Faculty Information

What is General Education Revitalization all about?

General Education Revitalization is an opportunity for faculty to offer students a more meaningful and coherent general education curriculum. After years of faculty development and pilot testing, revitalization efforts were fully implemented effective Fall 2019. Since that time, all Gen Ed courses engage students in a common activity in order to realize four shared Gen Ed program outcomes (GELOs).

This common activity includes framing Gen Ed courses around a “Big Question” (BQ) that taps into the heart of the discipline and helps students see what they can do with what they are learning, which is explored through a “Signature Assignment” (SA). For example, Gen Ed courses address BQ like "Does art reflect culture or shape it?", "Are mathematical ideas inventions or discoveries?", "What is the good life?", "Why do some countries democratize while others do not?", and "How can I sort out psychological myth from reality?". SAs require that students integrate and apply (GELO 4) course content (GELO 1) to address a personal, social, or professional issue (GELO 3) through the exercise of intellectual tools (GELO 4) for a specified audience.

Where can I get more information?

Faculty can find instructions to develop SA here
Faculty can find a sample "blurb" to put in their syllabus here.
Faculty can contact the Director of General Education for assistance with development and implementation of BQ and SA.