something different and moving around, you get out of a boring routine and look forward to doing something new. My Animal Science Lab does just that. I get to go into an arena and see animals nearly every class period. It is a welcomed break from the ordinary lecture class! Leanne Thompson

· Levels vary according to major and how good of job a student is seeking.

· None

· Some of the categories would not pertain to many majors so it is difficult to say how important or unimportant they would be. For instance, a science majr should not have to focus on the arts, just as an arts major shouldnt have to focus on sciences.

· The list in question 11 perfectly exhibits the approach to general education that makes student experiences so miserable. There are a number of boxes to be checked and prioritized; broad categories are made sufficiently vague and then tauted as important; one person (or group of people) mandates the criteria for another person's "well-roundedness." I refuse to play that game.

· I hear of freshman taking university experience classes that don't seem to benefit them much. I feel if they had the choice of a physical health class, such as fitness and conditioning or something along that line, they would not only get the implied benefits from that class, but able to meet many ranges of people who can help them in their college career. Not to make the physical class mandatory, but an option open to them in Gen. Ed. outside of random electives.

· Students who go into communication-type careers should not be required to take as much math and science and students who go into math and science careers should not be required to take as many communications classes.

· allow more general education credits to be taken in one's college

· Information Literacy: it's unclear what EXACTLY you mean by this. But, the list seems comprehensive to me.

· Class on toerance and mediation between each other in our school.

· When rating the study areas, here's what each rating means to me: not critical - the University should offer these areas for students who need or want them. Somewhat critical - these areas are suggested, but not required to graduate. Critical - at least one course in each of these areas should be required. Extremely critical - extended work in these areas (more than one course) should be required.

· Although I am attracted to the idea of study abroad, I am more attracted to the idea of two years of community service being equivilant to two years of college. I think we need to evaluate courses and make two separate courses for general education and those within the specific major. One course in particular is the biology course. The department should consider having one course for biology majors and another for the rest of us.

· College graduates should be able to write complete sentences that make sense. English skills - both grammar and literature - should be taken very seriously no matter the person's major. It's very depressing to see 22 year old graduates who can barely string two sentences together. You would think with as much knowledge as one is receiving in college, english and written skills would be stressed. I think more writing and reading classes need to be mandatory for undergrads.

· I think the policy should not determine that small list of specific UGE's you can take or even how they should be distributed. I think the requirements should be similar to: a student must take 10 classes from 7 different departments. I think that all classes outside a student's major should count. It's silly that we have to have special UGE courses to choose from. Why not offer all the students all that the university has to offer?

· I was as honest as I could be with those, trying to keep my personal opinions about those classes/subjects out of my decision. I focused on K-Staters as a whole, benefitting from them.

· General education classes are a good idea in areas of writing and communication. For some majors, I don't see the importance of math and science general credits.

· one of the biggest problems i have noticed in general is a lack of reading and writing skills, i don't know if this is the fault of the university or of previous education but it is certainly a problem

· We need more parking. Your attitude to learn can be bad, if you start the day out walking miles to class.

· Knowledge of the world around you and in-depth writing/reading skills will be the most useful after completing college. No matter what job a graduate takes on, they will more than likely need/want these skills.

· nope

· As requirements for each degree mount, it might be wise to consider alternative types of credit for some of the non-major requirements for some degrees. As an example, both Architecture and Engineering routinely find graduates taking five years to graduate. As education becomes more and more expensive, these fields become harder for the average person to afford. Adding outside requirements only increases the expense.

· EVALUATE the instructors for EVERY class!!! I have discussed with dozens of people the unfortunately large number of poor teachers we've had at K-State and how teacher evaluation forms are given out but disregarded and therefore ineffective. Something really needs to be done. It can't be narrowed to "graduate students" or "professors," because there are equal numbers of good and bad in both groups, so each individual instructor should be evaluated in a way that gives accurate results.

· Obviously a person has to find their own niche in the job world. That is why a full knowledge of a specific field is so critical. A person also has to be able to solve problems, communicate, and be well-rounded to succeed.

