As the Task Force on General Education finalizes its proposal for new curricular themes, members of the library staff and faculty met in an open forum on Wednesday to discuss how the library might fit into the proposed requirements.

During the discussion with Task Force members, a group of faculty and staff members — primarily library employees — considered how the proposed classes and curricular themes would draw upon library resources.

Assistant Director of Research Technology and Innovation Ian Roy ’05 wondered how the MakerLab, which he manages, could be used in proposed changes like the digital literacy requirement. Similarly, Mark Dellelo, the digital media lab manager, asked how the Getz Media Lab might factor into these requirements.

Task Force member and Senior Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education Elaine Wong said that the Task Force will further consider how resources like the MakerLab and Getz Media Lab could supplement traditional classroom learning.

Wong also noted that online modules, under the proposal, could feature heavily in the Health, Wellness, and Life Skills curricular theme or in the Digital Literacy component, which she explained would be subject to interpretation from instructors. She suggested that faculty and library staff members pitch additional module ideas under this guideline.

Manager of Library Instruction Laura Hibbler told members of the Task Force that she is interested in helping students become more critical consumers of information, especially from the internet. “In the last few months, there’s been concern about misleading information online, … and it happens that students and the rest of us aren’t always as critical consumers of that information as we should be,” she said.

The attendees also dedicated some discussion time to the 21st Century Changes and Challenges requirement, which “will use the exploration of a complex problem of contemporary society to introduce students to the core features of the Brandeis general education curriculum,” according to a flyer from the Task Force.

Prof. Jennifer Cleary (THA) asked whether the course would be devised between departments or within individual programs. The University should advocate for a more interdisciplinary approach, she argued, urging her fellow faculty members to consider “who’s graduating, [and] with what skills.”

Task Force member Prof. Bulbul Chakraborty (PHYS) replied that the primary objective of the 21st Century course is to giver first-years an experience that is different from existing offerings, in addition to bringing faculty together from across different departments in order to offer different perspectives on the same topic.

Chakraborty added that the Task Force is considering whether to hold these 21st Century classes in large groups or to break them up into smaller discussion sections. She also cautioned that this type of interdisciplinary approach could not succeed without teamwork and cooperation from faculty and staff. “From my perspective, … unless [course ideas and implementation] come from two or three faculty who want to do this, it’s not going to work,” she said.

She also noted that one of the options available is to pilot the courses for a couple years to get a better sense of how they would work within the University structure.

Some attendees expressed concern that the options for the 21st Century course were too limited compared to those of competitor schools, both in terms of curricular themes and scheduling opportunities. Wong replied that the Task Force researched similar requirements at other schools and proposed a method that meshes with the University’s style.

However, Wong also acknowledged that the creation of online modules or practicum courses could raise some questions regarding faculty and staff members’ roles and responsibilities. “For those of you who want to create … digital literacy practicum courses, one of the things we’re talking about is, ‘OK, what’s going to happen if staff actually start teaching one of these courses? Can it be written into your job description?’” she said. “We’re still playing with that.”