Dear Editor:
I am trying to understand the significance of what CapU's president actually said about changes in the curriculum in your recent Sunday edition. I do understand that government funding has been reduced, that curriculum changes are essential. But exactly what are these changes? That is what I find obscure. She does say: "The focus is on the undergraduates, getting people prepared for the world ... it's a model that's not been here." Does she mean that previous years of Cap's teaching did not do that? I've always thought that the main focus of postsecondary education was to teach students how to think clearly and critically, how to communicate clearly, provide them with the knowledge and understanding to determine what kind of country they want. Was CapU not doing that before?
She also says "the new paradigm shift is less about the narrow disciplinary focus and more about interdisciplinary and transferable skills." The inter-disciplinary approach to education has been taught at the university for years. That is not a new paradigm shift. And finally is learning how to think and communicate clearly, learning how to understand the world you live in, a narrow disciplinary focus?
Please, President Bulcroft, what exactly did you mean?
Philip Pinkus UBC professor emeritus
West Vancouver
