Program Description

The Meaning of General Education

General Education as a Unifying Ideal for the University

This document outlines a general education approach at the University of Cincinnati that proposes common goals for all baccalaureate students at this complex institution. This plan embodies a coherent educational vision shared by the diverse academic units of the University that has emerged from extensive faculty discussions over many years.

The Definition of General Education at the University of Cincinnati

General Education embraces the traditional subjects normally required of educated persons that form the shared intellectual heritage of our diverse culture. It teaches the skills of critical thinking, and of accurate and effective communication. It develops openness to the views of others, and allows revision of judgments after careful and critical thought. General Education promotes the integration, synthesis, and application of knowledge, and includes proficiency in information literacy.

General Education fosters an important intellectual attitude: commitment to and participation in a life of thought and continuous learning. General Education promotes global awareness. The educated person is conscious of the important social and ethical concerns of the day, sensitive to diversity, and cognizant of technological, scientific and societal changes, and their effects on humankind. Such understandings equip the individual to make meaningful contributions to society.

Baccalaureate Competencies

The Baccalaureate Competencies are the four primary goals and desired outcomes to be achieved by all University of Cincinnati graduates. They emerge from the above definition of general education. These goals and outcomes are pervasive components of all courses and experiences, and equip a student with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes for a full and productive life.

Critical Thinking:

Critical Thinking is the ability to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate information and ideas from multiple perspectives.

The educated individual thinks critically and analytically about subjects. Critical thinking includes the capability for analysis, problem solving, logical argument, the application of scholarly and scientific methods, the accurate use of terminology, and information literacy. The particular critical thinking skills vary from discipline to discipline.

Effective Communication:

Effective Communication embraces aural, visual, and language arts, including the ability to read, write, speak, and listen; it is the effective use of various resources and technology for personal and professional communication.

The educated individual must be able to understand and convey ideas in diverse contexts, using appropriate communication and information technology resources and skills. Aural and visual communication proficiencies are demonstrated through the performance and graphic arts. Among important language capabilities are proper usage, appropriate style, and the ability to formulate a coherent, well-supported argument using language appropriate to academic and public discourse.

Knowledge Integration:

Knowledge Integration is the ability to fuse information and concepts from multiple disciplines for personal, professional, and civic enhancement.

A commitment to a life of thought and the ability to evaluate critically one's own views and those of others require that the individual be able to access, judge, and compare diverse fields of knowledge. The General Education Program promotes knowledge integration by encouraging courses and experiences that enable a student to discover connections between different disciplines and their real-life applications.

Social Responsibility:

Social Responsibility is the ability to apply knowledge and skills gained through the undergraduate experience for the advancement of society.

Attention and service to the world at large is characteristic of a socially accountable, well-educated individual. One goal of the General Education Program is to introduce a student to historical ethical reasoning, contemporary social and ethical issues, and to promote knowledge, skills, and attitudes that encourage responsible civic engagement.

Information Literacy and Baccalaureate Competencies

Information literacy is a fundamental component of the four Baccalaureate Competencies.

Information literacy includes, but goes beyond, information technology skills. It is the ability to determine the nature of required information, to access it effectively and efficiently, to evaluate it critically, and to incorporate it into one's knowledge system. It necessitates the responsible, legal, and ethical use of information.

The Structure of General Education Requirements

General Education Requirements

Attainment of the Baccalaureate Competencies of Critical Thinking, Effective Communication, Knowledge Integration, and Social Responsibility is ensured through two sets of General Education Program Requirements: Breadth of Knowledge Requirements and Program/Major Requirements.

Breadth of Knowledge Requirements

The General Education Program encourages breadth of knowledge through distribution requirements. These include English Composition, Quantitative Reasoning (the appropriate level of analytical and/or mathematical literacy determined by each academic unit/program), Diversity and
Culture, Social and Ethical Issues, and six Distribution Areas: fine arts, historical perspectives, humanities, literature, natural sciences, and social sciences. In terms of English Composition, depending on placement testing and/or AP credit, the Composition requirement will be met by
taking two first-year English Composition courses and one mid-level writing course.

Diversity and Culture focuses on the analysis and understanding of the issues arising from individual (race, gender, disability, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or age) and cultural differences. Examples include courses or experiences in African-American Studies, Women's Studies, area studies (e.g., Asian, Latin American, Eastern European, and Russian Studies), Judaic Studies, cultural anthropology, geography, global and multicultural education, comparative literature, and fine arts. Also included are courses or experiences in foreign language and civilization, study abroad programs, and domestic programs that focus on elements of cultural difference.

Social and Ethical Issues includes ethical reasoning from historical and contemporary perspectives. Courses or experiences in these areas should introduce students to social and ethical issues and promote the use of critical thinking skills, analysis, and resolution. Courses or experiences fulfilling this requirement may include topics such as: professional ethics, human rights, environmental concerns, nuclear proliferation, ecology, genetic engineering, quality of life, and the social implications of science and technology.

Distribution Areas (eight courses [at least 3 credit hours] in a minimum of five of the following areas):

Fine Arts embraces music, dance, drama, and the visual arts.

Historical Perspectives refers to courses that, through exposure to and analysis of the past, provide an understanding of historical methodology and tradition.

Humanities encompasses learning concerned with human thought and relations not included in the other distribution areas. Disciplines include classics, communication, foreign languages, linguistics, philosophy, and rhetoric, among others.

Literature includes the study of literary texts and criticism in the original language or translation.

Natural Sciences comprises the systematized knowledge of nature and the physical world. Disciplines include earth, life, and physical sciences; computer science; and mathematics at a level beyond the basic mathematics requirement.

Social Sciences involves the study of society and the behavior of its members. Examples include cultural anthropology, economics, human geography, planning, political science, psychology, and sociology.

[Note: A listing of courses and the Breadth of Knowledge area(s) fulfilled by each is provided under BoK Coding]

The Program/Major Requirements

Critical Thinking, Effective Communication, Knowledge Integration, and Social Responsibility should permeate undergraduate, baccalaureate curricula. Students must integrate these competencies throughout the undergraduate experience and particularly within the major.

Methodology

Each baccalaureate degree program or major must assure that its students participate in the systematic, detailed study of the discipline's history and methods.

The Capstone Experience

The faculty of each degree program or major will define a capstone experience that obliges a student to demonstrate proficiency in the four Baccalaureate Competencies of the General Education Program as well as in the content of the degree program or major. The Capstone enables a student to draw upon and integrate knowledge and skills of the particular discipline using methods appropriate to the field, including information literacy and relevant communication skills.

Assessment and General Education

The University of Cincinnati General Education Program emphasizes four Baccalaureate Competencies to be assessed: Critical Thinking, Effective Communication, Knowledge Integration, and Social Responsibility. Throughout the undergraduate course of study, a student will be taught skills and mentored in experiences to develop these competencies. Faculty in each academic unit will define these competencies in terms of measurable objectives that can be assessed at the completion of the undergraduate experience.

Any general education program must be developed in partnership with a plan to measure its effectiveness. This information will then be used to guide refinement of the University of Cincinnati General Education Program.