Using electronic meeting system support in the design of the graduate core curriculum

This article focuses on the use of an electronic meeting system (EMS) to facilitate the selection and refinement of a set of common graduate core courses for all master's degrees within the school of education in an upper-division university. The EMS was used at selected intervals within a seven months' process and provided an opportunity for broad-based group involvement in selection of the core competencies to be included. The seven-member task force generated ideas, discussed highly charged issues, prioritized competencies, and came to consensus through a combination of traditional and electronic meeting environments. The process followed, as well as the advantages, disadvantages, and insights gained, are reported here.