Extra Credit #1: Mission / Purpose of the Honors Institute

I think that the answer to this question is circumstantial depending on which institution we are referring to specifically. If the question is directed towards the idea of an Honors Institute in general, then I think that the purpose is to provide a prestigious environment in which diligent, motivated students can separate themselves from the general student body and foster a more conducive intellectual environment. In and of itself, the Honors Institution is a distinct program that is practically separate from the educational institution to which it is loosely attached. Students that wish to become a part of such an institution are attempting to pursue a more rigorous path to intellectual enlightenment and in doing so they simultaneously distinguish themselves from the rest of their peers by creating their own environment. Honors Institutions, because of their advanced nature relative to the institution to which they are attached, are always intended to act as a catalyst for maturation and success in the future. However, if the question is directed towards Foothill (or other Community Colleges, for that matter) the purpose is more geared towards transferring to a prestigious university like UCLA. This is because by definition community college is designed to educate local students and aid them in their journey to a four year institution. Although they are a great tool for learning (possibly more valuable than Ivy League Schools), and despite their numerous other advantages (small classes, cheaper tuition, closer to home, etc), community colleges were designed for the purpose of transferring. That said, the Honors Institution at Foothill, as an extension of the existing educational institution (which is already geared towards completing General Education and transferring to another institution) is a more refined, efficient, and reliable way of obtaining the same result (admission into UCLA). The Honors classes are rigorous for the purpose of being recognized by Berkeley and LA, not so much as they are designed to cater to the Foothill student population. Graduating the Honors Program involves taking a variety of different classes while at the same time maintaining a respectable grade point average. If the purpose of Honors Institutions was purely for learning, then we would not be assigning numerical values (GPA’s) to particular levels of cognitive function (GPA’s are not a good way to gauge how much a student has learned, they really just measure how well they have pleased their teachers (which is not necessarily an indicator of how diligent they were)). A better approach might be to have a teacher evaluate students work through constructive comments and focus on individual improvement (subjective and relates to the individual) rather than on GPA (intended to be objective and a universal measure).