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Office of General Education

Approved meeting minutes from the Council on General Education on October 18, 2024

The Council on General Education met on October 18, 2024. The meeting minutes for September 27, 2024 were approved at this meeting. Below is the agenda, and the meeting minutes have now been posted on the General Education website.

  1. Approval of Agenda for October 18, 2024, Council on General Education meeting.
  2. Approval of Minutes for the September 27, 2024, Council on General Education meeting.
  3. Common Curriculum SLO Assessment Report
  4. Course Proposals
    1. Revised Proposals
      1. ARHS 3305 (Arts of the American Southwest) – PREX-HD
      2. UNIV 2301 (formerly 1301) (Information Systems and Society) – TAS; PREX-W
    2. New Proposals
      1. ENGL 1380 (Introduction to Literature: Monsters and Magic) – LAI
      2. AMAE 3387 (Principles of Creative Entrepreneurship) – CA
  5. General Education Office Updates
    1. SMU-in-Four PREX-CIE Course Proposals
    2. Coherent Rationale Audit Progress

Please contact the Office of General Education for questions or proposal development support.

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Office of General Education Peer Academic Leaders Student Academic Engagement & Success University Advising Center

Peer Academic Leaders and University Advising Center wrap up Success Fest

The Peer Academic Leaders (PALs) and the University Advising Center (UAC) concluded Success Fest on September 26th. Success Fest is an event dedicated to the adoption and use of Degree Planner among undergraduate students.

In the weeks leading up to Success Fest, the UAC hosted 3 Degree Planner workshops with a total of 27 attendees. The PALs hosted 4 Degree Planner workshops with a total of 55 attendees. The PALs also offered 1-1 appointments in Blanton Suite 338, and helped 60 students complete their Degree Planner.

These efforts proved successful as there was a significant increase in the use of Degree Planner from September 13th until September 26th. Some data points include:

  • 1,321 pre-major students completing their Degree Planner leading up to major declaration
  • 1,263 declared students completing their Degree Planner leading up to graduation
  • 2,584 total students utilizing Degree Planner

The PALs and UAC will host Success Fest again in Spring 2025 on February 27th, encouraging students to complete and update their Degree Planner before the March 1st deadline.

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SMU in Four Student Academic Engagement & Success

Call for Common Curriculum Civic and Individual Ethic Course Proposals

The Council on General Education approved updates to the Common Curriculum (CC) Civic and Individual Ethic (CIE) Rubric on September 6 recommended updates were proposed by a cross-functional faculty working group convened by the Office of Institutional Planning and Effectiveness over the summer. While the student learning outcome remains the same, the supporting skills were modified to more clearly emphasize ethical topics, questions, concepts, and dilemmas within civic or individual contexts. 

With the approval of the updated rubric, SMU in Four would like to announce a call for new or the redesign of existing courses to convey the Civic and Individual Ethic graduation requirement. The call for course proposals seeks to increase the number of CIE-tagged courses, and, thereby, the number of seats available to undergraduate students – aiding in time to degree. Proposals are due by November 15 at 5:00pm via the online submission platform. 

Three types of CIE course proposals are being sought. Full-time faculty are encouraged to apply: 

  1. Develop an Online, Asynchronous Course for Fall 2025. Partnering with the Office of Information Technology Online Production Services Team, one faculty proposer will receive one month of extra salary up to $10,000 in extra compensation to develop an online, asynchronous course. The typical online development process takes approximately 9 months. Online courses will be developed for delivery to students on Canvas. The new CIE-tagged course will be expected to be offered each academic year by the proposer’s academic department and may also be offered in the summer for extra compensation. The faculty who develop the course will have the right of first refusal to teach each time the course is offered outside of the regular fall-spring schedule.  
  2. Develop a New, InPerson Synchronous Course for Fall 2025. Two faculty proposers will receive $7,5000 in extra compensation to propose and develop a new course that would meet the approval of the CoGE.  
  3. Redesign of an Existing, In-Person Synchronous for Fall 2025. Two faculty proposers will receive $5,000 in extra compensation to redesign an existing course that meets CoGE approval. Course redesigns will favor proposals that satisfy required major or minor requirements in academic programs with high enrollments.  

After the November 15 deadline, proposals will be reviewed by the Provost’s Office. A limited number of courses will be selected for development. The courses proposed should appeal to a wide range of undergraduate students. Courses that are cross-listed or fulfill additional Common Curriculum requirements are among those that have wider appeal. In-person courses will be expected to have a minimum capacity of 35 seats and the online asynchronous course should have a minimum capacity of 25 seats. 

Given the expectation that these courses will be offered annually as part of the regular fall-spring teaching load, a statement of commitment from the department chair and dean will be necessary to finalize the selection process. Selected courses will be routed for approval to department chairs and dean’s offices before candidates are notified of their proposal’s acceptance.  Following the development of a new course, the course will be proposed to the Council on General Education for final review and approval.  

