General Education Syllabus Requirements
Requests for General Education Classifications
The General Education Committee carefully reviews course syllabi to determine the appropriateness of the requested General Education classification(s). To ensure a timely review, each syllabus for a new or existing General Education course must include the following five items:
- the general education objectives of the course
- the assigned General Education Student Learning Outcomes
- other relevant SLOs the instructor wishes to include
- lists indicating (a) required and (b) optional texts
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a weekly course schedule (e.g. topics, assigned readings, other assignments, due dates), with sufficient detail that the General Education Committee may determine the appropriateness of the General Education classification requested.
Additionally, students should be able to readily determine from the syllabus how the general education objectives will be accomplished.
Requests for Gordon Rule Writing Requirement Approval
Instructors requesting Gordon Rule Writing approval must include the following exact statement in their syllabus:
- "The Writing Requirement (Gordon Rule) ensures students both maintain their fluency in writing and use writing as a tool to facilitate learning."
- Course grades now have two components. To receive writing credit, a student must receive a grade of C or higher and a satisfactory completion of the writing component of the course.
Following this statement, include the following additional requirements:
- a statement or statements indicating that the instructor will evaluate and provide feedback on the student's written assignments with respect to grammar, punctuation, clarity, coherence, and organization
- assignment word counts and submission deadlines
Additionally, the syllabus must clearly show that the instructor meets the Gordon Rule requirements to
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evaluate [2,000/4,000/6,000] written words in assignments during the semester
Important note: This does not include the following types of writing assignments: teamwork, exam essay questions, take-home exams, and informal, ungraded writing assignments.
- provide all feedback on assignments prior to the last class meeting
General Education Evaluation Process
General Education courses are evaluated on a rotating schedule, at the same time that faculty evaluations are administered. Course evaluations include specific questions addressing the course's general education component.