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Goals
for General Education
at West Chester University
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A Guide to the General Education Program For All Students |
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Goals of the West Chester University Program of General Education Welcome to West Chester University of Pennsylvania. Eager to find out what you’ll be learning? Start by taking a few minutes to familiarize yourself with the goals of general education here at WCU. No matter what your major is, it’s information you’ll want to know. Like all WCU students, you are required to take courses, called general education requirements, to provide you with a broad, encompassing liberal arts background. WCU believes its graduates should be well-rounded individuals as well as be prepared to enter the workforce in a chosen profession. As a result, these general education requirements, along with courses in your major, electives, and extracurricular activities, will provide a solid foundation for all programs of study taught at the University. Our goal, then, is to build on this general foundation and, after four years at WCU, enable you to succeed in the workplace, function as educated citizens, and live productive personal lives. To help you accomplish this, we have created goals for general education. Since faculty design and teach courses with these goals in mind, each general education course meets several of them. In addition, campus activities planned for and by students reflect the goals. |
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Why are these goals important to me?
The ability to communicate effectively is of primary value in the professional world and, as you grow in this ability, you will discover you can work more effectively in your classes and in your social life. Ability to understand numbers, too, is a skill that will help you in many settings.
As you recognize your critical thinking abilities, you will be better able to analyze and make sense of the world. You will become more aware of the difference between opinions and facts and better able to understand issues of importance to you. Scientific education will help you to observe carefully and test those observations. Literature, the arts, philosophy, and history will help you to think about values and develop your appreciation. Through the social sciences you will see life from other perspectives. Because we also live in a global society, you will want to understand the forms of diversity and the effects of different philosophies and cultures on your life and that of your family.
Finally, the goals remind you that your general education courses are sources of knowledge, but that they also help you learn to think and act productively. In the various courses and through co-curricular activities, you will learn to work independently and in groups, discover how to care for your physical and mental health properly, organize your time effectively, plan and carry out projects, and recognize your rights, responsibilities, and privileges as a citizen. We also believe you will learn to be open to new ideas and consistently develop and sustain new intellectual, artistic, or cultural interests.
I am a transfer student. What does general education mean to me?
You may have fulfilled your WCU general education requirements through the Academic Passport. If so, you will not be required to participate in the general education curriculum at WCU. However, some upper-level courses do have general education courses as prerequisites. Check with the Registrar’s Office and with your adviser. Because the goals also are reflected in WCU’s co-curricular program, they will be reflected in your campus life as well.
How will I recognize the goals in my classes?
The syllabus for each general education course mentions which goals the instructor sees as particularly important to his/her course. The syllabus also will tell you how the instructor hopes to apply these goals to the course work. For example, your history professor may tell you how the culture that immigrants brought with them to America affected their lives here and may ask you to write an essay discussing the cultural clash that occurred. You may be asked to reflect on your family’s historical past. That course work, then, will help you become more aware of diversity as you exercise your analytical abilities and your writing skills.
Do I have a responsibility concerning the goals?
The more you use the knowledge and skills you are developing in your course work and other activities-
-by discussing topics with friends and parents, by practicing your creative abilities, by helping classmates--the more you are interacting with the goals and making them a part of your life. Your education truly requires your participation! It does not just happen to you.You may wish to discuss the goals with your instructor and ask for additional help, if necessary. You might want to reflect on aspects of the goals that are most interesting to you or that you may wish to practice more. Consider asking your adviser for other courses and/or activities that will help you develop abilities consistent with those particular goals.
How are the goals evaluated at WCU?
Since WCU can only learn about the goals through regular student learning outcome assessment, you can help the University by participating in assessment activities when you are asked to do so.
Assessment is done in general education at the individual course level, at the 64-credit level, and at the graduation level. A number of measures may be used, including special essays, surveys, work done by students for classes, and interviews.
The purpose of this assessment is to improve general education. By participating, you help those who will follow you.
Philosophy of General Education Program at West Chester University
At West Chester University, the general education program is designed to provide students with the knowledge and perspectives as well as specific compet
encies necessary to them as citizens of the state and of the world. We believe that a liberal educational base will prepare students to think and communicate as professionals, to understand social and global contexts of their lives, to transfer knowledge and skills from one setting and career to another, to recognize ethical implications of professional practice, and to balance the various dimensions of their personal and professional lives.The courses our students take in general education, however, cannot stand alone. Rather, we intend that they will be integrated with other parts of the curriculum and college experiences so that a degree from West Chester University represents attention to academic and social, work, and private lives.
In combination with the students’ total academic programs and co-curricular activities, the general education program is directed at producing graduates who are able to (1) communicate effectively; (2) employ quantitative concepts and mathematical methods; (3) think critically and analytically; (4) demonstrate the sensibilities, understandings, and persp
ectives of a person educated in the liberal arts tradition; (5) respond thoughtfully to diversity; (6) make informed value decisions and ethical choices, and (7) lead productive and contributing lives.The West Chester University Mission Statement reminds us that "[a]s a university owned by the citizens of Pennsylvania, we value our m
ission to provide the best educational opportunities possible which will enable the University community to successfully address the concerns of a global society…."