Stephen Biscotte to coordinate general education initiative
Stephen Biscotte has been named coordinator of the general education initiative at Virginia Tech.
In this role, Biscotte will help manage the campus-wide initiative to reinvent Virginia Tech’s general education curriculum, which is currently known as the Curriculum for Liberal Education.
The university’s current strategic plan, “A Plan for a New Horizon,” calls for revision of the Curriculum for Liberal Education “to embrace alternate pathways to general education and to incorporate computational thinking and informatics/digital fluency as basic skills for all students, thereby enabling our students to be engaged citizens and life-long learners.”
Over the past year, Biscotte served as a graduate assistant for undergraduate education at Virginia Tech, researching and gathering information across campus and peer institutions from a variety of stakeholders on general education needs and ideas.
Prior to his role at Virginia Tech, Biscotte was a high school science teacher for 10 years – teaching courses such as anatomy and physiology, biology, and physical science – in Roanoke County, Virginia, and two school systems in South Carolina.
“Stephen approaches general education as a scholar, an experienced teacher, and most importantly, as a learner. He has engaged many undergraduate students from diverse majors and backgrounds in the conversation about general education reform,” said Jill Sible, assistant provost for undergraduate education. “I look to Stephen to help us keep our initiative moving forward with a clear vision of providing learning opportunities of the highest value to our students.”
Biscotte will be a liaison to the colleges, departments, and support units across campus as a plan for a new general education curriculum is developed and later implemented.
"I am very excited to continue my involvement in the general education program here at Virginia Tech,” Biscotte said. “I look forward to working with faculty, students, administration, and academic stakeholders in the ongoing pursuit of best classroom practices and pedagogies to enhance student learning."
Biscotte received a bachelor’s degree in biology from James Madison University and a master’s degree in science education curriculum and instruction from Virginia Tech. He currently is pursuing a doctoral degree in science education curriculum and instruction from Virginia Tech.
Dedicated to its motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech takes a hands-on, engaging approach to education, preparing scholars to be leaders in their fields and communities. As the commonwealth’s most comprehensive university and its leading research institution, Virginia Tech offers 240 undergraduate and graduate degree programs to more than 31,000 students and manages a research portfolio of $513 million. The university fulfills its land-grant mission of transforming knowledge to practice through technological leadership and by fueling economic growth and job creation locally, regionally, and across Virginia.