· I think College Algebra is a large waste of time for many students because most people have to take it twice to get a decent grade in it. I feel that algebra is important to learn, but the curriculum here is so hard that more and more students are taking it at Highland. Someone may want to look into that. The curriculum in that class is costing Kansas State a lot of money.

· It is very disappointing to see how poor the general population's language skills are. I find it very irritating to see someone use "your" when it should have been "you're" or find a misspelled word, and newspaper/magazine editors don't even notice the mistakes.

· Communication and financial skills are essential to be successful in any field.

· In some majors, there is only a focus on courses that pertain to that major and all other courses are classes you simply have to get done. Most of the time General education courses are seen as a burden between you and your major, they are seen as a waste of time, and a must get done thing.

· Some of the listed topics (natural, social sciences, humanities, fine arts) most people such as myself will gain nothing by learning about in college. By the time the courses have been completed and I am out in the realy world, the only thing I will remember from those classes is the grade I got. I gained no further knowledge b/c it had no relevance to me.

· Some things on the list don't pertain to everyone because we have different interests, therefore different majors. It's not easy to say what is truely important for all students to have a decent backround in.

· i believe that the basics like math and english are good enough, they would then have an idea in a little of everything then.

· General Education classes are highly valuable to students at K-State. With general education classes, students can apply the knowledge gained into their major requirements and also in their professional lives. I think general education classes are a great addition to the K-State curriculum because they force students to obtain a broad view of the world and of ideas that manifest in the working world.

· I think general education classes are important in growing as a person and learning about the world around you. If someone was a math major but wasn't required to take any other classes, they would be very ignorant about real world issues and how to be a productive citizen. At the same time, I don't think we should be bombarded with gen ed classes (I don't think we are right now). I like taking classes that teach me about myself, such as "Intro to Human Growth and Development."

· All areas are important in order to provide the student with a well rounded education in chance they find another area more interesting than there choosen major of the time

· There should be a years worth of learning that students should have to take in these areas to be a well informed individual. If nothing else for their own benifit. This year should be free though. The classes should be taught by grad students with one professor to advise them.

· Instead of making it a list of specific classes to choose from, why don't you let the students have free reign to choose classes they are interested in, but make sure they take atleast two in the humanites and social sciences category. Sometimes classes appeal to students, but they aren't on the list of acceptable classes.

· I do not think someone should be constrained to these moronic courses, even the ones I favor. Parents have let their kids down by not educating them and so some of these remedial courses should be retained for them, but still not required. Too bad this crap is required by accreditation. I always listen to explanation of why we need it and there has not been a good one yet. Every answer probably applies to some one, but no collection of excuses includes everyone.

· It would be great to master all of these skills as they could all be useful at different times in life. Not enough time for that though so learning in at least a few of any of these area would be beneficial.

· In my experience thus far, I do not think enough emphasis is put on the skills I marked "critical" and "extremely critical"

· n/a

· I think that communication skills are probably the most important skill to aquire during college.

· Women's Studies. I took the introductory class and found NO men in them. I really think knowing/learning the current issues surrounding inequality in general would really benefit society's views on it.

· It depends on the major you are working towards. Some elements are more important than others, others are not. I feel that it is good to have a variety of class for under grad gen ed.

· I don't think that anthropology or philosophy need to be required classes. I think that classes such as accounting or financial planning would be much more beneficial and a better use of my time and money.

· Let's not make students take a bunch of classes where they will work to slide by with whatever grade is acceptable to their GPA and their conscience, then forget it all after finals. Instead, teach the student how to plan, self develope , think critically, figure themselves out, manage their affairs in the areas where they need help, and communicate their needs and issues effectively. This means better advising (which KSU sorely needs anyway). This is preparation to choose their own electives.

· Some things won't be of much use your first or second year in college, such as 11.15 it would almost be nice to see a class or two being required while you're a senior, because I'm tired of finding myself in a classroom full of 18 year olds (i'm 24) who do nothing more than sleep, ignore the teacher, and talk about how there's no point in being in the class cause the same tests are always used.

