April 4, 2001, the University Committee on General Education agreed upon criteria for approval of courses to meet the synthesis

Synthesis Course Approval Response Form

________________________________________

(course # and name)

Criterion one:

Course proposal ( does / does not) include the required prerequisite;

Syllabus (does / does not) show the required prerequisite;

Criterion two:

Course proposal ( does / does not) explain how the course meets or links to a process in which students demonstrate competency in oral and written communication before a faculty panel.

Syllabus (does / does not) (1) reflect how students will demonstrate competency in oral and written communication before a faculty panel; or alternatively (2) show how the course will link to a process in which the oral and written communication is demonstrated.

Criterion three:

Course proposal ( does / does not) explain how the course meets this criterion

Syllabus (does / does not) demonstrate how students will show they have made connections among knowledge learned in various areas of their general education

Comments:

- - - - -

Explanations: April 4, 2001, the University Committee on General Education agreed upon criteria for assessing course proposals submitted for satisfying the synthesis requirement. These criteria were then distributed to departments and served as the basis for the synthesis workshop May 15. (See Attachment One.) October 26 the Committee agreed to a revision of the first criterion and worked to create further clarification of how the criteria will be applied in the course approval process.

First, we want to make clear that the committee looks for the course syllabus submitted to demonstrate how the criteria will be satisfied. We note that many of the materials departments have submitted to date include language within the course proposal that speaks relatively well to how the course will meet the criteria, but sometimes the accompanying syllabus does not reflect the claims of the proposal. The course syllabus that is submitted needs to show clearly the integrative objectives and how the tasks required of students in the course serve to help students meet those objectives. We do not anticipate that any one course will integrate all areas of general education, but we do expect that the course syllabus will make clear how the course helps students come to see relationships among what they have studied. Especially in the case of required courses within a major being adapted to meet the synthesis requirement, the committee will look for objectives and course assignments that make connections between content of the major and that of the general education curriculum. A course that synthesizes a major with only a minor emphasis on general education does not meet the criterion. A writing intensive course in the major normally should not also be a synthesis course.

Criteria for Approval of Courses:

[Approved 10-26-01] Course descriptions include the following statement of prerequisites: “Completion or concurrent enrollment in all other required general education courses.” [The Committee expects these course descriptions to be included in all synthesis course syllabi.]

Synthesis courses must include, or link to, the requirement that students demonstrate, competence at oral and written communication before a faculty panel. Synthesis courses should be taught by full-time faculty and appropriately small (20-30) to accommodate the course’s written and oral requirements.

[Here are some examples of how criterion 2 might be met. Doubtless, proposing departments can suggest other ways students can demonstrate competencies before the required panel.]

A. within a class: course work culminates in a final paper and oral presentation that are judged by 2 or more faculty as meeting university defined criteria for competence.

B. In a link: (1) paper presentations at professional meetings and conferences or community outreach events; (2) synthesis course is linked to another course in which the competency is established (beyond COMM 100, 101 or 104 & ENGL 302); (3) students develop portfolios reflecting their written and oral competency, portfolios that are presented orally and juried by 2 or more faculty. (4) the synthesis course is linked to another course in which oral competency is assessed, e.g., one of the speaking intensive courses in COMM).

*[Feb. 2002]: Given the current budgetary situation, faculty panels may be staffed in ways to reduce resource demands.

Synthesis course proposals must demonstrate how the course requires students to make connections among knowledge learned in various areas of their general education.

Such connections might be to public issues or policies, problems requiring solution, impacts of globalization, matters of citizenship. Examples of such courses include (A) an engineering senior project that demonstrates how an engineering project design considers impact on communities in which the project will occur, the economic and business implications of the project, etc.; (B) a business case studies course that examines ethical, social and political ramifications of (or impact on) a business strategic plan; (C) a senior art project that creates a work of art and relates the work to a social and political milieu; (D) an issues course in which students debate significant political and policy proposals; (E) a research project that demonstrates research skills and ability to synthesize findings as well as to assess the project or its outcomes in terms of ethical, cultural and political implications.