What is wrong with Penn's education, and how can it be fixed?
These are the questions the Student Committee on Undergraduate Education wants students to consider during its annual education week.
Wharton and College junior Zach Fuchs, chairman of SCUE, explained that education week, which runs from March 31 to April 4, will allow students to think critically about their education instead of just following the University curriculum.
Many times students don't think about the value of their education until their senior year, Fuchs said, when they begin to question "What does my education mean?"
Education week is a good opportunity for Penn students to begin analyzing that question right now.
Students are encouraged to share their ideas for improving education at six different events.
On Tuesday, "Web of Conservations" will bring students and student leaders together in informal settings across campus, including Allegros and the Penn Bookstore, to discuss issues such as course-evaluation methods and the current advising system.
An IdeaSLAM, which will be hosted on Thursday, encourages students to share innovative learning strategies in 60 seconds or less. The finalists will share their ideas to a panel representing the Provost's office, the President's office and SCUE.
Other events will introduce new and different learning experiences. "Teach-In for Problem Solving Learning" on Friday will feature several student and faculty teams that have studied real-world problems without textbook solutions, such as global warming and nutrition in West Philadelphia.
In addition to the six events, there will also be seven lunches and dinners with professors, including College Dean Dennis Deturck, throughout the week.
Arthur Caplan, director of the Center for Bioethics and one of the professors participating in the faculty-student lunches, said the small group interactions between professors and students during the lunches and dinners are great opportunities "to hear about cutting edge research and scholarship that might not quite be ready to present in class."
Fuchs said education week can be especially helpful for freshman students who are seeking advice on choosing their majors or finding summer research positions.
For example, the undergraduate research symposium that was held yesterday featured research strategies from Penn undergraduates.
Fuchs hopes that education week will foster new ideas to implement in the future. "Everyone knows that Penn is great, but we want to make it the most innovative place to be," he said.
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