6 April 2011
Applying for GEP Designation for a Course
Information for Department Chairs and Undergraduate Program Directors
The instructions below will be superseded when we have a new site for the application process.
You will be informed when the change is made.
General information
All courses submitted for GEP designation must have been approved by the Undergraduate
Council (www.umbc.edu/ugc).
In order to submit a course for GEP approval on the current website, the Department Chair or
designee must have received permission to gain access to the site. To receive permission, email
the current Chair of the GEC (goldberg@umbc.edu) or Jill Randles (jrandles@umbc.edu).
Location of the GEC website: myUMBC, Topics/Teaching and Learning, GEC Review (at
bottom of page).
To submit a course, locate your course on the list at the GEC Review site, click “edit,” complete
the form provided and submit. If your course does not appear on this site (because it was
developed and approved after the site was created), send your application to the current Chair of
the GEC and also to Jill Randles.
If you are resubmitting a revised course that has been denied a GEP designation previously, send
your application to the current Chair of the GEC and also to Jill Randles.
For information on submitting courses for Writing Intensive designation, in myUMBC, go to
Faculty/Topics, select Teaching and Learning, and then Additional Resources (at bottom of
page).
Recent change to GEP Application (Approved 11 March 2011)
Because we are now required to assess student learning outcomes for GEP courses, new
language has been added to the Functional Competences section of the application that addresses
assessment methods:
BRIEFLY summarize the assessment method(s) you will use to measure directly student learning
of the functional competencies for your course. Please note that overall grades on regular class
work and exams are not measures that are used to assess student learning. You may also wish to
include indirect measures of student learning such as student self-reports about their learning on
surveys and questionnaires.
Examples of direct measures:
 Written work, performances, or presentations scored with criteria or a rubric.
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Appropriate questions embedded on class exams, quizzes, or homework.
Score gains on appropriate pre- and post-tests.
Portfolios of student work scored with criteria or a rubric.
Summaries/analyses of electronic discussion threads scored with criteria or a rubric.
Classroom response system (“clicker”) questions.
Scores on standardized exams.
The Director of the Faculty Development Office is available for consultation on assessment.
Additional Information on the GEP Process
(These are all available on line, but sometimes difficult to find.)
General Education Program Course Review Guidelines (Appendix A)
General Education Distribution Requirement Area Definitions (Appendix B)
General Education Functional Competences (Appendix C)
Appendix A
General Education Program (GEP) Course Review Guidelines
The following guidelines incorporate policies and precedents developed by the Undergraduate
Council under the former GFR program as well as address modifications provided for under the
revised General Education Program, approved by the Faculty Senate in May, 2005.
1. General Education courses should provide broad introduction to the content or method of an
academic field. They should be broadly foundational, not narrow or limited to the interest of
specialists. GEP courses should familiarize students with a discipline’s particular way of
obtaining knowledge and teach some of the most important insights of the discipline. GEP
courses should be available and taught in a manner accessible for non-majors.
2. GEP Distribution courses shall meet
a) one of the Distribution Requirement area definitions:
Arts and Humanities, Social Sciences, Mathematics, Sciences, Culture (see
Catalog statement); the Language requirement is completion (or proficiency)
at the 201 course level;
and
b) satisfy at least one of the Functional Competencies:
Oral and Written Communication, Scientific and Quantitative Reasoning, Critical
Analysis and Reasoning, Technological Competency, Information Literacy
(See Functional Competencies statement, attached).
3. Courses shall not carry more than one distribution designation, except in the case of Culture
courses, to assure that students experience the breadth of exposure to academic fields envisioned
by the General Education Program.
4. Special consideration may be given for GEP approval to interdisciplinary courses (including
those offered in the First Year Seminar program). In these cases, the topic should be broadly
defined, or, if more narrow, the range of interdisciplinary perspectives must be demonstrated.
For such courses the distribution requirement designation should be assigned to the academic
area providing the principal grounding of the course.
5. To emphasize the general foundational nature of GEP courses and to assure their accessibility,
lower level General Education courses should either have no prerequisite or no more than one
prerequisite.
6. The graduation requirement of 45 upper level credits means that some students, particularly
transfers, may need to complete some GEP courses at the 300 or 400 level. Such courses may be
somewhat more narrow in focus than is generally the case for lower level courses. They should
also have minimal prerequisites (usually no more than one). Upper level GEP courses should not
be restricted to a small segment of students, nor have a highly specialized pre-professional focus,
nor have any other curricular limitation that places unusual restriction on the opportunity of
undergraduates to enroll (adapted from UGC, 10/29/98).
