General’Education’ Requirements · PDF file · 2017-09-08learning outcomes for Gen Ed at both the course-level and program-level, ... Revised Gen Ed Framework 08/31/17 10 # IV

General Education Requirements: Proposed Curricular Framework 08/31/17

Revised Gen Ed Framework 08/31/17 2

Table of Contents I. The Purpose of General Education ....................................................................................... 3

II. General Education Proposal ................................................................................................ 3

III. Proposed Roll-‐out .............................................................................................................. 5

IV. Potential Enrollment Impact ............................................................................................ 10

Appendix 1: Chronology of General Education Reform Process ............................................. 16

Timeline: .............................................................................................................................. 16

Appendix 2: Quantitative Reasoning, Co-‐Requisite Support Lab ............................................ 17

Appendix 3: Current Bulletin Statements on General Education ........................................... 18

Appendix 4: Framework Approved by GEOC, May 2017 ........................................................ 19

Appendix 5: Policy Committee June 5, 2017 Proposed Revision ............................................ 21

Appendix 6: President and Provost Recommended Revision ................................................. 24

Appendix 7: First Revised Proposal ....................................................................................... 26

Appendix 8: Policy Committee Response to the 7/29/17 Version of the Gen Ed Proposal (dated August 23, 2017) ........................................................................................................ 27

Appendix 9: Development of Second Revised (Final) Proposal .............................................. 29

Appendix 10: Competencies and Group Requirements ......................................................... 30


I. The Purpose of General Education Wayne State University’s General Education Program provides an educational

foundation of skills, knowledge, habits of mind, and values that promotes critical thinking and lifelong learning while preparing undergraduate students to meet academic and career challenges. General Education Program courses should lead to skills that will prepare students to communicate well and thrive in a globalized, highly technological, and competitive society. The General Education curriculum should encourage students to understand different viewpoints and help them to appreciate peoples and cultures different from their own.

II. General Education Proposal

The General Education program consists of 32 credits, assuming that a student does not test out of or get credit for prior work towards any requirements. Any School or College general education requirements would add to the total required credits.

A. Foundational Competencies (12 credits with a possible additional credit).

Note: current place-out rules and degree credit are to continue. Communication (9 cr.)

• Basic composition (3 cr.) • Oral communication (3 cr.) • Choice of

o Intermediate composition (3 cr.), or o Writing course in the discipline (3 cr.)

Quantitative Experience (3 cr. with potential additional co-requisite lab 1 cr.)

• Three pathways: o STEM (Algebra-Math 1050 or higher) (3 cr.), or o Statistics (e.g., STA 1020, BA2300) (3 cr.), or o Quantitative Reasoning (QR) course (3 cr.).

• Co-Requisite Support Lab (1 cr.) [See Appendix 2] o Students with ACT Math sub-score of <18 take Accuplacer test to

assess strengths and weaknesses and take either QR or Statistics with a co-requisite support lab (1 cr.).

o STEM Students with ACT Math sub-score 18-20 who take Algebra-Math 1050 must also take a co-requisite support lab.


B. Inquiries (at least 19 cr. , more if any Inquiry courses are 4-credits) Students select six courses total, one from each category (One from either DEI or GL list).

• Cultural Inquiry (CI) • Natural Scientific Inquiry (NSI) with lab • Social Inquiry (SI) • First-Year Inquiry (FYI)1 • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) or Global Learning (GL) • Civic Literacy (CIV)

C. Wayne Experience/Wayne Focus (1 cr.)

• Wayne Experience (F) (1 cr.) • Wayne Focus (W) (1 cr. - optional)

1 FYI courses are new courses that will be developed over a 2-year period. Until there are enough choices and seats available, this requirement will be implemented as an Inquiry Elective.


III. Proposed Roll-out Although the general education curriculum is significantly smaller in terms of credits, and has fewer specific requirements, there are no major changes proposed to the academic policies and procedures for advising and ensuring requirements are met. For example, competency requirements may still be met by exam and group requirements may be satisfied by an equivalent transfer course. The oversight of the program will still be undertaken by the General Education Oversight Committee (GEOC) per current Board of Governors statute. The role of GEOC will include assessment of student learning outcomes for Gen Ed at both the course-level and program-level, consider applications for new courses, certify that existing general education courses, and to recommend to the Provost changes to courses, General Education Program requirements, or academic policies governing general education.

A proposed schedule for roll-out is shown in Table 1 with specifics for the quantitative experience roll-out shown in Table 2. During the roll-out period, departments will be “held harmless” for one year to allow for changing patterns of enrollment. During this period there will be a moratorium on increasing major requirements to prevent a “credit-rush.” There will be an implementation team established to coordinate and communicate the roll out which will include but not limited to:

• Timing of proposing courses • Adviser training • Coding in Banner • Transfer implications • Communications with students


Table 1. General Education Program Roll-‐out Schedule.

Competencies 2017-‐2018 2018-‐2019 2019-‐2020 2020-‐2021 2021-‐2022 2022-‐2023 2023-‐2024 Basic Composition (BC)

No changes needed.

Pilot G2C innovations.

Continue G2C Innovations.

Introduce co-‐curricular remediation.

Assess & Expand co-‐curricular remediation.

Co-‐Curricular remediation in place for all students who currently place into 1010.

Review and recertification process.

Intermediate Composition(IC) or (WI) Second level writing course in the major

Review existing IC and WI courses to see if they meet new learning outcomes and solicit new courses if needed from the various departments.

Solicit new courses Review and recertification process.

Oral Communication

No changes needed. Review and recertification process.

Quantitative Experience (QE; includes algebra, statistics & quantitative reasoning pathways)

See QE Rollout Plan in Table 2

.

Inquiries Cultural Inquiry (Arts & Humanities)

Grandfather in existing courses.

Accept proposals for new courses.

No new proposals.


No new proposals.

No new proposals.

No new proposals.

Social Inquiry Grandfather in existing courses.


No new proposals.

No new proposals.


No new proposals.

No new proposals.

Natural Science Inquiry



No new proposals.

No new proposals.

No new proposals.


No new proposals.

Global Learning Inquiry



No new proposals.


No new proposals.

No new proposals.

No new proposals.


Civic Literacy Grandfather in existing courses



No new proposals.

No new proposals.

No new proposals.

No new proposals.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Actively solicit and approve existing courses.

Develop new DEI courses.

Expand # of DEI courses.

Expand # of DEI courses, if needed.

No new proposals.


No new proposals.

No new proposals.

First Year Inquiry Actively solicit and approve existing courses.

Develop new DEI courses.

Expand # of FYI courses.

Expand # of FYI courses if needed.

No new proposals.

No new proposals.


No new proposals.

Wayne Experience

Wayne Experience

Develop & staff WE from ASC

One-‐time funding. One-‐time funding or RCM.

Fund via RCM. Fund via RCM. Fund via RCM. Formal Review.


Table 2. QE Implementation Plan.

QE Implementation Plan 2017-‐2018 2018-‐2019 2019-‐2020 2020-‐2021

Admiss

ion, Orie

ntation, and

Onb

oarding

Admission Criteria -‐-‐ -‐-‐

students with math ACT < 21 not directly admitted into STEM disciplines

students with math ACT < 21 not directly admitted into STEM disciplines

Admission Process -‐-‐

math placement process communicated early



Between Accepting Admission and Orientation

pre-‐orientation math counseling for students with math ACT < 18




Placement Testing coordinated with orientation

coordinated with orientation

coordinated with orientation

Orientation math placement before orientation

math placement before orientation

math placement before orientation

Summer Before College

ALEKS support to raise placement

ALEKS support to raise placement

Initial Placemen

t / Path

ACT Math 26+ or SAT or MPE no MC QR Met QR Met QR Met ACT MAT 21-‐25 (STEM) MAT 1050 MAT 1050 MAT 1050 MAT 1050 ACT MAT 21-‐25 (non-‐STEM) no MC QR or STAT QR or STAT QR or STAT ACT MAT 18-‐20 (STEM) RSP MAT 1050 PREP MAT 1050 with co-‐req MAT 1050 with co-‐req ACT MAT 18-‐20 (non-‐STEM) no MC Stats or QR Stats or QR Stats or QR


ACT MAT < 18 (STEM) no MC

QR (STEM Bridge version)



ACT MAT < 18 (non-‐STEM) no MC QR QR QR

Curricular Cha

nges

RSP 900 and 0993 continue continue not offered not offered regular 993 continue not offered not offered not offered

