Accreditation Requirements and Best Practices for General Education

A 2020 review of ATU's general education program by the Arkansas Department of Higher Education suggested that our process begin with rethinking general education "less as a collection of courses that teaches content" and more as "a cohesive program of transferrable skills." Course work rather than the course as a whole needs to be aligned with learning outcomes and a coherent, clearly articulated, general education rationale.

Higher Learning Commission guidelines for general education include additional requirements that must be addressed:

      3.B. The institution offers programs that engage students in collecting, analyzing and communicating information; in mastering modes of intellectual inquiry or creative work; and in developing skills adaptable to changing environments.

1. The general education program is appropriate to the mission, educational offerings, and degree levels of the institution. The institution articulates the purposes, content and intended learning outcomes of its undergraduate general education requirements.
2. The program of general education is grounded in a philosophy or framework developed by the institution or adopted from an established framework. It imparts broad knowledge and intellectual concepts to students and develops skills and attitudes that the institution believes every college-educated person should possess
3. The education offered by the institution recognizes the human and cultural diversity and provides students with growth opportunities and lifelong skills to live and work in a multi-cultural world.
4. The faculty and students contribute to scholarship, creative work, and the discovery of knowledge to the extent appropriate to their offerings and the institution’s mission.

HLC best practice guidelines for general education additionally recommend the following:

1. A general education program that continues in some way throughout the student's undergraduate career
2. A general education capstone in the senior year
3. Goals that appear as markers in specific courses.

The Association for General and Liberal Studies Exemplary General Education Awards standards advocate moving away from the view of education as a simple act of passing a static body of knowledge from faculty to students.  Great general education programs make a commitment to a set of collectively-practiced, ongoing activities:

• Making institutional choices about the most important goals for student learning and defining the learning in terms of desired outcomes;
  
  
• Developing a shared faculty commitment to actions such as high impact, active learning strategies and faculty development designed to increase student achievement;
  
  
• Making informed judgments about student achievement and the impact of various general education program support processes; and
  
  
• Ensuring continuous improvements in the educational program.

Programs undergoing recent general education reviews also report initiatives for process transparency, professional development, co-curricular experiences, alternative paths for transfer students, and establishing goals that meet the needs of a changing world.

Finally, the general education curriculum must adhere to ATU's institutional mission: "ATU is dedicated to student success, access, and excellence as a responsive campus community providing opportunities for progressive intellectual development and civic engagement. Embracing and expanding upon its technological traditions, Tech inspires and empowers members of the community to achieve their goals while striving for the betterment of Arkansas, the nation, and the world."