Summary of Final Report of the Provost’s General Education Task Force

1. Summary of Final Report of the Provost’s General Education Task Force • Charge to the Task Force: • Improve coherence of General Education curriculum • Incorporate High Impact Practices • Improve connections to the Buffalo State community

2. General Education Environment • Current SUNY GER • 30 credits, “7 of 10” (or sometimes “5 of 8”) • 10 categories • Student must complete Basic Communication and Math • At least course in at least 5 other categories • 2 competencies (CT and IM) • SUNY Revision (Green paper due in Spring 2019) • New Scientific Reasoning, Diversity requirements likely • Alignment with Middle States • Less than 30 credits? • Other? • Institutional Learning Outcomes

3. COLLEGE

4. Major Changes in the Proposal • 1st Semester Seminar • Math/Writing (required categories) • Complete one math and one written/oral communication. • Students will then take a 2nd, more advanced course in either area. • New Required Categories (anticipates new SUNY GER) • Natural Science • Global Awareness • General Education Electives/Tools (optional applied course) • Themed Tracks (TIGER)–definitely impacted by SUNY changes • High Impact Practices/minor/course clusters/extracurricular work (STRIPES) • E-Portfolio

5. 1. First Semester Seminar • Courses will be designed to: • Fulfill SUNY SLOs for a “cognate” SUNY GER category • Meet Buffalo State First Semester Seminar SLOs • Introduce Institutional Learning Outcomes • Taught by faculty from associated disciplines • Flexible staffing allows for departments with capacity to complement those unable to contribute ART 101 – “Explorations in the Arts” HUM 101 – “Explorations in the Humanities” NSC 101 – “Explorations in the Natural Sciences” SSC 101 – “Explorations in the Social Sciences”

6. 2. Symbolic CommunicationBasic Communication and Mathematical Reasoning Requirements WORD 101 is proposed to be 4 credits, and would include written, oral, other forms of communication (most similar to CWP 102)

7. 3. New Required Categories • Natural Science (based on Middle States “Scientific Reasoning”) • Global Awareness (Middle States category) • Similar to Non-Western Civilizations (NW) and/or “Global Engagement” (foreign language), but SLOs may need modification Note: “Diversity” will also need to be retained as a privileged category

8. 4. TIGER Tracks Thematic Integration of General Education Requirements • Mechanism to fulfill much of SUNY GER • Courses connected to broad themes to help students structure and integrate gen. ed. requirements • Each track includes 5 SUNY GER/diversity courses • 3 courses from 3 different categories (FL, A, H, SS, A.His, W.Civ) • 1 course from Diversity or Other World Civ. (Global Awareness) • 1 course from any SUNY-GER category (except BC, M, NS) or Diversity • Examples of possible tracks • Embracing the Arts • Exploring our Diverse World • Innovating for Tomorrow • Each Track must also fulfill 2 Institutional Learning Outcomes

9. 5. General Education Electives • possible “Tools” topics • Personal Finance • Business Accounting • Conversational/Business Foreign Language • Personal Computing • Data Management and Analysis • Personal Health/Nutrition • Food Safety/Preparation • Occupational Safety • Civic Engagement/Citizenship • A total of 12 courses are required (37 credits). IF14 is generally 33-39 • “Tools” course can be one of the electives in many cases (for students who have completed SUNY-GER but are short of 37 credits) The proposal has students taking 2-3 gen. ed. ”electives”. Used to fulfill SUNY requirements when necessary. The proposal requires students to complete M, BC, NS, D, NW. Still possibly needed (depends on TIGER and seminar): courses in 3 out of 6 other SUNY GER categories 1 or 2 elective courses may have to come from a Diversity/NW, or a limited number of SUNY-GER areas (depends on TIGER Track and 1st semester seminar).

10. Comparison of IF14 with proposed new Gen. Ed.

11. 6. STRIPE Structured, Reflective, Impactful Program Enhancements High Impact Practices • service learning, study abroad/student exchange, undergraduate research, creative activity, internship OR Deliberate Selection of All-College Electives • second major, minor, certificate • approved combination of interdisciplinary courses to enhance a major • upper-division courses related to Tiger Track theme • study abroad/student exchange Not all of these options are equal (e.g., a single service-learning course vs. completion of a minor), so 3 STRIPE groups (A, B, and C) were proposed: • completing three experiences from Group A (e.g. service learning course) • completing one experience from each of Group A and Group B, or two experiences from Group B (e.g. internship) • completing one of the experiences in Group C (e.g. minor)

12. 7. E-portfolios Purpose Serve as transcript supplement or alternative credentialing system Demonstrate acquired skills to potential employers Incorporation into Gen Ed Initiated in a first-year course(s) such as the seminar or Word 101 Place to document and reflect on STRIPE experiences Reflect on how General Education integrates with major courses, electives, and capstone experiences. Reflect on Institutional Learning Outcomes

13. Transfer Students • Transfer students will enter the program according to the number of credits and requirements already filled. • TIGER Tracks and seminar may need to be waived • STRIPE requirement may need reduction • WORD 301 (if necessary) & STRIPE will help transfer students acclimate to Buffalo State. • E-portfolio can be created at any point, with credentials transferred and added. • E-portfolio and STRIPE will still help identify transfer students as Buffalo State graduates.

14. ILOs, SUNY, and Middle States requirements • Depends on how a student fulfills “Tools” (foreign language, computer skills, financial literacy, etc.) • Depends on how a student fulfills STRIPE (minor, certificate, HIPs, or engagement activities). • Some majors include instruction in these areas • Possibly included in some TIGER Tracks