· General Ed must relate to the field of each student's interest in order to be effective. Taking Gen Ed classes just because you are required to do so does not help in the long run. Some classes are interesting at the time, but quickly vanish from your memory as it is not pertinent to career decisions.

· I think that peopel shold be aware of their personal beliefs and opinions and one way of doing this is by giving them a basic knowledge to base their opinions on. Also, many fields of employment do require an understanding in a wide variety of studies and therefore the best way to prepare is by acquirung this knowledge through Gen Ed.

· I just don't that making someone to do communty service will do any good because more than likely they won't get anything out of it because they will have a bad outlook on the whole experience. I think it should be volunteery and not forced. Because if they dont want to be there then I won't do any good for them to be there.

· I think attending lectures and school sponsered events are very important to the whole college package.

· The bar needs to be raised in our universities. Our campus is full of people who are are getting nothing out of college simply because they choose not to care. This should not be an option.

· I think everything was covered. When one leaves college I think they should be able to speak in front of a crowd, know their way around a computer, how to write and communicate well with others, and know anything else that will help them in their chosen majors.

· I think most gen ed classes are a waste of money

· I feel that ALL students upon entering into any college or university should complete a standardised test that tells that institution exactly what they know and can give them an idea of what classes they need to take. I feel that a shot fifty question exam could cover this. This test could cover all areas of gen. ed. and tell the institution what the taker knows, thereby alowing them to asses wich classes the student need not take. Art degrees should be done likewise but for other reasons.

· I think that there were some General Education classes that I took that were a true waste of my time. I do belive that those classes could have been conducted in a better manner so that they would have been more useful in the future. Over all though, I would like to see more money and emphasis put into my school, and my major, so that I could come out of this university with a broader understanding of the field in which i wish to work. I believe that Gen Eds take away from that.

· It is important for people to use common sense in their everyday thinking.

· I think that by the time college is arrived at, the general ed. requirements are fulfilled by the pre-college experience. The High school years are particularly important for the development of these general competencies and I think that college should focus entirely on the chosen discipline of the student. We're old enough to decide what we want to take in the way of classes, and shouldn't be required to take classes with NO application towards our major. Thanks.

· none.

· none

· none

· Students should already have a good understanding of the areas above, these are shown throw high school grades and college entrance exams. Many of the general education classes are repeatative from high school so many students don't feel motivated to participate or do well in these classes.

· though i feel that many of these skills are important to have, i do think that many already possess these skills and the option should be given to "test out" of a course. some of these skills are more important to some majors than others, and covered within the individual major. EX: i was required to take a speech class, but in our studios we give at least three major presentations throughout the semester. i feel this oral communication is much more important than anything taught in a spch class

· Basic Math Skills like +, -, /, *, manipulating fractions, algebra, reading tape measure, and interpreting simple fractions to decimals; Balancing checkbook skills.

· As I stated previously, I think more emphasis should be placed on the classes that will impact the students future.

· "fine arts" is the worst part of the general education. Knowing the names of 16th century statues will NOT further my intellect, ability to perform my job, or make me a better person.

· For people who have majors not inclined to math or science, those classes are a serious waste of time. Life skills such as wellness and leadership, along with survival skills are useful to all students.

· With the Social Sciences, Humanities, and Foriegn Language questions, I really think it depends on what kind of major you're majoring in.

· I think that the communication and the technology questions are incredibly important to a student's life after college, and I don't think that teachers are emphasizing them enough.

· Thanks for the survey...

· none

· N/A

· I believe that many of the items in the list should be aquired before students enter college, but I understand that many do not. I also think that many of the items can be obtained by students by merely taking college courses and are not required to be tought to students. Examples being: Social Repsonsibility, Reading and Comprehension Skills, and Local, Regional, National, and International Issues.

· none

· Pretty much anything that has to do with communication, whether verbal, written, or computer, I see as extermely important. The world runs through communication; with it you can succeed, without it you will fail.

