General Education Course Proposal

This is the ARCHIVED Course Proposal page.  To propose a course for the St. Edward’s University core curriculum, go to St. Edward’s University’s General Education Course Proposal.

Want to be part of our new general education curriculum?  Select from the list below:

Want to Find Out More about a General Education Requirement?

First, identify the requirement on the chart below.  It is important to distinguish between an interest in teaching a general education course (something that could be of interest to any faculty member) vs. the process of proposing a new or existing course count for general education credit (something that will primarily be proposed by chairs or by tenure-track faculty with the support of chairs/deans).  If you simply want to teach a general education course, go to “Interested in Teaching in the General Education Curriculum” below.

Freshman Seminar proposals are being reviewed by the Director of First-Year Experience, Alex Barron. In the Freshman Seminar, students will join a community of learners and actively engage in academic and co-curricular exploration. As they do so, they will develop critical thinking skills necessary to become successful students and lifelong learners by meaningfully confronting questions of social justice through the course materials and co-curricular experiences.  The Freshman Seminar student learning outcomes can be found here.  Applications to teach a Fall 2018 section of Freshman Seminar were due October 16, 2017 by 5 pm.   Application for Freshman Seminar

If the course is  a “Group A” requirement, contact the person listed on the chart (St. Edward’s University Campus Directory).  Keep in mind that Group A courses generally focus on discipline-based skills and competencies and require instructors to have substantial graduate coursework or other documentable qualifications in the area they teach.  Thus, proposals to teach a Group A course or create a new one will begin with a conversation about the instructor’s disciplinary expertise.  Please be aware that all new courses require approval through the standard channels (Curriculum Committee review and Academic Council approval).  If unfamiliar with this process and the related proposal form, please consult your department chair.   For more on how to have a course approved for a Natural Sciences requirement, see the instructions under a heading in bold type below.  

The SLOs and other requirements for the Mission Marker (MM) flags were approved at the October 16, 2017 Academic Council.  The details of how to apply for a Mission Marker flag can be found under a heading in bold below.

The Interdisciplinary Concentrations will continue to be developed during the 17-18 school year and will not be required for students entering under the 18-19 Bulletin. The Culminating Experience (CE) will also be developed in 17-18 and should be ready in 18-19, but note that departments must include language in the 17-18 Bulletin designating a course in the major which fulfills the CE requirement or noting that “an upper-division course in the major” will fulfill that requirement.  The traditional CAPS 4360 will fulfill the CE requirement for any student who is unable to fulfill the course in the major.  Pilot versions of the CE courses can be offered at any time but will not count for traditional CAPS 4360 credit unless a substitution is allows by contact Capstone Director Todd Onderdonk. 

Individual faculty members or chairs should follow the below instructions in order to have an existing or new course qualify for a “Group B” general education requirement.

 

Instructions for Proposing a Course to Count for a “Group B” Requirement

Proposals must be signed by your chair and uploaded to the School Box folder by March 9.

To propose that a course count for the following general education curriculum components

  • Diverse American Perspectives
  • Global Perspectives
  • Exploring Artistic Works
  • Creativity and Making

follow the below instructions.  Remember that these instructions are only for those departments interested in proposing a new or current course count for general education credit; faculty interested in simply teaching a gen ed course should go to “Interested in Teaching in the General Education Curriculum” below.

The second round of Group B proposals are due to your dean’s office by March 9 in order to allow time for review by both the appropriate Requirement Development Committee and the Curriculum Committee before the April 9, 2018, Academic Council.  Also keep in mind that proposals must be signed by both the chair and the dean of the appropriate department/ school before the below deadline for being forwarded to the RDC, so check with your school for deadlines prior to March 19.   Proposal process instructions:

  1. Download this form: Gen Ed Group B Course Proposal Form
  2. Complete it.  Keep in mind that in order to qualify for general eduction credit, a course must use the appropriate requirement SLOs and have assignments designed to demonstrate student learning of the SLOs.  General education courses will be periodically recertified.  Faculty teaching courses that satisfy a general education requirement are expected to participate in campus conversations about the requirement, assessment of its learning outcomes, etc.  Please be aware that this second round of proposals can only review existing courses, including topics courses, that intend to fulfill a Group B requirement.  It is too late to get new courses approved by Academic Council and included in the 2018-2019 Undergraduate Bulletin.  There will be calls for new course proposals in the 18-19 academic year.  
  3. Obtain signatures of department chair and dean.
  4. Submit the form to your School Dean.  Each School will have a Box folder where you will upload signed forms for the dean’s approval.
  5. The course schedule for Spring 2019 semester will be created soon.  If you are interested in teaching a Group B requirement in SP19 and have not yet registered your interest (through emailing a course coordinator or by adding your name to the appropriate list at the FA17 General Faculty Meeting or Teaching Symposium), contact Jennifer Ansier.

 

Flagging a Course for a Mission Marker

Mission Markers are flagged elements within existing courses for the core or major, not additional required courses. The Mission Markers focus on Writing (2 flags), Social Identities, and Experiential Learning for Social Justice.  They are designed to deepen students’ learning in areas particularly important to the SEU mission: communication, problem solving, diversity, and social justice.  This page describes the details of the Mission Markers flags.

Note: Freshman Seminar courses are not eligible for a Mission Marker flag (as they are designed to be a particular kind of introductory experience to be followed by the Mission Marker flags).  Culminating Experience courses and most other courses in the general education or major curriculum are eligible for flags.

We are currently in the process of flagging courses for the FA18 and SP19 general education curriculum.  To propose a course or section of a course be flagged for any of the Mission Markers, please fill out this survey Mission Marker flag proposal by March 9, 2018.  Both contracted and adjunct faculty can apply to have their course flagged for a Mission Marker.

To complete the form, you will want the following information at hand:

  • Your contact information
  • Name and course number of the proposed course/section
  • If course is required by major, if it is open to non-majors, and course prerequisites (if any)
  • A brief response to how the course/section meets the requirements of the Mission Marker
  • Optional sample syllabi or assignments to demonstrate evidence of your responses regarding Mission Marker requirements

 

Instructions for Applying for a Course to Count as a Natural Sciences Requirement

Approval of a course for the Natural Sciences requirement involves demonstrating that the course meets the requirement SLOs. It is particularly important to demonstrate the experiential learning component of the course.  To apply to have a course country for general education credit, fill out the Gen Ed Natural Sciences Course Approval Form  and send it with supporting materials to Richard Kopec (kopec@stedwards.edu) and Bill Quinn (billq@stedwards.edu).

 

Interested in Teaching in the General Education Curriculum?

The course schedule for Fall 2018 is being created now.  The above instructions are for faculty to use in proposing a new or existing course qualify for general education.  Contingent and contracted faculty interested in teaching a course satisfying a Freshman Seminar or Group A requirement should contact the person listed as administering the requirement on the green chart above.  Contingent and contracted faculty interested in teaching a course satisfying a Group B requirement in FA18 can indicate their interest in one the below ways.

  • at the August 2018 General Faculty Meeting or Teaching Symposium (by putting your name on the list),
  • by communicating with a current CULF 1318, 1319, 1320, 2321, 3330, or 3331 coordinator,
  • by contacting Jennifer Ansier, who can put you in contact with the appropriate RDC and department chairs.

Note: contracted faculty should also speak with their chairs regarding plans to teach general education courses.