Timeline for GE Course Proposal Submission for 2011-12 Offering

The deadline for Colleges, Schools and CCIV to submit GE Course Proposal Submission for 2011-12 Offering is 31 May 2010. Faculty members are advised to observe the deadlines of their own departments and College/Schools.

Figure 1: Schedule of GE Proposals Submission for 2011/12 Offering

November 2009	GEC sends invitation to colleges, schools, CCIV for new GE course proposals
November 2009 to March 2010	GE-TEACH sessions to assist faculty to develop GE courses
25 to 30 March 2010	College/School Board meetings
31 May 2010	Deadline for College/School Boards and CCIV to submit Form 2Bs of the new GE course proposals

How do I develop a GE course that is relevant to CityU students?

Courses within the structure of General Education are an integral part of the overall educational experience of our students. If you and your colleagues wish to develop a single course that is open for all students, please consider how to answer two key questions:

1. What content material would provide an opportunity for the student to have a broad appreciation of your field of study, and its implication on his/her life and career?
2. What types of pedagogy (teaching and learning methods) will best allow students to develop the types of skills expected of CityU graduates?

What kind of topics should I propose for GE courses?

A GE course topic can be one which addresses broad issues in your discipline area, or one that can integrate knowledge of different disciplines to achieve the purpose of developing a desired set of intellectual and practical skills as spelt out in the first GE Programme Learning Outcome (PILOs) – see the aims of GE courses below.

Research has shown that students gain more from a course that is cross-disciplinary and well integrated rather than fragmented disciplinary offerings. Therefore, integration of knowledge of different disciplines within your college/school and those outside of your college/school should be central to your course development. This means that you need to collaborate with your colleagues in designing the course. More resources on interdisciplinary courses are available at the GE Resource Page.

GE Programme Intended Learning Outcomes (PILOs)

GE courses should achieve the following 9 GE PILOs designed to help the university nurture Ideal Graduates. [NB: Proposals for 2010-11 offering are still guided by the old PILOs.]

1. Demonstrate the capacity for self-directed learning
2. Explain the basic methodologies and techniques of inquiry of the arts and humanities, social sciences, business, and science and technology
3. Demonstrate critical thinking skills
4. Interpret information and numerical data
5. Produce structured, well-organised and fluent text
6. Demonstrate effective oral communication skills
7. Demonstrate an ability to work effectively in a team
8. Recognise the important characteristics of their own culture(s) and at least one other culture, and their impact on global issues
9. Value ethical and socially responsible actions

Curricular Mapping

GE courses should be designed to achieve the PILOs with different levels of depth and breadth. Every GE course should significantly address PILO 1. Each area must also address those outcomes that have been specified as “Required” in the curricular mapping of GE programme approved by the City University’s Senate (see Figure 2 below). Each distributional area should satisfy at least one of the stated outcomes from PILOs 5 to 9.

Figure 2: Curricular Mapping of General Education Programme

R – Required
O – Optional

Desired characteristics of GE courses

To facilitate course designers to interpret the GE PILOs, the General Education Committee (GEC) requires that following desired characteristics of GE courses should be embedded in every GE course:

1. Adopt an interdisciplinary frame of reference to foster an appreciation of the relations among different fields of knowledge
2. Emphasise intellectual content as well as generic skills in communication, inquiry, thinking, problem solving and teamwork
3. Introduce essential concepts, methods, and orienting conceptual frameworks of the subjects concerned
4. Utilise engaged pedagogies
5. Provide the intellectual depth expected of credit-bearing university courses at the same level
6. Relate the subject matters to modern human experience
7. Encourage self-discovery and reflection

Strategies of teaching and learning in GE courses

Pedagogy should play an important role in the delivery of your course content. Courses that allow for in-class discussions, analyses of major issues impacting your discipline and its relationships to other knowledge areas, and projects that engage students in their learning will have a long-term impact. In your GE course proposal, you should attempt to show the teaching and learning strategies which you intend to use to actively engage your students to achieve the GE PILOs. Sample GE course syllabi are given at:

GE1201 Information Management and its Social Impact
GE2201 Identity and Citizenship in a Globalized World

These courses were designed based on the old GE outcomes. Both of these syllabi do an excellent job of linking teaching and learning strategies to stated Course Intended Learning Outcomes and reflect many of the desired characteristics of GE courses (using engaged pedagogies, moving away from strictly exam-based assessments, etc.) They also both expand in their keyword syllabi on the topics/issues covered in the courses.

One more example of GE course syllabus is one written for an introductory GE course offered at Michigan-Flint University. This syllabus does not lay out ILOs as City University does using that label, but it includes student learning objectives. It does a nice job describing various assessment methods for course and integrates skill development with curricular content. Please click here for the syllabus.  

Developing a GE course proposal

If you want to submit a course proposal for GE, please complete a specific Form 2B for GE and submit the completed form to the General Education Committee through your college/school.

Every year in Spring, the General Education Committee invites GE course proposals and asks for proposal submission before 31 May. Course proposers should observe the internal schedules of their respective colleges/schools. Proposals which are submitted to GEC through colleges and schools will be considered by GEC for external assessment, shortlisting, revision and recommendation to Senate for approval as appropriate. For the GEC schedule, please refer to the timetable.

During the proposal development stage, course designers are encouraged to seek advice from the GE Programme Coordinator and the Fulbright Visiting Scholar for General Education. Reciprocally, the coordinator may contact proposers as appropriate to identify issues for improvement.

GE-TEACH sessions are offered throughout the year on topics related to course design/development and a range of resources exists on the GE website. Colleagues at the Education Development Office are available to consult on course design issues as well as use of technology in the courses.

External assessment and approval process

GE course proposals undergo external reviews by faculty who are experienced in GE course and programme development. Every year in summer, the GE course proposals received in May are assigned to at least three external reviewers by the General Education Committee. Reviewers will comment on the suitability of the proposals for the GE curriculum at City University with reference to the GE PILOs and are requested to assess the proposals by completing a standard review form. External comments are usually received in the autumn, processed by an online system. External comments are expected to be disseminated to course proposers around December. Course proposers may consider modifying their proposals in the light of the external comments received and in consultation with the GE Programme Coordinator. Revised GE course proposals can be resubmitted to GEC for consideration by February/March in the following year, depending on the meeting schedule of GEC. GEC recommends suitable proposals to Senate for approval in May/June.

Funding support for GE course development

The university provides additional funding support for the development and delivery of the GE courses approved by the Senate. Colleagues who are in need of such funding may send a written request to the Secretary to the General Education Committee at any time of the year. The request should include information on the GE course concerned, an itemised budget to be funded, justifications for the funding requests, and the expected results of funded issues. Funding that is approved by the GEC will be downloaded to the host department of the GE course concerned.