General Education Designation Approval Process

Course Proposal Approval Process 

The Committee on General Education is responsible for reviewing and determining if revised and newly proposed general education courses meet established goals and objectives before they are forwarded to CUCAS.  Courses in the general education curriculum fall into two categories and the approval of a course depends on the category into which it falls. 

 

Learning Area Designations (WIL, SC, PW, RJ, GD): 

The Learning Areas in the general education program include the courses UNI 101 and COMP 101, and the areas of Writing and Information Literacy (WIL), Speech Communication (SC), Personal Wellness (PW), Racial Justice (RJ), and Global Diversity (GD).  These areas each have a relatively limited and specific list of courses which satisfy them. New courses and revisions of existing courses may be proposed to meet a Learning Area. Note, a course may have only one Learning Area attached, except for the Global Diversity and Racial Justice requirements, which may also count as Arts, Humanities, or Social and Behavioral Sciences. Proposals for new and revised existing courses to satisfy a Learning Area (WIL, SC, PW, RJ, GD) must be approved by the Committee on General Education and include the following: 

All course proposals for the Learning Areas must include: 

1. The approved definition of the Learning Area, 
2. The approved learning outcomes for the Learning Area, and 
3. For each outcome, a brief description of how the outcome will be met. 
4. Additionally, if this is a revised course then the proposal must include: 
5. A statement of the specific areas that have been revised in the new course outline, 
6. An overall rationale for why the course fits with the Learning Area, and 
7. The previous course outline. 

For some Learning Areas, the Committee on General Education may consult with disciplinary experts regarding approvals. 

 

Distribution Course Designations (AH, SBS, NST, MR): 

Distribution Requirements depend not on a limited number of specific courses but, instead, are determined based on department prefix:  

• Arts (AH): ART, DIMA, MUS, THR, WRT 

• Humanities (HUM): AAS, ARB, CHI, COM, ENG, FRE, GER, HIS, HUM, IT, MAN, PHI, POR, SPA, VI 

• Social and Behavioral Sciences (SBS): ANT, ECO, GEO, PS, PSY, SOC, SS 

• Natural Sciences and Technology (NST): AST, BIO, CHE, MTR, PHY, CS, and MIS 155, 260, 280, and 281 

• Mathematical Reasoning (MR): MAT courses between 110 and 298 (except for MAT 150/151 and MAT 186); FIN 230, SS 300 

Distribution Courses do not need to include the learning outcomes listed in each area, and new distribution courses do not need to be approved by the Committee on General Education. However, the courses in that area will be assessed using those outcomes. 

 

Detailed information about the general education curriculum as well as definitions and learning outcomes for the Learning Areas and Distribution Courses can be found at https://libguides.wcsu.edu/gen_ed, the site for the Committee on General Education. 

 

Approved:
Senate Resolution R12-03-01	Rev. Senate Approval 10/16/2019
President’s Approval 3/21/12	Admin. Approval 10/16/2019
	Gen Ed Approval 5/25/2025