GE Minutes 4-15-2014

General Education Committee
15 Apr. 2014
In attendance: Richard Squire, Susan Larsen, Melanie Jenkins, Adam Larsen, Joseph
Papenfuss, Lafaun Barnhurst, Gregory Wright
I. Approval of Minutes (4-5-14): Lafaun motioned for approval; Richard
seconded the motion. Unanimous vote.

II. Discussion Items

We discussed warehouse options for assessment reports. We now have life science, composition, and math. Beckie recommended we forward those to her. She will warehouse them on the IR webpage and we will request that the GE webpage link to those assessments. We discussed changes to the memo Melanie drafted. New version follows. Faculty, As you revise your general education syllabi, you should be aware of the following
recommendations and expectations:

1) GE courses must be approved by the GE Committee before moving to the Curriculum Committee for approval.
2) General education outcomes have been reduced from 13 to 8; therefore the old numbers do not correspond. The database carries over the old numbers if you have not updated syllabi since GE outcomes were revised in 2011. Check to ensure that the GE outcomes that roll over are in fact the GE outcomes you address.
3) All general education courses must include outcomes 1(fundamental knowledge, 2 (reading), and 6 (critically thinking) unless an exclusion petition has been filed and approved through the GE Committee. The exclusion petition is available at the GE web site.
4) There is an annotated sample syllabus in the syllabus database (https://snow.edu/syllabus/images/chart.pdf). Please note that general education outcomes should demonstrate an assessment loop, or “show how the outcome is met and evaluated.”
5) Each division has written their own student learning outcomes specific to knowledge areas that correspond with GE categories. Those knowledge-specific outcomes must be addressed in the SLO section of the syllabus.
6) GE outcome #1 focuses on knowledge areas. The assessment loop should address the knowledge specific outcomes.
7) The core of any course applying for GE designation must focus on GE and knowledge-area SLOs.
8) Any course approved as a GE course must participate in all pertinent GE assessment cycles.

Each division has a GE committee member, a Curriculum Committee member, and a syllabi expert, all of whom should be available to assist in this process. In addition, the general education web site contains necessary information: general education outcomes, knowledge area student learning outcomes, approval process flow chart, and an exclusion petition. https://snow.edu/ge/ 

GE Committee: Gregory Wright, Adam Larsen, Joseph Papenfuss, LaFaun Barnhurst,
Richard Squire, and Melanie Jenkins