To support the enhancement of the Civic and Individual Ethic curriculum, the Cary M. Maguire Center for Ethics and Public Responsibility is pleased to announce its support by providing funding to aid course development. The selected faculty cohort will offer faculty members a robust network and various development opportunities, including intentional sessions focused on ethical issues and instructional strategies. Participants will benefit from immersive retreats designed to foster collaborative learning, deepen their engagement with ethical topics, and find course development resources. Through this initiative, the Maguire Ethics Center aims to enrich the academic experience and contribute to the growth of high-quality, impactful CIE offerings at SMU. 

If you have any questions regarding submitting your proposal, please contact Dr. Molly Ellis (facultysuccess@smu.edu). 

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Office of General Education Peer Academic Leaders University Advising Center

Join the Office of General Education and the University Advising Center at Success Fest

The Office of General Education and the University Advising Center (UAC) will be hosting their semesterly event, Success Fest, on September 26th from 11:30am-1:30pm in Laura Lee Blanton rooms 108/110.

Success Fest is an event dedicated to promoting usage and adoption of Degree Planner among undergraduate students. The event was first held in Spring 2024, and resulted in 1,938 students using Degree Planner over a month long period.

Students can enter Success Fest by showing proof of a completed Degree Planner or by completing Degree Planner on the spot during the event. The event will have games, raffles, a crafting station, and free food. RSVP’s are encouraged via SMU 360, but walk-ins are welcome.

The deadlines to complete Degree Planner are now on the SMU academic calendar, with an October 1st deadline for the fall semester and March 1st deadline for the spring semester.

Advisors from the UAC and the Peer Academic Leaders (PALs) will be hosting Degree Planner workshops in the coming weeks before the October 1st deadline. Students can also book a 1-1 appointment with a PAL in Blanton suite 338.

Staff and faculty are also welcome to stop by Success Fest, and are encouraged to promote the event to undergraduate students.

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Office of General Education Student Academic Engagement & Success Student Success & Retention

General Education and Student Success & Retention offices to move July 29 and 30

The Office of General Education and the Office of Student Success and Retention will be moving on July 29 and 30. Both offices will close during this time.

The Office of General Education will move from Suite 100 within the Laura Lee Blanton Student Services Building (6185 Airline Road) upstairs to Suite 338.

The Office of Student Success and Retention will move from Suite 301 of the Perkins Administration Building to Laura Lee Blanton Student Services Building (6185 Airline Road) to Suite 102.

Our departmental emails, phone, and booking links will remain the same, but we look forward to welcoming you to our new spaces on August 1, 2024. Please update any websites and printed materials that may have included our former physical locations.

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Office of General Education Student Academic Engagement & Success

The Office of General Education to re-launch Common Reading in revised format

As the Spring 2024 semester comes to an end, the Office of General Education is working to re-launch the Common Reading program for SMU undergraduate students in Fall 2024 in a revised format.

This version of the Common Reading will target first-year students, allowing them the opportunity to earn their Civics & Individual Ethics (CIE) Common Curriculum (CC) Proficiency. Due to budget and logistical constraints, it will only be a targeted group within the first-year cohort rather than all first-year students.

The Office of General Education has created a campus-wide survey to get feedback from students, staff, and faculty members on the following:

  • Book selection and its alignment with the CIE rubric
  • Time commitment and requirements for students intending to receive the CIE credit
  • Time commitment for faculty/staff facilitators

This survey will assist the General Education team in these early planning stages as they work to create a meaningful program for students that also supports their academic endeavors. The Office of General Education encourages undergraduate students, and faculty/staff that work primarily with undergraduate students, to complete this survey.

More information will be provided regarding the Common Reading program as it continues to be developed throughout the spring and summer months.

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Office of General Education Peer Academic Leaders Student Academic Engagement & Success

The Office of General Education celebrates their November PAL of the month

As the Peer Academic Leaders (PALs) wrap up their Fall 2023 programming, the Office of General Education is excited to announce their PAL of the month for November 2023. Meet Bonita Davis.

Bonita is a current Sophomore at SMU, who is double majoring in Computer Science and Data Science. Along with her demanding course load, Bonita is also involved in other student organizations on campus and even serves as a Rotunda Scholar Peer Counselor.

Bonita is an excellent example of a student who excels in time management and is able to contribute 100% effort to everything she does. During her time as PAL, Bonita has boosted her confidence and has quickly become an outspoken leader on the team. Bonita contributes unique and thoughtful ideas to improve the PALs program overall, and she is consistently engaged during team meetings and brainstorming sessions.

The Office of General Education is proud of the work Bonita has put forth this semester, and looks forward to seeing her strengthen her leadership skills in Spring 2024.

Staff, students, and faculty can stay updated with the PALs programming via SMU 360, Instagram, or the PALs website.

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Office of General Education

Updated and new admin imaging occurring in the Office of General Education 

The Office of General Education, in conjunction with the Office of Information Technology, collaborated to rename and update the drawer types used in AdminImages.SMU. Drawers store electronic records of general education and other important petitions. 

AdminImages.SMU provides an electronic document storage and retrieval system. Electronic documents can be scanned or captured in various ways, and all documents are stored in a secure, encrypted database. 

