EducationD1

Faculty who share teaching of General Education courses consult with each other about learning outcomes, class assignments and progress toward goals of the courses.  Student projects are shared informally within the department and at end-of-quarter college-wide poster sessions.  Faculty notify each other of these poster presentations.  

     · ANTH 107 General Anthropology (Social and Behavioral Sciences, Foundations of Human Adaptations and Behavior), for the five year period 2000-WI 06 class size averages 31 to 38 students, with 6-9 sections offered each year

     · ANTH 110 Introduction to Biological Anthropology (The Natural Sciences, Patterns and Connections in the Natural World), for the five year period 2000-WI 06 class size averages 36 to 46 students, with 5-7 sections offered each year

     · ANTH 120 Introduction to Archaeology (Social and Behavioral Sciences, Foundations of Human Adaptations and Behavior), for the five year period 2000-WI 06 class size averages 19-39 students, with 4-6 sections offered each year

     · ANTH 130 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology (Social and Behavioral Sciences, Perspectives on World Cultures), for the five year period 2000-WI 06 class size averages 37 to 43 students, with 13-16 sections offered each year

     · ANTH 314 Human Variation and Adaptation in Living Populations (The Natural Sciences, Applications of Natural Science), for the five year period 2000-WI 06 class size averages 27 to 32 students, with 2 sections offered each year

The two Department of Art courses contributing to the General Education classification ‘Aesthetic Experience’ are: ART 102: A Survey of Nonwestern Art History and ART 101: A Survey of Western Art History. The objective of these courses is to provide a basic understanding and appreciation of western painting, sculpture and architecture, as well as photography and supporting literature over several millennia. The material is chronologically organized and designed to assist in developing a lifelong appreciation of the arts. As such, this course is also the visual counterpart to studies in western culture. ART 101 is not designed for studio majors. Rather, ART 101 is invaluable for those students interested in the fine arts as a vital part of life and as part of a comprehensive liberal arts education. These courses are of interest to any major in any college and have traditionally been well attended. This course has assisted some former students to identify a major in the College of Arts and Humanities. The scope of this course is broad in regards to chronology and subject matter. Artifacts are examined for their artistic merit and for what they can tell us about the economics, politics, and social beliefs current when the work under consideration was produced. These courses combine lecture, film, and self-study written assignments. Active participation in class discussions is expected. The course objectives concern learning about art and religion, art and politics, art and death, and the changing representations of the human form in various western cultures. The outcomes can be summarized as follows: a broadened appreciation for the enormous variety of the creative expression(s) we call art; a broadened appreciation of how art can be used as a positive force in society as well as a negative reflection of societal, political, or religious prejudices; and, a broadened appreciation of how art, regardless of the gender of the artist, is the product of our everyday lives.

The Chemistry Department serves the General Education Program by offering three courses: CHEM 101, 111 and 181. CHEM 101 is an elective in the General Education requirement for Applications of Natural Sciences. This course treats social, ethical, economic, or technological implications of natural phenomena. CHEM 111 and 181, and their associated laboratory courses, meet the General Education requirement for a Fundamental Discipline of Physical and Biological Sciences. These courses provide basic methods for describing and comprehending the natural world. They place a major emphasis on addressing the following general education program goals:

Goal 1. Students will become thoughtful and responsible members of society and stewards of the Earth.

Goal 4. Students will master the basic principles of logical, mathematical and scientific reasoning.

Goal 5. Students will develop an appreciation of the breadth and depth of scientific and humanistic knowledge.

Goal 6. Students will develop a sense of the interconnectedness of knowledge.

Goal 8. Students will become aware of the manifold ways that knowledge evolves.

Goal 9. Students will develop a disposition to ask incisive and insightful questions.

and a lesser emphasis on the following general education program goals:

Goal 2. Students will respect diversity of background, experience and belief, and will value the different perspectives that this diversity brings.

Goal 3. Students will achieve fluency in reading, writing, oral communication and information technology.

Goal 7. Students will integrate knowledge from diverse fields of study in order to solve real-world problems.

The major assessments in place are course exams and laboratory reports.

January, 2008
The department offers courses that satisfy two aspects of the "basic" requirements in general education.  CS 101 Computer Basics is a computer literacy, MS Office packages course that meets the computer literacy requirement.  CS 105 The Logical Basis of Computing is a course that introduces the basics of problem solving and algorithm development.  This course meets the basic logic requirement.

1. The General Education Committee of the Faculty Senate supervises the coordination of the courses developed for computer literacy.  Student performance on exams in each of five content areas is used to assess the student learning objectives.  

2. Recent changes in the general education course CS 105, Logical Basis of Computing, ensure that this courses encorporates problem solving by having teams develop algorithmic solutions to problems.  Student performance on these projects is used to assess the student learning objectives.

