Legislative History:

Document dated May 30, 1996.

At its meeting of April 22, 1996, the Academic Senate approved the following Policy Recommendation presented by Nancie Fimbel for the Curriculum and Research Committee.

Attached is a copy of Academic Senate Policy Recommendation S 96-9. This policy is accepted as University Policy effective May 30, 1996.

Copies sent to Executive Committee and Academic Senate.

ACTION BY THE UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT:

"Approved and signed as University Policy" Robert L Caret, May 30,1996.

MODIFY SJSU GENERAL EDUCATION PROGRAM

(Rescinds S 85-7 as amended, modified, or superseded by SB 5-11, SS 9-5, S 91-6,

and S 93-2)

Whereas, The Academic Senate (SS-S95-5) directed the Board of General Studies to include two new requirements, "Equality in the United States" and "Global Understanding," in Advanced General Education; and

Whereas, The Academic Senate (SS-S95-5) directed the Board of General Studies to incorporate these two new requirements without adding complexity or units to the General Education Program and to make the program as compact and understandable as possible; and

Whereas, The SJSU Core General Education program approved in March 1993 (S 93-2) differed significantly from the lower-division CSU General Education-Breadth requirements which resulted in numerous problems for transfer students, assessment personnel, faculty and advisors; and

Whereas, The system of doubling-counting requirements In Advanced General Education added a layer of complexity that made the General Education Program difficult to understand by students, staff, and faculty; and

Whereas, The Board of General Studies, as part of its charge to review, evaluate, and monitor the General Education requirements is committed to maintaining a fair, balanced, and non-complex program across the currently established and approved areas of General Education that serves transfer and native sturJents equally well;

Whereas, There are no additional allocations required by the proposed modifications; therefore, be it

Resolved:

That the University Curriculum and Research Committee recommends that the following recommendations from the Board of General Studies to modify the structure of SJSU's General Education Program be adopted as policy.

Recommendation #1: The University Curriculum & Research Committee, in concert with the Board of General Studies, recommends that the Academic Senate accept as a package the following proposed plan for General Education.

1.a. Structure Of General Education Program

A. Core General Education (39 units)

Basic Skills (9 units)

Written Communication LA (3 units)

Oral Communication (3 units)

Critical Thinking (3 units)

Science(9 units)

Life Science (3 units)

Physical Science (3 units)

Mathematical Concepts (3 units)

Humanities & Arts (9 units)

Arts (3 units)

Letters (3 units)

Written Communication IB (3 units)

Social Sciences (9 units, includes 6-unit American Institutions requirement emphasizing US pluralism)

Human Behavior (3 units)

Comparative Systems (3 units)

Social Issues (3 units)

Human Understanding & Development (3 units)

B. Advanced General Education (12 units)

Earth & Environment (3 units)

general description:

The scientific study of the physical universe and its life forms in order to understand

and appreciate the importance and impact of science on the well-being of humans.

Self, Society & Equality in the US (3 units) general description: The study of the relationship of individuals and racial and cultural groups to each other to understand and appreciate issues of diversity, equality and structured inequality in the US, its institutions and cultures.

Culture, Civilization & Global Understanding (3 units) general description: The study of significant achievements of the human intellect and imagination in a global context to understand and appreciate different ideas, cultures, values, religions, institutions, languages, and peoples of the world.

Wntten Communication II (3 units) general descripnon. The development of advanced proficiency in college level writing and appropriate contemporary research strategies and methodologies to communicate effectively to both specialized and general audiences.

C. Structural Overview

San Jose State University

General Education Program

CORE GENERAL EDUCATION

Skills

Written Communication IA 3

Oral Communication 3

Critical Thinking 3

Humanities & Arts 9

(includes Written Communication IB)

Science 9

(includes Mathematical Concepts)

Social Sciences 9

(includes 6-unit American Institutions graduation requirement)

Human Understanding & Development 3

Total units 39

ADVANCED

GENERAL EDUCATION

Prerequisites

Writing Skills Test

Upper division standing

Completion of CORE GE

Areas

Culture, Civilization & Global Understanding 3

Earth & Environment 3

Self, Society & Equality in the US 3

Written Communication 11 3

Total units 12

I.b. Administrative Structure (no changes from S93-2 except where indicated by a strikeout line)

Board of General Studies

1. The Board of General Studies shall consist of twelve members: seven teaching faculty (representing at least five colleges), two students, the Associate Vice President for Undergraduate Studies, the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies (Curriculum) and the administrator from Admissions and Records responsible for the Assessment Center.

A. The teaching faculty and the student members shall be appointed by the mutual consent of the elected members of the Executive Committee of the Academic Senate and the President of the University upon confirmation of nominees by the full Senate.

1. Faculty appointments should be made on the basis of interest, competence, and experience in the General Education curricula. Desirable qualifications include collegiate education in two or more disciplines and experience in interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary instruction. Faculty appointees shall be tenured.

2. Faculty appointees shall serve three-year staggered terms. When a full-term vacancy is to be filled, or a vacancy for an unexpired term of more than one year, applications shall be solicited from the faculty at large.

3. Vacancies shall be filled for the balance of the unexpired term, except as provided in b).

a) If the vacancy is for less than one year, campus-wide solicitation for applicants is not required. Consideration shall be given to those who applied for the last vacancy for which campus-wide solicitation was required, to persons recommended by the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, and, in case of a one-semester interim appointment, to persons suggested by the member taking leave.

b) A faculty member of the Board may take leave for one semester. A one semester interim appointment may then be made, as provided in a).

