GE Program Goals

B1 Educational Objectives and Criteria - Introduction

Lower-Division foundation courses in Area B1 - B4 provide a basic understanding of the nature, scope, and limitations of mathematics, statistics, and the physical and life sciences, as well as an understanding of their breadth of application to other disciplines. Foundation courses in this area teach fundamental concepts in mathematics, science, and statistics, including the scientific method; consequently, these courses should not be interdisciplinary in nature. They also provide a vision of why this area is an important component of general education by placing basic knowledge in a larger context. (This might be accomplished by providing some historical perspective that includes great achievements in the discipline and their impact and/or by the examination of important contemporary issues and problems from the discipline.) Courses in this area should include an appropriate writing component to further students' understanding of basic scientific, mathematical, and statistical concepts.

Lower-division courses in B1 - B4 must fulfill FOUR of the  following objectives:
After completing the foundation Area B courses, students should have an enhanced ability to:

B1 -B4 Lower-Division Educational Objectives

EO 1  understand and appreciate the scientific method and its role in scientific inquiry;

EO 2  understand the abstract logical nature of mathematics, as well as the applications and limitations of mathematics and statistics to other disciplines;

EO 3  analyze problems in a structured way and to develop strategies for solutions using scientific, mathematical, or statistical principles;

EO 4  understand and examine critically the scientific and mathematical aspects of issues and problems which arise in daily life;

EO 5  articulate fundamental scientific concepts using appropriate vocabulary;

EO 6  articulate fundamental  mathematical and/or statistical concepts using appropriate vocabulary;

EO 7  advance, with the necessary preparatory skills, to study the wider-ranging, cross-disciplinary Area B topics to be presented at the upper-division level.

Lower-division courses in B1 - B4 must meet EACH of the following criteria:
The course proposal and expanded course outline must clearly indicate how the course:

B1 - B4:  Lower-Division Criteria

CR 1  emphasizes fundamental concepts and principles, leading to an understanding of  the nature, scope, and limitations of science, mathematics, or statistics;

CR 2  facilitates the achievement of at least four of the desired educational objectives for Area B ;

CR 3  promotes an understanding of the breadth of application of science, mathematics, or statistics to other disciplines;

CR 4  examines great achievements, considers important contemporary issues, or provides a context that establishes the importance of the discipline;

CR 5  develops problem-solving and reasoning skills;

CR 6  incorporates a writing component.

Courses in the Physical and Life Sciences should also:

CR 7  emphasize the methods of science, including systematic observation and experimentation;

CR 8  emphasize essential concepts and ideas of one of the physical or life sciences;

CR 9  include techniques and procedures for the design of experiments, data collection, and analysis, if the course incorporates a laboratory.

Courses in Mathematics and Statistics should also:

C10  emphasize essential concepts, ideas, and problem solving in mathematics or statistics;

C11  have significant mathematical or statistical content;

C12  promote understanding rather than merely providing instruction in basic computational skills.

Writing Component

All General Education courses must have a writing component. In achieving this objective, writing in most courses should be viewed primarily as a tool of learning (rather than a goal in itself as in a composition course), and faculty should determine the appropriate ways to integrate writing into coursework. While the writing component may take different forms according to the subject matter and the purpose of a course, at least 10% of the grade in all GE courses must be based on appropriate written work.