Goddard College

"A Goddard education teaches you how to learn, how to teach others, and how to be yourself." Russ Paul (Graduate of BA Residency Program)

Goddard is a small college in Central Vermont that has a history going back almost 140 years. Since 1938, Goddard has become a recognized center of dynamic and creative educational experimentation. Among the impactful ideas developed at this little New England college are external degree programs, programs opened to working adult students, narrative transcripts and curricula that are individualized to student learning needs, among many others. It has been a seedbed that has changed the course of mainstream American higher education in this century.

Goddard allows an unprecedented degree of student-centered individualization in its undergraduate programs while conforming to the recognized standards of American higher education. Students directly affect the course of their studies through working closely with faculty and staff advisors to design a program that serves the needs and interests of an adult student. This opportunity to tailor learning is at the very foundation of education at Goddard.

Assessment of student work is important in all of higher education. At Goddard we make a special effort to assure that while you are learning and growing, you are not assessed by abstracted number and letter grades that do not speak to your growth as a learner. Detailed narrative evaluations and transcripts measure academic performance and demonstrate the rounded and integrated nature of student learning. One special feature of the Goddard method is to have students assess their own efforts while they receive feedback from their faculty facilitators.

Another significant feature of the Goddard methodology is the learning setting. At Goddard, classes (which we call "group studies") average about 8 students. The method of teaching used in group studies is primarily discussion, not lecture. The faculty are expert at facilitating open discussion and promoting learning from all those within the group. Because of the dependence on the group for participation and learning, Goddard is especially interested in attracting a diverse body of active and critical learners. Such mature individuals usually thrive in Goddard's atmosphere of open-minded critical thinking and deep commitment to community, sustainability, and social justice.

Goddard's flexible format allows for learning settings that go far beyond the resources of a small college in rural Vermont. In designing a program with advisors, students can plan learning activities that include internships, externships, field studies in Vermont or anywhere on the globe, and study leaves for special learning not available in Plainfield. Goddard encourages students to go directly to the source of inquiry. Planning and guiding mature and committed students to pursue their passions is a hallmark of Goddard.