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Environments of Learning

Mentors and students at GWU use a variety of environments to augment deep and broad learning inside and outside of the classroom. In addition to reading, calculating, creating and writing, students also come together to engage in the following six environments of learning.

Colloquium

The colloquium is a small group discussion of at least one mentor and usually five to fifteen students. The group comes together after reading or experiencing a specific classical work. Discussion centers on gaining a deeper understanding of the work itself, human nature and how principles and truths might be applied to current and future challenges. The mentor participates in the discussion and acts as a mediator—sharing insights, asking questions, and ensuring that the colloquium becomes a profound learning experience.

Group Discussion

A group discussion is similar to the colloquium except that the environment may or may not have anything to do with one particular classic, mentors are likely not present, and the discussion does not have an assigned mediator. Group discussions occur spontaneously among students; and sometimes they are assigned by mentors to deal with particular questions. These discussions often take the form of group readings where students simply read together aloud and discuss as they go.

Lecture

Lecture is an environment where a mentor or student teaches a larger group—typically without interruption. Lectures are given to present new ideas or a synthesis of ideas. They are also used when a great deal of information needs to be presented quickly, so that the group can move forward with reading classics, writing and discussing. In addition, quality lectures augment the other learning environments, give students examples of superb scholarship and inspire them to study more on their own. Lecture with discussion is identical to the lecturing, except that questions and discussion throughout are welcomed. This environment is also a way for larger groups to engage in interactive learning while maintaining order and flow.

Testing

Testing is part of effective learning. However, care must be taken that tests do not become an end in themselves. The purpose of testing is for mentors to evaluate student progress in meaningful ways, and for students to evaluate themselves. Liberal education and statesmanship are the objectives of study at the university, and testing measures progress toward these objectives. Through testing, mentors challenge students to connect everything they know on a given subject, and make new discoveries in the process. Tests are also a powerful way for students to find out what they do not know, and what they need to do to fill gaps in their education. Since tests are written and administered for the benefit of students, mentors highly discourage cramming and taking tests simply for a grade or credit. Mentors trust students to be honest during examinations and do not enforce strict rules and monitoring procedures. We teach students that cheating denigrates not only their education, but their character. With freedom to succeed comes freedom to fail; and learning to apply and manage this freedom is a key part of liberal education. Mentors use three main types of tests; written examinations, oral examinations and oral defense.

Written Examinations

A rigorous, essay-based, comprehensive examination is designed to test the student’s breadth and depth of knowledge and ability to expound it in writing. Written examinations usually contain five to ten questions, each of which are treated extensively by the student. Mentors steer clear of true/false, multiple choice, and short-answer examinations. Written examinations are normally closed book, but may be open book depending on the preference of the mentor and the nature of the examination. Students are usually given their final and midterm examinations well ahead of testing dates so they have ample time to prepare. Mentors avoid playing guessing games and dropping hints in class about examinations. They are transparent, letting students know what they will be tested on, why they are tested, and how to best prepare. Tests are graded individually on quality of presentation and clarity as well as accuracy.

Students are usually given 12-48 hours to complete a written examination. They are allowed to take the examination off campus, and completed examinations are often 15-50 pages in length. Students tend to keep and file their graded tests as they would an original scholarly work. They feel a tremendous sense of satisfaction by pouring their energy into a course of study during a semester, and then capping it off with a written work that contains many essentials of their cumulative learning. They are often surprised at how much they have learned and the quality and breadth of ideas they were able to communicate. Written examinations are customized for individual students when needed.