1050 PREP continue continue replaced by 1050 with co-‐req support

replaced by 1050 with co-‐req support

Regular 1050 improve via gateway to completion

improve via gateway to completion

improve via gateway to completion assess

QR plan new QR courses deploy QR + co-‐req support

deploy QR + co-‐req support assess QR

QR (pre-‐STEM version)

Plan QR (Pre-‐STEM version)

deploy QR (pre-‐STEM) + co-‐req support

deploy QR (pre-‐STEM )+ co-‐req support

assess QR (pre-‐STEM )+ co-‐req support

Statistics unchanged coordinate co-‐req support

coordinate co-‐req support

coordinate co-‐req support

Supp

ort S

ystems

Pre-‐college Math Counseling

deploy existing staff and assess capacity expand if needed maintain assess

Pre-‐college math refresher

plan and resource needs evaluation deploy deploy

Math/Career Pathway Counseling

plan and resource needs evaluation deploy improve assess

Co-‐Rec Support Program

plan and resource needs evaluation develop deploy assess

Testing and Evaluation

collaborate and coordinate




SI / Tutoring / Math Resource Center

plan, coordinate and align deploy deploy assess


IV. Potential Enrollment Impact Over a two-year period (AY 15-16 and 16-17), Wayne State University undergraduate students attempted over 860,000 credit hours of coursework. Approximately half (53%) of those credits were, broadly speaking, major requirements and electives (i.e. non-Gen Ed courses) taken by students enrolled in the offering college. Students from a college other than the offering college taking these courses, constituted another 9% of the total credits generated. The remaining approximately 37% of total credits could have been used to meet a general education requirement. There are two factors that should be kept in mind when predicting the effect of changes to general education. First, students may elect courses that meet general education requirements that have been otherwise met. A significant number of majors, mainly in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, have a significant number of free electives allowed and it would be reasonable to expect that some of these electives would be spent on exploring topics of interest to the student through entry level courses in those topics. Second, some majors optimize the “double-dipping” of courses that simultaneously meet major requirements (that aren’t being relaxed) and general education requirements. In that case, the reduction in general education credits will have a far smaller impact on departments. For example, engineering students are required to take two physics courses and at least one chemistry course, all of which meet the PS general education requirement, despite the fact that only one such course is required by the general education curriculum. The general education curriculum proposal under consideration reduces the required number of credits from around 46 to around 32, a nominal reduction of 14 credits, or a little more than 1 full-time semester. It also eliminates some specific requirements in favor of broader requirements (e.g. Philosophy/Letters and Visual/Performing Arts now combined to form Cultural Inquiry, covering all arts & humanities). While the reduction in total credits may reduce enrollment in some courses, this change provides an opportunity to improve the attractiveness of their offerings. 2 The following outline provides an analysis of some of the implications of the proposed change at the level of the University, the Colleges, and with regard to some academic units and requirements.

1. University-level Impact

a. For transfer students, there is still a maximum number of transfer credits allowed (e.g., 60 from community colleges). We are also already signatories to the MTA agreement. Approximately 40% of our incoming new students are transfer admits, rather than FTIACs. With respect to transfer students, this proposal should be enrollment neutral.

b. For majors that currently require 120 credits the required credits-to-degree won’t be reduced. For these majors, the proposed change to the General Education Program should be enrollment neutral to the University.

2 The analyses presented herein do not take into account potential increases in overall headcount; Relaxing general education requirements while increasing the number and quality of attractive credentials such as a minors, co-majors, or second majors could lead to increased enrollment for all departments.


c. For majors that currently require more than 120 credits, there is a range of scenarios:

i. For each credit of gen-ed requirements that are no longer required, reduce the credits-to-degree to as close as possible to 120. For those majors it could result in a maximum of ~14 credits reduced per degree, with a corresponding benefit in terms of graduation rates and reduced time to degree, etc.

ii. Keep the required credits to degree the same, through some combination of new major requirements, new school/college requirements, or allowances for electives. In this case, the proposal is enrollment neutral to the University.

iii. Some combination of the scenarios above.

2. Impact by School/College

a. The College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, and the College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts generate the vast majority of general education credits. Together, these 2 colleges represent 61% of fall 2016 headcount (HC) enrollment (see Table ). From the perspective of these colleges:

i. In the best case in terms of SCH generation, majors from the other 6

schools and colleges will maintain current credit requirements by degree (even those above 120), and students could theoretically still choose courses in CFPCA and CLAS to fill what would become free electives. This would be neutral with regard to enrollment for CFPCA and CLAS.

Table 3. Undergraduate Enrollment Headcount (HC) Share by School/College.

2016 Fall Headcount Enrollment

FR SO JR SR Total Share

Business 413 421 704 941 2479 14% Education 166 156 275 557 1154 7% Engineering 483 369 449 907 2208 13% CFPCA 331 308 462 624 1725 10% CLAS 2677 1587 1947 2557 8768 51% Nursing 24 27 82 245 378 2% Pharm & Helth 1 3 43 179 226 1% Social Work 0 9 156 177 342 2%

TOTAL 4095 2880 4118 6187 17280 100%

ii. In the worst case, all of the other schools and colleges would either reduce their degree requirements by the full 14 credits, and/or shift credits from general education to major requirements. In this case,


CLAS and CFPCA combined would stand to incur a reduction of roughly 39% (by HC) of the 14 credit curricular reduction (e.g. ~6 credits). This could be mitigated by transitional policy to prevent replacing freed-up general education credits with major credits.

b. Business, CFPCA and CLAS with regard to CT. Critical Thinking is the only current specific requirement that is completely eliminated. Many students meet this competency by exam, which should be enrollment neutral to the University. There are currently 3 courses that satisfy this requirement, BA 1010, COM 2110, and PHI 1050. Altogether, they generate over 6000 credit hours of tuition per year, with over half of that coming from PHI. In the best case, students could still use freed-up credits as electives in these courses or other courses in these subjects. In the worst case, no students would take these courses, as they do not readily map into other new group requirement “inquiries” in the proposed curriculum. See Table .

Table 4. Critical Thinking (CT) Enrollment by Course across Colleges.

Headcount (Student Credit Hours)

Course Fall 2016 Winter 2017 Summer 2017 Total

PHI 1050 583 (1566) 540 (1458) 208 (624) 1331 (3648)

COM 2110 213 (639) 182 (546) 24 (72) 419 (1257) BA 1010 306 (918) 103 (309) 58 (174) 467 (1401) Total 2217 (6306) Source: STARS 2c

3. Unit-Level & Requirement-Specific Analysis.

a. Visual & Performing Arts The College of Fine, Performing & Communication Arts currently teaches courses in six general education topics. The two largest in terms of SCH generated are Visual & Performing Arts and Oral Communication, constituting 75% of the CFPCA gen-ed total (Table ). Oral Communication remains a component of the proposed curriculum revision, so no large changes are expected in this category. Visual and Performing Arts will no longer be a stand-alone requirement and will be part of the merged Cultural Inquiry requirement with Philosophy & Letters classes. These classes could potentially see reduced enrollment, especially among non-FPCA students; credits generated by these students in VP constitute 16% (15769/97386) of all undergraduate credits in FPCA. Note, in the proposed curriculum students will have to choose one class that could be VP or PL class, so it is reasonable to assume many students will still choose a class that came from the current VP category. Therefore, the actual reduction in credits should be less than 16%.


Table 5. Total undergraduate credit hours generated by College of Fine, Performing & Communication Arts, for AY15-‐16 and AY16-‐17. Operational data – not for official reporting.

Generated by Students Credit type Requirement Same-‐‑College Other-‐‑College

Gen Ed

Critical Thinking 975 1722 Foreign Culture 498 501 Oral Communication 1923 13791 Philosophy & Letters 264 198 Visual & Performing Arts 4030 15769 Writing Intensive 3183 4241 Sub-‐‑total Gen Ed 10873 36222

Other UG N/A 44114 6177 TOTAL

54987 42399

Table 6. Total undergraduate credit hours generated by College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, for AY15-‐16 and AY16-‐17. Operational data – not for official reporting.