· No

· I understand the need for UGE classes to "broaden one's horizon", but sometimes it does not seem fair to force a student to take a class he or she may have no interest in and hate for an entire semester.

· I think that every major should require at least some sort of volunteer hours to better help serve the Manhattan community and give the college students better pr relations. Also there should be more advisor surveys asking about advisors, because they need to be more informed about what is going on in their own colleges.

· I think the point of having UGE courses should be expressed and discussed more than it is now. By doing this, students will be able to understand the reasons for having to take these courses. Also, by people having this understanding their views and opinions will not be so one sided. This is critical. The point of having non-major classes is to see both sides of the picture, and I have found that too many people only want to see their one side.

· Nothing to add.

· Financial planning and also health and fitness are very important in today's society. If you could teach honesty and hard work ethics it would help, but I don't think any class can teach that.

· Most general education courses offered at Kansas State will help you in the future at some point or another. It may not be directly, but for example, social sciences and world wide issues could help you understand the world more and what is happening around you. Also, oral/communication skills will be used in most careers as well as writing, reading, and problem solving skills.

· I do not believe that I have anything else.

· I have to admit that I knew very little about history until I was "forced" to take a history class. I ended up really enjoying it. I think sometimes we don't know if we'll enjoy something until we are "forced" to do it. I think this is the general purpose of having "gen ed" courses -- to force people to think outside of their normal comfort zone and experience more of the world around them.

· There's enough culture and diversity in the world, why should you force it down our throats? And what is the real purpose in teaching Fine Arts? show me where you use it every day. Now real general concepts that you WILL use and need daily are the written/oral communications, financial responsibility, and decision making skills. Stress these factors more. You could save money by not offering the bulls**t classes that we don't need.

· Students should already have adequate computer and technology skills coming into college. The general education class I took have helped me greatly in understanding the world around me.

· I think the general education would greatly benefit from allowing students more choice. Granted, some students will abuse this ability, but many students will choose to take classes they are truly interested in and will benefit from. I retained very little from many of my general education courses, but the courses I was interested in are the ones I remember and will use in the future.

· It would be nice if you actually had options when it comes to general education. I know that that kind of defeats the purpose, but there are many gen ed classes that i'm interested in, and that actually make sense concerning my major. Yet i'm required to take classes that i have no interest in, are not my strong point, and will help towards my degree at all.

· most high schools do have a government class, but i still find that most of america has no clue as to how our government works, or what each party really stands for. They have no comprehension about how the senate is run, nor how the house is run. If it wasn't for law and order they wouldn't even know what the supreme court is. It is my strong belife that at least 7 out of 10 people couln't tell you the 3 branches of our government. I feel that all freshman should take government again.

· I believe that many of the items listed above are all topics that are very important in surviving in everyday life. If you can't solve problems and know how do deal with issues, you will have great difficulty in life during and after college.

· No comments

· I think that a students general education experience should be one that enforces basic skills that will benefit them and produce well-rounded citizens that bring about positive results in society. I think that general education should make it their goal to prep students for their extended education.

· The list is not really the type of stuff I have learned in Gen Ed classes. The ones I thought were important I need for my degree and will have to use the info in the future

· I believe 11.15 is great if taught well, otherwise a waste of time. With oral and written communication skills, I receive the knowledge and skills within my curriculum and did not appreciate having to take elementary speech class, which should have been much easier than it was for the content that was covered, and honestly was not important for my major because other classes specify how we need to perform in that area. I do feel that a foreign language or foreign experience should be required.

· None

· How to stand firm in your beliefs no matter right or wrong (subjectively or objectively)

· no

· none

· all of those questions...all depend on what the major is. it depends on how important it is to each individual student. i personally don't think humanities is important at all...but to another student that may be all there is in life. i think u should try to make it more personalized instead of grouping the arts and sciences together like u have.

· They all seem to be covered.

· All the items on the list could be considered critical, if a person were going into a field of study that required one of those to be a well developed skill. As a student in the technology and aviation college, I feel that fine arts and literary works aren't that important to us. The information that we'll need from those fields, most of us learned in High school or on our own. I don't think they should be required to take if they have no relevancy to our desired field of study.

