In September of 1973 Grand Valley State Colleges (as it was then known) opened College IV. College IV was so named because it was the fourth college in GVSC’s cluster concept, joining the College of Arts & Sciences, Thomas Jefferson College, and William James College. College IV sought to create a barrier-free approach to higher education. According to the 1973-1974 catalog, “College IV has thrown away the lecture platform and class schedule, freed the student and the professor from the drudgery of fact-passing, and engaged them both as partners in the learning process”.
In College IV, instruction was delivered via “auto-instructional learning modules”. These portable information packets all followed the same format. They included a clear objective, a detailed study guide, and a self-assessment test for students to check their readiness for the final test. Additional tapes or films could be checked out of the A-V Center to supplement the readings. Some modules were conducted as telecourses such as “The Art of Being Human”. Each module was designed to be completed at the student’s own pace in order to encourage full-time workers, parents, and retirees to enroll. To pass, students had to demonstrate mastery over the subject. Only a 90% or “A” grade allowed students to pass–anything less meant restudy and a new final exam.
Since there was no traditional classroom setting in College IV’s design, faculty were expected to be available throughout the day to work with students and answer questions.
Although envisioned as a four-year liberal arts college, College IV had both degree-seeking and non-degree options to emphasize job preparation. The majors included options like biology, chemistry, economics, English language and literature, mathematics, and philosophy. Later on, additional choices such as tourism, real estate and insurance, and advertising and PR were added.
Aside from its innovative curricular model, College IV also sought to meet students where it was most convenient for them. Students interested in enrolling in College IV could register and pay tuition via the “Mobile Campus”. The mobile unit visited area business, factories, and shopping malls on a regular basis. After registering, students could select modules, receive counseling, and take tests at the Mobile Campus.
College IV’s home on campus was in AuSable Hall. There, students had a study space as well as a laboratory and learning and testing center. Impressed by College IV’s practicality and dedication to reaching non-traditional students, local inventor and businessman Russel H. Kirkhof donated $1 million to Grand Valley in 1978. College IV was renamed Kirkhof College in his honor.
The University Archives contains administrative records related to College IV as well as numerous samples of the learning modules.
GVSU Special Collections & University Archives 