Generated by Students Credit Type Requirement Same-‐‑College Other-‐‑College

Gen Ed

American Society & Institutions 12682 8041 Basic Composition 8493 4695 Critical Thinking 5484 1830 Foreign Culture 14895 7175 Historical Studies 11306 7934 Intermediate Composition 8766 7242 Life Sciences 36057 8575 Mathematics 8625 2715 Oral Communication 123 2208 Philosophy & Letters 12579 9020 Physical Sciences 19943 10816 Social Sciences 26340 16950 Visual & Performing Arts 1921 1144 Writing Intensive 5565 106 Sub-‐‑total Gen Ed 172779 88451

Other UG N/A 221995 48124 TOTAL 394774 136575

b. Natural Sciences The proposed curriculum merges our current categories of life sciences and physical sciences. Students will choose one class from the merged category rather than one class from each of the old categories. Looking at the sciences in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, there are 7 departments that teach general education classes in the LS and PS categories (Table ). It should be noted that a large number of credits in these lower-level courses are generated via a CLAS college-level requirement for a 3rd science course.


Biology and Chemistry should be relatively minimally affected since relatively few of their credits are generated as general education requirements taken by students from other colleges (4% and 6% respectively) – again, it is not reasonable to assume that all these credits would be lost to these departments, since majors outside the college such as Engineering require classes in these categories. A large proportion of both the Chemistry and Biology department’s undergraduate credits generated (75% and 58%, respectively) do not bear general education credit and are presumably major requirements for students both in and out of CLAS. The Department of Physics and Astronomy has a mix of classes that (1) both count as Gen Ed PS and are required by majors outside CLAS (e.g. Engineering requires PHY 2175 and engineering students get PS credit for it), or (2) are popular service courses such as AST 2010 Descriptive Astronomy. It is unclear how Physics & Astronomy might fare, since 25% of their credits are generated by non-CLAS students in their PS classes. A course-level analysis could perhaps elucidate this issue. Likewise, Geology has a large proportion (27%) of their overall credits generated by non-CLAS students taking GEL 1010. This is a popular course among non-STEM students across the university and it is reasonable to assume that a significant number of students would still elect this course as their sole Natural Science course.

Table 7. Natural Sciences credit generation by department.

Gen Ed Other UG

Requirement Department Same-‐‑

College Other-‐‑College

Same-‐‑College

Other-‐‑College

Life Sciences

Anthropology 1311 360 1680 87 Biological Sciences 21266 2338 31015 1502 Liberal Arts & Sciences Dean 453 21 1088 16 Nutrition & Food Science 4740 1224 7108 292 Psychology 8287 4632 34771 2256

Physical Sciences

Chemistry 8653 2750 29612 4567 Geology 2228 1616 1992 192 Physics & Astronomy 9062 6450 7360 2774

TOTAL

56000 19391 114626 11686

c. Critical Thinking The Department of Philosophy will perhaps be the department most affected by the proposed reform. Philosophy teaches courses across 4 current general education categories, and 96% of departmental undergraduate credits meet a gen-ed requirement. One of those, Critical Thinking, will be eliminated as a stand-alone requirement under the


proposed general education curriculum. This represents 32% of all undergraduate credits generated by the department. The effects of gen-ed reform could be mitigated by the development of minors aimed at augmenting large-enrollment majors (e.g., the newly approved minors aimed at law and healthcare), and by collaborating with programs that currently require their courses as major requirements that concurrently fulfill a gen-ed requirement (e.g. engineering majors are all required to take PHI 1120 Professional Ethics).

d. American Institutions

The Department of Political Science is the primary offeror of courses in the current group requirement American Institutions (AI), generating 90% of AI credits (Table ). In turn, AI accounts for 65% of Political Science undergraduate credits. In revised proposed framework, Civic Literacy will have as its primary courses the current AI courses, thus the impact on enrollment will not be completely mitigated but should negligible.

Table 8. Undergraduate credits generated by the Department of Political Science.

Generated by Students

Credit Type Requirement Same-‐‑College Other-‐‑College

Gen Ed

American Institutions 11430 7314 Foreign Culture 111 204 Philosophy & Letters 108 32 Social Sciences 1319 225 Sub-‐‑total Gen Ed 0 0


19902 9173

e. Historical Studies

The Department of History is the primary offeror of courses in group requirement Historical Studies (HS). See Table 9. History generates 68% of CLAS students’ HS credits and 96% of other-college students’ HS credits. HS accounts for 63% of overall undergraduate credits for the department.

Table 9. Undergraduate credits generated by the Department of History.

Generated by Students

Credit Type Requirement Same-‐‑College Other-‐‑College

Gen Ed

American Institutions 1252 727 Foreign Culture 84 285 Historical Studies 7661 6119 Social Sciences 316 107 Sub-‐‑total Gen Ed 9313 7238


19902 9823


Appendix 1: Chronology of General Education Reform Process General Approach: Revision of the General Education (Gen Ed) curriculum at Wayne State University was begun in 2013. The existing curriculum was considered burdensome both because of the total number of credits required (including requirements within schools and colleges) and the range of courses covered. Accordingly, President Wilson asked the Provost to develop a new framework that could be implemented by Fall 2016, with faculty and staff involvement and with attention to best practices from other universities and national consortia such as LEAP3 (Liberal Education – America’s Promise), a the Michigan Transfer Agreement4 applicable to students transferring from community colleges, and the competitive landscape for Michigan transfer students. Timeline:

• Fall 2013, Provost Winters commissions the General Education Reform Committee (GERC) • Spring 2015, GERC starts the process with focus group research and creation of

subcommittees through inviting volunteers from faculty and staff. • May 2016, GERC chairs Tom Fischer and Monica Brockmeyer present an initial Gen Ed

reform draft proposal to the Academic Senate for comments. • May 2016, Provost Winters suspends the Gen Ed Mathematics Competency Requirement

(MC) for 18 months. • Fall 2016, Provost Whitfield charges the General Education Oversight Committee (GEOC)

with revising MC. • Spring 2017, GEOC recommends changes for MC; Changes shared with Policy Committee. • Spring 2017, the GERC and GEOC meet to discuss framework for Gen Ed Program changes • May 2017, After integrating elements proposed by the GERC and MC recommendations,

GEOC votes to approve a Gen Ed Program framework (Appendix 4). • May 2017, GEOC Draft shared with Policy Committee. • June 2017, Policy Committee sends suggested revisions to the Provost (Appendix 5). • June 2017, President and Provost develop revised proposal based on GEOC proposal and

Policy Committee suggested revisions (explanation Appendix 6; 1st Revision Appendix 7). • July 2017, Policy Committee reviews 1st revision and recommends additional changes

(Appendix 8). • August 2017, President and Provost develop revised proposal (2nd revision: Appendix 9). • August 2017, Policy Committee reviews 2nd revision and suggests additional information and

process for Academic Senate review (and proposes additional School and College faculty review).

• August 2017, Final proposal presented to Policy Committee for distribution.

3 https://www.aacu.org/leap 4 https://macrao.org/Publications/MTA.asp


Appendix 2: Quantitative Reasoning, Co-Requisite Support Lab Co-requisite developmental education enrolls students in developmental and college-level courses in mathematics at the same time. Students receive targeted support to help boost their understanding and learning of the college-level course material. This model applies as follows for the Quantitative Reasoning (QR) and STEM Pathways.

1. QR Pathway: a. Students with <18 on ACT Math sub-score (or equivalent) will take a quantitative

reasoning or statistics course with co-requisite support. b. Students with >18 on ACT Math sub-score (or equivalent) can take the QR or

statistics course without co-requisite support. 2. STEM Pathway:

a. Students with <20 on ACT Math may take QR or statistics with co-requisite support tailored to pre-STEM students.

b. Students with 18-20 on the ACT Math can take Math 1050 but must also take a co-requisite lab.

The co-requisite support will cover pre-algebra concepts that are connected to corresponding elements of the QR courses. Initial assessments using the Accuplacer assessment tool will determine each student’s math weaknesses. During the co-requisite support lab, students will receive additional instruction on key math concepts and particularly on their identified weaknesses. The QR courses will be limited to 10 different classes. Proposals for these courses will be submitted to the GEOC. The courses deemed the highest quality and that best link the laboratory curriculum to the substantive area will be developed by faculty with financial support from the Provost office. These courses will be assessed regularly.


Appendix 3: Current Bulletin Statements on General Education General Statement on General Education:

“Wayne State has had a University-wide Program in General Education since 1987 for all undergraduate students pursuing bachelor's degrees regardless of their academic specialties. These requirements contribute to the goal of ensuring that all students have the basic skills fundamental to success in college while simultaneously achieving the intellectual breadth necessary to place specialized and professional curricula in proper perspective. By means of the General Education Program, undergraduate students improve their skills and are introduced to methods of inquiry, modes of thought, bodies of knowledge, and representative ideas drawn from a wide range of academic disciplines.”

