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- Purpose
- Philosophy
- Teaching/Learning Process
- Alignment Between Course, Division, and Institutional Learning Outcomes
Purpose
The purpose of the Maine College of Health Profession’s general education division is to provide programs, courses, and experiences that support the mission of the general education division, and to support student learning in all academic programs offered at MCHP.
Philosophy
At MCHP, we believe that general education is an essential life-long learning concept. Our programs’ general education requirement provides the student with academic diversity, expansion of both creative and critical thought processes, and opportunity for personal and intellectual growth. The pursuit of general education creates an atmosphere of intellectual exchange that ultimately affects society through application of biological and social sciences, math concepts and skills, and humanities principles. Furthermore, we believe that general education provides an established foundation for the pursuit of higher education, facilitating the adult learner's diverse educational goals.
The teaching/learning process is a purposeful, goal-directed interactive process between the instructor, the student, and the environment. Positive learning from one situation to another can be facilitated when the situation is like the learner's earlier experience. With faculty support and guidance, the student pursues, integrates, and evaluates knowledge using a problem-solving process. We believe that students should be active participants in their own learning and should have opportunities for self-evaluation as well as for evaluation by faculty.
In their role as the facilitator of student learning, the faculty endorse the principles of adult education. Learning occurs best when a problem, need, or desire causes an increase in learner energy or motivation and is enhanced by the individual’s active involvement in the experience. The development of positive attitudes and eagerness to learn is facilitated by positive feedback, and strong faculty-student interactions and relationships, which builds confidence and develops self-esteem. The faculty creates a learning environment that fosters an increasing belief in one’s ability to succeed, promotes a growth mindset, and guides students toward assuming increased responsibility for identifying and achieving goals.
Part of the mission of MCHP is to graduate educated persons whose lives have been enriched by their educational experiences at MCHP. General education courses provide an array of diverse topics covering different levels of content with the goal of introducing students to multiple genre in the primary domains of knowledge: Arts/Humanities, Science, Social Sciences, and Ethics/Philosophy. The courses offered within the general education division, provide a milieu of diversity and choice which increases the students' opportunity for growth and self-development.
Currently, the general education division offers one degree program geared toward careers in health sciences.
The Associate Degree is Health Sciences (AHS). This program provides a career track for students whose goal is to work in healthcare but not necessarily at the bedside. Beyond the attainment of an AHS degree, the Associate Degree in Health Sciences can be a steppingstone to careers in nursing, radiologic technology, and health care administration.
MCHP is an educational system that promotes seamless academic progression. After students complete the Associate Degree in Health Science, students can choose to further their education by transferring completed general education courses into one of the other health professions programs offered at MCHP. After earning an Associate degree in AHS, Nursing, or Medical Imaging, graduates can apply for the post-licensure RN-BSN Program, Bachelors of Science in Medical Imaging (BS-MI), or the Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Administration (BS-HCA). Additionally, students who enter the AHS program can complete general education courses with the goal of transferring into a nursing, medical imaging, or healthcare administration degree at a future date.
Teaching/Learning Process
The curriculum for the General Education division is designed to provide an assortment of courses in the primary knowledge domains. Successful completion of these courses develops a basic level of knowledge to which the acquired content knowledge of program courses can be added. Courses within the General Education curriculum also follow the philosophy of building on prior knowledge to attain greater, more refined knowledge. For example, BIO111 and 112 (Anatomy & Physiology I and II) are sequential courses that provide the foundation needed to comprehend content in later science courses such as BIO214, Microbiology. Students learn the structures of the body and normal human physiology, which helps them better understand infectious disease processes and impacts. PSY101, Introduction to Psychology, provides students the fundamental knowledge needed to better comprehend higher level content in PSY201, Developmental Psychology. These courses and other general education courses are those that further help students understand content they learn in AHS, nursing, medical imaging, and health administration program courses.
Alignment Between Course, Division, and Institutional Learning Outcomes
Learning assessment at the course, division/program, and institution level is essential for monitoring and improving teaching and learning at MCHP. Care is taken when creating new courses and programs that each level of learning outcome assessment maps progressively up the levels to ensure the teaching and learning at MCHP supports the College’s mission.