MUSG student focus groups on workgroup proposals
(2016)
5-6pm – 12 students
Going through themes instead of just required classes.
With themes, classes become more applicable to what you are learning.
Core classes applied to your major/area of study.
Not a huge fan of the seminar idea (and you hear one credit, it is in the bottom of the barrel. Not
thought about. If I’m going to spend a credit, I’d rather just take a full class. People think you
won’t learn anything)
Proposal 15: well liked.
Proposal 1, 9, 12: arrows that are hitting each other, horizontal integration is liked.
Tier system intrigues me (as a senior). I miss having those outside of my major experiences.
Deep dive thematically Proposal 14 was well liked.
I like the tiered, but what about those people who change their majors all the time? How would
that affect students who are in the core?
Like the thematic. What makes Marquette special is that we are aren’t just learning, but that we
are becoming people and within the themes we would be able to do that.
What did you not like: seminars
Thoughts on Jesuit core? - does it really stand out incredibly more important that other
objectives?
Really like the real world projects. Experiential learning. Having a course on a specific project in
your major realm. Most capstone are action oriented.
Proposal 10: having core leads to vocational, leading to discernment about your vocation.
Service learning - should everyone do it? I think absolutely should do it. One had roommates
who didn’t like it, it was forced and it wasn’t something that they wanted to do. Didn’t apply to
them. Make service learning relevant. Be applicable to what they are interested in. More mature
and growth from it (upperclassmen experience?) Service learning can mean different things (not
just going to a site “volunteering”.
Give students the option to study abroad, but it’s not financially or schedule-wise feasible. In
nursing, engineering, health sciences it’s difficult to do.
Don’t like the proposal 1. Put a capstone on #1, and reword things.
Proposal 11: You start learning all disciplinaries, and then you go back to your own to observe
complex issues.
6-7pm – 10 students
Tiered and sequential
Taking all four core classes right at freshman year would affect my pre-med course. Not as much
fluidity. Having the core classes kind of throws a curveball because professors think you’re
supposed to have the expectation to have a humanities background. That’s why the tiered would
help because you would build up on that. Core would help Pre-med more diversified. Likes
constructive nature, there was a stack and the professors know exactly what you’ve done prior.
With having a seminar would you stay with the same students all four years? Engaging and
action, and applying what you learned in proposal three. Get Marquette students to reflect about
their role, and being a global citizen in the community. Make tiered themes, more
interchangeable among different grade levels. Proposal 3 is the most feasible to accomplish.
Should not horizontally integrate. It would allow you to explain how your Marquette education is
different. Lots of on campus events and programs/retreats/reflections that could be built into the
core. Ability to then bring the experiences back to Marquette community and your education, it
would allow us to set apart.
Proposal 4:
Integrated your interests with the core (Faith and sciences). Likes the exploration and it can fall
under any department that you are interested in, regardless of your major. Lots of options.
Proposal 5:
They need a picture!
Difficult to do a capstone with seniors, especially engineers. Capstone course would look like
busy work, this one doesn’t seem action based.
Proposal 6:
More humanistic, the keywords stand out to more holistic view.
Without tier, it makes it look like somebody would just need to check boxes.
Proposal 7-8:
This is very limiting with just picking one track over another. It wouldn’t allow to go across
other disciplines. Want to be informed in other routes, no restrictions in a path. For those who do
want a path, then they’ll be able to better describe their track. A core that goes with you, a core
that’s for different people.
Proposal 9:
Proposal 10:
More reference for the coursework. Not really a structure. Just assigns attributes to your
seminars.
Proposal 11:
Just makes us seem like a bigger state school, not much tie to Jesuit education and what makes
Marquette unique. Likes taking class with other people and learning from them.
Proposal 12:
Proposal 13:
Proposal 14:
Really liked the theme structure, taking a few discovery seminars and then you can’t narrow your
scope as you go through each tier. Builds on each other. Be able to pick from different themes.
Could be more fulfilling because they sounded more interesting
Proposal 15:
Connecting to your world (like the geography). Integrates courses with each other, gives
expectations for what’s next as you move. Consistent indiscriplnary in the classroom.
Don’t want the themes to be required. What if the student doesn’t like the theme?