Previously, the drawer was initially named “SCH UG GEC” an abbreviation of School Undergraduate General Education Curriculum. However, the naming was changed to reflect our office’s current processes and the document types we will process moving forward. The updated drawer name is “PROV GenEd” an abbreviation of Provost General Education. The table below shows the previous drawers and types and how they have been renamed.  

Original  Drawer   Original Type  Renamed Drawer  Renamed Type 
SCH UG GEC  SCH UG Honors Petition  PROV GenEd  PROV GenEd Honors Petition 
SCH UG GEC  SCH UG Enrollment Request  PROV GenEd  PROV GenEd Enrollment Request 
SCH UG GEC  SCH UG GEC Individual Petition  PROV GenEd  PROV GenEd Individual Petition 
SCH UG GEC  SCH UG GEC Formal Exemption  PROV GenEd  PROV GenEd Formal Exemption 
SCH UG GEC  SCH UG Data Science Advising  Removed  Removed 
SCH UG GEC  Default  PROV GenEd  Default 
SCH UG GEC  SCH UG Transfer Credit Petition Reeval  PROV GenEd  PROV GenEd Transfer Credit Reeval 
SCH UG GEC  SCH UG Transfer Credit Petition Preappro  PROV GenEd  PROV GenEd Transfer Credit Preappro 

Viewing permissions and access remain the same. School records offices, the Registrar, and some advisors can access scans of completed (approved or denied) Office of General Education petitions.  However, two additional imaging drawers have been added to aid transparency and improve academic advising of students.  

New Drawer   Petitions Included 
PROV GenEd BRD Swap  New Fall 2023 catalog and forward petition tracking swaps in use of external credit 
PROV GenEd PREX  Pre-approval and fulfillment verification petitions used for graduation requirements (e.g., proficiencies and experiences) 

We share this information to increase visibility and accessibility to General Education processes and records offices. If you have any questions or concerns, please direct them to Lisa Cordoba (lcordoba@smu.edu).  

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Office of General Education

Common Curriculum changes to WiM Proficiency and Experience

 

 

November 7, 2022

Dear Members of the SMU Community:

We are writing to you with important information about changes to the Writing in the Major (WiM) Proficiency of the Common Curriculum (CC) that were made to make it easier to administer and fulfill.

  1. We will be tracking student completion of the WiM Proficiency through program assessment, rather than through DPR tracking.
  2. DPR change will go into effect on November 11 with program assessment change effective Fall 2023.
  3. This change will make it easier for departments to administer and assess this Proficiency and for students to fulfill it.

On September 9, 2022, the Council on General Education approved a proposal to change how the Common Curriculum’s Writing in the Major Proficiency and Experience is tracked on the Degree Progress Report and replace it with program-level Writing in the Major student learning outcome. Below we share the rationale for this forthcoming change, how it will impact CC students and academic programs moving forward, and support that will be offered through this process.

SMU faculty have consistently expressed concern about the challenges of isolating the teaching of Writing in the Major to a single course, since many programs distribute the teaching and practice of writing across a program. For the same reason, students on the Common Curriculum have struggled to find sufficient opportunities to satisfy the Writing in the Major requirement, even when they have spent several courses learning to write in accordance with the parameters of their discipline.  For this reason, effective Fall 2023, we will replace individual tracking of the Writing in the Major Proficiency through course-level tags, and we will instead track it through program learning outcomes and program-level assessment.

On October 21, 2022 the Council approved an implementation plan for this assessment and tracking change, and as a result of this plan, effective Fall 2023, the Writing in the Major Proficiency and Experience graduation requirement be removed from the Degree Progress Report for student-level tracking.

In lieu of DPR level-tracking each academic program will be required, via the Office of Institutional Planning and Effectiveness program evaluation process, to write and assess one learning outcome that best represents the conventions of writing in their discipline. This will require each program to develop assessments and measures appropriate to their disciplines – many of which can be used from WiM-tagged courses. In this way, students will receive the instruction they need regarding discipline-specific writing, and departments will be able to deliver discipline-specific writing instruction without having to confine that instruction to a single course.  Academic programs that distribute the teaching of writing across the program sequence (which is best practice) would no longer need to place the proficiency tag on every course that delivers writing instruction to ensure students receive the tag.   Instead, they can concentrate on developing student proficiency in discipline-specific writing in the way that makes the most sense for their program.

This approved change and implementation plan honors the true intent of the Writing in the Major Proficiency and values the tremendous work done by faculty to develop WiM-tagged courses, learning outcomes, and assessments. During the transition to this new method of tracking and assessing Writing in the Major, the Office of Institutional Planning and Effectiveness will work closely with faculty and programs to write discipline-specific learning outcomes for Writing in the Major and to develop appropriate measures to assess this writing.

Questions related to this change can be directed to the Office of General Education at theccmail@smu.edu.

Sincerely,

Sheri Kunovich 

Associate Provost for Student Academic Engagement & Success

Dayna Oscherwitz 

Associate Provost for Institutional Planning and Effectiveness

Dustin Grabsch 

Assistant Provost for Undergraduate Education & Academic Success