GE 2020 Recertification
Sections on this webpage: Approved Guidelines | Recertification Timeline | How to Submit a Proposal for Recertification
BACKGROUND
In Spring 2019, Cal Poly approved of a new General Education (GE) template, one that affords more choice for students and that aligns with the other campuses within the California State University system.
Cal Poly's General Education Governance Board (GEGB) has revised the specific learning goals for each area. Generally speaking, "Educational Objectives" (EOs) refer to what students will learn by completing that sub area while "Course Criteria" (CRs) refer to how the course is designed to support that learning. We refer to these requirements collectively as "guidelines." Because these have changed, each current GE course will need to go through a recertification process to ensure that the course meets the new guideline requirements.
Please note: "Recertification" refers to current GE courses that might be recertified, decertified, or deactivated to align with GE 2020 guidelines. Together, we refer to this set of courses as the "recertification proposals," regardless of which of the three actions they are seeking. These courses differ from "new" proposals, which refer to those that have never before been offered in GE. New courses may also be courses that are currently offered as a major or elective course that is seeking new certification within GE.
APPROVED GUIDELINES
Cal Poly's Academic Senate approved the guidelines for Areas A and B with AS-879-19 "Resolution on Subject Area Guidelines (I) for General Education 2020" and for Areas C, D, and E with AS-the guidelines for Areas C, D, and E were approved with AS-889-20 "Resolution on Subject Area Guidelines (II) for General Education 2020."
The guidelines can also be found on these webpages:
- Area A: English Language Communication and Critical Thinking
- Area B: Scientific Inquiry and Quantitative Reasoning
- Area C: Arts and Humanities
- Area D: Social Sciences
- Area E: Lifelong Learning and Self-Development
Brand-new GE courses may be proposed for any subarea according to the timetable published in the Curriculum Handbook.
Current GE courses must be resubmitted for certification based on the following timeline.
RECERTIFICATION TIMELINE
The Area A and B recertification timeline has been extended; proposals are due from the colleges to the Office of the Registrar by June 15.
The GEGB, Office of the Registrar, Academic Senate Curriculum Committee, and office of Academic Programs and Planning worked together to create a sustainable timeline for course recertification. There are three phases: submission, evaluation, and implementation. The Recertification Timeline can be seen below and downloaded here (pdf).
A few other considerations to keep in mind:
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The recertification process will involve mapping a GE course’s Course Learning Objectives (CLOs) to the revised EOs and CRs. The CLOs themselves may be updated, as well.
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Currently approved GE courses will remain in the catalog until their subarea’s implementation date. No GE course will automatically be deleted from the catalog before it has had the opportunity to be reviewed under the new guidelines.
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A crosslisted course should be submitted for recertification by only one of its associated programs. The programs affiliated with a crosslisted course must determine among themselves which program will submit the proposal.
HOW TO SUBMIT A PROPOSAL FOR RECERTIFICATION
To submit a recertification course proposal for GE 2020:
- Select the Course Inventory Management link in the Curriculum Management portlet on your portal.
- Click on the Propose New Course button to launch the proposal form.
- Please DO NOT use the EDIT function. As outlined below, only the New Course button can identify a course as intended for recertification.
As you work on the proposal, here are a few pointers:
- In the Catalog Number field, enter the current catalog number of the course with an “R” prefix. For example, catalog number would be "R134" for recertifying ENGL 134.
- Indicate the course is for General Education:
- Indicate the course’s GE Designation per the new GE 2020 template. For example, A2 would be indicated for ENGL 134:
- When the proposal has been completed and is ready for review/approval, select the Start Workflow button at the bottom of the form.
If you have questions on using the Curriculum Management system, feel free to send an e-mail to catalog@calpoly.edu.
For reference, proposals for GE courses are available either in the Curriculum Management system or in PolyLearn/Canvas.
- For GE courses proposed/edited between 2015-2020, click on the Course Inventory Management link in the Curriculum Management system. Directions for viewing a previously approved proposal are found at the top of the page.
- For older GE courses, please email Shannon Sullivan-Danser in Academic Programs and Planning. She can provide access to the site in PolyLearn/Canvas, which includes many older approved proposals from GE 2000.