Gen Ed For Students Starting in AY2023-2024 and After

Overview

The General Education Committee has worked to develop a program that meets the Middle States Commission on Higher Education general education requirement that SEU “offers a curriculum designed so that students acquire and demonstrate essential skills including at least oral and written communication, scientific and quantitative reasoning, critical analysis and reasoning, technological competency, and information literacy. Consistent with mission, the general education program also includes the study of values, ethics, and diverse perspectives…”

With this goal in mind, the Committee has created a general education program, encompassing courses from across the curriculum that will achieve the general education mission and outcomes presented in this document. As a minority serving institution, we recognize that our students need both hard and soft skills, and our goal is to provide them with a foundation that will empower them to become leaders.

Mission, Outcomes, and Competencies

The mission of the General Education Program is to actively engage students in broad learning within the Catholic liberal arts tradition that provides them with the skills and knowledge to pursue a healthy and fulfilling life and to prepare them for their role as future leaders.

Student success will be measured through assessment in the following nine outcome areas along with the measurable competencies

Outcome 1. Writing:
Express thoughts through clear and coherent writings that, where appropriate, support claims or conclusions.

1. Express ideas and knowledge through clear, coherent, and appropriate academic level writings.
2. Explain ideas and concepts such that claims or conclusions are supported.

Outcome 2. Math:
Develop and utilize skills necessary for the analysis of mathematical concepts.

1. Understand and acquire basic mathematical concepts.
2. Develop the ability to reason quantitatively, practice computational skills, and apply mathematical or quantitative reasoning concepts to solve problems.

Outcome 3. Scientific Reasoning:
Develop and utilize skills in the process of observing, analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating data.

1. Apply basic skills, knowledge, and methods to gather, analyze, interpret, and present data in an appropriate fashion.
2. Evaluate and formulate conclusions based on qualitative or quantitative reasoning in the context of issues in nature or society.

Outcome 4/5. Communication:
Engage in active reading and listening as well as visual comprehension. Effectively express acquired knowledge through written, visual, and oral expressions.

1. Analyze written and oral communication in order to discern purpose, meaning, accuracy, truthfulness, bias, and intent.
2. Communicate effectively, in both academic and professional contexts, using speech, writing, performance, and other forms of creative expression.

Outcome 6. Critical Thinking:
Analyze and evaluate issues, arguments, and beliefs through the use of logical and evidence-based reasoning.

1. Evaluate and formulate conclusions based on logical reasoning.
2. Critically evaluate one’s own viewpoints.

Outcome 7. Global Perspectives:
Cultivate understanding and respect for the ideas, opinions, beliefs, and values of people of diverse backgrounds. Accumulate a broad-based understanding of world history and current issues that allow one to become informed local and global citizens.

1. Study human history for the purpose of understanding our present.
2. Recognize and examine the ideas, values, opinions, and beliefs of people of diverse cultures within their geographical and geopolitical contexts.

Outcome 8. Ethical Reasoning and Action:
Develop a broad understanding of ethical perspectives and moral reasoning, including the tradition of Catholic Social Teaching, which promotes the good life in society.

1. Identify and explore knowledge and practices, through service to others, that promote holistic well-being.
2. Analyze moral frameworks and develop one’s own moral perspective

Outcome 9. The Human Condition:
Cultivate an appreciation of the human condition as ecological, creative, spiritual, and moral beings enmeshed in the common story of life.

1. Explain that humans are embodied, social, moral, spiritual, and creative beings.
2. Examine how humans interact with, and are shaped by, their experiences and communities.

General Education Structure

The General Education Program combines a tiered structure with flexibility to ensure students are
progressively introduced to necessary skill sets for success at the college level beyond in a manner that is
conducive to various majors.

Regarding the tiered structure, General Education courses are divided into two types: Foundational Courses and Competency Courses. Foundation Courses address core learning requirements for success in higher education. Competency Courses address learning outcomes that demonstrate robust learning in a liberal arts educational
setting. Most undergraduate students will begin their general education sequence prior to beginning classes at SEU with placement tests to evaluate whether they require developmental courses in Math (Math 096 or Math 100) and English (ENG 091 and ENG 111). They will also take First Year Seminar I and II and Sophomore Seminar in their first three semesters. See “General Education Policies” below for further details. As students
complete these “Foundational Courses,” they will also begin completing their “Competency Courses.” In most cases, students must take courses that meet nine core learning outcomes, each with corresponding competencies (see the list above).

Identifying General Education Competency Courses

Courses that meet these requirements will be marked in the SEU Course Catalog.

Advising Worksheet for University and General Education Requirements

Generation Education Requirements

• All students must complete (or test out of) a set of Foundational Courses in General Education. Students must receive a C (or, if the course is P/F, a P) in these courses to count them toward their General Education requirements. These courses include writing I and developmental math I and II.
• All students must demonstrate the competencies categorized under the nine outcomes. Students will only need to take one course for each outcome area. Courses that qualify to meet these requirements will be identified in the academic catalog. Students must receive a D in these courses to count them toward their General Education requirements.
• With the exception of students in the accelerated online RN to BSN Program who are already required to complete a community course for their major, all undergraduate students must complete a service-learning course, which will meet the “ethical literacy” outcome.

Double-Counting Courses in General Education

• Students may double-count up to three General Education courses toward both the requirements of general education and the requirements of their major. If students are double-majoring, they may double-count up to three General Education courses toward each major. Because a minimum grade of C is required for the major, any courses that are double counted must have received a grade of C or better.
• Students may double-count up to two General Education courses that count toward both the requirements of general education and the requirements of a minor. If students have more than one minor, they may double-count two General Education courses toward each minor. Because a minimum grade of C is required for the minor, any courses that are double counted must have received a grade of C or better.

Using the General Education Chart

• The chart linked here is intended to help students ensure that they are meeting all these requirements.
• In conjunction with their advisors, students should fill out the chart as they successfully complete courses that meet general education requirements.
• A sample chart (with made up courses) is also provided for reference.
• Advisors and students are encouraged to highlight courses that are being double-counted toward majors and minors. In the sample chart, the student is majoring in Communication and minoring in Psychology. The courses that are double-counting toward the major are colored in blue, and the courses that are double-counting toward the minor are colored in green.