Competencies Overview Statement:

“Success in college and the ability to function as an educated citizen require not only the ability to master areas of substantive knowledge, but also a series of fundamental skills that underlie and make possible the acquisition of knowledge.”

Group Requirements Overview Statement:

“The purpose of the Group Requirements is two-fold: to acquire a broad range of knowledge and to develop methodological skills which encourage continued exploration on an independent level. As knowledge proliferates and the interrelatedness of separate disciplines becomes increasingly evident, the traditional goal of mastering discrete or representative bodies of common, traditional material has become obsolete; even the aim of becoming familiar with all areas of knowledge has become an impossible objective. A commitment to intellectual diversity, though, must remain a central goal of any coherent undergraduate experience, and all college students must be exposed to a broad range of basic disciplines. Thus, courses specifically designed to insure that students are adequately exposed to representative branches of knowledge are fundamental to any set of general education requirements, and course work in areas outside specialized fields is required of all undergraduates at Wayne State University. These courses provide the conceptual framework within which major and professional curricula are placed in proper perspective and supply an appropriate foundation upon which continuing self-education can take place.”

“Fundamental to any set of general education requirements at the university level are courses designed to ensure that all students have facility with certain branches of knowledge. The Group Requirements introduce students to knowledge and methods in areas outside their fields of special interest to provide the intellectual breadth necessary for completion of the major and for continuing self-education later in life. In addition to providing breadth of knowledge, however, the General Education Group Requirements aim to foster awareness and understanding of how scholars and scientists in various disciplines acquire knowledge. Group requirements allow students to understand and apply the methods used in different disciplines to acquire knowledge so they will have the ability to continue to explore and learn independently throughout their university careers and throughout life.”


Appendix 4: Framework Approved by GEOC, May 2017 1. Driving principles:

o Make Gen Ed smaller, simpler and more flexible. o Increase student choice and learner engagement. o Make room for more rigorous, upper-division credential opportunities such as

Minors and second Majors. o Incorporate and promote elements of the University Mission and Strategic Plan, such

as Diversity and Community Engagement. 2. GEOC-Recommended Curriculum Requirements

o 32 total credits, reduced from 46+

o Competencies: Consists of 4 classes, 12 credits. o Retain basic written communication requirements (Basic Composition &

Intermediate Composition) and Oral Communication. o Eliminate critical thinking (CT) as a stand-alone requirement. o Transition from math competency (MC) to quantitative experience (QE)

which consists of a broader ‘pathways’ approach that includes Statistics and Quantitative Reasoning pathway (QR) in addition to the more traditional STEM pathway.

§ Implement changes to math placement exam, improving procedures and logistics. Use nationally-normed Accuplacer test with supplemental use of high school transcript information.

§ For Quantitative Reasoning pathway, require ACT Math sub-score of 18, MAT 0900, or community college equivalent but discontinue MAT 0993 computer lab.

o Develop a co-requisite support model to eventually eliminate developmental prerequisites (MAT 09XX).

o As for quantitative reasoning class options, keep MAT 1000, but add courses from more disciplines to increase student interest and engagement (e.g., BAXX, PS10XX, AAHXX, IE 1560, PHY 1020, PHI 2850.

§ For the statistics pathway, keep STA 1020, BA2300 and potentially add more options.

§ For the STEM pathway, improve pedagogy in foundational algebra MAT 1050 via Gardner Institute Gateways to Completion course transformation intervention. All STEM majors require additional formal mathematics beyond MAT 1050, and/or applied quantitative methodology courses, but general education requirements will be satisfied by completing MAT 1050.

• Inquiries: 19 credits (including 1 credit lab), with 6 classes in 6 different Inquiry

areas, modifying current Group Requirements.

o Combine and reduce the number of current group requirement areas § Natural Science Inquiry (includes 1 credit lab)

o Combines current PS-Physical Science & LS-Life Science § Cultural Inquiry

o Combines and broadens VP-Visual & Performing Arts, PL-Philosophy & Letters § Social Inquiry

o Combines and broadens SS-Social Sci., AI-American Inst., HS-Historical Studies


§ Global Learning (replaces current FC-Foreign Culture) § New inquiry areas

o Diversity/Equity/Inclusion (DEI) o First Year Inquiry (FYI) courses (i.e. freshman seminar) with cross-cutting themes

on various topics • Wayne Experience: 1 credit. Focused on development of student skills and

engagement in the learning environment. • Summary of GEOC Proposed Changes to Current General Education Requirements

o The vast majority of current Gen Ed courses fit into the new framework, with more flexibility for new course proposals.

o Both Competencies and Inquiries will have learning outcomes, derived from de facto standards such as AAC&U VALUE Rubrics. Course-level outcomes will be mapped to Gen Ed topic-level and program-level outcomes (derived from LEAP Essential Outcomes), enabling systematic Gen Ed program assessment and review of new course proposals.


Appendix 5: Policy Committee June 5, 2017 Proposed Revision A Distinctively Wayne General Education Program:

Policy Committee Suggested Revisions to the May 1, 2017 “Structure Worksheet” General Education (Gen Ed) courses are categorized as “Foundational Competencies”, “Inquiries”, and “Wayne Experience”. Gen Ed courses do not have prerequisites. Each student must complete the required credits in each of these areas, as set out in the chart, below. No two courses (other than possibly communication or composition courses) may be taken from the same department. It is not intended that any one school or department be the unique source of any one of these courses. Schools and colleges may add additional college-based Gen Ed courses if they conclude that additional courses are appropriate for their students, though they are encouraged to consider such additions carefully to ensure appropriate balance between Gen Ed and major courses. It is expected that “Inquiry” and “First Year Inquiry” courses will include many courses taught in the current Gen Ed curriculum, but the hope is that, over time, professors will energize those courses by adding more participatory features. In particular for the First Year Inquiry courses, the goal is to develop courses with cross-disciplinary currents that incorporate diversity inquiries to challenge a student to gain perspective on the broader local and global community. Under the Michigan Transfer Agreements, transfer students from community colleges would have completed courses that fit within this Gen Ed proposal, except for the “Wayne Experience” courses (Wayne First Year Inquiry and Wayne Focus). These courses would not be required of transfers, though they could choose to take them.

Foundational Competencies ensure that each Wayne student is equipped with critical communication skills that allow a student to fully benefit from the Wayne Experience. This requires an ability to articulate ideas and concepts in oral and written communication and to understand and express quantitative concepts critical to today’s society, from financial literacy to graphing relationships. The core communication courses (basic composition and oral communication) and quantitative analysis course (mathematics, quantitative experience offered in various departments, or a major-defined foundational math course) are intended to provide basic competencies necessary for undertaking collegiate-level academic work and therefore should be taken in the first year. If an intermediate composition (IC) course is required, it is expected that disciplines will develop such a course specific to the discipline that will hone writing skills within the types of writing required of the discipline (e.g., instruction for scientific manuscript or grant writing within sciences such as Chemistry, Physics, or Engineering; philosophical reasoning for Philosophy, etc.). A student who changes majors would not have to retake the IC course. If no IC course is offered in the student’s major discipline, then the student would be required to take an IC course given by a different discipline or by the English Department.

Inquiries provide Wayne students an introduction to key areas of inquiry that provide broad perspectives on discovery, innovation, exploration, and society across a variety of disciplines. These courses are designed to excite students through discovery and to challenge students to place particular substantive knowledge within a broader contextual understanding. Ideally, courses designated as “Inquiry” courses will cover original materials in the discipline rather than mere dry text summaries, involve participatory experiences and wide-ranging discussion, and require teamwork and collaborative learning. A student who completes these courses in the first two years of the Wayne Experience should have gained perspective on society and its problems, learned something of the scientific method and its life science and physical science variants, explored questions of domestic and international cultural,


institutional, and ethnic identify and sustainability while honing communication and analytical thinking skills in a substantive area.

The Wayne Experience is a “distinctively Wayne” curricular experience that allows schools, colleges and departments to develop exciting “First Year Inquiry” courses that address the critical “ABCDs” of collegiate learning: (i) Analytical thinking (training students to think critically), (ii) Behavioral learning (encouraging experiential learning, “flipping the classroom”, team-based participation and engagement), (iii) Cross-disciplinary learning (dealing with more than one narrow niche of learning to allow students to see the interrelatedness of academic inquiry and discovery), and (iv) Diversity-focused learning (incorporating exploration of diversity, ethics and inclusiveness to help students understand the importance of differences and gain perspectives on cultural, ethnic, philosophical and societal differences that impact our perception of the world and the world’s perception of us). These courses should serve as a gateway to exploring the University in its multiethnic, globally impacted, religiously and culturally diverse urban environment.

