Process for Inclusion of General Education Courses
There are several reasons why a department might want to have one of its courses included in the General Education curriculum, and not least of them is the prestige and notoriety of representing the discipline to a large number of students who are starting their college careers at UWF. The process to have a course included in the General Education curriculum starts with the CCR process.
General Education Student Learning Outcomes
Approved by the General Education Committee (1 November 2024); Approved by Faculty Senate (13 December 2024).
English Composition I and some Non-Composition College-Level Communication*
SLO: Compose and revise a researched academic paper that adheres to discipline-specific conventions.
(Rubric Elements: Gather information from credible sources, use appropriate editorial style for an audience, formulate a coherent argument, and maintain academic integrity.)
English Composition II and some Non-Composition College-Level Communication*
SLO: Produce (through revision) effective written communications that support author intent and address a specific audience.
Notes: Audience includes readers in a specific discipline as well as a specific community. Author intent might be to write about writing. Analyzing information critically is part of the revision process.
Communication
SLO: Produce (through scaffolded feedback) effective oral communications that support author intent and address a specific audience.
Notes: Specific audience indicates that the message is adequately adapted to the group of immediate listeners who hear the student presentations. Scaffolded feedback means instructors will provide guidance on content and delivery after each presentation, allowing for continuous improvement as students prepare for future speeches. Author intent indicates the development of a thesis and support materials appropriate to the speaking situation (typically to inform, to persuade, or to entertain/commemorate). Effective oral communications means employing ethical strategies aligned with speech goals, social context, particular audiences, and context-specific appropriate physical and technological delivery practices.
* Non-Composition College-Level Communication courses must select one of the communication SLOs for their contribution to the assessment of writing.
Humanities
SLO: Interpret and analyze tools and techniques of communication within cultural forms or cultural contexts.
Notes: Forms refer to media used for communication (art, music, theatre, dance, language, etc.). Contexts refer to time, place, or people involved in cultural communication.
Social Sciences
SLO: Solve problems using social science methods.
Mathematics
SLO: Apply mathematical principles to determine a strategy for solving a problem.
SLO: Execute appropriate mathematical techniques for solving a problem and interpret results of a solution.
Natural Sciences
SLO: Evaluate scientific information using appropriate tools and strategies of the discipline.
Humanities
SLO: Identify the intrinsic value of culture and cultural artifacts.
Social Sciences
SLO: Reason ethically in an appropriate disciplinary context.
Courses with General Education or College-Level Communication and Computation Attibutes
Courses with a General Education attribute, such as College-Level Communication and Computation, must also be reviewed by the General Education Committee. When submitting a course through the CCR process with the intention of having it included as a College-Level course, please be sure to select "Writing" for Communication or "Math" for Computation (as appropriate). College-Level Communication courses should also include a sample syllabus that includes the appropriate College-Level SLO and clearly highlights the role writing will play in the course.
General Education Committee
CCRs for General Education and College-Level Communication and Computation courses with the attribute are reviewed by the General Education Committee. Please be aware that the Committee may request additional information, such as a sample course syllabus.
General Education Course Inclusion Criteria
All courses offered or proposed for General Education credit must meet the listed criteria. Courses currently in the program must maintain these requirements to continue their General Education status. The General Education Committee of the Faculty Senate reviews courses for acceptance and monitoring the status of current courses in the curriculum. In accordance with Florida Statute 1007.55, public postsecondary education institution boards of trustees and presidents are responsible for annually reviewing and approving, at a public meeting, general education courses requirements.
General Education courses must be open to all students. The courses must be offered on a regular basis, defined as a minimum of once per academic year. Course syllabi must annually identify student learning outcomes for assessment, and departments must assess and report, for all General Education courses taught, assessment findings and specific course-improvement decisions, including a definition of "competent" and the percentage of students who met that level of competency. Detailed criteria include:
All courses must provide consistent instruction and common student learning outcomes across all sections and presentation modalities of the same General Education course (online, blended, face-to-face).
Note. The General Education Committee (GEC) recognizes academic freedom exists in the selection of course materials and determining grades as outlined in the CBA and university policies.
In accordance with s. 1007.55, General Education courses should provide broad foundational knowledge to help students develop intellectual skills and habits that enable them to become more effective and lifelong learners. Courses with a curriculum based on unproven, speculative, or exploratory content are best suited as elective or specific program prerequisite credit, not general education credit. General education courses must:
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Meet the course standards as provided in s. 1007.25; and
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Whenever applicable, provide instruction on the historical background and philosophical foundation of Western civilization and this nation’s historical documents, such as the Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution, the Bill of Rights and subsequent amendments, and the Federalist Papers.
Courses applying for the General Education designation must meet the standards for their particular distribution area as defined by s. 1007.25.
- Communications
- Courses must afford students the ability to communicate effectively, including the ability to write clearly and engage in public speaking.
- Humanities
- Courses must afford students the ability to think critically through the mastering of subjects concerned with human culture, especially literature, history, art, music, and philosophy, and must include selections from the Western canon.
- Social Sciences
- Courses must afford students an understanding of the basic social and behavioral science concepts and principles used in the analysis of behavior and past and present social, political, and economic issues.
- Natural Sciences
- Courses must afford students the ability to critically examine and evaluate the principles of the scientific method, model construction, and use the scientific method to explain natural experiences and phenomena.
- Mathematics
- Courses must afford students a mastery of foundational mathematical and computation models and methods by applying such models and methods in problem solving.