Effects of Liberal Arts Curricula on Academic Activity and Academic Performance:

Results of the Survey on Liberal Arts Students

Abstract

With the quality of university education being discussed as a hot topic, efforts are being made to improve individual courses, including that of the introduction of active learning- based courses. In Liberal Arts departments, however, the discussion has included the merits of specialized curricula vis-a-vis the broad curricula. Based on the results of a survey conducted among students belonging to a Liberal Arts department, the academic activities of students in search of specialized education versus those who were in search of a broad education with the incorporation of Liberal Arts curricula were compared. The results revealed that the students in search of specialized education exhibited higher degrees of effort in their classes. Consequently, this suggests that Liberal Arts departments should introduce curricula that guide students toward specialized education.