James Madison UniversityGeneral Education Program
Q: What is General Education?A: The foundation program for all students
Liberal artsLiberal arts Basic skillsBasic skills Establishes lifelong learningEstablishes lifelong learning Provides breadth of study in broad areas Provides breadth of study in broad areas
of human knowledgeof human knowledge Opportunity for students to explore Opportunity for students to explore
individual interestsindividual interests
Supporting the JMU Mission:
A liberal education for all studentsA liberal education for all students The integration of liberal education intoThe integration of liberal education into
the university curriculumthe university curriculum Learning experiences that provide students Learning experiences that provide students
with a global consciousness in a rapidly with a global consciousness in a rapidly changing and technologically oriented changing and technologically oriented worldworld
The General Education Mission:
To graduate informed citizens, well prepared to participate To graduate informed citizens, well prepared to participate in public lifein public life
To provide students with critical skills in reasoning, To provide students with critical skills in reasoning, communication, and technologycommunication, and technology
To introduce students to core areas of knowledge central to To introduce students to core areas of knowledge central to the history of western civilization, including interactions the history of western civilization, including interactions with the global communitywith the global community
To invite students to know themselves and to consider the To invite students to know themselves and to consider the connections between values and behaviorconnections between values and behavior
The Value of a Liberal Education:
Knowing how to learnKnowing how to learn The ability to analyze and synthesize The ability to analyze and synthesize
information and ideasinformation and ideas Flexibility and creativityFlexibility and creativity Critical thinking and problem-solving skillsCritical thinking and problem-solving skills Written and oral communication skillsWritten and oral communication skills Understanding that crosses historical periods Understanding that crosses historical periods
and cultural differencesand cultural differences
General Education:The Human Community
Cluster One: Cluster One: Skills for the 21st CenturySkills for the 21st Century Cluster Two: Cluster Two: Arts and HumanitiesArts and Humanities Cluster Three: The Natural WorldCluster Three: The Natural World Cluster Four: Cluster Four: Social and CulturalSocial and Cultural
ProcessesProcesses Cluster Five: Cluster Five: The Individual in the The Individual in the
Human CommunityHuman Community
Cluster One:Skills for the 21st Century
Written communicationWritten communication Oral communicationOral communication
Critical thinkingCritical thinking
Communication through technologyCommunication through technology
Information retrievalInformation retrieval
Cluster Two: Arts and Humanities
Fine artsFine arts Literature Literature
Cultural and intellectual historyCultural and intellectual history Philosophy and religion in a historical Philosophy and religion in a historical
contextcontext
Cluster Three:The Natural World
MathematicsMathematics Quantitative skillsQuantitative skills Scientific literacyScientific literacy Experiential learning in the sciencesExperiential learning in the sciences
Cluster Four: Social and Cultural Processes
American and global perspectivesAmerican and global perspectives PoliticsPolitics EconomicsEconomics Societies and institutionsSocieties and institutions Social historySocial history
Cluster Five: The Individual in the Human Community
Health and wellnessHealth and wellness PsychologyPsychology Human behaviorHuman behavior Personal responsibilityPersonal responsibility
Cluster One Packages
A: Effective ArgumentsA: Effective Arguments
B: Critical Skills in the World of BusinessB: Critical Skills in the World of Business
C: Not available 1999-2000C: Not available 1999-2000
D: Critical Skills and Historical InquiryD: Critical Skills and Historical Inquiry
E: Media Literacy and CommunicationE: Media Literacy and Communication
Cluster One: Package E
Media Literacy and CommunicationMedia Literacy and Communication
GCOM 121E--Basic HumanGCOM 121E--Basic Human
CommunicationCommunication GENG 102E--Reading and CompositionGENG 102E--Reading and Composition GMAD 150E--Mediated Communication: GMAD 150E--Mediated Communication:
Issues and Skills Issues and Skills
How do we know if we’re doing a good job?
Program assessmentProgram assessment Pre-tests and post-tests in all five clustersPre-tests and post-tests in all five clusters Student performance on national testsStudent performance on national tests Portfolio assessment of writingPortfolio assessment of writing
Competency testingCompetency testing Basic technology skills (Tech 1)Basic technology skills (Tech 1) Information-Seeking Skills TestInformation-Seeking Skills Test
General Guidelines
One package in each clusterOne package in each cluster Cluster One (Skills) is freshman yearCluster One (Skills) is freshman year Cluster Three (Math and Science) by the end of Cluster Three (Math and Science) by the end of
sophomore yearsophomore year Other clusters sequenced through student’s Other clusters sequenced through student’s
educational careereducational career Consult academic advisor about relation to major Consult academic advisor about relation to major
requirementsrequirements
General Education:The Human Community
For more information:For more information:Visit our website at Visit our website at http://www.jmu.edu/genedhttp://www.jmu.edu/genedCall us at (540) 568-2852Call us at (540) 568-2852Email us at [email protected] us at [email protected]
General Education is every student’s opportunity to enter into the learning community,
explore the world of knowledge, and prepare for the 21st century.