The General Education Council (GEC) is responsible for the ongoing development, implementation, and assessment of an effective general education program. Responsibilities include the evaluation and approval of courses for the liberal arts curriculum as well as the periodic evaluation of the general education strategy. The council advises the Provost and the Senior Vice President for USF Health or their designees on the development of future general education programs at the university and provides continuous assessment of the existing general education program.
The primary responsibilities of the GEC include:
- Ensuring processes are in place for the development and delivery of general education courses in a wide range of topics across all colleges and campuses;
- Creating and applying processes for approving/certifying courses that meet the criteria established in the Enhanced General Education (EGE) Program;
- Providing for review of approved courses every three (3) years to ensure the courses continue to satisfy the established EGE criteria;
- Providing for continuous assessment of the general education to ensure the expectations established by the EGE Program are met; and
- Making revisions to the EGE Program when such changes are warranted to improve student success.
In carrying out its responsibilities, during the past few years, the GEC has:
- Reviewed numerous proposals for courses to be certified in the EGE Program;
- Evaluated data collected from assessments carried out in general education courses;
- Created surveys to determine whether students enrolled in general education courses understand the inclusion of general education attributes and student learning outcomes in those courses;
- Developed and applied procedures that must be used for recertification of Gen Ed courses. Recertification, which is required every three years for each general education course, began in the Fall 2021 semester. During the 2021-2022 academic year 77 courses were scheduled for recertification.
- Worked with Hillsborough Community College (HCC) officials to determine which HCC courses can be designated equivalent to courses approved in the top three tiers of the USF EGE pyramid. Course equivalency is important for students who transfer to USF before completing their AA degrees, in which case they must fulfill the requirements of the USF EGE Program. The transferability of HCC courses will serve as a prototype for other community colleges and state universities in Florida.
Visit the council page for more information about the charge, membership, and council meetings.