GENERAL EDUCATION COMMITTEE
About
The General Education Committee shall study the general education curriculum and general education course proposals from a university-wide perspective and maintain appropriate inter-college relationships with regard to general education matters. The committee will: assure that there is on-going monitoring and assessment of the general education curriculum; assure that there is an on-going review of the general education curriculum to determine any need for modification; consult with the ICC regarding procedures needed to initiate, review and approve a curriculum modification proposal; review proposed courses for inclusion in the general education curriculum; assure the maintenance and up-keep of a data base of courses that are included as general education. The membership of the General Education Committee shall include: a faculty representative from each college to be elected by his or her collegial faculty who serves as a member of that college’s curriculum committee; one representative elected at large by the Academic Senate; one representative from the academic deans; the Chief Academic Officer or his or her delegate (ex-officio, voting); and the Director of Student Learning Outcomes and Assessment (ex-officio, non-voting).
- The Committee's first charge will be to create a set of overarching principles to guide general education at RIT. Within the context of these principles, the committee will then propose a general education framework and curriculum that complement RIT's mission, serve RIT students, reflect the diversity of the University, conform to New York State's statutory requirements and comply with the RIT approved General Education Student Learning Outcomes.
- The Committee shall begin its work by seeking advice and consultation from the curriculum committees of the College of Liberal Arts and College of Science. The committee will review work to revise RIT's General Education Curriculum that has been discussed to date by these same curriculum bodies and will review other appropriate information “from the field” that relates to general education reform and best practice.
- In the development of the General Education Curriculum, the Committee will assure that the needs and interests of all colleges are appropriately considered.
- The committee will take into consideration the budgetary implications of the general education curriculum with respect to its impact on the resources (faculty, staff, space, library, etc.) of the University.
- Upon completion of their review of and modification (if any) to the General Education Curriculum, and after consultation with the ICC, the GEC will forward the proposed curriculum to the Academic Senate for action.
- The committee will take into consideration the establishment of an on-going charge to benchmark the RIT General Education Curriculum with the general education curriculum at colleges and universities of interest.
Goals
Functions of the GEC shall be:
- To assure the general education curriculum is established, monitored, reviewed, and assessed on an on-going basis taking into consideration:
- The academic soundness of the curriculum with respect to general educational standards and learning outcomes of the University and the State of New York degree requirements. In this connection the committee will also consider standards of accrediting agencies when appropriate.
- The implications of the curriculum with respect to its impact on the resources (faculty, staff, space, library, etc.) of the University.
- The relation of the general education curriculum to the current strategic plan of the University and the colleges.
- The on-going advice of the college undergraduate curriculum committees.
- To be actively responsible to:
- Support and ensure the implementation of the approved General Education Student Learning Outcomes Assessment Plan
- Review and disseminate the findings and recommendations from the annual General Education Student Learning Outcomes Assessment process to faculty and other appropriate constituent groups
- Review and modify the General Education Student Learning Outcomes Assessment plan and the General Education Curriculum as needed
- To review proposals for modification to the General Education Student Learning Outcomes Assessment plan and the General Education Curriculum as proposed by college undergraduate curriculum committees
- To determine what undergraduate courses at RIT qualify for general education credit
- To work in cooperation with the offices of the Chief Academic Officer and the registrar to maintain the official catalog of RIT's General Education Curriculum and a list of all courses approved by RIT for General Education Credit. The General Education Curriculum catalog and list of approved general education courses shall be available both online and through the registration system for reference by students, academic advisors and other RIT units. The General Education Committee shall also maintain an archive of all courses that have at any time been included in the General Education Curriculum.
- To disseminate to all academic units of the University the General Education Curriculum and procedures to be followed with respect to its documentation and assessment.
General Education Committee - Fall 2011
Academic Affairs
Richard Doolittle, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Education (Delegate of the Provost)
Anne Wahl, Director of Student Learning Outcomes Assessment
College of Applied Science & Technology
George Zion, Professor, Chair
College of Health Sciences & Technology
Barb Cerio, Associate Professor
College of Imaging Arts & Sciences
Barbara Birkett, Program Chair
College of Liberal Arts
James Winebrake, Dean
Franz Folz, Associate Professor and Graduate Coordinator
Amit Ray, Associate Professor, At Large Appointee
College of Science
John Waud, Professor [for Elizabeth Hane, Associate Professor (on sabbatical)]
Golisano College of Computing & Information Sciences
Rajendra Raj, Associate Professor
Kate Gleason College of Engineering
Surendra (Vinnie) Gupta, Professor, Mechanical Engineering
National Technical Institute for the Deaf
Myra Pelz, Associate Professor
Saunders College of Business
Erhan Mergen, Professor
Committee