{"70795":{"#nid":"70795","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Planning for \u2018X Degree\u2019 Moves Forward","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EFinding the right balance of structure and flexibility has been an ongoing challenge for the committee tasked with developing a plan for a Georgia Tech interdisciplinary \u201cX degree.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI think some people have concerns about a degree program where students play a major role in designing the curricula, because they think students will be unsupervised and the degree program won\u2019t be as rigorous,\u201d said Richard Barke, chair of the committee. \u201cBut what we\u2019re looking to create is a program that offers flexibility within certain constraints and still emphasizes a challenging curriculum.\u201d \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe logic behind the X degree \u2014 which was originally known as the \u201cX-College\u201d \u2014 is that it would serve a small group of students interested in a unique educational experience and who would excel in a degree program that didn\u2019t restrict them to one major\u2019s requirements. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThis program would be designed for those few students who have had five different majors and still haven\u2019t found the \u2018right\u2019 combination of learning opportunities \u2014 not students who are looking for an easy way out of taking certain classes,\u201d Barke said. \u201cThe program will seek students who are highly motivated to be creative and \u2018unboxable.\u2019\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe committee is focusing on the following design principles, which will serve as the foundation for the degree: \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EIt will be flexible. \u003C\/strong\u003EStudents will have a hand in designing their own curricula but will be supervised every step of the way by faculty members.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EIt will encourage greater faculty-student interaction\u003C\/strong\u003E and require students to share their ideas and innovations with other students and external communities.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EIt will be rigorous.\u003C\/strong\u003E \u201cWe want employers and graduate schools to continue seeing Georgia Tech graduates as some of the top in the nation,\u201d Barke said. \u201cBut our definition of what constitutes a \u2018rigorous\u2019 program may need to evolve.\u201d\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EIt will be assessment-friendly.\u003C\/strong\u003E The program will rely on constant feedback from students and faculty members, and eventually employers, regarding which aspects of the program are working and which aren\u2019t, so it needs to have assessable objectives. \u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EIt will be innovative.\u003C\/strong\u003E \u201cThis program needs to be agile,\u201d Barke said. \u201cIt should regularly evolve based on creative ideas from students and faculty, and even employers.\u201d\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cFor some time, our students have asked the administration to offer some kind of self-directed learning options,\u201d said Provost Rafael L. Bras. \u201cThe X degree concept will complement existing degree programs to reflect the rigor of a Georgia Tech education while preparing students for creative careers.\u201d \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn the weeks to come, the committee will be submitting a draft proposal to Tech\u2019s colleges and schools and encourages each unit to share ideas and feedback. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor more information, contact \u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:richard.barke@pubpolicy.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EBarke\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EFinding the right balance of structure and flexibility has been an ongoing challenge for the committee tasked with developing a plan for a Georgia Tech interdisciplinary \u201cX degree.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Finding the right balance of structure and flexibility has been an ongoing challenge for the committee tasked with developing a plan for a Georgia Tech interdisciplinary \u201cX degree.\u201d"}],"uid":"27445","created_gmt":"2011-10-03 14:31:46","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:10:22","author":"Amelia Pavlik","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2011-10-03T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2011-10-03T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/vision","title":"Georgia Tech Strategic Vision"}],"groups":[{"id":"1259","name":"Whistle"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"356","name":"degree"},{"id":"167488","name":"strategic plan"},{"id":"14587","name":"X College"},{"id":"14586","name":"X Degree"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:richard.barke@pubpolicy.gatech.edu\u0022\u003ERichard Barke\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EChair, X Degree Committee\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}