The optional component of the Wayne Experience is a Wayne Focus course. For some, professors will create (perhaps through teamwork with another professor) an Inquiry-linked Wayne Focus course that organizes community engagement focused in the area of inquiry. For others, the Wayne Focus course will provide a community engagement experience working with a team of students and one or more organizations in the Detroit metropolitan area. For still others, the Wayne Focus course will provide an intensive introduction to the collegiate experience—note taking, exams, sourcing and writing essays, collaborative teamwork, preparing presentations, using power-point or other graphics to add visuals, etc. Students will choose what fits best with their particular preparation and interests.

I. Foundational Competencies (6, 9 or 12 credits) A. Communication (6 or 9 credits)

3 cr Basic Composition (BC); 3 cr Oral Communication (OC); and 3 cr (optional?) Intermediate Composition (IC) (department-based courses on writing within the discipline)

B. Quantitative (0 or 3 credits) (satisfied by one of the options listed below) 0 cr Appropriate ACT or SAT score; or 0 cr Math Competency test; or 3 cr Math 1000 or Quantitative Experience (QE) (for students in majors not requiring math); or 3 cr Foundational math course required for major.

II. Inquiries (19 credits) 3 cr Cultural Inquiry (CI) (humanities, fine arts) 7 cr Natural Scientific (NSI) Inquiry consisting of:

• 3 cr Life science inquiry • 3 cr Physical science inquiry • 1 cr Lab (must be included in either the life science or physical science inquiry)

3 cr Social Inquiry (SI) (e.g., sociology, anthropology, social psych., social work) 3 cr Global Learning Inquiry (GLI) (e.g., foreign culture, foreign language, or course with global focus) 3 cr American Institutions Inquiry (AII) (e.g., political science, history, law & society, criminal justice, education)


III. Wayne Experience (3 or 4 credits)

3 cr First Year Inquiry (FYI) (courses within a variety of subject areas that address the “ABCDs” of learning) 1 cr (optional?) Wayne Focus (students can take more than one of these)

• FYI-linked community engagement course; or • Community engagement course; or • Collegiate preparation course.

Total Credits: 28 credits if one composition course required, Wayne Focus not required,

Math/QE not needed 29 credits if one composition course required, Wayne Focus required, Math/QE

not needed 31 credits if two composition courses required, Wayne Focus not required,

Math/QE not needed 31 credits if one composition course required, Wayne Focus not required,

Math/QE needed 32 credits if one composition course required, Wayne Focus required, Math/QE

needed 34 credits if two composition courses required, Wayne Focus not required,

Math/QE needed 35 credits if two composition courses required, Wayne Focus required, Math/QE

needed.


Appendix 6: President and Provost Recommended Revision In June, 2017, the President and Provost reviewed the materials from the GEOC and the June comments provided by the Policy Committee (PC) to arrive at a revised framework (set forth in full in Appendix 7) that offers compromises based on the different perspectives and elements from the faculty groups while trying to have only modest impact on department’s current offerings. This is presented in Table 1 along with a comparison of the Michigan Transfer Agreement. Written & Oral Communication GEOC recommends 3 courses in written (2) and oral communication (1); PC recommended keeping basic composition (BC) and oral communication (OC) and revising intermediate composition to a course that is writing in the discipline to be developed by departments; MTA requires basic composition and a second course in either written or oral communication Recommendation: Follow MTA recommendation to keep Basic Composition and select either IC or OC. Science GEOC recommends 1 science; Policy Committee (PC) version suggests 1 life science and 1 physical science, the Michigan Transfer Agreement (MTA) requires 2 sciences from 2 different departments Recommendation: Follow GEOC recommendation for 1 science course + lab from across all natural sciences. Civics GEOC did not have a specific civic class but civic engagement is across the LEAP outcomes across the current curriculum; PC recommended to keep American Institutions; MTA does not have a specific civics requirement. Recommendation: Follow PC recommendation of providing Civic Literacy by offering courses as a standalone Inquiry. Diversity: GEOC recommended a diversity inquiry requirement; PC recommended a diversity inquiry requirement as a critical component of each “Wayne Experience” First Year Inquiry; MTA does not have a specific diversity requirement Recommendation: Follow GEOC recommendation to include a standalone Diversity requirement.

Summary: The Policy Committee proposal (1) adds a natural science course , requiring both a life science and physical science and 1 lab, (2) adds a civics inquiry, (3) revises the FYI course as the diversity requirement with participatory features key to the Wayne Experience emphasis, and (4) suggests multiple categories of 1-credit Wayne Focus courses as the other element of the Wayne Experience, providing support for the college learning experience for those needing it, but community engagement or Inquiry-connected engagement courses for those wishing a more participatory experience in their regular “inquiry” courses.


Table 10. Comparison of proposals, with MTA as reference.

Requirement MTA GEOC, May 1 Policy, Jun 5 Competencies

Basic Composition (BC) 1 course Yes Yes Intermediate Comp (IC) 1 course

in either IC or OC

Yes Yes, as a course within a discipline

Oral Communication Yes Quantitative Experience (3 pathways)

Yes Yes Yes

Subtotal Competency Credits

9 12 12

Inquiries Cultural Inquiry (Arts & Humanities)

2 courses 1 course 1 course

Social Inquiry 2 courses 1 course 1 course Natural Science Inquiry 2 courses + lab 1 course + lab 2 courses + lab Global Learning Inquiry No 1 course 1 course

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

No 1 course No, but included below in FYI course

First Year Inquiry. Both versions include Analytical/critical thinking, Interdisciplinary, active learning.

No 1 course Focused on grand challenges with local context, teamwork, communication.

1 course focused on diversity and inclusion, also using participatory and cross-‐disciplinary components. Because this course is considered the key innovational element of the Gen Ed curriculum, Policy categorizes this and its revised Wayne Focus alternatives as the “Wayne Experience”)

Civic Literacy(Old American Institutions)

No No 1 course

Subtotal Inquiry Credits 19 19 22 Wayne Experience

Wayne Experience No 1 course (1 cr.) 1 course (1 cr.) (3 types of courses

Subtotal WE credits 0 1 1 Total Credits 30

Requires 2 of above courses to be 4 credits, or take extra course to get to 30 from 28

32

35


Appendix 7: First Revised Proposal The revised proposed framework consists of 32 credits. A. Foundational Competencies (9 credits) Note: current place-out rules and degree credit are to carry-over.

Communication (6 cr. Basic Composition and either Intermediate Composition OR Oral Composition is required) Basic composition (3 cr.) Intermediate composition (3 cr.) or Oral communication (3 cr.) Quantitative Experience (3 cr.) Mathematics (Algebra or higher), Statistics or Quantitative Reasoning course (QR) (3 cr.). See explanation of QR in next section.

B. Wayne Experience/Wayne Focus (1 cr.)

Wayne Experience (F) (1 cr.) Wayne Focus (W) (1 cr. - optional)

C. Inquiries (22 cr. – NSI lab adds one credit) Students select seven courses total, one from each category.

Cultural Inquiry (CI) Natural Scientific Inquiry (NSI) with lab Social Inquiry (SI) First-Year Inquiry (FYI)* Global Learning (GL) Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Civic Literacy (CIV)

*FYI courses will be rolled out over a 2-year period. Until there are enough choices and seats available, this requirement will be implemented as an Inquiry Elective.


Appendix 8: Policy Committee Response to the 7/29/17 Version of the Gen Ed Proposal (dated August 23, 2017) The Policy Committee has received and reviewed the most recent version of the Document entitled “General Education Program: Process Status and Proposed Curricular Framework” that you sent to me by email on August 7, 2017.

