The purpose of the Tennessee
Board of Regents' general education core is to ensure that college
students have the broad knowledge and skills to become life-long
learners in a global community that will continue to change. Because
courses in general education should emphasize breadth, they should
not be reduced in design to the skills, techniques, or procedures
associated with a specific occupation or profession. As a fundamental
element of the baccalaureate degree, essential for full completion
of all majors and minors, the general education core is included
in lower division courses , but universities may add general education
courses at the upper division as well.
General education provides critical
thinking skills for analysis to continue to seek truths, to discover
answers to questions, and to solve problems. Specifically, educated
people practice and are literate in the various methods of communication.
They recognize their place in the history, culture, and diverse
heritages of Tennessee, the United States, and the world. They
appreciate the web of commonality of all humans in a multicultural
world and are prepared for the responsibilities of an engaged citizenship.
They recognize the ethical demands of our common lives. They demonstrate
the skills and knowledge of the social and behavioral sciences
to analyze their contemporary world. They are familiar with the
history and aesthetics of the fine arts. They understand and practice
the scientific and mathematical view of the world.
Finally, Tennessee's general education
core provides for its citizens the means to make a better living.
It also, perhaps
above all, enables its citizens to
make a better life.
The new lower division general education
core will replace the current TBR 32 hour minimum degree requirement.
Each category is
defined by a goal and learning outcomes. In order to satisfy a
general education category requirement the institution must be
able to document that the required minimum number of learning outcomes
for a specific category are met by the selected course(s).
General education course work is designed
to provide a foundation and a context in which upper division learning
and work in the major take place. It is the general education component
that gives the college degree integrity and distinguishes it from
a credential. The SACS Criteria for 2004 (Principles of Accreditation)
stipulate that the courses in a general education program “do
not narrowly focus on those skills, techniques, and procedures
specific to a particular occupation or profession.” Consequently,
general education courses are not deliberately designed to meet
pre-major requirements or to support solely the needs of a specific
major or program. Institutions may wish to include such more narrowly
focused courses in a separate pre-major, liberal studies component.
The goals and objectives for each TBR general education
category give clear indication of the criteria which general education
courses must meet. The following summaries per category are designed
to clarify what is and what is not an appropriate or acceptable
general education course.
General Education Outcomes for Communication
Goal: The goal of the Communication requirement
is to enhance the effective use of the English language essential
to students' success in school and in the world by way of learning
to read and listen critically and to write and speak thoughtfully,
clearly, coherently, and persuasively.
Learning Outcomes
Students will demonstrate the ability to…..
1. Analyze and evaluate oral and/or written expression
by listening and reading critically for elements that reflect
an awareness
of situation, audience, purpose, and diverse points of view.
2. Distill a primary purpose into a single, compelling statement
and order and develop major points in a reasonable and convincing
manner based on that purpose.
3. Develop appropriate rhetorical patterns (i.e. narration, example,
process, comparison/contrast, classification, cause/effect, definition,
argumentation) and other special functions (i.e., analysis or
research), while demonstrating writing and/or speaking skills
from process to product.
4. Understand that the writing and/or speaking processes include
procedures such as planning, organizing, composing, revising,
and editing.
5. Make written and/or oral presentations employing correct diction,
syntax, usage, grammar, and mechanics.
6. Manage and coordinate basic information gathered from multiple
sources for the purposes of problem solving and decision-making.
7. Recognize the use of evidence, analysis, and persuasive strategies,
including basic distinctions among opinions, facts, and inferences.
For the purpose of the Communication requirement, courses will
come from such areas as English composition, oral presentational
communication, and other areas emphasizing communicating to an
audience. This requirement does not include course work in areas
such as writing intensive courses in disciplines like literature,
history, or philosophy.
All learning outcomes must be satisfied by any
course(s) in this category.
General Education Outcomes for Humanities and/or
Fine Arts
Goal: The goal of the Humanities and/or Fine Arts
requirement is to enhance the understanding of students who,
as citizens and educated members of their communities, need to
know and appreciate their own human cultural heritage and its
development in a historical and global context. Also, through
study of Humanities and/or Fine Arts, students will develop an
understanding, which they otherwise would not have, of the present
as informed by the past.
Students will demonstrate the ability to…..
1. Analyze significant primary texts and works
of art, ancient, pre-modern, and modern, as forms of cultural
and creative expression.
2. Explain the ways in which humanistic and/or artistic expression
throughout the ages expresses the culture and values of its time
and place.
3. Explore global/cultural diversity.
4. Frame a comparative context through which they can critically
assess the ideas, forces, and values that have created the modern
world.
5. Recognize the ways in which both change and continuity have
affected human history.
6. Practice the critical and analytical methodologies of the
Humanities and/or Fine Arts.
For the purposes of Humanities and/or Fine Arts requirement,
courses will come from the areas of Art, Dance, Literature, Philosophy,
Music, Theatre, and those offerings from other disciplines that
also include, among other criteria, analytical study of primary
texts and/or works of art as forms of cultural and creative expression.
This requirement does not include work in areas such as studio
and performance courses or courses that are primarily skills
oriented.
Course(s) satisfying this category must meet four
(4) or more of the learning outcomes.
General Education Outcomes for Social/Behavioral Sciences
Goal: The goal of the Social/Behavioral Sciences requirement
is (a) to develop in the student an understanding of self and
the world by examining the content and processes used by social
and behavioral sciences to discover, describe, explain, and predict
human behavior and social systems; (b) to enhance knowledge of
social and cultural institutions and the values of this society
and other societies and cultures in the world; and (c) to understand
the interdependent nature of the individual, family, and society
in shaping human behavior and determining quality of life.
