Use these instructions for completing Section 6, Syllabus for General Education

Please note that the GE course offerings are designed to be a coherent program, and that only courses that meet the GE Educational Objectives and Criteria are appropriate for this program. Before proceeding with your proposal, read the General Education Program Standards, which include the GE Educational Objectives and Criteria specific to your GE Area. Consider carefully whether your course should be a GE course.

What you write in the Syllabus section of the Course Description form will provide the key information needed for review by the GE Committees. Remember that the faculty reviewers are not necessarily experts in your subject matter. Be sure that you explain the course in ways that will help the reviewers to understand clearly how your course will meet the Educational Objectives and Criteria of the GE Program.

What should students know or be able to do after taking this course?

The "Learning Outcomes" for GE courses are listed as Educational Objectives and Criteria under each GE Area (A-F).

1. Click here to see the GE Standards/Objectives/Criteria. Be sure to read the sections on Program Design and Mission before reviewing the GE Educational Objectives and Criteria for your specific GE Area.

2. Your course may have its own learning outcomes, but if it is going to be appropriate for the GE program, your course needs to adopt the GE Educational Objectives and Criteria for a specific GE Area (e.g., GE Area A1 or D5). When you list your course’s learning outcomes, be sure to indicate which ones are GE Educational Objectives and Criteria, and indicate these by letter and number (e.g., EO3 or CR6).

3. In the GE Standards, lower-division GE courses have different Educational Objectives and Criteria than upper-division GE courses. Be sure that you are referring to the correct Objectives and Criteria for the level of your course.

4. Upper-division GE courses should be designed to build on knowledge gained in lower-division GE courses, so you should also consult the Objectives and Criteria for lower-division GE courses in writing your proposal for an upper-division GE course.

5. Be sure that your upper-division GE course lists the proper prerequisites. You may want to refer to other upper-division GE courses in the same GE area to find out about prerequisites.

6. 400-level courses cannot be accepted as GE courses (except in GE Area B6).

Provide a week-by-week outline--readings, discussion topics, lab experiments, activities, assignments, etc.

1. At appropriate places in your week-by-week outline, refer to the GE Educational Objectives and Criteria by letter and number (e.g., EO3 or CR6), and write some explanations to show where and how the course meets the specific Objectives and Criteria you listed in Section A above. (In writing-intensive courses, for example, you should explain when and what kinds of writing assignments you will give, and when and what kinds of feedback on student writing you will provide throughout the quarter so that students can improve their writing skills.)

2. Remember that GE courses must meet all of the Criteria in the specific GE Area (e.g., the Criteria for Area B2 or F).

List and describe the assessment methods that will be used to determine the extent to which students have achieved the Learning Outcomes listed in Section A.

For each of the specific GE Educational Objectives and Criteria you listed in Section A above (e.g., EO3 or CR6), explain what assessment method you will use to measure your students’ success in achieving those Objectives and Criteria (“Learning Outcomes”). (For example, an essay exam might be appropriate for assessing higher-order thinking skills, whereas an objective Scantron test could assess memorization and basic understanding of key terms or fundamental concepts.)

At least 10% of the grade in all GE courses must be based on appropriate written work. (This writing component may take different forms according to the subject matter and the purpose of a course.) In writing-intensive courses (all courses in Areas A1, A3, C1, C2, C4, and D5), at least 50% of the grade must be based on written work, and students must be required to write a minimum of 3000 words. (“3000 words” is the equivalent of about 12 double-spaced, typed pages of writing.) Writing assignments should be spread across the quarter so that students receive feedback on their writing throughout the course.