General Education Proposal: Core for the Four Colleges
The common core of General Education consists of requirements in Basic, Area, and Writing Intensive courses. This proposal for General Education (GE)
requires 40 credits. Up to nine additional credits are available if WI courses are not double or triple counted (WASC has a guideline for GE programs
of at least 45 credits). This proposal requires the same number of credits as the existing GE program – if we want to come closer to WASC
requirements, we can made World Cultures 6-credits again instead of 3.
All courses that are certified as GE courses must:
1. list student learning goals on the syllabus;
2. align course learning goals with general education goals by including the phase 1 goals, one or more of the phase 2 goals and one or more of
the phase 3 goals in some form in the course learning outcomes;
3. include a rigorous written or quantitative assignment that assesses the student learning goals.
These are a list of suggested learning goals that the General Education Committee derived from the current catalogue and from faculty
recommendations. We welcome suggestions for additions, revisions, and other refinements regarding these goals.
General Education Learning Goals:
Phase 1 Student Learning Goals
Upon completion of the general education requirements, students will be able to:
1. think clearly, logically and critically
2. find, examine, and utilize information
Phase 2 Student Learning Goals
3. communicate effectively
4. understand numeric and symbolic concepts and their operations
Phase 3 Student Learning Goals
5. understand the behavior and interactions of human beings
6. understand the natural world—its forces, principles, and occupants
7. understand the cultural heritage and contributions of world cultures including their art, music, literature, and science.
8. formulate conclusions based on the principles, methods, and thought processes utilized in academic/intellectual inquiries.
9. become familiar with analyzing social and moral issues.
10. demonstrate computer competency.
Basic Requirements
Courses
Requirements for Course
Certification
Student Learning Goals and
Assessment
Composition
Any one lower-division English course
that satisfies the certification requirements
and includes the learning outcomes.
- Introduce students to different forms of
college-level writing, including, but not
limited to, academic discourse, and guide
them in writing for different purposes and
audiences;
- Student learning goals must align with
General Education Learning Goals 1, one
of 2 and one of 3.
- teach students to properly document
sources.
- require at least 5000 words of finished
prose-equivalent to approximately 20
typewritten pages.
Language Arts/
Communication
Any one lower-division English, Rhetoric,
Foreign Language, Linguistics or
Communications course that satisfies the
certification requirements and includes the
learning outcomes
- Show students how language operates at
a structural, functional and social level.
- One or more rigorous writing
assignments that assess student learning
and are substantially correlated with the
final course grade.
- A course grade of C or better indicates
that the student has satisfactorily achieved
the course learning goals.
- Student learning goals must align with
General Education Learning Goals 1, one
of 2 and one of 3.
- One or more rigorous written and/or oral
assignments that assess student learning
and are substantially correlated with the
final course grade.
- A course grade of C or better indicates
that the student has satisfactorily achieved
the course learning goals.
Quantitative Reasoning
Any one lower-division math course and
one lower division additional course in
any field that satisfies the certification
requirement and learning outcomes.
- Enable students to understand the use of
mathematical concepts as representations
of real world events and phenomena
- require students to develop skills in
chains of reasoning from data to
conclusions
- require students to develop skills in
problem-solving using mathematical
concepts and techniques.
World Cultures
Any one lower-division course that
satisfies the World Cultures requirements
and includes learning outcomes
- Analyze the development of human
societies and their cultural traditions
through time and throughout the world,
- Student learning goals must align with
General Education Learning Goals 1, one
of 2 and one of 3.
- One or more rigorous quantitative
assignments that assess student learning
and are substantially correlated with the
final course grade.
- A course grade of C or better indicates
that the student has satisfactorily achieved
the course learning goals.
- Student learning goals must align with
General Education Learning Goals 1, one
of 2 and one of 3.
including Africa, the Americas, the
Middle East, Asia, Europe, and Oceania
(Pacific Basin)
- offer a broad, integrated analysis of
cultural, economic, political, scientific,
and social development that recognizes
the diversity of human societies, diverse
cultural traditions and cross-cultural
interaction.
Hawaii /Asia Pacific
Any lower-division or upper-division
course that satisfies the Hawaii /Asia
Pacific requirements
- Investigate major aspects of the culture,
language, economy, history, or natural
environment of Hawai'i or of another
indigenous culture or nation or region of
the Pacific or Asia
- foster critical understanding of different
cultural perspectives, values, and world
views and the ability to acquire additional
knowledge about these.
Global Citizenship
Any lower-division or upper-division
courses that satisfy the Global Citizenship
requirements.
- Enhance awareness of local and global
community issues.
- stress application of knowledge and
skills to solving community problems.
- encourage students to become informed
and active participants in their
communities.
Area Requirements
Courses
- One or more rigorous written assignments
that assess student learning and are
substantially correlated with the final
course grade.
- A course grade of C or better indicates
that the student has satisfactorily achieved
the course learning goals.
- Student learning goals must align with
General Education Learning Goals 1, one
of 2 and one of 3.
- one or more rigorous written assignments
that assess student learning and are
substantially correlated with the final
course grade
- a course grade of C or better indicates
that the student has satisfactorily achieved
the course learning goals.
- Student learning goals must align with
General Education Learning Goals 1, one
of 2 and one of 3
- One or more rigorous written and/or
active learning assignments that assess
student learning and are substantially
correlated with the final course grade.
- include a service learning component.