The English department is responsible for two core courses in writing required of all graduates, ENG 101 and ENG 102, as well as a developmental curriculum that offers a clear and appropriate transition for students who lack sufficient language experience to succeed in the college level courses. These courses are informed by a specific and research-based set of outcomes that incorporate critical literacy, rhetorical strategies, and writing process competence. (See Appendix A: Writing Program Outcomes)

A first set of outcomes address knowledge, skills and processes that relate to writing and collaboration in general. A second set identifies the competencies assigned to ENG 100T, the transition course. The third and fourth sets specify the skills and abilities which will be monitored and assessed in the college composition courses.

The English department also offers two courses that meet the Literary Backgrounds requirement in the General Education Program, ENG 105, Introduction to the Literary Imagination, and ENG 247, Multicultural Literature. We see these courses as very important to the university experience and to the students’ sense of their preparedness as informed citizens of and participants in a global society. In no other required course do students bring together their intellectual, imaginative, aesthetic, and emotional competence. Rarely will they have the opportunity to observe as directly their preconceived cultural, aesthetic, political and social perspectives in light of alternatives. As they embrace, and/or resist literary experiences and perspectives, they come to understand themselves and their world in complex, intellectually and imaginatively rich ways. Both courses provide opportunities for students to read and respond orally and in writing to works that vary in time, place, culture, and genre.

The only department course currently being used as a general education course is Human Sexuality and FCSF 337.  

Family Studies

General Education
If the department has courses within the university’s general education programs, describe the assessment procedures used to assess student progress toward relevant General education student learning goals.

1.	discuss aspects of human sexuality (assessed through in-class participation and online video discussions); General Education Goal 5:  Students will develop an appreciation of the breadth and depth of humanistic knowledge

2.	describe the ways in which gender socialization affects sexuality (assessed through in-class participation, online video discussions, exams, and research paper);  General Education Goal 2:  Students will respect diversity of background, experience and belief, and will value the different perspectives that this diversity brings

3.	identify current factual information about human sexuality (assessed through examinations); General Education Goal 5:  Students will develop an appreciation of the breadth and depth of humanistic knowledge

4.	define their own philosophy of sexual behavior (assessed through reaction paper to self-evaluation and final writing assignment);  General Education Goal 2:  Students will respect diversity of background, experience and belief, and will value the different perspectives that this diversity brings

5.	explain the functioning of male and female sexual systems as they relate to reproduction, and sexual expression (assessed through in-class participation and examinations);  General Education Goal 5:  Students will develop an appreciation of the breadth and depth of humanistic knowledge

6.	identify major contraceptives and be able to evaluate their use, effectiveness, and side effects (assessed through in-class participation and examinations); General Education Goal 5:  Students will develop an appreciation of the breadth and depth of humanistic knowledge

7.	explain past and present attitudes toward sexuality (assessed through in-class participation and examinations);   General Education Goal 2:  Students will respect diversity of background, experience and belief, and will value the different perspectives that this diversity brings

8.	critique current research on human sexuality (assessed through in-class participation, examinations, and sexuality research paper);  General Education Goal 3: Students will achieve fluency in reading, writing, oral communication and information technology.  General Education Goal 9: Students will develop a disposition to ask incisive and insightful questions

9.	explain the prevention, transmission, and treatment of sexually transmitted infections (including HIV) (assessed through in-class participation and examinations);  General Education Goal 5:  Students will develop an appreciation of the breadth and depth of humanistic knowledge

10.	 identify the difference between consensual sexual behavior and sexual assault/violence in all forms (assessed through in-class participation, final writing assignment, and examinations);  General Education Goal 9: Students will develop a disposition to ask incisive and insightful questions

11.	 execute responsible sexual decision-making based on facts and critical thinking (assessed through in-class participation and final writing assignment); and General Education Goal 4:  Students will master the basic principles of logical, mathematical, and scientific reasoning.

12.	  discuss cross-cultural views and practices of human sexuality (assessed through in-class participation and examinations).  General Education Goal 2:  Students will respect diversity of background, experience and belief, and will value the different perspectives that this diversity brings
2.	If the department incorporates general education student learning goals into assessment of students in the major, describe the assessment results.

As the department’s curriculum has evolved over time, we have taken a leadership role, perhaps to a greater degree than any other single department on this campus, in continuing to offer the needed number of sections of the staple courses that make up the university’s General Education program.

Our courses serve the learning objectives of students across campus, as shown by our direct involvement in the General Education, Environmental Studies, Energy Studies, Latin American Studies, Asian Pacific Studies, and Resource Management graduate programs, in addition to our own students majoring in geography.  As a holistic discipline, geography is ideally suited to serve the liberal arts needs of the General Education program. 
 
