Mandatory freshman course takes shape over 2014-2015 academic year

 

In April 2014, the Rover reported that the university would replace the freshman year physical education requirement with a mandatory First Year Experience course.  The new course, now named the Moreau First Year Experience after Blessed Basil Moreau, founder of the Congregation of Holy Cross, will be rolled out this fall.

The Rover spoke with Maureen Dawson, Assistant Dean in the First Year of Studies (FYS) and the person in charge of constructing the new first year course.

“[W]hat the Moreau Experience will be is about 100 sections of small group discussions meeting once a week for 50 minutes, with about 19 students per section,” Dawson told the Rover.  She noted that the course is formulated around and animated by two of Moreau’s central ideas: ‘Education is the art that brings students to completeness’ and never cultivating the mind at the expense of the heart.

A central Design Team has served as the primary working group for the construction of the new course, composed of those nominated from the FYS, Student Affairs, the peer advising program, and cultural competency.  Several of these areas, including health and wholeness and a technology team, have a student representative member.

Dawson noted in particular that the course will focus on campus residential zones in order to close the gap between academic and residential life.  The Design Team identified such zones on campus and will strive to assemble discussions groups based on these locations, with students who live near one another in the same small groups.

“We’re not able to do it dorm to dorm because we want to have a gender balance, but with 6 or 7 residential zones,” Dawson added, “we hope that students are meeting on a weekly basis with neighbors and that they think about topics together [and] the conversations may continue out into the residential spaces.”

Sophomore Jake Wittenberg, student representative to the Design Team, spoke with the Rover about his work on the course.  “I’m pretty pleased with the course, and certainly glad that we’ve had some student input,” he said.  Wittenberg said that student representatives were involved in several aspects of designing the new course.

In regards to incorporating feedback from current physical education department faculty members, Dawson said, “We met with them individually throughout the fall semester, and Dean Page, of course, remains in touch with them.”

Stephanie Gaal, Assistant Professional Specialist in the current physical education department, told the Rover that, until the past few weeks, PE faculty members were not given any concrete details about the program.

Another member of the PE faculty told the Rover that current faculty members were able to give feedback on the structure of the new course but were not represented on the Design Team.

“The university has offered a one-year, non-renewable contract to faculty with 6 or more years of employment at Notre Dame,” Gaal added.  “Those with the title of Visiting Assistant Professional Specialist were not given a contract for the new program, [but may be] able to apply as an instructor.

“I believe all of the PE teachers should have jobs in the new First Year Experience and are qualified to do so,” she concluded.

Dawson said that discussions between the FYS and the Office of Recreational Sports (RecSports) are ongoing, as administrators look to provide students with opportunities for physical activity.

Mark Williams, Director of RecSports, told the Rover that he hoped details of his office’s involvement would be available in the near future.

“The goal is to involve physical activity at some level, but we’re still working out the details,” Wittenberg added.  “Knowing how much students value the PE program as it stands now and enjoy the PE program as it is, I’m doing my best to ensure that students’ favorite parts of the PE program will be introduced and somehow involved in the new First Year Experience.”

Information about the new program will be given to course instructors and incoming freshmen in May and will be made available to the rest of the Notre Dame community around the start of the fall semester.

Alexandra DeSanctis is a junior political science major.  Contact her at adesanct@nd.edu.