7. “Courses designated for the Culture requirement generally focus on subject matter beyond the
borders of the United States, while recognizing the multi-cultural perspectives of global
experience and the value of inter-cultural and comparative approaches to culture study” (see
Public [Catalog] Statement). Like other GEP courses, their scope should be broad and
foundational, not narrow or highly specialized.
8. Language courses (both ancient and modern) above the 201 level may carry Culture
designation when they meet the objectives of the Culture requirement (see above).
9. GEP Distribution courses may also satisfy the Writing Intensive requirement course
requirement, provided they have been approved by the General Education Committee as
conforming to the “Guidelines for the Writing Intensive General Education Course
Requirement.”
10. Special topics courses do not qualify for GEP designation, because their content may vary
from semester to semester.
11. Submission of a standard syllabus with all requests for GEP designation is required. The
syllabi for GEP-approved courses must state a) the Distribution area and b) Functional
Competency(ies) they satisfy; and, when also approved for Writing Intensive designation, the
specific requirements which they employ to fulfill the WI guidelines.
12. UMBC is committed to making General Education courses as available as possible for
students; therefore, departments are urged to distribute GEP course offerings throughout the
schedule, including the evening hours.
13. The GEP Committee requests of Academic Services that, whenever possible, the semester
class schedule include a list of course availability for the General Education Program in each of
the GEP requirement categories.
General Education Program Committee policy, approved 11/18/05 and 12/9/05
Appendix B
General Education Distribution Requirement Area Definitions:
General Education Program
For General Education, UMBC students will complete courses distributed in four broad areas of
academic inquiry: arts and humanities, social sciences, mathematics and science, and language
and culture. General Education courses are designed to introduce students to the knowledge and
methods that are foundations of each of these four areas.
UMBC’s General Education courses also enable students to develop functional skills and
competencies important for academic and lifetime success. These include one or more of the
following: written and oral communication, scientific and quantitative reasoning, critical analysis
and reasoning, technological competency and information literacy (recommended competency
areas for General Education Programs have been established by the Middle States Commission
on Higher Education and adopted by the Maryland Higher Education Commission for Maryland
colleges and universities). Students must complete the following distribution requirements with a
grade of “C” or better. Courses taken on a P/F basis may not be applied to distribution
requirements.
Arts and Humanities
Courses in the arts and humanities explore the human condition and its cultural expression, past
and present. Arts and humanities courses consider the ethical and value systems that form the
basis of thought, artifacts and individual and collective life. They examine a wide variety of
sources—from literature, philosophy, the visual and performing arts and religion, to popular
culture and patterns of everyday activity—to critically evaluate significant intellectual and
artistic issues.
GEP courses in the arts and humanities enable students to:
 Analyze and interpret diverse texts and modes of expression
 Understand important intellectual and artistic concepts, whether from historical or
contemporary perspectives
 Discuss, write and conduct research effectively in the arts and humanities
 Additionally, GEP studio or workshop courses in the arts and humanities enable students
to:
 Learn and practice a particular art form
 Investigate creative modes of expression by identifying motivations, desires and values
that inspire them
 Learn collaborative skills and how to objectively and appropriately evaluate their own
work and the work of others
Social Sciences
The social sciences seek to understand attitudes, beliefs and social behaviors of individuals,
groups and institutions, and identify factors that influence them, both past and present. Attention
is devoted to the complex interactions among individuals, environment and social institutions.
Finally, the social sciences seek to develop, implement and evaluate procedures that can change
attitudes and behaviors at both the individual and group level and address issues of social
inequality/inequity.
GEP courses in the Social Sciences enable students to:
 Critically evaluate research regarding the complex interplay of individuals, groups, and
institutions
 Understand the strengths and weaknesses of, and be able to apply research methods
within, the many fields of social sciences
 Provide insight into the development and implementation of programs and policies
designed to improve people’s lives
Sciences
The sciences seek explanations for how nature functions at scales ranging from the subatomic to
the universal. Courses in the natural sciences foster an understanding of the fundamental
principles underlying modern scientific thought. In addition to describing what is currently
known, science courses teach skills and methods that facilitate inquiry about the natural world,
and provide opportunities for students to test those explanations against current scientific
knowledge and to communicate their ideas to others.
