<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3YISr4_0vjWbhP300" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3YISr4_0vjWbhP300" width="1598" height="1025" ><figcaption>Matt Tracy explains the proposed changes to the general education requirements at the student government meeting on Sept. 12, 2024. Hana Miller</figcaption></figure>A proposed change to the general education requirements is in the works for the fall 2025 semester, which will decrease required credits from 46 to 34 hours.The new general education program, proposed to be called Sustainable Knowledge and Integrated Learning for Life (SKILL), would reveal the relevance of general education to students, employers and other stakeholders, as it will support workforce development and student retention.The SKILL curriculum would only impact fall of 2025 freshmen and beyond (unless a current student would want to switch to it). The program will focus on two broad categories: transferable learning outcomes and content specific outcomes.Transferable outcomes would represent the core outcomes of general education, embedded in each course, with integrative learning, critical thinking skills and diversity. Content specific outcomes represent the distinctive course requirements that students must take.The 34 credit hours required are as follows: six writing credits, three oral communication credits, three quantitative literacy credits, three digital and data literacy credits, three social science credits, three humanities credits, four natural science credits, three arts credits, three cultural knowledge credits and three civil discourse and society credits.Along with the curriculum changes, students would not be allowed to “double dip” and satisfy more than one general education course at the same time.With the current curriculum, if a student were to take a French class it could fill the global diversity requirement and one of the humanities/fine arts requirements. In the proposed new general education curriculum, that would not be possible.In addition, students would be unable to take more than four credits in a single discipline and, if possible, would take no more than one general education course that also satisfies major requirements.Matt Tracy, senior director of academic affairs, explained what’s circulating around campus right now is simply a proposal and the General Education Committee may change it based on feedback. However, he says the focus of the changes is to create a larger breadth of knowledge and to be “intentional” in how courses will help with specific skillsets.“It's important to be able to communicate clearly and effectively,” Tracy said. “It's important to understand how to use numbers and interpret numbers and data. It's important to be able to think thoughtfully about living and working in a diverse society. And so, we're not talking about creating a workforce gen-ed, but we're talking about creating a liberal arts gen-ed that is intentional and deliberate about reinforcing those skills that we know are going to be important to students’ life beyond the university.”Student Maddy Leland expressed her worries about the possible new requirements impacting students who switch their majors or don’t declare right away. In particular, Leland disliked the requirements disabling “double dipping” and reducing the number of credit hours that can apply to your major.In response, Tracy said: “Because we're reducing the number of credit hours in gen-eds, the need to double them is less. So, before, when we had 46 hours of gen-ed requirements, there might have been more of a necessity for some students to count different courses for gen ed and their major. Now, we have less gen-ed requirements, opening up more electives and there will still be plenty of opportunities for students to get those types of courses, either because it’s required of their major, or because they're just interested.”Tracy mentioned the new requirements will not impact transfer students any differently than the current curriculum, as he said they would look at them “in a very similar way.”“Whether it's dual enrollment, whether it's transferred from Metro or you're in an early college program, I don't see that changing,” Tracy said. “We know that our campus has students from all different walks of life, all different places, all types of educational experiences, backgrounds and so the intent is not in any way, shape or form, to restrict or limit the transfer process.”In addition, Tracy explained the impact of the possible changes on students with specialized majors such as education and engineering. Tracy stated that students will have 86 credit hours “available explicitly and exclusively for majors” which he believes is “pretty reasonable,” but they’re still planning on navigating the change carefully.“I think it's really important that students have a general education experience and a general education course load that is deliberately outside of your major,” Tracy said. “I know sometimes that's difficult given the size of some majors and we recognize that, but at the same time, we want to be very clear that we do expect some of that breadth.”Along with changes for students, some professors will have to alter and reinforce the ways they are approaching the delivery of their content, along with the introduction of brand-new courses.After hearing feedback, the General Education Committee will create a final proposal. From there, it will go to the faculty senate for an endorsement and then to the Education Policy Advisor Committee, with hopes to be ready for students next fall. With the proposed changes, the goal is for students to see the SKILLs courses as a “coherent curriculum instead of independent and disconnected classes that they simply need to take to graduate.”“Gen-ed matters for students and I think we need to do a better job of helping to make those connections so students can see why gen-ed courses matter,” Tracy said. “It's not easy, not always clean and tidy and there's always a little bit of uncertainty with these kinds of things. But based on what I've garnered from students and faculty and staff, the time is now.”</div></body>

Mountain View, CA

NewsBreak

A proposed change to general education requirements will decrease credits by 12 hours

A proposed change to the general education requirements is in the works for the fall 2025 semester, which will decrease required credits from 46 to 34 hours. The new general education program, proposed to be called Sustainable Knowledge and Integrated Learning for Life (SKILL), would reveal the relevance of general education to students, employers and other stakeholders, as it will support workforce development and student retention.