- A course grade of C or better indicates
that the student has satisfactorily achieved
the course learning goals.
Requirements for Course
Certification
Student Learning Goals and
Assessment
- Offered by the Humanities Division or
College of Hawaiian Language (includes
honors or interdisciplinary courses offered
by a Humanities Division or College of
- Student learning goals must align with
General Education Learning Goals 1, one
of 2 and one of 3
Lower-division and upper-division
courses are eligible; students may not
double-count course for Basic and
Area requirements
Humanities
Any two certified courses in two different
Humanities disciplines.
Hawaiian Language faculty member)
- use the terminology of the visual,
performing, or creative arts; or of the
study of philosophy, language,
communication, or religion; or of literary
representations
- engage students in the study of artifacts,
texts, performances, processes, theories, or
issues of the concern in studies of the arts,
philosophy, language, communication,
religion, or literature
- demonstrate the methods or modes of
inquiry employed in studies of the arts,
philosophy, language, communication,
religion, or literature
Social Sciences
Any 2 certified courses in two different
Social Sciences. (interdisciplinary)
- Upper-division courses that count as
general education courses must not have
program pre-requisites.
- Offered by the Social Sciences Division,
College of Business and Economics, or
College of Agriculture, Forestry, &Natural
Resource Management (includes honors or
interdisciplinary courses offered by Social
Sciences Division, Economics and
Business faculty, and College of
Agriculture, Forestry, &Natural Resource
Management members)
- use the terminology of theories,
structures, or processes in the social
sciences or psychological sciences.
- present theories, concepts, models,
practices, research methods, or issues of
concern in the study of these structures or
processes
- demonstrate inquiry that is guided by
theory and/or by quantitative and/or
qualitative methods employed in the study
of structures or processes within the
social sciences
- upper-division courses that count as
general education courses must not have
program pre-requisites.
- One or more rigorous written
assignments that assess student learning
and are substantially correlated with the
final course grade.
- A course grade of C or better indicates
that the student has satisfactorily achieved
the course learning goals.
- Student learning goals must align with
General Education Learning Goals 1, one
of 2 and one of 3.
- One or more rigorous written and /or
quantitative assignments that assess
student learning and are substantially
correlated with the final course grade.
- A course grade of C or better indicates
that the student has satisfactorily achieved
the course learning goals.
Natural Science
Any two lecture courses from 2 different
Natural Science disciplines; 1 lab course
in biological or physical science
- Offered by the Natural Sciences or the
College of Agriculture, Forestry, &Natural
Resource Management (includes honors or
interdisciplinary courses offered by a
Natural Science Division or College of
Agriculture, Forestry, &Natural Resource
Management faculty member).
- use the terminology of computational,
physical or biological sciences
- include knowledge and theories of the
computational, physical or biological
sciences
- foster a student's ability to perform
inquiry that is guided by the scientific
method, including
observation/experimentation and scientific
reasoning/mathematics
- Student learning goals must align with
General Education Learning Goals 1, one
of 2 and one of 3
- One or more rigorous written and/ or
quantitative assignments that assess
student learning and are substantially
correlated with the final course grade.
- A course grade of C or better indicates
that the student has satisfactorily achieved
the course learning goals.
- upper-division courses that count as
general education courses must not have
program pre-requisites.
Writing Intensive
Courses
Requirements for Course
Certification
Student Learning Goals and
Assessment
Writing Intensive
Three Courses two of which are upperdivision; may double-count/triple count
Area courses for WI
- use writing to promote the learning of
course materials.
- Student learning goals must align with
General Education Learning Goals 1, one
of 2 and one of 3
- provide interaction between teacher and
students while students do assigned
writing.
- require students to do a substantial
amount of writing—a minimum of 4000
words, or about 16 finished pages—
formal, or informal, including analytic
essays, critical reviews, journals, lab
reports, research reports, or reaction
papers, etc.
- assessment and grade determined to a
significant extent by the student's writing
performance.
- A course grade of C or better indicates
that the student has satisfactorily achieved
the course learning goals.
Implementation:
Next year, one General Education Curriculum review committee will be established to certify courses that satisfy the general education requirement
and these courses will be listed in the following catalogue. Extra-compensation will be arranged for these committee members who will be
responsible for deciding which courses qualify for general education certification in terms of the requirements listed above. There will be five
members (Math and English will be given priority for two of the five positions). The General Education Curriculum review committee will be a
subcommittee of the General Education Committee.
A General Education Curriculum review committee will be maintained in subsequent years to certify new courses and audit existing general
education courses to insure that these courses continue to comply with general education standards.
Programs will insure that multiple sections of the same class will share a set of learning outcomes and a rigorous writing/quantitative assignment.
The General Education Curriculum review committee might put together some kind of matrix to show which of our classes include which learning
goals, e.g.:
Matrix for General Education Learning Goals
1
2
3
Goals /
Course
Thinking
PolS
101
√
Information
Utilization
Communication
√
√
4
5
6
7
8
9
Numerical
Skills
Understanding
Human
Behavior and
Interactions
Knowledge
of Natural
World
Knowledge
of Cultural
Heritage
Intellectual
Inquiries
Social/Moral
Issues
√
√
√
10
Computer
Competency
All courses approved for the general education program will not be larger than 36 students (and can be smaller according to the requirements of
individual programs).
Faculty who teach general education will receive:
a. Recognition for service?
b. Award for excellence in teaching in the General Education program.
c. Suggestions?