Learning Outcomes
Students will demonstrate the ability to…..
1. Recognize,
describe, and explain social institutions, structures, and
processes and the complexities of a global culture and diverse
society.
2. Think critically about how individuals are influenced by
political, geographic, economic, cultural, and family institutions
in their
own and other diverse cultures and explain how one's own belief
system may differ from others.
3. Explore the relationship between the individual and society
as it affects the personal behavior, social development and
quality of life of the individual, the family and the community.
4. Examine the impact of behavioral and social scientific research
on major contemporary issues and their disciplines' effects
on individuals and society.5. Using the most appropriate principles,
methods, and technologies, perceptively and objectively gather,
analyze, and present social and behavioral science research
data,
draw logical conclusions, and apply those conclusions to one's
life and society.
6. Take ethical stands based on appropriate research in the
social and behavioral sciences.
7. Analyze and communicate the
values
and processes that are used to formulate theories regarding
the social context of individual human behavior in the social
and
behavioral sciences.
For the purposes of the Social/Behavioral Sciences requirement,
courses will be expected from areas such as anthropology, economics,
geography, psychology, political science, and sociology. One
course in health/wellness may be included in this category.
Course(s) satisfying this category must meet four (4) or more
of the learning outcomes.
General Education Outcomes for History
Goal: The goal of the History requirement
is to develop in students an understanding of the present that
is informed by an awareness of past heritages, including the
complex and interdependent relationships between cultures and
societies.
Learning Outcomes
Students will demonstrate the ability to…..
1. Analyze historical facts and interpretations.
2. Analyze and compare political, geographic, economic, social,
cultural, religious and intellectual institutions, structures,
and processes across a range of historical periods and cultures.
3. Recognize and articulate the diversity of human experience
across a range of historical periods and the complexities of
a global culture and society.
4. Draw on historical perspective to evaluate contemporary problems/issues.
5. Analyze the contributions of past cultures/societies
to the contemporary world.
For universities: Two courses in American History
are required for all degree programs not exempted from Chapter
767 of the Public Acts of 1974. Tennessee History (HIST 2030)
may substitute for one semester of American History.
For community colleges: Two Courses in history
are required, to be selected from Western Civilization or World
Civilization
or World History or American History (HIST 2030 may substitute
for one semester of American History). Students at community
colleges should take the history courses appropriate for their
intended majors at the receiving institution.
All learning outcomes must be satisfied by any
course(s) in this category.
General Education Outcomes for Natural Sciences
Goal: Issues in today's world require
scientific information and a scientific approach to informed
decision making. Therefore, the goal of the Natural Science requirement
is to guide students toward becoming scientifically literate.
This scientific understanding gained in these courses enhances
students' ability to define and solve problems, reason with an
open mind, think critically and creatively, suspend judgment,
and make decisions that may have local or global significance.
Learning Outcomes
Students will demonstrate the
ability to…..
1. Conduct an experiment, collect and analyze data,
and interpret results in a laboratory setting.
2. Analyze, evaluate and test a scientific hypothesis.
3. Use basic scientific language and processes, and be able to
distinguish between scientific and non-scientific explanations.
4. Identify unifying principles and repeatable patterns in nature,
the values of natural diversity, and apply them to problems or
issues of a scientific nature.
5. Analyze and discuss the impact of scientific discovery on
human thought and behavior.
For the purposes of Natural Science, courses will
come from areas such as astronomy, biology, chemistry, physics,
geology, and interdisciplinary studies in science. A significant
laboratory experience is required. Courses that are narrowly
focused and those introductory or foundational science courses
designed primarily as prerequisites or foundational experiences
leading to a major in professional science areas are not eligible
for inclusion.
All learning outcomes must be satisfied by any
course(s) in this category.
General Education Outcomes for Mathematics
Goal: To expand students' understanding
of mathematics beyond the entry level requirements for college
and to extend their knowledge of mathematics through relevant
mathematical modeling with applications, problem solving, critical
thinking skills, and the use of appropriate technologies.
Learning Outcomes
Students will demonstrate the
ability to…..
1. Build on (not replicate) the competencies gained
through the study of two years of high school algebra and one
year of high school geometry.
2. Use mathematics to solve problems and determine if the solutions
are reasonable.
3. Use mathematics to model real world behaviors and apply mathematical
concepts to the solution of real-life problems.
4. Make meaningful connections between mathematics and other
disciplines.
5. Use technology for mathematical reasoning and problem solving.
6. Apply mathematical and/or basic statistical reasoning to analyze
data and graphs.
For the purposes of the mathematics requirement
courses should extend the students' understanding beyond the
competencies of high school Algebra II. Any course that meets
the general education requirement must satisfy all of the learning
outcomes for the goal. Students at the community college level
are encouraged to take the math course appropriate for their
intended major at the receiving institution.
All learning outcomes must be satisfied by any
course(s) in this category.
Principles of Administration and Accountability for the General
Education Program
Administration of the General Education
Program
A General Education Committee will be
established at each institution. The purpose of this committee
will be to monitor internally all courses within the General
Education Program and ensure that the courses satisfy the goals
and learning outcomes for each category established by the General
Education requirements. This Committee will represent the faculty
as a whole, not disciplines or departments, and will report directly
to the chief academic officer. Responsibilities of the committee
will include:
