1. How do I explain the new Gen. Ed. program to students?

The General Education program consists of 40 credits. Each of the twelve outcomes (A1-D1) must be met by at least 3 credits. A single course may meet more than one outcome, but cannot be double counted towards the 40 credit total. At least one course must be a Grand Challenge (G designation). No more than twelve credits used to meet general education may be from the same course code, with the exception of honors HPR courses, which may have more than 12 credits. General education courses may also be used to meet requirements of the major or minor when appropriate.        

General Education encompasses the following four key objectives (A-D), met by the following twelve outcomes (A1-D1):

1. Knowledge Areas:
   A1. Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematical Disciplines
   A2. Social and Behavioral Sciences
                   A3. Humanities
                   A4. Arts and Design
2. Competencies:
   B1. Write effective and precise texts
   B2. Communicate effectively
                   B3. Mathematical, Statistical or Computational Strategies
                   B4. Information Literacy
3. Responsibilities:
   C1. Civic Knowledge and Responsibility
   C2. Global Responsibility
                   C3. Cultural Competence
4. Integrate and Apply

2. How is it different from the previous Gen. Ed. program?

The main differences are: the current program is outcome based; it is standardized across all colleges; students are able to use major classes (that are approved general education classes) toward their Gen. Ed. total credits; and courses that fulfill two outcomes can be used to meet both outcomes.

3. What is a knowledge area? What are the 4 knowledge areas (A Category)?

URI students will gain exposure to the theories and practices of four areas, as well as in their relationships to one another, regardless of each student’s major. The goal is to build knowledge of diverse peoples and cultures and of the natural and physical world in the following areas:   

1. Understand and apply theories and methods of the science, technology, engineering, and mathematical (STEM) disciplines.
2. Understand theories and methods of the social and behavioral sciences.
3. Understand the context and significance of the humanities using theoretical and historical perspectives.
4. Understand the context and significance of arts and design using aesthetic and technical perspectives on form, creativity, and performance.

4. What are the competencies (B Category)?

URI students will receive focused training and practice in the competencies of writing, oral communication, mathematics, and information literacy and apply all four to a wide variety of projects.

5. What are the responsibilities (C Category)?

To be a fully functioning citizen, students must develop a sense of their place in society at the local, national, and global levels. URI students will be exposed to the experience and practice of responsibilities in civic engagement, global perspectives, and diversity and inclusion to clearly perceive and engage with the world in which they live.

6. What is a full outcome?

A course must meet one outcome fully in order to be an approved course. Each of the outcomes has a list of criteria necessary for the course to be granted full status. See Rubrics for specific criteria for each outcome.

7. What is a partial outcome?

A course must meet a second outcome either fully or partially in order to be an approved General Education course. Each of the outcomes has a list of criteria necessary for a course to be given Gen. Ed. status. Again, see Rubrics for specific criteria that need to be met.

8. Do two partial outcomes make a whole outcome?

No. You cannot combine partial outcomes to make a full outcome. The only way a course can fulfill the outcome is to have been approved as a “full.” The second outcome, partial or full, is to ensure an interdisciplinary nature to all of the approved General Education courses.

9. So, are courses that meet two outcomes fully more valuable?

Not necessarily. A student must take 40 credits in Gen. Ed. Because some courses fulfill two outcomes, a student may finish the outcomes, but still need more Gen. Ed. courses to reach the 40 credits.

10. Do major classes count toward Gen. Ed.?

Yes. If a students’ major offers courses in Gen. Ed., they could count for both the major and the Gen. Ed. program.

11. How many major classes can a student use for Gen. Ed.?

Of the courses taken to complete General Education requirements, only up to 12 credits may share the same disciplinary code. You can use 12 credits of major classes toward the General Education program as long as those classes have been approved to fulfill the General Education Student Learning Outcomes.

12. How do I help a student choose the best courses to take? It seems to make great sense to encourage students to take major classes that are also Gen. Ed.s. Is that correct?

Perhaps. All students need 120 credits to graduate, divided between major, Gen. Ed.s and electives. It may make sense for a student to take courses that check off multiple requirements, but that is not the case for everyone. Also, keep in mind that no college, department, major, minor, or other program or course of study may require a student to choose a specific course to satisfy the General Education requirements, although courses that fulfill requirements or prerequisites for majors which also happen to satisfy General Education requirements can be recommended through advising.

13. Are all the old approved Gen. Ed. classes also approved in this new program?

There are many classes that have been revised, have gone through the approval process and they are now approved to meet the student learning outcomes in the new program. There are also some courses that were in the old program that aren’t in the new program. It’s best to check the course search to ensure you are advising correctly. Find a link to the tracker here.

14. How much will the list of approved classes change? And how frequently?

The review and approval of a proposal is a multi-step process that can take several months and is not complete until the course is officially listed in e-Campus.

15. Is this program only for the class of 2020 and later? How would I know if this program is a good option for a student who entered URI prior to fall 2016?

No. Any student can change to the new program. It’s best to compare the two options with the student to see how they are progressing through both programs. In many cases, it may be highly beneficial for an ongoing student to change to the new program.

16. How would I change a student to this program?

After determining if changing is the best course of action for a particular student, you can find a link to the form to make this change here. As the student’s major academic advisor, you and the student would fill out and sign this form and then the student would take the signed form to their dean’s office. The dean’s office will then change the student’s catalog year in their records. Upon graduation, the dean’s office will use the new catalog’s requirements to determine if the student is eligible for graduation. This is important to do before the student submits their intent to graduate form. *Important to keep in mind when advising to change a student to a new catalog year, all requirements of the new catalog must be met (major and Gen. Ed.).