· I think that learning more practical things is more important, not like math and stuff unless that is your major. Also, I think multi-cultural education is kind of important, but also the more we bring it up the more it makes different race, religion, and gender be important in everyday life, if people would just see people as people there wouldn't be a problem. Furthermore, the transition from high school to college should be made easier by some teachers.

· I wish I had known that a semster abroad satisfies the upper-level gen ed requirements. Otherwise I would not have wasted my time in large, boring lecture classes that were along the level of high school. By forcing everyone into a limited number of gen ed classes, they regrettably conform to the style of multiple choice tests. How is that beneficial to developing analytical, persuasive, and critical thinking skills? They are ridiculous; do away with this terrible aspect of requirements.

· i dont understand why there is such a small list of gen ed classes!!! i only have time for so many extra classes and nothing i want to take counts as gen ed. i have areas of foreign language, dance and music that i'm passionate about that i've studied for years and want to continue to study for use after i graduate. for example, there are only a few languages i can take, none of which are Italian, a language that will be of use to me, yet i'm restricted and have no time for what is best for me

· The areas that I marked as extremely critical are all dealing with communication skills - I really think that you must be able to communicate clearly. This is not dependent on whether you're in journalism or working in a lab as a biologist. You MUST be able to speak, read, and write clearly to anyone. You also must spend a decent amount of time focusing on one area of study and be able to speak, read, and write especially clearly in this area

· (I've reached the 500-character limit with less than half of what I wanted to say, so here's a condensed version) Computer skills are highest on my list; everyone will be required to use computers soon. Second comes Problem Solving and Logical thinking skills. Third is Foreign Languages and Reading skills. All the others are either things that can't be taught, fields that are only slightly important, or classes that a student won't get much from if they don't want to take it.

· Less foreign teachers. They are to hard to understand.

· I believe US government should be on the list, and I think it should be only taken after in th ejunior year or after. I think this because understanding our government and how it works very important. It is required in Kansas High Schools, but it should also be required in Kansas Public Universities. I do not think a high school government class is sufficient in the same way a high school Calculus class alone is not sufficient to master Calculus.

· It is iimportant to think globally, which is why I feel that students should be encouraged to study abroad. Study abroad is advertised well but not pushed in the classroom to the students detriment. I believe that students will have a higher quality education if they spend a semester in another country rather than a semester in Gen Ed.

· none

· I think that it is up to the individual colleges to determine which courses are necessary to make their students competent/competive professionals in the job market. General education courses should be the students choice to add diversity to thier education.

· i think that it would be more valuable for students to get more than 1 minor or major instead of taking so many broad classes.

· I personally enjoy the gen eds for the most part, but i do think that they tend to go over the top on what you need, for example, why do i have to take an entemology or a statistics class if my major is political science?

· I think a lot of the General Education requirements were a repeat of things learned in High School. Public Speaking is the only General Ed class that was beneficial to me.

· none

· public speaking is very important

· Broaden the list of available UGE classes

· I Can't think of any.

· I think that it's not a good idea to force students to take classes such as these for general education requirements. These are all specific interest classes. If people really want to learn about something they will take the class. If you force people into courses that they do not want to attend, most likely they will not even try to excel or learn anything. It will all be a joke to them. That's just the way it is, I guess.

· I think that the the only sipulation put on the humanity and S/S courses that a student takes should just be that the course is outside of their major(s) curriculum.

· None that I can think of right now.

· I think that any course that helps a student to realize there is a world outside of K-State or Kansas or whatever bubble they inhabit is very important in preparing them for a successful life after college.

· I think that coming to college should make you a more rounded and powerful person in every respect of you life. Mostly, we should be informed about consumerism since we are all consumers; "wellness," as you put it, because we are all beings that need to be well; local, regional and national issues and social responsibility because we are all members of communities at every level, etc. We must count on school to teach us these things or too many get lost in the confusing dog-eat-dog world.