Four geography courses fulfill breadth requirements in the General Education Program.  These are listed here as follows, with the general education program category enclosed in parentheses:

GEOG 101–World Regional Geography 
(Perspectives on World Cultures category of the Social and Behavioral Sciences); 

GEOG 108–Introduction to Human Geography 
|(Foundations of Human Adaptations and Behavior category of the Social and Behavioral Sciences); 

GEOG 107–Introduction to Physical Geography 
(Patterns and Connections in the Natural World category of the Natural Sciences); 

GEOG 273–Geography of Rivers 
(Applications of Natural Science category of the Natural Sciences).  

In addition, Geography department faculty also play key roles in team-teaching the following Environmental Studies courses that are also listed as selections within the General Education Program:

ENST 301–Earth as an Ecosystem 
(Patterns and Connections in the Natural World category of the Natural Sciences);

ENST 302–Ecosystems, Resources, Populations, and Culture 
(Applications of Natural Science category of the Natural Sciences).  

Assessment procedures used involve the normal processes of attempting to achieve student learning outcomes in each of these individual courses.  Whether a student is making progress toward relevant general education student learning goals is beyond the purview of individual faculty from this department who are involved in teaching these courses, but obviously depends on a university-wide assessment of the General Education program.

UPDATED JULY 2008
The Geological Sciences department offers four introductory courses within the Natural Sciences breadth area of the General Education program: Introduction to Physical Geology (GEOL 101); Geology of National Parks (GEOL 102); Volcanoes, Earthquakes, and Civilization (GEOL 107); and Introduction to Environmental Geology (GEOL 108). These courses fall within all three subdivisions of the Natural Sciences breadth area. In addition, faculty from Geological Sciences contribute to two team-taught Environmental Studies courses, which are also in the Natural Sciences breadth area: Earth as an Ecosystem (ENST 301); and Ecosystems, Resources, Population, and Culture (ENST 302). 

Faculty teaching general education classes are asked to align their learning outcomes with those of the general education curriculum. In addition, faculty are encouraged to design their general education classes in ways that address general education goals. Because the general education mission articulates goals and outcomes that are similar to those of the department, assessment mechanisms the same as for all other classes in the department.

IT 101 is a general education basic skill course that supports the third goal of our General Education Program Goals: Students will achieve fluency in reading, writing, oral communication and information technology.

The department serves nearly 500 students per quarter in our IT 101 sections. Students are assessed in application programs they are expected to use throughout their education and their careers - Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and Access. Assessments include graded homework, objective exams, and skill-based exams. Approximately 80% of students pass IT 101 their first attempt. Those who do not pass the course the first time are usually victims of their own procrastination, or their belief that the course is an easy "A" when it is not.

Nutrition – NUTR 245 – Basic Nutrition
	
Basic Nutrition can be used to meet the GE requirements in the 	Natural Sciences:  Application of Natural Sciences.  Students are assessed on their performance on four examinations, near-daily 	graded questions using classroom response systems and weekly written assignments given in their discussion laboratory sections.

Health Education – HED 101 Health Essentials

1. Students will become thoughtful and responsible members of society and stewards of the earth.

One of the keys goals of the field of health education is to cultivate 	productive and responsible citizens.  The aforementioned, one of four criteria that make up a health literate individuals, is assessed through various self-appraisals that as assigned throughout the quarter.  The appraisals, varying from assessing overall wellness to other topics like nutritional health, are collected in a portfolio and graded for completion.  The specific appraisals that address this 	general education program goals are the ones that assess 	environmental awareness such as recycling and protecting the natural environment.

The Physics Department serves the General Education Program by offering five courses: PHYS 101 (Introductory Astronomy of Stars and Galaxies), PHYS 102 (Introductory Astronomy of the Solar System), PHYS 101LAB (Introductory Astronomy Lab), PHYS 103/103LAB (Physics of Musical Sound with Lab), PHYS 111/111LAB (Introductory Physics with Lab) and PHYS 181/181LAB (General Physics with lab). Two more courses have been proposed: PHYS 106 (Physics by Inquiry) and PHYS 108 (Light and Color); both courses are taught in an inquiry-based lecture/laboratory format. The Department has also proposed a change to the astronomy courses so that they are now taught in a combined lecture/laboratory format that fosters inquiry-based learning.

PHYS 106, PHYS 111/111LAB and PHYS 181/181LAB are electives in the General Education requirement for Fundamental Discipline of Physical and Biological Sciences. These courses provide an introduction to the fundamentals for studying physical systems.

PHYS 101/101LAB/102 are electives in the General Education requirement for Patterns and Connections in the Natural World. These courses provide basic methods for describing and comprehending the natural world.

PHYS 103/103LAB and PHYS 108 are electives in the General Education requirement for Applications of Natural Sciences. These courses treat social, ethical, economic, or technological implications of natural phenomena.

All courses place a major emphasis on addressing the following general education program goals: