Structural Reform # : Departments Know Best

What would change with this proposal?

1. Eliminate the existing Student Choice (Depth or IN) and Interdisciplinary (ID) requirements and
reduce the Institutional Requirements from 7 hours to 3 hours.
2. Students must choose a class (3 hours) from all existing or newly created Gen Ed designations to fulfill
their Gen Ed Institutional Requirement.
3. Departments can modify their degree programs to require students to select additional course(s) from
specific Gen Ed designation(s) including (LW), (GI), (EX), (CA), (IB), etc. as part of the pre-major course
requirements for the AS/AA degree.
4. (OPTIONAL) Reboot the Diversity (DV) requirement to center it on American Institutions (AI)
courses.
a. While not specifically a part of this proposal, we think the following is a good idea for Gen Ed
reform.
b. Reformulate AI courses so that they address the following as they introduce students to U.S.
history, politics, or economics:
Focus on topics of diversity in the context of U.S. history, politics, or economics.
Define and analyze events, policies, and social structures that caused and perpetuate
power and resource imbalances, discrimination, and oppression in the United States.
Explore the dynamics of discrimination, oppression, and violence broadly defined.
Investigate the problems and benefits of a multicultural society.
c. Existing DV courses would remain in the curriculum, but students would no longer need to
look for double-dip opportunities.

Why Make These Changes?

Departments Know Best:
The Board of Regents and the College have long recognized that all degree programs are not the
same with respect to the Gen Ed component of the program.
AAS Degrees (14 hours minimum but it is also possible to reduce this by
embedding Gen Ed requirements into program required courses)
APE Degrees (21 hours minimum)
AS/AA Degrees (34 hours minimum)
The Board of Regents state that AA/AS degrees can require as few as 30 hours and as many as
39 hours of Gen Ed courses.
This proposal recognizes that not all AA/AS degrees are the same and faculty who developed
the program are in the best position to determine the Gen Ed footprint on the program. Some
programs are best organized with 30 hours of Gen Ed, while other programs could easily
accommodate 39 hours of Gen Ed.
Therefore, faculty who create the program have the flexibility to decide how many courses and
which Gen Ed designations are required above the minimum 30 hours for students in that
degree program.
For example, the Chemistry Department may choose to require 0 additional hours above the 30
required for the Chemistry AS degree; whereas, the Political Science Department may choose to
require 9 additional hours from 3 specific Gen Ed designations for the Political Science AS
degree. Similarly, an entirely online program may choose not to select an (LW) requirement,
but may decide that multiple classes from the (WP) designation is best for that degree program.
In all cases, the Departments Know Best.
Guiding Principles for this Reform Proposal

Provide the best possible educational solution for ALL of our students that will prepare them for their
next steps in life (transfer or career pursuits) and for lifelong learning.
Keep it simple, fair, and equitable.
Provide a format that ensures maximum integration of learning across required designations.
Have minimal impact on department/division enrollment and budgets.

(OPTIONAL) Reboot the Diversity Requirement:

As currently conceived, the DV requirement is a burden on students because it complicates their
course selection and scheduling processes.
As currently conceived, the DV requirement is an outdated, overly siloed artifice that has been
grafted onto our Gen Ed program.
Anchoring DV in the AI requirement solves the above problems and reinforces an important point:
one cannot fully understand the American political, historical and economic experience without an
appreciation for power differentials, discrimination, and oppression.

From the student perspective, how does the General Education program change?
Current Gen Ed Structure for AS Degrees
Core Skills (12 credits minimum)
Composition (EN)
Quantitative Literacy (QL)
American Institutions (AI)

Proposed Gen Ed Structure for AS Degrees

Core Skills (12 credits minimum)
Composition (EN)
Quantitative Literacy (QL)
American Institutions (AI)

USHE Distribution Areas (15 credits)

(Take one class from each area)
Fine Arts (FA)
Humanities (HU)
Life Sciences (LS)
Physical Sciences (PS)
Social Sciences (SS)

USHE Distribution Areas (15 credits)

(Take one class from each area)
Fine Arts (FA)
Humanities (HU)
Life Sciences (LS)
Physical Sciences (PS)
Social Sciences (SS)

Institutional Requirements (7 credits)

Student Choice (Take an IN course or a
Depth course)
Interdisciplinary (ID)
Lifetime Wellness (LW)
Total Credits=34 (minimum)

Institutional Requirement (3 credits)

(Take one class from one of the new or existing Gen Ed
designations)

Total Credits=30 (minimum)