Developing inquiring minds is the new mission of the University of Calgary. Now that the university has been established as one of the few research-based institutes in Canada, there is a need to determine exactly what this will mean for students.
Enter EULE, otherwise known as Enhancing the Undergraduate Learning Experience project. Developed by the office of the Vice-President Academic, EULE heralds several changes for the U of C.
"EULE was originally created to address aspects of the research culture that need to be enhanced or changed to satisfy our students," said Steven Franklin, special assistant to the VP Academic and the project’s champion.
"The EULE project is meant to be an organizing framework for three projects," added Peggy Patterson, Student Affairs and EULE coordinator.
Curriculum redesign, direct entry and the Student Advising Review Team are all parts of the program. Curriculum redesign addresses the need to incorporate critical thinking skills into the research environment of the university curriculum. Direct Entry will be introduced in the fall of 2002, and allows new students to enter the faculty of their choice without going through the Faculty of Communication and Culture. SART will examine the types of advising required by students both in terms of academics and lifestyle and then provide more professional support to advisors.
As a whole, EULE was developed in 1996 as a result of the Strategic Direction to the Future document approved by the GFC and the Board of Governors. According to Franklin, the ability to find information quickly and critical thinking skills are among the advantages students at a research-based institute will receive from initiatives such as those co-ordinated by EULE.
EULE Communication Coordinator Jennifer Myers will work with the U of C to promote EULE’s mandate and sell the idea of a research-based institute to incoming U of C students.
EULE was officially launched on Wed., Oct. 3. Students’ Union VP Academic Nic Porco hosted a townhall meeting to allow students to ask questions as to how EULE will affect them.
For more information, students can contact Porco by e-mail at [email protected].