This special issue of the Faculty Newsletter is devoted to musings, suggestions, cautions, accolades, critiques, exhortations, complaints, explanations, celebrations . . .

The Task Force on the Undergraduate Educational Commons was appointed by former-president Charles M. Vest in the winter of 2003. It was composed of . . .

This special issue of the Faculty Newsletter reflects the best thinking of many of our colleagues who care deeply about the quality of the education we provide to our . . .

The proposed changes to the HASS portion of the GIRs address many long-bemoaned shortcomings of the current system, such as the somewhat . . .

I, like every other faculty member that I have spoken to, would like to thank the Task Force for their heroic efforts over the last two years, culminating in the Task Force . . .

It is hard to imagine a future in which an MIT graduate has no familiarity with electric and magnetic fields. However, the report of the Task Force on the Undergraduate . . .

What should every MIT undergraduate know by the time they leave the Institute? While this is not the only way to look at the challenge of modifying the General . . .

We are writing to express our concern about the changes in the structure of the HASS requirement proposed in the Task Force report. Our concern focuses on the . . .

The members of the Task Force on the Undergraduate Educational Commons obviously put a lot of time, effort, and thought into their report. The report clearly . . .

The Task Force has done tremendous and cogent work, for which we should all be grateful. The presentation of point and counter-point in the report is so complete . . .

The Mechanical Engineering faculty see many positive elements in the Task Force report, and we are actively considering how some of its recommendations may be . . .

In the course of our investigations, the Task Force received detailed presentations from faculty currently teaching the GIR science courses, people clearly among . . .

One of the recommendations of the Task Force is the elimination of AP credit for all required science subjects, with the exception of calculus. The Task Force report . . .

 A key aspect of the recommendations of the Task Force on the Undergraduate Educational Commons concerning the Science, Mathematics, and Engineering . . .

First, I would like to compliment the Task Force on the thorough and far-reaching work that has been done to date. This is a complex problem that defies a . . .

From the view of the departments and centers in the School of Architecture and Planning (SA+P), we ask the Task Force on the Undergraduate Educational . . .

I was profoundly disappointed by the Report of The Task Force on the Undergraduate Educational Commons. The Task Force must be congratulated for a well-written . . .

For its mighty efforts at envisioning an undergraduate curriculum appropriate to the twenty-first century, we thank the Task Force. It is gratifying to read, with respect to . . .

“In light of our findings, the time has come for the Science Core, REST, and Laboratory Requirements to be replaced by a newly designed Science, . . .

In the design of a curriculum, each subject should have a well-understood role and objective, stated in terms of learning outcomes for knowledge, skills, and . . .

Implementing the recommendations of the Task Force on Undergraduate Educational Commons will not be simple, but it affords us an opportunity to . . .

I have just finished teaching a pilot version of a project-based-learning class with colleagues Jim Kirtley and Steve Leeb. It’s a work in progress, but enough has . . .

As educators at MIT, we are fortunate to work with motivated students. They have shown by their decision to come to MIT that they are willing to work hard and are . . .

Over the past several years, a number of reports have been produced that address advising and mentoring of undergraduate students: The Report to the Faculty on . . .

The questions asked during the past months’ faculty discussions have most frequently begun, “Did the Task Force ever consider…?” When Task Force . . .

A major theme of the Task Force on the Undergraduate Commons has been largely overlooked in critical discussions of its recent Report: namely, the desirability of . . .

The alarm buzzes again. Her roommate yells at her and Elizabeth reluctantly pulls herself out of bed and into the shower. It is 8:10, but she’s had only six hours of . . .

One of the recommendations of the Task Force (pg. 57, item 4) is that “Departments with large major programs should offer a more flexible degree option that requires . . .

I wish I knew the actual statistic, but I find that most MIT undergrads are musically gifted. If not, they’re usually visually gifted, or else great dancers, actors, writers, or . . .

The Task Force report has rightly underscored the need for increased faculty participation in first-year advising as a means of encouraging students to engage . . .

We all know the feeling of proposing a new idea to our colleagues and meeting with resistance, especially when the idea concerns teaching! Accordingly, I hope that . . .

When we consider the Core, our debate focuses on what (or whose) knowledge should be taught. Absent a clear basis for selecting, we hear our assertions grow . . .

The report of the Task Force on the Undergraduate Commons rests on a vision of the MIT undergraduate education that I believe is shared by all of the faculty: . . .

I originally intended to submit my “Free The Endorphins” quasi-poem that I read at the faculty meeting; however, since Tech Talk asked to publish it, and it also ended . . .

The reception of the Task Force’s recommendations has been rocky. I am hopeful that we will put in place a set of general education principles and requirements . . .

Research at MIT has been moving rapidly and definitively towards greater interdisciplinarity. External funding sources routinely ask researchers to assemble . . .

On November 21, 2006, the Student Advisory Committee (SAC) on the Recommendations of the Task Force on the Undergraduate Educational . . .

In november of 2001, 958 members of the MIT faculty (all tenure track faculty) were invited bo the Office of the Provost to complete the HERI faculty survey.