There are five major areas where we either have significant problems or have suggestions that we think could improve the proposed program. 1. Oral Communication and Intermediate Composition. The most recent version of the proposal makes a major change to what has been included in every prior version submitted to us by the administration. In the current Gen Ed program and in these prior versions, a foundational course in both Oral Communication (OC) and Intermediate Composition (IC) was required. In the current iteration, the student is given the option of taking one of these courses. We understand that the rationale for this change is to keep the total required Gen Ed credits to be 32. We feel strongly that removing one of these courses to keep the credit hours to some arbitrarily selected number of credits in misguided. Faculty and student surveys and focus groups all indicated that these foundational courses are a very important part of Gen Ed and that our student body is particularly in need of both of these courses. We recommend that room be made for both OC and IC within the 32-credit cap by reconceiving the First Year Inquiry (FYI) requirement as being satisfied within, rather than in addition to, the six substantive Inquiry categories. Since FYI courses are distinguished by the “high-impact” mode of delivery rather than by coverage of any particular subject area, the student should be required to satisfy any one of the six substantive Inquiry requirements with a designated FYI course (i.e., something along the lines of a freshman seminar). All qualifying FYI courses would thus be designed to satisfy one of the six substantive Inquiry requirements. This “double dip” would reduce the Inquiry credit hour total from 22 to 19, thus enabling the inclusion of both OC and IC while limiting the total number of Gen Ed credits to 32. (Since FYI courses have yet to be designed, this change would also minimize delays in implementation.) Alternatively, we would fully support raising the cap to 35. 2. Intermediate Composition Requirement The current Gen Ed program requires students to take an Intermediate Composition course and a Writing Intensive course in the major. The latter course is often not well designed in many departments and in the sciences is just a lab course where the students prepare lab reports without the required instruction in proper writing style and the re-submission of corrected versions. In the latest proposal, the Writing Intensive course is no longer required and the learning outcomes for the Intermediate Composition do not articulate what we believe our students need to learn in this course. We recommend that the Intermediate Composition course be redesigned with different learning outcomes that include those that are part of the current Writing Intensive course in the major. Under this proposal, the departments would be strongly encouraged to offer an Intermediate Composition course that is tailored to what is needed in a particular major. For example, in the sciences this would include instruction in writing scientific reports, manuscripts, and grants. In the liberal arts or social sciences, this course would be something different, but in each case the emphasis would be on training students in writing in that particular discipline. Also, in each of these courses there would be an emphasis on writing instruction and would require the return of instructor-commented documents for resubmission. Should a department choose not to develop such a course, the students would be allowed to


take a course in a related discipline or one given by the English department that emphasizes composition writing. 3. Wayne Experience Most of the goals and learning outcomes in the proposed Wayne Experience course deal with navigating the university, building study, note and exam-taking skills, and creating a sense of institutional belonging. We believe that such a course may be appropriate for some of our students, but are concerned that many high-achieving students would find this course unnecessary (and perhaps alienating). We propose that students be given the option to take other Wayne Experience courses more appropriately tailored to his or her needs. Possible examples might include a community engagement experience, where a team of students would work with one or more organizations in the Detroit metropolitan area. Alternatively, a professor might create (perhaps through teamwork with another professor) an Inquiry-linked Wayne Focus course that organizes community engagement focused in the area of inquiry or one that focuses on reading an important book or series of articles. Advisors would direct students to the most appropriate course during the first advising session. 4. Science Inquiry Requirement The current Gen Ed program and the Michigan Transfer Agreement require students to take two science courses, one in the life sciences and one in the physical sciences. In each case, one of these courses must include a laboratory. We believe that there is a current lack of knowledge of basic scientific practice and knowledge in both of these areas among our students and that the two areas are so fundamentally different that a course in each area is warranted. Although this would increase the credit hour total to 35, we do not believe that this small increase will have a significant effect on student graduation rates or credit hour totals in various majors. We also feel very strongly that one of these courses include a hands-on laboratory component. 5. Mathematics Competency Requirement The proposed Gen Ed program lacks detail regarding how the revised system is different from the current requirement (now in suspension). It is unclear what pre-requisites will be required to take any of the listed courses, how the current remedial courses will be restructured, who will teach these courses, and which system of math competency testing will be used.


Appendix 9: Development of Second Revised (Final) Proposal The President and Provost proposed the following changes to the framework:

• Foundational Competencies will include both OC and IC rather than treating as alternatives.

• The option of having a writing course in the major to count toward the IC requirement was added.

• The Math 993 (computerized delivery) course was eliminated • A co-requisite model was added for the requirement formerly listed as Math

Competency and now called Quantitative Experience. The revised details of this requirement are provided.

• The DEI and GL inquiries are combined into one requirement. This combination will provide students with skills and knowledge about local and/or global diversity.

These compromises incorporate the primary concerns of the Policy Committee and others while keeping the number of credits to 32; a difference of 14 credits from the current version of General Education requirements.

Second Revised Proposal consists of 32 credits, as outlined in the text of the document for the final proposal.


Appendix 10: Competencies and Group Requirements This material provides background, developed by the GERC and GEOC, on the foundational competencies and inquiry areas, and includes courses currently in the curriculum or proposed that might satisfy those requirements, subject to GEOC’s review. 1. Foundational Competencies These courses are designed to provide students with the fundamental skills that are the basis for success in college and in their future careers. Foundation courses have the following goals:

• Foster the essential communication, composition, and quantitative literacy skills necessary for students’ success in higher education and their current and future careers.

• Cultivate students' development of skills for lifelong learning, including an awareness and appreciation of their own learning processes and the ability to tailor research and communication to specific tasks and communities.

• Develop students' abilities to read, understand, and evaluate discourse in academic, professional, and public environments.

• Prepare students to be engaged and informed participants in civic life.

The guidelines in the existing program governing Competency courses are assumed to still apply:

• These requirements should be satisfied early in a baccalaureate degree program. • Multiple methods of demonstrating competency should be available, including

satisfactory completion of designated courses or earning appropriate scores on designated examinations.

• Course credit granted for satisfactory completion of an Advanced Placement, CLEP, International Baccalaureate, or Departmental Examination will satisfy the appropriate requirement.

• Students who satisfy these requirements by passing a prescribed Wayne State University examination are excused from equivalent course work but shall receive no course credit or credit hours toward graduation

These requirements are broken down into Written & Oral Communication Skills and Quantitative Reasoning Written and Oral Communication Written and Oral Communication includes requirements in Basic Composition, Intermediate Composition and Oral Communication. These courses foster the essential communication, composition, and information literacy skills necessary for student success in both higher education and their current and future careers. They serve as the foundation for developing students' abilities to read, understand, and evaluate discourse in a wide range of academic, professional, and public environments. In doing so, they cultivate the ability to tailor research and communication to specific tasks and communities, preparing students to be engaged and informed participants in their professional and civic lives.

a) Basic Composition

Learning Outcomes After successful completion of this requirement, students will be able to demonstrate their ability to:


• Use reading strategies in order to identify, analyze, evaluate, and respond to

arguments, rhetorical elements, and genre conventions in college-level texts and other media.

• Learn flexible research methods in order to effectively identify, select, evaluate, and apply secondary research that is appropriate to the scope and topic of a persuasive argument.

• Develop critical literacy strategies to effectively and responsibly quote, paraphrase, summarize, and synthesize secondary research sources in order to compose persuasive arguments.

• Learn theories and practices of written composition and rhetoric related to the writing process, including genre conventions of public and/or academic discourse communities and strategies for reading, drafting, writing, rewriting, and editing

• Apply rhetorical knowledge to develop persuasive research-based written arguments intended for public and/or academic audiences, including techniques of rhetorical analysis of written texts and rhetorical strategies for composing arguments.

• Compose persuasive arguments using a flexible writing process that includes instructor and peer feedback through multiple drafts of writing projects that incorporate varied writing media.

• Use reflection and reflective writing to develop metacognition on the writing and research processes to plan, monitor, and evaluate one’s own learning and writing.

Example Courses ENG 1020 Introductory College Writing. ENG 1050 Freshman Honors: Introductory College Writing.

b) Intermediate Composition


• Learn how to develop appropriate, relevant, and compelling primary research that responds to a text’s audience, context, and purpose within a professional discourse community.

• Synthesize primary and secondary research in order to develop ideas and compose written arguments and/or analyses that respond to issues in a professional discourse community.

• Investigate, analyze, and compose texts for professional discourse communities as related to a concentration of study (i.e., a student’s major).

• Develop and adjust reading strategies to analyze and evaluate genres within and beyond the student’s discipline and profession, including their associated professional discourse community, audience(s), rhetorical situations, purposes, and strategies.

• Compose written texts that respond to the expectations of audiences inside and outside of students’ professional discourse community in terms of content,


claims, evidence, organization, format, style, rhetorical situation, persuasive strategies, and language effects.

• Develop an awareness of how written genre conventions are social, and how genre and professional discourse communities change and shape each other over time.

• Use reflective writing and metacognition as part of the planning, monitoring, and evaluation of one’s research and writing processes.

