What do students, parents, employers, and public officials expect of formal education? How realisitic are these expectations? What are the roots of the criticism of public education? How does education influence those who participate in it?
These are just a few of the questions dealt with by students in the Undergraduate Minor in Education, which has been recognized by the Committee on Teaching of the Berkeley Division of the Academic Senate with the 1997 Educational Initiatives Award. The award has been presented annually since 1993 to a department or unit on the Berkeley campus in recognition of distinctive contributions to undergraduate education. The progam selected must have a sustained impact upon undergraduate education and serve as a workable model for others on campus.
The recipient will be honored at the Berkeley campus annual Teaching Awards Ceremony in Zellerbach Playhouse on Wednesday, April 23 beginning at 5 pm. A reception will follow in the Toll Room of the Alumni House. The public is invited.
The Graduate School of Education instituted the Undergraduate Minor in Education in response to an increased desire among undergraduates to undertake serious intellectual inquiry into the nature of education. In addition, the undergraduate minor could potentially serve as a vehicle to pique the interest of bright young persons, especially persons of color, in a career in the field of education.
In 1989-90, there were only 133 undergradutes enrolled in courses in the Graduate School of Education. In 1995-96, there were 1,121, the result of the school's having introduced the Undergraduate Minor in Education.
Students who choose the Minor in Education must complete five courses in Education, including the Core Course, Current Issues in Education, and a course in fieldwork in education. In the fieldwork portion, students work in groups on a variety of projects, from tutoring and mentoring to environmental education field trips for thirdgraders.
Student response to the major has been overwhelmingly positive: "The classes are not by any stretch passive academic experiences but are instead significant markers of my intellectual growth and experience. The commitment to me as a student and confidence in me as an aspirign educator have never been a question and for their influence I am incredibly grateful." Faculty are equally lavish in their praise: "This program," says one, "is a cutting edge example of high quality undergraduate education focused on a crucial institution in our society."
With the advent of the minor, the School of Education has become a campus leader in the number of undergraduate students enrolled in its courses who are making valuable contributions to our Bay Area communities. Over 260 students each semester are actively engaged in Bay Area communities as laboratories, through the various service learning aspects of the minor.