A Case Study on the Development and Utilization of the Shared Index for the Optimization of Liberal Arts Curriculum at College

The purpose of this study is to clarify a concept of the shared index developed by University A to optimize the liberal arts curriculum in colleges. The development of the ‘shared index’ is originated from the recognition of the issue of how to apply basic liberal arts subjects of a major. A researcher embodied the concept of the shared index by referring to previous studies dealing with the problem of curriculum optimization, and then calculated the shared index of subjects organized as liberal arts curriculum in colleges. The shared index is calculated as a combination of ‘shared level’, which shows how commonly certain subjects are organized in the curriculum by various departments and divisions, and the ‘probability of students’ selection’, which indicates the probability of students taking certain courses. As a result of calculating the change in the shared index before and after reorganization of the liberal arts curriculum, the shared index of liberal arts subjects on the basic nature of a major rose by 0.07. This study presents quantitative indicators that can be taken in account, in addition to the content characteristics of courses in the liberal arts area regarding the basic nature of a major.