The Formal Research Proposal
A photo of a student doing work in a classwork
Ava Mathews
Prof. Rachel Rigolino
ENG170, Sec. 43
January 29, 2024
Title of Research Proposal
“The Revaluation of General Education classes and their Modern Use.”
Introduction to Research Topic
My research paper is about general education classes and whether schools should cut back. I chose this topic because it is a question I have wondered about in my own time and now have an opportunity to research. I feel very strongly about it as someone currently in college whose future career requires a masters. The classes I am currently enrolled in are majority general education courses and I find myself frustrated at the number of required credits. Out of the 120 credits needed to obtain a bachelor’s degree, classes related to my major make up less than half. My goal is to find out with research if completing degrees in a shorter time is an option for colleges like SUNY New Paltz to consider. Even if my research proves my question wrong, I believe it will lead to greater appreciation of my time in school and courses I take.
This issue is important to address currently with the rise of college enrollment over the past decades. Bachelor’s degrees are becoming the expectation when applying for careers. This also leads to many having to pursue higher education such as graduate school either as a requirement for hiring or to stand out from other applicants. As the culture around college changes, I believe so should the structure of it.
Leading Research Question and Related Questions
Leading Research Question(s):
Should SUNY New Paltz cut back on general education requirements and other required credit?
Related Questions:
How would cutting back on these courses affect students and their preparation?
Is the 120 credit minimum still necessary or should colleges consider switching to 3 year tracks?
Current Knowledge
When looking into college programs I knew it was inevitable to take general education courses. I know a good bit about the requirements at SUNY New Paltz due to the help of my “progress report” in which my GE requirements are laid out and options for classes are given. My friends from different schools have also told me about how their colleges allow students to come in with a major and take classes for it right away. Although they still take general education programs, I know I would want to investigate this in my research.
Interview Subject(s)
For my project I am required to include an interview relating to my research topic. I thought it would be interesting to interview my academic advisor as she knows the most about these requirements and why they are important for students to take. I would also like to interview one of my friends attending The College of New Jersey as they take classes directly related to their major. I would ask them about how their classes are structured and how they feel about their general education course requirements. I would investigate the school before my interview so I can plan questions related to the information I wish to learn.
Preliminary Internet Sources
College Doesn’t Need to Take 4 Years
This article is written and published by the Wall Street Journal which is a very reputable news source. The authors Scott L. Wyatt and Allen C. Guelzo discuss the topic of college standards while also including information using data. I hope that I find these statistics useful in writing my research paper.
This website includes information on British University systems and how the classes work. I picked it because of the 3-year university standard in the UK and thought it would be interesting to see how it benefits their learning. Although there isn’t much information it is a good starting place for my research.
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Generative AI Use Statement
Although it was allowed by my course rubric, I didn’t use generative AI for my research. I used generative AI only once to create a study guide for one of my classes last semesters and didn’t find it helpful. The program I used couldn’t use my textbook due to copyright and the outline it made was very vague. After, I deleted my account as the idea of having one made me uncomfortable. Artificial intelligence is not something I feel benefits my life and I don’t agree with how much of my generation uses it. I have seen people copy and paste in full quizzes to have the answers generated for them. The use of it for writing assignments has led to many faulty detecting programs being used by teachers. My friend had a documented flagged even though she wrote it without AI and I now always worry something similar will happen to me.