4. Student appointments should be made on the basis of interest, experience in the General Education curricula, and a scholastic record of academic excellence.

5. Student appointees shall serve two-year terms, except that the first set shall be appointed for staggered terms of one and two years.

B. Administrative members shall serve ex officio.

C. The Chairperson shall be the Associate Vice President for Undergraduate Studies.

D. The Board shall report to the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs.

II. The authority and responsibility for the Board of General Studies, which is exercised in terms of the Trustees' 1961 "Statement of General Principles in the Delegation of Authority and Responsibility to Presidents," is as follows:

A. The Board shall actively solicit courses and curricular proposals designed to satisfy General Education requirements from all college and departments of the University, shall review, approve, and authorize courses and curricular proposals for purposes of General Education, and shall evaluate the courses and curricula it has approved.

B. The Board, in consultation with the appropriate college deans and department chairpersons, shall provide for and approve "challenge" mechanisms for Basic Skills requirements.

C. The Board shall provide, in consultation with the Associate Vice President for Undergraduate Studies, the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies (Curriculum), and the administrator from Admissions and Records responsible for the Assessment Center, for the supervision and evaluation of the quality of student advisement in the Center.

D. The Board shall consider petitions from programs for relief from the fifty-one semester hour general education requirement. Petitions shall be approved whenever the total number of units required for purposes of formal accreditation of the program, plus the units required for general education, exceed the maximum number of units that can be required for the degree under Trustee regulations.

Recommendation #2: The University Curriculum and Research Committee recommends that the Academic Senate accept the following as a transition plan, with this segment to expire and be deleted from the policy after full implementation is achieved in Fall 2000.

Transition Plan

A. Fall 1997-Summer 2000. Transition.

1. Areas: Implement new areas transitionally in Fall 1997, with full implementation in Fall 2000.

2. Courses: All current Advanced GE courses will remain in their presently approved areas of Culture & Civilization, Self & Society, and Earth & Environment (unless the department requests a change to a different area). All Area B5 (Integrative Science) courses will be placed in Area B 1 (physical), B2 (biological), E (Human Understanding), or R (Earth & Environment) upon recommendation of the department in consultation with the GE Advisory Panel for Science. By Fall 2000, all courses must meet new criteria.

3. Students: Beginning in Fall 1997, all new and continuing students will meet four Advanced areas.

a. Culture, Civilization, & Global Understanding (or previously completed Culture & Civilization)

b. Self, Society, & Equality in the US (or previously completed Self & Society)

c. Earth & Environment

d. Written Communication II

In the Core, all continuing students will follow the pattern under which they were admitted or the new pattern, whichever they prefer. All newly admitted Fall 1997 students will follow the new pattern (including Area E, Human Understanding and Science).

(Note: All previously completed Culture & Civilization and Self & Society courses

overlap Cultural Pluralism or Human Understanding, so most students will complete

these requirements.)

B. Fall 1996. Assessment, evaluation, & faculty development,

1. The GE Advisory Panels and Board of General Studies will conduct student evaluations of all currently approved courses to determine if current and proposed objectives are being met.

2. The Board will review the holistic summaries of the portfolio project to determine if overall GE objective are being met for continuing students.

3. Deans will appoint representatives from each college to a new GE Advisory Panel to develop and recommend criteria for Area E. Human Understanding & Development in Core GE.

4. The Board will solicit funds to support faculty development in both course content and the teaching & learning process in General Education.

C. Spring 1997. Criteria.

1. The Board of General Studies, in consultation with the faculty, will modify existing

criteria for Advanced GE to

a. Incorporate new goals, objectives, and requirements for Equality in the US into Self & Society to address the specific concerns of Senate Resolution SS-S-95-5.

b. Incorporate new goals, objectives and requirements for Global Understanding into Culture & Civilization to address the specific concerns of Senate Resolution SS-S-95-5; and

c. Modify goals, objectives, requirements, and faculty qualifications of Earth & Environment to strengthen science and scientif~c method as the focus, and incorporate "the well-being of humans" perspective from Advanced Human Understanding, using the GE Advisory Panel for Science as consultants.

d. Modify requirements for "all Advanced GE' courses to incorporate aspects of Human Understanding that address "application of course content to the integrated human being."

e. Present criteria for certification of courses in all areas as a package to the Academic Senate by the end of the Spring 1997 term for its approval.

2. The Board and GE Advisory Panel will solicit proposals for courses in Core Area E. HUD.

D. Fall 1997.Fall 1999. Review, modification, re-certification & communication.

1. The Board will sponsor workshops for faculty on incorporating new criteria and effective teaching techniques

2. The Board will prepare a brochure for students, faculty and staff explaining the content, goals, and objectives of General Education. Summary statements will be incorporated into the GE Course Listing in the Schedule of Classes and the Catalog.

3. Faculty will review current and potential courses in order to modify them to meet new criteria

4. Modifications of current courses should begin in Fall 1997 with full compliance and submission no later than Fall 1999 for re certification in Fall 2000.

5. New proposals may be submitted any time between Fall 1997 and Fall 1999 semester for full implementation in Fall 2000.

E. 2005-2006. Review of General Education Program.

Because the proposed program will not be fully implemented until Fall 2000, the Board requests that the next complete review of the program be conducted five years later in 2005

Recommendation #3: The University Curriculum and Research Committee recommends that the Academic Senate direct that the next full structural review of the General Education Program will be conducted by the Board of General Studies in 2005, with on-going assessment to be continually maintained.