Example Courses AFS 2390 Introduction to African-American Literature: Literature and Writing. ENG 2100 Introduction to Poetry: Literature and Writing. ENG 2110 Introduction to Drama: Literature and Writing. ENG 2120 Introduction to Fiction: Literature and Writing. ENG 2210 Great English Novels: Literature and Writing. ENG 2310 Major American Books: Literature and Writing ENG 2420 Literature and the Professions: Literature and Writing. ENG 2560 Children's Literature: Literature and Writing. ENG 2570 Literature By and About Women: Literature and Writing. ENG 3010 Intermediate Writing. ENG 3020 Writing and Community. ENG 3050 Technical Communication I: Reports.

c) Oral Communication

Oral Communication courses focus on the development of formal public speaking skills to enable individuals to coherently discuss a point of view. All students must complete satisfactorily a designated oral communication course in which the primary focus of the course must be on public speaking.


• Apply public speaking skills and concepts to speech presentations. • Prepare and deliver four different types of well-organized, context-specific

speeches. • Create and present a well-designed presentational aid complementing a message

in an informative speech. • Employ persuasive strategies in a persuasive speech. • Collaborate in a group in order to complete tasks for a group presentation. • Incorporate credible research into an informative and persuasive speech. • Critically reflect on the organization, content, and delivery of public speaking

performances. • Perform an audience analysis to create a speech that is appropriate for and

respectful of a diverse audience. Example Courses COM 1010 Oral Communication: Basic Speech. ENG 3050 Technical Communication II: Presentations.


d) Quantitative Reasoning

Individuals with competency in quantitative skills possess the ability to reason and solve problems from a wide range of authentic contexts and everyday life situations. They can interpret quantitative data and use that analysis to provide support for sophisticated arguments. They can clearly communicate those arguments in a variety of formats as appropriate. This requirement is aimed at developing those skill in all of our students. Learning Outcomes After successful completion of this requirement, students will be able to demonstrate their ability to:

• Apply mathematical models to real-world problems. • Carry out and justify calculations. • Draw conclusions based on quantitative evidence. • Communicate arguments supported by quantitative evidence.

Example Courses All courses that currently meet the suspended MC requirement, including but not limited to: MAT 1000 Mathematics in Today’s World MAT 1050 Algebra with Trigonometry STA 1020 Elementary Statistics BA 2300 Quantitative Methods I: Probability & Statistical Inference Other existing courses that would probably meet the new criteria, pending GEOC review: IE 1560 Operations Research: Quantitative Decision Making PHY 1020 Conceptual Physics FIN 3050 Personal Financial Planning

2. Inquiry Courses

Inquiry courses are designed to help introduce students to the different perspectives, methodologies, and questions that shape the production of knowledge. As suggested by the title, in these courses students will learn how scholars think in different disciplines, and they will also begin to engage in inquiry themselves, using diverse disciplinary methodologies to ask questions, analyze data, and make their own evidence-based arguments. Through courses that fulfill Inquiry requirements, students will:

1. Gain exposure to different disciplinary ways of understanding the world. 2. Develop basic competencies in these disciplinary methodologies. 3. Apply disciplinary methodologies to analyze relevant data or examples.

There are three primary categories of Inquiry. These categories represent a consolidation of current Group (breadth) categories. They include Social Inquiry, Cultural Inquiry and Natural Scientific Inquiry. Civic Literacy Inquiry is an expanded form of the American Institutions


requirement that now includes courses that go beyond a single view of government and how politics works in the US. In addition to these categories, there are three additional cross-inquiry categories: First Year Inquiry, Global Learning and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Cross-Inquiry courses are specially-designated courses that provide focus on themes that may cut across the primary Inquiry categories, therefore all cross-inquiry courses could be conceivably be found in a primary inquiry category. For example, one could imagine a course focused on Global Learning outcomes from the perspective of the social sciences and/or the arts and humanities.

a) Social Inquiry


• Describe the behaviors, practices, institutions, and/or systems that define a society or social group.

• Identify and define basic concepts in social analysis. • Analyze social institutions and social interactions.

Example Courses Drawn from current AI, HS, and SS ANT 2100 Introduction to Anthropology. ECO 1000 Survey of Economics. ECO 2010 Principles of Microeconomics. ECO 2020 Principles of Macroeconomics. GPH 1100 World Regional Patterns. GPH 3130 Introductory Urban Geography. GPH 3200 Europe. GSW 2700 Social Science Perspectives on Gender, Sexuality, and Women. HIS 1050 American Civilization Since World War II. HON 1000 The City. LAS 3610 Seminar in Latino/a Urban Problems. P S 1000 Introduction to Political Science. P S 1010 American Government. P S 1030 The American Governmental System. P S 2240 Introduction to Urban Politics and Policy. SOC 2000 Understanding Human Society. SOC 2020 Social Problems. SOC 3300 Social Inequality. SOC 3510 The Nature and Impact of Population on Society. SOC 4100 Social Psychology. U S 2000 Introduction to Urban Studies.

b) Cultural Inquiry


• Describe artistic or cultural form(s) or philosophical ideas. • Identify and define basic concepts in artistic or humanistic analysis. • Analyze artistic practices, cultural forms, artifacts, or philosophical ideas.


Example Courses Drawn from ~50 current VP & PL courses A H 1110 Survey of Art History: Ancient through Medieval. A H 1120 Survey of Art History: Renaissance through Modern. A H 1130 Encounters with the Arts of Global Africa. CLA 1010 Classical Civilization. CLA 2200 Introduction to Greek Tragedy. CLA 2300 Ancient Comedy. COM 2010 Introduction to Film. DNC 2000 Introduction to World Dance. DNC 2310 History of Dance from 1800 to the Present. ENG 2200 Shakespeare. ENG 2430 Electronic Literature. ENG 2440 Introduction to Visual Culture. ENG 2510 Popular Literature. ENG 3110 English Literature to 1700. ENG 3120 English Literature after 1700. ENG 3130 American Literature to 1865. ENG 3140 American Literature after 1865. GER 2310 Short Fiction from Central Europe and Russia. GER 2991 Understanding the Fairy Tale. GSW 2500 Humanities Perspectives on Gender, Sexuality, and Women. LIN 2720 Basic Concepts in Linguistics. MUH 1340 Music Appreciation: World Music. MUH 1345 Music Cultures. N E 2060 Hebrew/Israeli Film: Trends and Themes in Israeli Cinema. P S 3510 Law, Authority and Rebellion. PHI 1010 Introduction to Philosophy. PHI 1100 Contemporary Moral Issues. PHI 1110 Ethical Issues in Health Care. PHI 1120 Professional Ethics. PHI 1130 Environmental Ethics. PHI 1200 Life and Death. POL 3750 Polish and Yugoslavian Cinema. RUS 3600 Nineteenth Century Russian Literature. RUS 3650 Russian Literature Since 1900. SLA 2310 Short Fiction from Central Europe and Russia. THR 1010 Introduction to the Theatre.

c) Natural Scientific Inquiry


• Describe the natural world using physical laws • Identify and define the basic concepts and methods of scientific inquiry. • Analyze data based on mathematical and/or scientific methods. • Apply the scientific method through experiments.

Example Courses


Drawn from about 30 current LS & PS. Note, laboratory sections will need to be developed for classes that don’t currently teach scientific methods via experimentation. ANT 2110 Introduction to Physical Anthropology. AST 2010 Descriptive Astronomy. BIO 1030 Biology Today. BIO 1050 An Introduction to Life. BIO 1510 Basic Life Mechanisms. BIO 2200 Introductory Microbiology. CHM 1000 Chemistry and Your World. CHM 1020 Survey of General Chemistry. CHM 1220 General Chemistry I. CHM 1225 General Chemistry I for Engineers. CHM 1410 Chemical Principles I: General/Organic Chemistry. GEL 1010 Geology: The Science of the Earth. NFS 2030 Nutrition and Health. PHY 1020 Conceptual Physics: The Basic Science. PHY 1070 Energy and the Environment. PHY 2130 General Physics. PHY 2170 University Physics for Scientists I. PHY 2175 University Physics for Engineers I. PHY 3100 The Sounds of Music. PSY 1010 Introductory Psychology. PSY 1020 Elements of Psychology.

d) Global Learning


• Compare one’s own position, core values, and biases to those in other national and global communities.

• Identify and examine historical legacies that have created the dynamics and tensions of the world.

• Analyze how perceptions and beliefs are created by differing historical, scientific and cultural contexts.

