General Education Plan Report and Implementation Plan

General Education Implementation Plan Committee assignments can be found here. 

The new General Education plan report and implementation plan, approved by the Senate in May 2014, can be found here [http://www.uakron.edu/dotAsset/095bcf7a-6bcf-4fe7-945b-d9a31619e1b0.pdfl]. This plan was created by a university-wide committee, reporting to the Faculty Senate and working for over two years. The plan gives special attention to a streamlined implementation timetable for already-existing University of Akron courses that departments wish to propose as meeting the new requirements. Only existing courses will be evaluated using the streamlined plan; new courses that departments and colleges wish to propose will be reviewed and approved through the existing curriculum review process.

The implementation plan calls for active work by faculty from departments and colleges with interests in showing how existing courses can meet the requirements of the plan to meet disciplinary learning outcome and "tagged" learning outcome committees. The plan calls for a  phased-in basis this fall and next spring.

Under this implementation plan, the faculty of each of the affected departments and schools is to nominate faculty members who are knowledgeable about (the relevant aspects of) general education and willing to work across disciplinary lines to meet the requirements of the implementation plan.  These nominations are to be made collectively by the faculty of each department and school, by whatever collective decision-making mechanisms are normal for and accepted by the faculty of that department or school.  They are not to be made by faculty members or department chairs individually.  Deans may also make nominations.  

Please read the plan (referenced above) carefully; the excerpt below is from that plan and describes the makeup of the committees called for in the plan.  Nominations should be sent to facultysenate@uakron.edu.  Please include in the submission a brief statement of each nominee's credentials that are relevant to evaluating the particular learning outcomes.

From the document General Education Learning Outcomes & Implementation Plan

3.   Disciplinary Learning Outcome Committees (DLO)--these committees should be kept relatively small (i.e., 7-10 persons) and workable with the following membership:

a.    Communication and Quantitative Reasoning (Phase 1)—A majority of the committee members will be appointed from the BCAS English, Communication and Math faculty, the Summit College English and Math faculty, and the Library faculty (with at least one member from each of these units), and at least one member may be appointed from each of the colleges of Education, Engineering, Business Administration and Health Professions, and Wayne College if they choose to forward nominations.

b.   Disciplinary Courses:  Natural Sciences (Phase 2)--A majority of the committee members will be appointed from the BCAS Biology, Chemistry, Geosciences, Physics and the Summit College Natural Sciences faculty (with at least one member from each of these units), and at least one member may be appointed from each of the colleges of Education, Engineering, Business Administration and Health Professions, and Wayne College if they choose to forward nominations.

c.   Disciplinary Courses: Social Sciences (Phase 2)--A majority of the committee members will be appointed from the BCAS Anthropology, Sociology, Political Science, Psychology, Communication, History and Economics faculty, and the Summit College Social Sciences faculty (with at least one member from each of these units), and at least one member may be appointed from each of the colleges of Education, Engineering, Business Administration and Health Professions, and Wayne College if they choose to forward nominations.

d.   Disciplinary Courses: Humanities and Fine Arts (Phase 2)--A majority of the committee members will be appointed from the BCAS English, History, Philosophy, Modern Languages, Art, Music and DTAA faculty (with at least one member from each of these units), and at least one member may be appointed from each of the colleges of Education, Engineering, Business Administration and Health Professions, and Wayne College if they choose to forward nominations.

4.     “ Tagged”  Learning Outcome  Committees (TLO)--these committees should be kept relatively small (i.e., 7-10 persons) and workable with the following membership:

a.    Critical Thinking/Reasoning (Phase 3)--Committee members who hold expertise in teaching critical thinking will be appointed to this TLO committee from the following colleges:  BCAS, Business Administration, Education, Engineering, Health Professions, Summit and Wayne, if they choose to forward nominations. Committee members who served on any of the Phase 1 or 2 committees would be a desirable addition to these committees, if their expertise is appropriate.

b.   US/Domestic Diversity (Phase 3)--Committee members who hold expertise and/or teach in the academic domain of US/domestic diversity will be appointed to this TLO committee from the following colleges: BCAS, Business Administration, Education, Engineering, Health Professions, Summit and Wayne, if they choose to forward nominations. Committee members who served on any of the Phase 1 or 2 committees would be a desirable addition to these committees, if their expertise is appropriate.

c.   Global Diversity (Phase 3)--Committee members who hold expertise and/or teach in the academic domain of global diversity will be appointed to this TLO committee from the following colleges:  BCAS, Business Administration, Education, Engineering, Health Professions, Summit and Wayne, if they choose to forward nominations. Committee members who served on any of the Phase 1 or 2 committees would be a desirable addition to these committees, if their expertise is appropriate.

d.   Complex Systems Affecting Social Issues (Phase 3)--Committee members who hold expertise in teaching about social issues from an interdisciplinary perspective will be appointed to this TLO committee from the following colleges:  BCAS, Business Administration, Education, Engineering, Health Professions, Summit and Wayne, if they choose to forward nominations. Committee members who served on any of the Phase 1 or 2 committees would be a desirable addition to these committees, if their expertise is appropriate.

Departments/schools and deans must make their nominations by September 12 and the EC expects to have all eight committees appointed by September 30. "