The history of the general courses can be traced to Greek philosophers which is rooted in the concept of “reasoning or rational thinking.”1 Reasoning enables questioning of the existing knowledge (beliefs or judgement or actions) from the stable and static form to a dynamic approach on learning2.
From the perspective of the Roman philosophers, they adopted the teaching of general courses in order to educate the clerics on how to read and write for mission work in the monastry3. However, based on the geometric progression in the Western Europe on commercialization, population and civilization, the need to receive education shifted from the clerics to the citizenry at large4. The reason for the shift was based on the crave for the businessmen, particularly, to be educated in order for them to take records of their business transactions, hence the need for them to be educated on reading and writing. In pursuance of this agenda, there was a formation of a union between the teachers and the students. The union of the teachers and students through legal rights enabled their freedom for any citizen to acquire general subjects other than limiting education to the missionaries alone. Eventually, this step led to the establishment of universities5
It is worthy of note, also, that the contributions of the Greeks and Romans were not mutually exclusive to the formation of education within the walls of a university without the contribution of the Africans. In Africa, particularly, in Egypt, the papyrus sheet meant for recording accurate information and learning was developed, which complemented that of the Greeks and Romans6. The trio development, therefore, comprises the use of the head, hand and written document for students’ learning and development in University settings.
From the Nigerian narrative, the National Universities Commissions, which is an agency of the Federal Government of Nigeria, provides a platform for the benchmark of general courses to be taken by the students in the undergraduate and post-graduate levels. The NUC plays the major role of developing the policies and curriculums7. This is administered and evaluated through teaching, researching and providing services that will not only develop the individual students but to empower them on career training and cope with the dynamics of the Nigerian societies and beyond8.
From the Babcock University’s chronicle, the General Education Division Studies (GEDS) began in 1985 under the auspices of the university administration of the defunct Adventist Seminary of West Africa (ASWA) as a department for the effective coordination and administration of the general courses. It was first named the Department of Education and General Studies without certificates awarded9. The founding courses offered then were (1.) Typing, (2) Agricultural Science, (3) Library Science, and (4) Auto Mechanics. From this foundation, the nature of the general courses and their examinations have been in form of theory and practical. The founding goal was growing students with entrepreneurial skills and capacity to be self reliant which involved learning from the classrooms, fields and laboratories.
From 1985 in ASWA, the progression in training students, in the general education studies evolved from the “hand” (practical) to particularly the “mind” (knowledge) and the “heart” (religious). This has formed the platform upon which Babcock University’s general courses have been tailored not devoid of the National Universities Commission’s policies and Curriculum which are the bedrocks. 10
Additionally, in 1999, the general education division studies (GEDS) were tailored according to the National Universities Commission. Consequently, many courses were introduced into the curriculum. After thirty-seven years of its operations in 2012, the GEDS was created as an independent division. In 2013, the nature of the examination that comprises of the classrooms, fields and laboratories, the amount of money expended on papers for the examinations, the stress of marking, tedious approach to collation of results led to the upgrading of the GEDS examinations to the CBT where GEDS results generation was automated to ease the aforementioned issues. This intranet CBT was discovered by a student through an assignment on a Web and Design course taught by Dr. Olusola Maitami, and ably supervised by Professor Sunday Idowu. From this point, the Professors collaborated with other experts in formation of an intranet CBT examination package which did not involve the use of internet11.
By the Covid 19 era, the mode of examination moved to the intranet to the internet with a public IP whereby students could access the examination portal globally. The upgrade comprises of a change in the IP Address monitoring, the progress monitoring bar and the suitable mode of reporting. In 2021, the nature of the examination has shifted back to intranet yet having the capacity to be flexible as the situation demands. The aftermath the Covid era propelled the GEDS online classes yet having its praticals on the fields and in the laboratories12.
The general education courses division of Babcock University, since its establishment, has been committed to dynamic and effective coordinating and administrating of the general courses through integration of faith and learning13, and this makes the General Education Division Studies in Babcock University unique.
Emmanuel Orihentare Eregare, PhD.
GEDS Director-2020-Present
Babcock University, Nigeria
Endnotes