Faculty
Proposing an AdvantaGE Course
In addition to the syllabus items required according to AOP 13.03 Faculty Responsibilities in Instruction and Curriculum, and Attendance in Classes, General Education classes must also meet the following criteria:
•General Education course description connects the course content to the appropriate AdvantaGE learning outcome.
•A detailed list of course topics that match the subgoals of the AdvantaGE learning outcome.
•A description of the signature assignment that allows students to demonstrate their competency of Human Society and the Individual based on a common rubric that the MSU General Education Committee has designed.
Course Description
Often students do not understand the relevancy of general education courses. In an effort to communicate the value of these classes, please add the following statement to your syllabus in addition to the required Course Catalog Description. Note the last sentence must be altered to match the specific relationship to the course:
General education provides a platform for fostering proficiencies that span all fields of study (e.g., social and ethical responsibility, critical thinking, evidence-based reasoning, communication, and problem solving) while also providing opportunities for hands-on experience with complex questions and problems. By facilitating students’ exploration of issues and questions that bridge multiple fields of study, general education helps students build the broad and integrative knowledge they need for careers, while also preparing them directly for questions and issues they will confront as citizens in a globally engaged democracy. [Faculty will provide another sentence explaining how the specific course fits into general education.]
Every AdvantaGE course will utilize the lens of one of the four knowledge domains – Creative Discovery, Humanities, Human Society & the Individual, or Natural Sciences. Each domain has specific leaning outcomes and signature assignment assessment goals.
Creative Discovery
In the AdvantaGE program, Creative Discovery prepares students to interpret artistic expression and engage with a creative process.
Humanities
In the AdvantaGE program, Humanities or Human Cultures teach students to examine the human condition in different cultures throughout history.
Human Society & the Individual
In the AdvantaGE program, Human Society & the Individual prepares students to engage in scientific inquiry of human behavior in the context of value systems, institutions, economic structures, social groups, and/or environments.
Natural Sciences
In the AdvantaGE program, Natural Sciences prepare students to apply the scientific method and theories to empirical evidence to support scientific models of the universe.
To propose a course, select the domain your course represents and then follow the syllabus guidelines below for that domain. You will then submit your course proposal through the CIM system as with any other course proposal. Once your proposal has been approved by your College Committee, it will proceed to the General Education Committee for AdvantaGE approval. This committee only evaluates the AdvantaGE criteria in their determination. The proposal then proceeds to the UCCC for final approval.
Creative Discovery
Every Creative Discovery course should be designed to help students interpret artistic expression and engage with a creative process. All students, regardless of their major, should have exposure to creating new ideas, products, etc., and to tolerate the failure that comes from an iterative process as opposed to expecting perfection in the final product. These ideas should be evident in student learning outcomes, class topics, assignments, homework, etc. Please highlight every occurrence of the following subgoals in your course.
•Through the study of literary, performing and/or visual arts, employ fundamental discipline-specific principles, terminology, skills, technology, and methods
•Identify, explain, and/or demonstrate relationships among societal, cultural, and historical contexts
•Demonstrate knowledge of and empathy for the diversity of values, beliefs, ideas, and practices embodied in the human experience
•Engage in a creative process through experimentation, reflection, tolerance for failure, and revision
•Use appropriate methods and tools to analyze, interpret and critique creative processes, works, and/or presentations
Signature Assignment
The nature of general education at MSU is to allow faculty to design course content that meets the learning outcomes through the lens of their academic specialties. A common rubric has been designed to ensure that all courses that advance the Creative Discovery learning outcome have achieved the intended goals while accommodating a breadth of academic content related to this domain.
Each Creative Discovery course must develop a Signature Assignment that can be evaluated using the common rubric. At a minimum, the assignment should ask students to engage in a creative process with multiple drafts, reflect on the progress, and describe their reasoning for its significance. The faculty member has discretion as to the type of assignment (e.g., research paper, presentation, audio/visual content, short essay exam) the students will complete that demonstrate their understanding of the general education learning outcomes. A description of this assignment must be provided on the syllabus.
The key standards for the Signature Assignment rubric demonstrate that the student:
•Basic Knowledge: Practices and demonstrates essential knowledge and understanding of the course materials through an understanding of tools/objects; the art of failure; (re)design methods; and techniques used/applied in a particular artform.
•History and Cultures: Identifies, explains, and/or demonstrates the relationship between/amongst student work to greater societal, cultural, and historical contexts.
•Ethics: Demonstrate knowledge of distinct values, ideas, and/or practices embodied in the human experience .
•Creative Processes: Evaluates and critiques creative processes through various experimental, reflexive, technical, and critical methods. Exemplifies a tolerance for failure, and revision.
•Aesthetic Analysis: Uses appropriate methods and tools to analyze, interpret, and critique creative processes, works, and/or presentations.
Humanities
Every Humanities course should be designed to help students examine the human condition in different cultures throughout history. These courses help students, regardless of their major, learn to respect other backgrounds and viewpoints with a goal of improving the human condition. These ideas should be evident in student learning outcomes, class topics, assignments, homework, etc. Please highlight every occurrence of the following subgoals in your course.
• Describe patterns of human life and thought in historical, literary, philosophical, artistic, religious, and/or related disciplines
• Apply specific disciplinary methodologies, epistemologies, and traditions of the humanities
• Engage with primary texts, objects, events, or ideas in their cultural, intellectual, and/or historical contexts
• Develop arguments about the human experience based on evidence and with discipline-specific modes of citation
• Explain ethical implications of human behaviors in cultural contexts
Signature Assignment
The nature of general education at MSU is to allow faculty to design course content that meets the learning outcomes through the lens of their academic specialties. A common rubric has been designed to ensure that all courses that advance the Humanities learning outcome have achieved their intended goals while accommodating a breadth of academic content related to this domain.