Oral Examinations

If a liberal education is to be applied, then the ability to think on one’s feet, speak confidently and persuade others to a course of action is essential. Oral examinations test a student’s ability to do these things. They are an opportunity for mentors to see how the students have incorporated their studies into their lives, molding character and heart, as well as mind. Students are tested orally once or twice each semester. Oral examinations are administered by a board of one to three mentors, in the presence of classmates and visitors. Students dress professionally and practice their best diplomacy and oratory during these examinations. Any question is fair game during an oral, but nearly all questions are within the venue of the present semester. Typically, an oral examination lasts 15-30 minutes. There are generally three types of questions: 1) Rapid fire—a quick succession of dates, facts, and specific content; 2) Conjecture—a complex, debatable or unusual question that requires reasoning, thinking and application of concepts and principles; 3) Breadth & Depth—broad questions that explore the range and extent of knowledge, and specific questions that explore depth in distinct areas of study.

Oral Defense & Senior Thesis/Project

This defense is a comprehensive oral examination that tests students in all of the disciplines of the curriculum. Students at all levels (B.A., M.A., and Ph.D.) must pass both the defense and thesis/project before graduating. The thesis/project expresses the essence of a student’s degree program and the depth and breadth of scholarship attained. The oral defense is typically an hour or more in length at the bachelor’s level and up to two full days at the doctoral level.

Coaching

Coaching is usually performed one-on-one or in small groups. When coaching, a mentor gives advice and suggestions, encourages, reprimands, challenges and supports a student in personal and individual ways. This environment is based on a relationship of trust. A mentor meeting, where coaching takes place, is initiated by either the student or mentor, and for most students occurs every few weeks.

Writing

Writing is integral to liberal education, augmenting the power of the curriculum by bringing students into the realms of creation and application. Writing is the bridge between reading and thinking about others’ perspectives, and the more difficult and mature process of forming and expounding one’s own ideas. We focus on effective writing in the two major categories of poetry and prose. One of the challenges in modern America is that too often books are read and written in a rote fashion, without the creative energy that brings life and vibrancy to learning. Rote methods are concerned with arriving at a certain prescribed “right” answer, rather than seeking to open the student’s mind and explore many possibilities of meaning and application. The primary purpose of writing at the university is to move students past the rote stage by directly engaging them in the creative process. Most of our writing assignments are non-descript concerning length, topic, or format. The focus is for students to achieve originality and depth of thought, and then to express it with power and conviction in writing.

Prose

Prose writing is intended to convey information, and to present ideas in a certain order and style. It is useful when the author wants to communicate specific ideas or to take a stance. Although prose is not as creative in composition as poetry, it can be read poetically when the reader engages in debate with the author, adding to the text his own questions and ideas. Prose is powerful for technical writing and forming logically ordered arguments and explanations. It is less imaginative than poetry, but its strength lies in its ability to effectively build a construct that flows through many thoughts, ideas, theses, questions and reasoned arguments. Good prose is lucid and accurate; it communicates a precise meaning; it clearly explains the matter at hand, and rules out superfluous arguments by debunking and rendering them obsolete.

Poetry

To write and read poetically is to be creative and to think intuitively. Poetry is not primarily concerned with what the author meant to convey, rather it invites the reader to ask “What am I to learn from this?” and “What should I do about this?” The purpose is to inspire, to move, to shape and impact the mind and heart of the reader so that he will walk away a different person. Poetry is a way of looking at the world. A book like the Bible can be read as prose or poetry, and very different meanings and influences are available depending on which way we choose to read. Students at the university learn to read and write poetically—creatively—no matter what the style, composition, form or subject of the text may be. They learn to read and write as original thinkers seeking to convey deep and powerful truths and to move noble causes in the hearts and minds of others. Mentors help students learn to distinguish prose and poetry, and to identify their own writing style and the strengths and weaknesses of it. Students first learn to read poetically, then they learn to write poetically.

Assignments

The first rule of writing is that you must have something to say. Students write every semester, with frequency, quantity and quality increasing as they progress through the curriculum with a great deal of mentor feedback. Freshmen are primarily engaged in absorbing a body of ideas so that they have a base from which to write; writing is therefore a secondary important focus for them. Upperclassmen write much more because they have read a great deal and are more prepared to engage in the great debate and contribute as scholars in their own way. Assignments are geared toward writing for impact—writing classics that move a cause, not college papers to get a grade.