ABSTRACT
Metro U students must first enroll in an Individualized Educational Planning Course which is designed to assist students to understand University policies, including assessment policies and practices; learn the principles of self-directed, independent study; identify their current competences and their learning needs; and design their upper-division degree plans. Perhaps unwittingly, the majority of postsecondary institutions organizes its curriculum around the academic disciplines. The curriculum can be organized so that its major goal is the facilitation of student development. By forcing curriculum planners to think in terms of organizing principles and curricular emphases, it encourages the construction of a curriculum that reflects a systematic approach to the undergraduate program instead of a hodgepodge of unrelated courses and experiences. The history of curriculum development in the American college and university illustrates the changes that have taken place in the organization of the disciplines.