Each Humanities course must develop a Signature Assignment that can be evaluated using the common rubric. This assignment would help students explore perspective taking and demonstrate empathy for someone who has a different background or viewpoint. The faculty member has discretion as to the type of assignment (e.g., research paper, presentation, audio/visual content, short essay exam) the students will complete that demonstrate their understanding of the general education learning outcomes. A description of this assignment must be provided on the syllabus.
The key standards for the Signature Assignment rubric demonstrate that the student:
- Core Knowledge: Describe patterns of human life and thought in historical, literary, philosophical, artistic, religious, and/or related disciplines.
- Modes of Inquiry: Apply specific disciplinary methodologies, epistemologies, and traditions of the humanities.
- Investigation: Engage with primary texts, objects, events, or ideas in their cultural, intellectual, and/or historical contexts.
- Argumentation: Develop arguments about the human experience based on evidence and with discipline-specific modes of citation.
- Ethics: Explain ethical implications of human behaviors in cultural contexts.
Human Society & the Individual
Every Human Society and the Individual course should be designed to help students, regardless of their major, engage in scientific inquiry of human behavior in the context of value systems, institutions, economic structures, society groups, and/or environment. These ideas should be evident in student learning outcomes, class topics, assignments, homework, etc. Please highlight every occurrence of the following subgoals in your course.
- Utilize vocabulary, concepts, and terminology in the social sciences; identify theories
- Explain the role of specific individuals and institutions within the context of society
- Identify, evaluate, and/or respond to a research question
- Evaluate appropriate social science theories and/or methodologies to address the research question
- Compile, interpret, analyze, and/or evaluate qualitative and/or quantitative data appropriate to the research question
- Communicate appropriate and ethical representation of qualitative and/or quantitative results
- Recognize and/or responsibly cite multiple, credible sources
Signature Assignment
The nature of general education at MSU is to allow faculty to design course content that meets the learning outcomes through the lens of their academic specialties. A common rubric has been designed to ensure that all courses that advance the Human Society and the Individual learning outcome have achieved the intended goals while accommodating a breadth of academic content related to this domain.
Each Human Society and the Individual course must develop a Signature Assignment that can be evaluated using the common rubric. The faculty member has discretion as to the type of assignment (e.g., research paper, presentation, audio/visual content, short essay exam) the students will complete that demonstrate their understanding of the general education learning outcomes. A description of this assignment must be provided on the syllabus.
The key standards for the Signature Assignment rubric demonstrate that the student:
•Utilizes vocabulary, concepts, and terminology in the social sciences.
•Explains the role of specific individuals and institutions within the context of society.
•Identifies, evaluates, and/or responds to a research question.
•Evaluates appropriate social science theories and/or methodologies to address the research question.
•Compiles, interprets, analyzes, and/or evaluates qualitative and/or quantitative data related to the research question.
•Communicates appropriate and ethical representation of qualitative and/or quantitative results.
•Recognizes and/or responsibly cites multiple, credible sources.
•Evaluates the impact of self, family, community, or other human behavior on society.
Natural Sciences
Every Natural Sciences course should be designed to help students apply the scientific method and theories to empirical evidence to support scientific models. These courses are designed to help all students, regardless of their major, separate facts from values. These ideas should be evident in student learning outcomes, class topics, assignments, homework, etc. Please highlight every occurrence of the following subgoals in your course.
•Effectively communicate scientific principles and/or theories describing the interrelationships among the natural sciences
•Apply critical thinking skills to examine real-world problems aimed at understanding science’s impact/role in society and in historical and/or contemporary issues
•Develop innovative approaches to solving scientific problems using creative thinking and exploring new methodologies or theories, demonstrating ethical scientific behavior – honesty, safety, and social responsibility
•Analyze and interpret scientific information (including graphs and data) to draw reasoned conclusions related to scientific literature and everyday issues
•Solve scientific problems using creative thinking and exploring new methodologies or theories, demonstrating ethical scientific behavior – integrity, safety, and social responsibility.
•Draw reasoned conclusions by analyzing and interpreting scientific information from course provided materials
•Differentiate between science-based evidence and opinions expressed as fact
•Draw reasoned conclusions by analyzing and interpreting scientific information from course provided materials
Signature Assignment
The nature of general education at MSU is to allow faculty to design course content that meets the learning outcomes throughthe lens of their academic specialties. A common rubric has been designed to ensure that all courses that advance the Natural Sciences learning outcome have achieved the intended goals while accommodating a breadth of academic content related to this domain.
Each Natural Science course must develop a Signature Assignment that can be evaluated using the common rubric. Ideally, the assignment would present students with a problem that can be solved using the scientific method and requires the student to collect data to inform their proposed solution. The faculty member has discretion as to the type of assignment (e.g., research paper, presentation, audio/visual content, short essay exam) the students will complete that demonstrates their understanding of the general education learning outcomes. A description of this assignment must be provided on the syllabus.
The key standards for the Signature Assignment rubric demonstrate that the student:
•Communicate with clarity, depth and insight.
•Collected appropriate data consistent with the experimental design and purpose/ methodology of the assignment.
•Effectively analyzed and presented data in a clear, logical manner.
•Draws meaningful and well supported conclusions from the results.
Click here for an example syllabus and helpful accompanying documentation.