· I think that communitcation skills, along with critical thinking skills, are some of the the most important for students to learn

· To become a college student is a privledge. I think that college should be dealt with in that sence. But even more today we are seeing a shift from priveledges to necessity. To get anytwhere in this new world you have to have a college education. School should be more affordable, which in turn makes for a better experience over all. I would have no problem taking all the crap classes if they didn't cost so much. I am not recieving enough world knowledge in these required classes for the $.

· none

· I feel there should be Required computer technology courses for all students. Computers are the most powerful tool we posses and only a small number of people (namely computer related majors) know how to work them effectively.

· There is not enough emphasis on the need to communicate clearly and rationally (both oral and written); or on problem solving, reasoning, and reading comprehension.

· Gen. Ed. seems like a path of learning to help mature people. I am not going to college to be taught like I was in high school. I am going to college to learn and prepare for a career. I am not saying that offering courses to better understanding of humanity and the world around us, but it's frustrating to be forced to pay for these classes (like we're a bunch of kids that need to be put through "guidance").

· none.

· I personally feel that the foreign language piece of education is going to become more important throughout the United States and throughout the school systems(grade school to high education), because of the diversity the United States have.

· no

· n/a

· Speech classes that require the students to prepare for interviews and make people more comfortable in speaking aloud.

· I think it is important for students to be able to communicate both written and orally as well as think critically. Very few jobs or situations in life don't demand this, so it is very important.

· Everyone needs to learn how to communicate well, interact with people, and learn basic survival skills and financial planning. This is important in any field of study.

· I think students should take classes that interest them and deal with what they will be doing for the rest of their life.

· A students general ed. should form with the personand major. not big changes but, if a person is in art and is not good at math they should not take as much in gen eds as an engineer.

· i think that public speaking 101 and expository writing 101 are a waste of time

· The general education of an individual all activities that will allow him/her adapt in whatever society that they find themselves. This would be done by increasing their verbal and analytical (qualitative and quantitative) skills coupled with a strong background of multiculturalism.

· I think it is very important to have course that teach students different things.

· There are no courses that teach you how to get a job, make money or anything concrete. All courses are typically theoretical. I would have appreciated some more practical, daily use education.

· As an Anthropology major, I feel one of the more important attributes to have in our ever more globalizing world is the openness to understand people's differences rather than react badly to them.

· Residental Living

· I think there are too many history, music, etc. courses that you have to take. Math, reading, speech, etc. are courses that will apply to everyone in one way or another. Music, history and courses like that are more apt to benefit someone actually in that major or people who have a desire to learn about it.

· I think some simple math is required to succed. Also some class like Natural Disasters. English is somewhat important but foreign languages are a waste of time!

· I think that gen. ed. courses should be narrowed down so that they deal more with future courses rather than have the possibility that some courses have nothing at all to do with what a student is interested in. Also, I suggest hiring teachers who speak and understand english.

· We are all citizens of the world, and every one of us is a vital resource to our future. It's all to clear to me now that everything here is so finite, and I feel that education is the best tool we have in fighting every problem we face. General education helps ensure that we have as many consciencous , open minded individuals as possible to draw from when the time comes for problem solving.

· none

· I believe that general education classes should extend the general knowledge of the person but also create a more employable graduate. A University should work just as hard to make scholars as it does to make workers

· Sometimes I wish it didn't seem like such a race to complete my degree, and that I had more time to focus on the areas that truly interest me. However, if you are not wealthy and you don't have a lot of time to spare, you have to keep moving towards the end.

· It is very important at this school to make sure students get enough exposure to real diversity--it isn't enough merely to see people from different backgrounds passing on the sidewalks.

· Some students come to K-State with already well-developed reading/comprehension/ communication skills or Communication. They might not need much improvement in their speech-giving skills for their major, but the test-out is very difficult. I had a 35 in English on the ACT's, and I was not allowed to forego English Comp. I was placed in two Honors classes with teachers who were very opinionated and whose opinions opposed mine. Bluntly, it sucked.