Proposing Courses
The Senate General Education Curriculum and Policies Committee reviews proposals on a rolling basis during the fall and spring terms. Ordinarily, faculty should submit a proposal at least one full semester in advance of the term in which they wish to offer the course.
To submit a course proposal consult the relevant guidelines and forms online. The course proposal must include the following components:
- A copy of the standard Course Registration Form signed by the chair and dean.
- A New Course or Course Change Proposal Form for the requested area code(s). Instructors are required to clearly define instructional content and assessment measures for each SLO contained in the course.
- A course syllabus that includes course objectives, a list of the student learning outcomes for the course, a course description, and a topical outline.
- A list of textbooks to be used and a current course bibliography, all with full bibliographic citations.
Policies for General Education Courses
- General Education courses generally should be coded A, Liberal Arts (refer to NYSED policy for guidance). If the proposed course is not coded A, you should indicate the exceptional circumstances that warrant its certification for the GEP in your proposal.
- GEP courses may fulfill only one Knowledge Area (H, S, F, L, V, O, D, M, Q, R)
- A Knowledge Area course may also be certified for ONE of the following areas: Oral Communication (Y), Contemporary Issues (I), or Perspectives on Gender (W). Instructors seeking one of these certifications should complete the form for Y, I, or W and submit it alongside the area proposal form.
- Oral Communication (Y), Contemporary Issues (I), and Perspectives on Gender (W) can be offered as stand-alone courses or with one other code (e.g., HY, YI, SW, WI, etc.)
Designing & Describing General Education Courses
GE courses should be explicit in drawing connections between what students are learning in the classroom and how it applies to their personal growth and professional aspirations. Repeated emphasis on transferable skills and their relevance to coursework in the major and engagement in professional contexts will help students to understand the overall value of the GE program.
Course descriptions are an important tool to help students understand the value of the topics/problems they will study and why the course is relevant. Therefore, the Program suggests that GE course descriptions do the following:
- Speak directly to students using the second person;
- Engage students with thought-provoking questions or concepts;
- Share the guiding questions, context(s) and/or perspectives engaged in the course;
- Provide students with goals or takeaways, telling them what they will learn;
- Serve the goals of Gen Ed by explicitly connecting the course material to the world.
Instructors who need support for course design or assessment can reach out to the Director of General Education, Dr. Donna Wilkerson-Barker, at any time.
General Education Course Review & Recertification Process
The Senate General Education Curriculum and Policies Committee reviews all GE courses for recertification in three year cycles. A timeframe and schedule for the revised program will be determined and distributed at the start of the Fall 2023 semester.