GEP courses in the sciences enable students to:
 Apply their knowledge to solving basic scientific problems
 Describe what it means to “do” science
 Distinguish science from non-science or pseudoscience
 Use mathematics as appropriate to present and analyze scientific data
 Discuss socially relevant issues in scientific terms
Mathematics
To prepare college graduates for an increasingly complex and technological world it is necessary
to develop problem-solving abilities, including analytical and logical reasoning skills.
Mathematics GEP courses build upon a student’s fundamental mastery of high school algebra (as
evidenced by the placement exam or equivalent course work) to provide a foundation in
mathematical concepts and techniques used not only in mathematics and statistics but also in a
wide variety of other disciplines.
GEP courses in mathematics enable students to:
 Develop a level of mathematical maturity significantly beyond high school Algebra II
 Develop problem-solving ability both in the quantitative and qualitative realms
 Enhance their analytic and synthetic logical abilities
 Become acquainted with mathematical ways of thinking, including concepts and
techniques utilized in other disciplines
Global Cultures
The C (global cultures) requirement fosters cultural understanding of the world beyond the
borders of the United States. Courses fulfilling this requirement may focus on a single non-U.S.
culture; they also may consider the multi-cultural perspectives of global experience or emphasize
intercultural, international and comparative approaches to cultural study.
Appendix C
UMBC GENERAL EDUCATION FUNCTIONAL COMPETENCIES
UMBC’s General Education program prepares undergraduate students for success in their
academic majors and professional pursuits and for life as informed, responsible citizens of the
21st century. It provides a solid academic foundation in four broad areas (Arts and Humanities,
Mathematics and Sciences, Social Sciences, and Language and Culture), addressed through the
distribution requirements, and includes two required writing courses. In addition, to ensure that
students develop and master certain fundamental skills and intellectual habits of mind, it also
requires that all courses address one or more of the following functional competencies: Oral and
Written Communication, Scientific and Quantitative Reasoning, Critical Analysis and
Reasoning, Technological Competency, and Information Literacy. These competencies have
been developed as recommended standards for General Education programs and have been
adopted by the Maryland Higher Education Commission for colleges and universities in
Maryland.
All UMBC General Education courses should address one or more of the following
competencies:
I. ORAL AND WRITTEN COMMUNICATION
� Understand and apply both the verbal and nonverbal aspects of communication, by
utilizing fundamental rhetorical strategies and conventions, such as purpose,
audience, genre, tone, format, and structure.
� Understand writing as a process that involves multiple drafts, incorporating feedback,
revising, editing, and proofreading.
� Identify, select, and evaluate appropriate sources, including print and electronic texts,
cultural artifacts, or artistic creations.
� Acknowledge and document sources used to support an argument or presentation.
� Develop a foundation for cross-cultural communication.
II. SCIENTIFIC AND QUANTITATIVE REASONING
� Understand and use mathematical and scientific methods of inquiry, reasoning,
processes, and strategies to investigate and solve problems.
� Organize, interpret, draw inferences, and make predictions about natural or behavioral
phenomena using mathematical and scientific models and theories.
� Recognize the ethical and social implications of scientific inquiry and technological
change, and distinguish science from non-science and pseudoscience.
� Recognize that mathematical, statistical, and scientific evidence requires evaluation.
III. CRITICAL ANALYSIS AND REASONING
� Identify and formulate questions and problems and evaluate various methods of
reasoning and verification.
� Identify and evaluate stated and unstated assumptions, supporting evidence and data,
alternative points of view, and assess implications and consequences of particular
courses of action.
� Construct cogent arguments, provide supporting evidence, articulate reasoned
judgments, and draw appropriate conclusions.
� Apply fundamental critical thinking skills to the analysis and interpretation of a variety
of subjects, including ideas and issues, cultural artifacts, or aesthetic works.
IV. TECHNOLOGICAL COMPETENCY
� Use information technology as one tool for solving problems, identifying and
evaluating information sources, and analyzing reports and presentations.
� Use a variety of online or technology-assisted means to present work, such as web
pages, email, online forums, word processing, and presentation and spreadsheet
software.
� Understand the essentials of technology, including hardware and software, networks,
and systems.
V. INFORMATION LITERACY
� Identify and access a variety of documentary sources of information effectively and
efficiently via traditional and electronic-based retrieval systems.
� Evaluate information sources and content in terms of accuracy, authority, bias, and
relevance.
� Use information effectively to support a particular argument or to produce a result.
� Respect and observe appropriate laws and institutional policies regarding the legal and
ethical retrieval and use of information.
August 2005