College Curriculum Committee

General Education

Download

General Education Voting Process, Principles & Procedures

In keeping with SACS Comprehensive Standard 3.4.10, the institution places primary responsibility for the content, quality, and effectiveness of the curriculum with its faculty, the Curriculum Committee will serve as the eligible voters for changes to the General Education program.  However, effective collaboration and communication will be a part of all General Education decisions made at the college.

  • All stakeholders will be included in the process
  • Stakeholders will be aware of their roles in the process
  • The process will be inclusive of concerned faculty
  • There will be clear and open paths for communication
  • Results will be student centered addressing-
    • Program integrity
  • Data will inform the process
    • Effects on AS programs and pre-majors
    • Transferability
    • Course section offerings

For a faculty member or dean to initiate a proposal to include a course in general education institutional hours

  1. The initiator will notify the co-chairs of the College-wide Curriculum Committee (CCC) of the proposal to include the course in a general education subject area.
  2. A co-chair will help organize a work team including at minimum the initiator, her/his dean, and the general education dean for the subject area. This group will prepare a portfolio for the proposed course that includes
    • A list of stakeholders that should be notified
    • Course outline
    • Assessment plan
    • Gen Ed template
    • Transferability data
    • Impact assessment (enrollment, program integrity, etc)
    • Communication plan
  3. Once the portfolio is complete, a co-chair will schedule a face-to-face forum at an appropriate time and location that gives stakeholders an opportunity to learn about the proposal and provide feedback. Stakeholders will be notified both about the forum and that comments on the CCC blog will be considered in the decision process.
  4. If the initiator chooses to move the proposal forward it will be considered by the CCC at the November meeting. The decision will be based on the college’s general education principles, the content of the portfolio and the feedback collected at the forum and through the blog.

Principles

Courses within the General Education Program will:

  1. be able to meet the A.A. and A.S. degree requirements;
  2. significantly contribute to Valencia College's general education outcomes;
  3. not narrowly focus on those skills, techniques, and procedures specific to a particular occupation or profession;
  4. be transferrable for all programs
  5. contribute significantly to breadth of knowledge

This was Approved December 6, 2007; Reaffirmed Learning Day, February 2013

Procedures

In keeping with SACS Comprehensive Standard 3.4.10, the institution places primary responsibility for the content, quality, and effectiveness of the curriculum with its faculty, the Curriculum Committee will serve as the eligible voters for changes to the General Education program. However, effective collaboration and communication will be a part of all General Education decisions made at the college.

  1. When deciding course additions to or deletions from the General Education program, the discipline-specific voter eligibility list will serve as a means of communication and collaboration.
  2. In matters which relate to major changes across the five General Education areas, there will be communication from the faculty Co-Chair of the Curriculum Committee to all tenured and tenure-track faculty at the college. This communication will include the proposed change, the timetable for decision-making, access to resources for decision input, identification of opportunities to provide input, and required date of response.

The Issue of Breadth

In order to ensure consistency with decisions regarding the addition of courses to the General Education program, the following questions will be addressed:

  1. Does the course contribute significantly to satisfying the General Education Outcomes? (Yes)
  2. Does this course, when added to the General Education program, satisfy the mission of Valencia College (Yes)
  3. Is this course specific to a particular faculty member? (No)
  4. Does this course focus on a specific occupation? (No)
  5. Will this course, if added, be transferable to upper division programs? (Yes)
  6. Does this course have prerequisites that are not General Education courses? (No)

General Education Outcomes

Approved December 2007

  • Cultural and Historical Understanding: Demonstrate understanding of the diverse traditions of the world, and an individual's place in it
  • Quantitative and Scientific Reasoning: Use processes, procedures, data, or evidence to solve problems and make effective decisions
  • Communication Skills: Engage in effective interpersonal, oral, written communication
  • Ethical Responsibility: Demonstrate awareness of personal responsibility in one's civic, social, and academic life
  • Information Literacy: Locate, evaluate, and effectively use information from diverse sources
  • Critical Thinking: Effectively analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and apply information and ideas from diverse sources and disciplines

A.A./General Education Program Review

Document Repository

General Education Articles