General Education Review Cycle 1996—2001

Natural Science1996-97

Humanities (Arts and Letters) 1997-98

Social and Behavioral Sciences 1998-9933

All Other Categories1999-2000

Overall Review2000-2001

REVIEW OF THE NATURAL SCIENCES BREADTH AREA (CATEGORY B)

UNIVERSITY GENERAL EDUCATION COMMITTEE

JUNE 5, 1997

The General Education Committee is charged with a five-year review of the General Education Program, approximately a fourth of the program being reviewed in years one through four, and the overall program in the final year. This review commenced a new five-year cycle (1996-2001) with the review of the Natural Sciences Breadth Area (Category B), in addition to a small number of courses missed in the last category review held in AY 1994-95. This report contains four sections:

I. Summary of AY 1996-97 review process (p. 1)

II. Review of Natural Sciences (Category B) courses (pp. 1 - 11)

III. Review of physical education and humanities courses missed in AY 1994-95 review (pp. 11 -12)

IV. Recommendations to the Faculty Senate (p. 13)

I.SUMMARY OF AY 1996-97 REVIEW PROCESS

As in the AY 1991-96 review cycle, the Committee focused on reviewing the compliance of courses with G.E. requirements for the various categories and the consistency, quality, and coherence of the courses, particularly among those offered in multiple section format. The same review format was used as in the previous cycle, and again the Committee interpreted its mandate to include facilitating a comprehensive faculty and department-based review of courses in the different categories. The review used a snapshot approach: all sections of Category B courses taught in the Fall quarter, 1996 were analyzed, if possible. Where a course was not offered in the Fall quarter, the review material was to be forwarded to the instructor(s) of the course the last quarter it was offered (with a few exceptions the materials submitted were from the preceding spring or winter quarters).

Instructors were asked to complete a questionnaire which was based on the original form for justifying each G.E. course. The questionnaire asked instructors to explain how their course sections continue to meet the established G.E. objectives and to comment on the objectives themselves. Additionally, instructors of all course sections were asked to assemble a portfolio of information on the course, to be forwarded upon completion to the department chair. The portfolio was to include (1) the completed course questionnaire, (2) copies of the midterm(s) and final examinations, and (3) the course syllabus, hand-outs, assignment sheets, and other appropriate course materials. If an instructor taught more than one section of a specific course, only one course portfolio was requested from that instructor for all sections taught. Department chairs, or School Coordinators as appropriate, were responsible for ensuring that each section portfolio was complete.