Frequently Asked Questions About the General Education Program
This list of Frequently Asked Questions has been compiled to help students navigate the different aspects of the General Education Program and provide assistance with the course selection, registration, and advising process.
Gen. Ed. is the shortened version of General Education. A third (40 credits) of the total credits (120 credits) you will take in order to graduate from URI will be from General Education classes. The goal of the URI General Education program is to enable students to develop themselves as scholars and individuals ready to employ knowledge, competencies, and responsibilities, to solve problems and to engage confidently with the personal, public, and professional spheres. Students must take a minimum of three (3) credits of course work for each of the twelve (12) Student Learning Outcomes and the one (1) Grand Challenge course requirement, plus additional courses to complete a minimum of 40 credits of approved general education courses. There are 12 student learning outcomes. They are organized according to knowledge areas, competencies, responsibilities, and integration and application categories. The 12 student learning outcomes are: 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: 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. 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. The D category is Integrate and apply. You are expected to integrate and apply these learning outcomes and the resulting abilities and capacities, adapting them to new settings, questions, and responsibilities to lay the foundation for lifelong learning. In order to graduate from URI, all students must demonstrate the ability to synthesize multiple knowledge perspectives, competencies, and responsibilities. Grand Challenge courses are designed to provide a stimulating and innovative course experience that addresses significant global challenges and broadens students’ understanding of the critical issues facing them in the 21st century. Students will explore multiple perspectives on areas of contemporary significance, including their ethical implications. These courses may be offered at any level (100-400) and students may take them at any time during their academic career. Overlap is allowed when a course fulfills two Student Learning Outcomes, however the credits can not be double counted (within the General Education Program) towards the 40 required general education credits. If an outcome has already been fulfilled, any subsequent general education courses will still count toward the 40 credits needed to complete the General Education Program. Yes, any course that is approved to meet the General Education Student Learning Outcomes may be used to fulfill General Education requirements, regardless of that course’s place in a major or prerequisites. No. 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. No, students may fulfill their General Education requirements throughout their undergraduate career. Yes. The new General Education program is not discipline centric. Learning outcomes can be fulfilled across disciplines, majors, and programs. For example, the goal of the mathematics learning outcome is to develop intellectual and interdisciplinary competencies for academic and lifelong learning by applying the appropriate mathematical, statistical, or computational strategies to problem solving. Real life application of these principles can be found in many academic areas and disciplines. Civic knowledge and responsibility encompasses actions wherein individuals participate in activities of personal and public concern that are both individually life enriching and socially beneficial to the community. Through exposure to civic engagement in a variety of learning environments, you will learn to clearly perceive and engage with the world in which you live. The word ‘global’ has taken on increased significance as trade, travel, and human effects on the planet have increased, and it is appropriate that URI educate its students to understand their global responsibilities. Multicultural learning and competence is a critical element that must be developed and advanced in order to achieve a truly inclusive and pluralistic learning environment and community on our URI campus and throughout the nation and world. No. All students entering URI Fall 2016 and after will follow the new General Education Program. Anyone who entered the University earlier than 2016 may switch to this program, however, it is important that you meet with your academic advisor to ensure it is the best route/plan for you. Yes. There is a constant supply of new and innovative courses and the revision and updating of existing course offerings. The General Education outcome approved for the semester the student takes the course will fulfill that outcome area as well as count toward the overall General Education total. Remember, the General Education program is a compilation of 40 credits required by all majors for a bachelor’s degree. No matter what your degree (BA, BS, BFA, etc.,) Gen Ed classes are intended to broaden your knowledge beyond what you are studying in your chosen major and serve as the core of your educational experience at URI. No. A course taken in a semester before it has been designated as fulfilling a Gen Ed outcome cannot be used toward Gen Ed. Similarly, a Gen Ed course that receives a second outcome designation or has its original designation changed after the student has taken the course will be applied for that student only toward the first or original designation. Gen Ed designations and when they take effect are determined by the Faculty for a specific semester and those designations must be applied. The general rule is a course carries the Gen Ed outcome(s) it had at the time it was taken by the student. Thus, a course completed in a semester before it is designated a Gen Ed does not count toward fulfillment of any Gen Ed outcome. Furthermore, a course that carried one outcome designation when the student took it (say A3) continues to carry that designation for that student even if the course later is given a different Gen Ed outcome (say A4) or an additional designation. Those rules need to be kept in mind when using the APR. In the very few situations in which a course changed its outcome designation (say A3 to A4) or is newly designated as a Gen Ed or added a second outcome (say an A2 course which adds on a designation as a B2 in a subsequent semester), the course displayed under “The following courses may be used to satisfy this requirement” will count for that new outcome designation if the student registers for it from that point forward. If the student took the class in the past, it will count for whatever designation it had when the student took the course, if it even had any designation at all. It’s worth adding that courses may not be retaken in order to meet a new outcome. If you don’t think the APR is correctly counting a course, please bring it to the attention of the Assistant Dean in your college or your advisor who will work directly with Enrollment Services to resolve it. 1. What is Gen. Ed.?
2. Why do I have to take general education classes?
3. How many general education classes do I have to take?
4. How many outcomes are there?
A1. Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematical Disciplines
A2. Social and Behavioral Sciences
A3. Humanities
A4. Arts and Design
B1. Write effective and precise texts
B2. Communicate effectively
B3. Mathematical, Statistical or Computational Strategies
B4. Information Literacy
C1. Civic Knowledge and Responsibilities
C2. Global Responsibility
C3. Cultural Competence5. What are the required knowledge areas?
6. What are the required competencies?
7. What are required responsibilities? Why do I have to take these classes?
8. What is the D1 category?
9. What is a Grand Challenge course?
10. What level are Grand Challenge classes and when will I need to take them?
11. Can a class that meets two outcomes be counted twice?
12. What if I already have fulfilled the writing effectively outcome requirement and I take another class that also fulfills writing effectively?
13. Can a class count toward my major and general education?
14. Can I take all major classes for general education?
15. Do I have to take all of my general education course work in my first year at URI?
16. Can I earn credit for the mathematics outcome without taking a class in the Math Department?
17. Why do I have to develop and engage in civic knowledge and responsibilities (C1)?
18. Why do I have to develop and exercise global responsibilities (C2)?
19. Why do I have to develop and exercise responsibilities relating to diversity and inclusion (C3)?
20. Is the new general education program only for new students?
21. If I entered URI in Fall 2016 or later and want to take a course newly approved for one of the General Education outcomes, will it automatically count towards that outcome and towards the 40 credits needed for Gen Ed?
22. When I completed a course, it did not have a Gen Ed designation. In a subsequent semester, the course was given a Gen Ed designation. Will that course automatically count towards the Gen Ed outcome it has been given?
23. I took a course that is displayed in the academic requirement report (APR) under “The following courses may be used to satisfy this requirement” but the course is not being used to “satisfy” that line. How come?