• Exhibit the intercultural competencies necessary to move across boundaries and unfamiliar territory, see the world from multiple perspectives, and/or sustain difficult conversations in the face of highly emotional and perhaps uncongenial differences.

• Use analytical reasoning skills to articulate informed and humane solutions to complex global concerns.

Example Courses All intermediate-level (XXX 2010) foreign language courses AFS 3250 Politics and Culture in Anglophone Caribbean. AFS 3610 Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Foreign Culture: The Africans. ANT 3150 Anthropology of Business. ANT 3520 Understanding Africa: Past, Present and Future.


ANT 3540 Cultures and Societies of Latin America. ASN 2150 Chinese Philosophy. FRE 2710 Introduction to French Civilization I. GER 2710 Survey of Germanic Culture I. GKM 3710 Modern Greek Literature and Culture in English. HIS 2440 History of Mexico. HON 4260 Seminar in Foreign Culture. ITA 2710 Italian Culture and Civilization I. ITA 2720 Italian Culture and Civilization II. JPN 4550 Japanese Culture and Society I. LAS 2410 History of Mexico. LAS 2420 History of Puerto Rico and Cuba. N E 2000 Introduction to Islamic Civilization of the Near East. N E 3225 Modern Israeli Culture: A Pluralistic Perspective. N E 3550 Arab Society in Transition. NUR 4800 Transcultural Health Through the Life Cycle. PHI 2150 Chinese Philosophy. POL 2710 Survey of Polish Culture. RUS 2710 Introduction to Russian Culture.

e) Diversity, Equity and Inclusion


• Compare complex categories of social group memberships as they relate to our local and national contexts, democratic traditions, and contemporary struggles.

• Recognize the relationship between contemporary diversity-related issues and U.S. history, institutions, practices, and policies.

• Examine the roots of individual cultural values and prejudices and how they influence behavior.

• Identify the ethical and moral issues present in complex domestic situations and articulate informed responses to ambiguity and disagreement.

• Demonstrate understanding of the key issues of the course by analyzing, proposing, or engaging in strategies that promote equity at the local or national level.

Example Courses AAS 1010 Introduction to African American Studies AAS 2210 Black Social and Political Thought AAS 2600 Race and Racism in America ANT 3530 Native Americans CRJ 3750 Diversity in Criminal Justice ENG 2390 Introduction to African-American Literature: Literature and Writing ENG 2570 Literature By and About Women: Literature and Writing GER 3410 New Soil, Old Roots: The Immigrant Experience GSW 2500 Humanities Perspectives on Gender, Sexuality, and Women GSW 2700 Social Science Perspectives on Gender, Sexuality, and Women HIS 3240 Detroit Politics: Continuity and Change in City and Suburbs HIS 3650 History of Detroit


LAS 1420 Introduction to Interdisciplinary Latino/a Studies Research LAS 2100 Chicano/a Literature and Culture LAS 2110 Puerto Rican Literature and Culture PCS 2050 The Study of Non-Violence PHI 1100 Contemporary Moral Issues PHI 1110 Ethical Issues in Health Care SOC 2020 Social Problems SOC 3300 Social Inequality SOC 3350 Religion and Social Activism SW 1010 Introduction to Social Work and Social Welfare

f) Civic Literacy

Description Civic literacy is important for the 21st century engaged student. This inquiry will provide students with critical knowledge and appreciation of how our political system works and how decisions and processes impact the lives of citizens. Furthermore, this area will provide students with valuable critical analytic and decision making skills to fully participate in citizenry and the democratic process.

• Examine the role of individual citizens play in developing and implementing laws and how they can impact the political processes at the local, state and governmental levels.

• Identify the issues, culture and complexity of the relationship between elements of government.

• Demonstrate understanding of the key elements of our government’s structure and operations at the federal, state and local levels.

Example Courses AAS 2210 Black Social and Political Thought AFS 3250 Politics and Culture in Anglophone Caribbean. P S 1000 Introduction to Political Science. P S 1010 American Government. P S 1030 The American Governmental System. PS 3080 Gender and Politics

g) First-Year Inquiry

Description First-year seminars typically focus on cutting-edge questions in scholarship and/or with faculty members’ own research, and place a strong emphasis on critical thinking and other skills that develop students’ intellectual and practical competencies, meeting the following common criteria:

• Focused on topics that resonate with first-year students. • Include high-impact learning experiences. • Promote student's ability to work cooperatively with peers from a diverse

student body; student participation is emphasized. • Promote development of college-level communication skills (writing especially) • Offered in small sections, taught by regular faculty


Learning Outcomes In this broad category, specific mix of learning outcomes may vary but should draw from the LEAP Essential Learning Outcomes, as adapted through our general education reform process: https://wayne.edu/engaging-gened/documents/learning_outcomes.pdf

Implementation Note It is understood among GEOC members that this inquiry area needs further development and perhaps more focus through normal GEOC committee processes, and that a phase-in period will be required. The flexibility in this topic could allow for development of very innovative cross-cutting courses on a fixed set of learning outcomes (tbd), or could reserve a small part of Gen Ed to focus on periodically updated contemporary themes aligned with the University’s current priorities (e.g. civic & community engagement, health disparities, sustainability, etc.). Until suitable alternatives are developed, GEOC envisioned giving students an Inquiry elective to fulfill the sixth Inquiry course requirement. The Office of the Provost will provide Deans and Chairs with financial incentives for faculty to develop these courses. Example Courses TBD

3. Wayne Experience

The Wayne Experience, a one credit course required of all first year students, will play an instrumental role in socializing students into the university community by providing activities that will increase their connections between fellow students, academic advising staff, and their instructors. The essential goals for this requirement are to enhance student engagement, success, and retention by implementing high-impact practices (HIPS) within a student’s first year in college. Wayne Experience will also help students build key skills and habits that will allow them to successively navigate the university and manage their busy lives. These would range from time management, study and test taking skills to engaging in community activities both on and off campus. Student motivation, engagement, learning, achievement, persistence and degree attainment all can be fostered by these transformative educational experiences. Goals

1. Belonging: will foster a sense of belonging and connection; cultivate the development and expanding of relationships; meet students where they are; and promote their sense of personal purpose at Wayne State University.

2. Acculturation to academic community: will promote an understanding of what it means to be a Wayne State Student, including grasping the value of a liberal education and general education along with linking theory to practice by participating as a member of a diverse and inclusive academic community.

3. WSU in Detroit: will cultivate an understanding of WSU's role in local cultures and history as well as develop an appreciation of how public service can transform individuals and diverse communities.


4. Academic Support and Study Skills: will promote the understanding of and use of the full spectrum of academic support services to collectively empower students to transform themselves into self-directed learners and powerful problem-solving.

Learning Outcomes In this broad category, specific mix of learning outcomes may vary but should draw from the LEAP Essential Learning Outcomes, as adapted through our general education reform process: https://wayne.edu/engaginggened/documents/learning_outcomes.pdf After successful completion of this requirement: • Student can identify and connect with appropriate campus personnel and resources. • Student understands structure of degree requirements and university structure and

difference from high school. • Student can identify resources on and off campus for further information regarding

developing their own financial literacy • Student is developing study skills, time management strategies, how to approach

faculty, take notes, prep for exams, and other basic study skills. • Student is connecting with resources to develop critical thinking, reading, writing,

quantitative, technical, analytic, and other core learning outcomes. • Student understands the role and purpose of the General Education Program. • Student understands the concepts and standards of academic integrity (cheating,

plagiarism, honor codes, etc.) • Student has a general understanding of the services and resources of the University

Libraries. • Student understands the relationship between health and academic performance. • Student is building a sense of institutional belonging, responsibility, and

commitment. Example Course WAY 1100 Wayne Experience (1 cr.)

Course Description: You belong here. In this course, students will discover a new world at Wayne State University by participating as a member of a diverse and inclusive academic community. WSU students gain an understanding of what it means to be a Wayne State student, including grasping the value of a university education and the role general education courses play in your lifelong pursuits. During the semester, students will experience a full spectrum of activities that promote belonging, understanding WSU and Detroit, and learn how to navigate our vast academic support systems. Students will reflect on these experiences with a peer mentor, create a plan for their college success and fully develop their sense of personal purpose at Wayne State.

Documents

General’Education’ Requirements · PDF file · 2017-09-08learning outcomes for Gen Ed at both the course-level and program-level, ... Revised Gen Ed Framework 08/31/17 10 # IV