Elements of General Education

Charge Identify effective practices in general education that fulfill the goals of the new strategic plan. Make recommendations in an open and transparent collaboration with faculty, staff and students. Removed “Assess the strengths and weaknesses of the current IF program”. I don’t think we should get into this as opinions vary. I think the goal is to start completely afresh based on best practices and the theme of the strategic plan. Seems cleaner to use bullets and recommendation/recommend only once. Link to strategic plan and forgo the two slides goal 1.

Challenges Make general education integrated and meaningful Address Institutional Learning Outcomes Provide a distinctive Buffalo State education Meet the needs of current Buffalo State students

Our Research The Task Force studied a variety of successful approaches to general education at peer and aspirant institutions (Portland State University, NC State, etc.) We also studied AACU’s General Education work, “General Education Maps and Markers”

Our Broad Vision An Integrated Path to Graduation FIRST YEAR MID COLLEGE CULMINATION 1st year experience Exploratory coursework Enhanced skill development High impact practice Transition to Major focus Complementary Interdisciplin- ary Work Capstone experience Major focus Skill Refinement Enhanced skill development is important given changes in admission Mid-college HIP would facilitate Buffalo State ACLOs, foster retention of native students, and promote engagement of transfers All stages are connected, encouraging integration of gen ed and major as students move toward graduation (At the click) The question is, what do these components look like in practice? This is where we are seeking your input! [A couple of small comments/questions to the committee from Jenn: 1- Complementary interdisciplinary work can be mid-college or culmination – I’m fine with moving it. 2- I don’t know if skill refinement is explicit in our model, but I liked it in terms of symmetry, and I think that’s a benefit of capstone work. I’m fine taking it out. We are seeking your input on operationalizing the components!

More Information and Comments Please feel free to consult our soon-to-be-established website for more information or to offer feeback

Strategic Plan Goal 1, Focus Area 1: Create Engaging and Distinctive Academic Programming …As it is currently constructed, however, our curriculum does not guarantee that every Buffalo State College student will have the opportunity to participate in one of our distinctive programs or engage in a high-impact practices such as applied learning, living learning communities, or supplemental instruction. We must commit to developing an undergraduate curriculum that seamlessly incorporates these activities to make them a fundamental component of a Buffalo State education. To do so, we must meaningfully and substantially reform our general education program to offer a coherent, rigorous, and intellectually powerful curriculum that prepares all of our students for the demands of contemporary society, regardless of their major. 1.1 Evaluate curriculum to determine whether it is reflective of contemporary social, cultural, and economic environments. 1.1.1 Fully develop the distinctiveness of a Buffalo State education through a revised general education curriculum, building upon Buffalo State’s programs of distinction, the diversity of our community, and our urban setting. 1.1.3 Adopt all-college learning outcomes that respond to 21st-century trends, leverage existing strengths, and result in a distinctive framework for undergraduate education at Buffalo State. Removed “Assess the strengths and weaknesses of the current IF program”. I don’t think we should get into this as opinions vary. I think the goal is to start completely afresh based on best practices and the theme of the strategic plan. Seems cleaner to use bullets and recommendation/recommend only once. Link to strategic plan and forgo the two slides goal 1.

Buffalo State Institutional Learning Outcomes Graduates of Buffalo State College will be known for their: Cultural fluency Graduates will be aware of how ideas are shaped by cultures and social norms and be able to engage with ideas different from or in conflict with their own; students will be aware of cultural, societal and institutional factors influencing assumptions, prejudices, and privileges.[i] Urban engagement Graduates, leveraging their experiences in Buffalo State’s distinctive urban setting, will understand how to interact meaningfully in their communities and possess the skills to be wise, productive, and responsible citizens.[ii]   Scholarship and creative activity Graduates will possess the quantitative, conceptual, and creative skills to pose, frame, and analyze a range of questions, problems and issues. They will produce complex and intellectually challenging work and demonstrate essential technological skills. [iii] Ethical reasoning Graduates will deliberate ethical values and principles and apply them in ambiguous, complex, and controversial contexts. They will be conscientious persons, students, and professionals. [iv]

SUNY GE Requirements 30 credits of general education (or the equivalent) in SUNY-GER areas Each general education curriculum shall be academically rigorous and comprehensive and shall complement and build on students’ academic preparation. Its design shall reflect consideration of the University’s commitment to a seamless education pipeline and timely degree attainment. Each general education curriculum shall reflect the SUNY-GER, which requires baccalaureate degree recipients to have demonstrated: knowledge and skills in two required areas, Basic Communication and Mathematics; knowledge and skills in five of the following eight areas: Natural Science, Social Science, American History, Western Civilization, Other World Civilizations, Humanities, the Arts, and Foreign Languages; and competency in two required areas, Critical Thinking and Information Management. The SUNY-GER’s ten knowledge and skills areas and two competency areas are defined in terms of student learning outcomes rather than a strict three-credit per area requirement. Campuses shall design their general education requirements to facilitate student mobility within SUNY and timely graduation.  The above is widely known around the SUNY system as “7 of 10” or “5 of 8” (the previous SUNY-GER required a course in all 10 areas, or “10 of 10”). Buffalo State’s IF14 program requires course in 9 of 10 areas (not Foreign Language) and doubles up on Basic Communication (CWP 101 and 102) to get to the required 30 credits in SUNY-GER. The two required competencies (IM and CT) are intended to be met within the major.

Middle States Standard III At institutions that offer undergraduate education, a general education program, freestanding or integrated into academic disciplines that:   offers a sufficient scope to draw students into new areas of intellectual experience, expanding their global awareness and cultural sensitivity, and preparing them to make well-reasoned judgments outside as well as within their academic field; 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.”