Title of Effective Practice: - California Postsecondary Education ...

Direct Connection to Policy Area 5 of The Illinois Commitment
Development of a New General Education Curriculum
University of Illinois - Springfield
What issue or need is addressed by the effective practice? The new general education curriculum is founded in current
thinking about the kind of general education that is appropriate for 21st Century citizens and was partially influenced by a
monograph Cultivating Humanity by Martha Nassbaum and by Strong Foundations: Twelve Principles for Effective
General Education Programs published by the Association of American Colleges and Universities. The curriculum will
provide students with the knowledge and skills that will be needed to understand and analyze issues or problems, as well as
the ability to communicate and to consider issues in a broad context. Through the Engaged Citizenship Common
Experience portion of the curriculum, students will become better prepared to make a difference in the world by
recognizing and practicing social responsibility and ethical decision-making, respecting diversity, valuing involvement, and
distinguishing the possibilities and limitations of social change.
Description of the effective practice: During AY 2004-05 and AY 2005-06, the University of Illinois at Springfield has
designed a new general education curriculum that will be implemented beginning in AY 2006-07. The curriculum is a
“hybrid” approach that combines discipline-specific courses with a set of courses that provide a common learning
experience. The curriculum extends throughout the baccalaureate program, while allowing transfer students the flexibility
they need to enter the curriculum with ease. The new general education curriculum is based on two major principles: (1)
Basic Skills and Knowledge for Lifelong Learning and (2) Engaged Citizenship Common Experience.
The Basic Skills and Knowledge for Lifelong Learning component includes discipline-specific courses (English,
Communications, Life and Physical Sciences, Mathematics, Humanities, and Social Science) designed to teach basic skills
such as critical thinking, written and verbal communication, and quantitative, scientific, and information literacy. The
Engaged Citizenship Common Experience is a set of courses that are designed to help students explore and articulate
multiple perspectives and become aware of their roles in a complex, interdependent set of communities.
The Engaged Citizenship Common Experience (ECCE) consists of two Comparative Societies courses at the 100-level (one
in humanities and the other in the social sciences) and four courses at the 200-400 level, including one in U.S.
Communities, one in International Awareness, one Engagement Experience, and one ECCE elective. Students also are
required to enroll in the ECCE Speakers Series for one hour. The purpose of each of these types of courses is described
below.
• The Comparative Societies courses will provide knowledge about how different communities, polities, societies, or
cultures have developed and are developing politically, economically, and culturally in the pre-modern or modern
world.
• The U.S. Communities courses will examine the diversity of the people of the United States and their varied
experiences with respect to social institutions and national values, particularly justice, equality, and liberty. These
courses will help students better understand conflict and accommodation, as well as consensus.
• The International Awareness courses are designed to help students develop their ability to understand and function in an
increasingly interdependent or “globalizing environment” by fostering awareness of other cultures or polities.
• The Engagement Experience is designed to move students beyond theory and abstraction into concrete real-world
experiences. Students may fulfill this requirement through means such as an internship, a service-learning course, a
research project, a group project course, or study abroad.
• The ECCE elective allows the students flexibility to address areas such as modern languages, interdisciplinary courses,
or other topics related to an engaged citizenship.
• The ECCE Speakers Series will enable students to participate in a series of campus-sponsored lectures by individuals
who exemplify engaged citizenship.
How does this practice achieve sustainability? The implementation of the new general education curriculum requires the
investment of university funds during the initial stages; however, once the student enrollment targets are achieved in the
future, increased tuition revenues are expected to cover the costs of the general education instruction.
What are the results/measurable outcomes? During AY 2005-2006, over 50 courses were reviewed and approved by a
newly formed General Education Council for the new UIS general education curriculum. Some of these courses were
newly created, while others are revisions to existing courses that were made to meet the objectives of the new general
education curriculum. General education learning outcomes have been developed and incorporated into the curriculum
approval process. An assessment system is being developed that will be used to assess whether students have obtained the
general education student learning objectives.
Contact Information
Name: Beverly Bunch
Email: bbunc1@uis.edu
Phone: (217) 206-6080
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