MIDDLE STATES REPORT

The July 1998 Middle States Association Accreditation report had this to say about the process then being used to approve General Education at Kutztown University:

"A specific area in which we found confusion was general education. Whereas the contract and the flow chart shared with us for approval of courses within a department or major exclude consideration by the University Senate, the proposed general education program has been reviewed by that body, as well as the University Curriculum Committee. As of the team's visit, the decision of the Curriculum Committee was headed back to the Senate for reconsideration. If a decision were made to include in the general education program writing across the curriculum, multicultural studies across the curriculum, computer literacy across the curriculum, internationalism, etc., as some faculty advocate, it is rot clear who would be responsible for assuring that the curriculum is in compliance with those mandates. Given the fact that there are different approaches to curricular matters, it is little wonder that governance at times seems very confusing to members of the campus community, as well as frustrating because approval processes take so long."

That report also urged us to continue our efforts to revise General Education, and even went so far as to suggest some universal goals for General Education:

"General Education has been the focus of continuing discussion at the University for the last ten years. Despite this substantial commitment of time and effort, there is little consensus regarding general education and no assessment of whether it is accomplishing its stated goals. A number of issues have arisen in these on-going discussions, but remain unresolved. Among those issues are the role of multiculturalism in the curriculum, an acknowledged weakness in student writing skills, and the absence of an information literacy component

"Whatever the content, general education should be a vehicle for increasing the ability of students to communicate, to acquire mathematical and computer literacy, and to live and work productively in a multicultural world. We urge the campus to continue its efforts to resolve differences of opinion, move forward, and give attention to outcome assessment of general education, whatever the content. Other observations about the General Education program have been stated in the earlier section of this report on Governance."

---

The Middle States Commission is very specific about its expectations for General Education at the institutions it accredits. "Standard 12" of Characteristics of Excellence in Higher Education details those expectations:

"Relative to this standard, an accredited institution is characterized by:

• a program of general education of sufficient scope to enhance students’ intellectual growth, and equivalent to at least 15 semester hours for associate degree programs and 30 semester hours for baccalaureate programs; (An institution also may demonstrate how an alternative approach fulfills the intent of this fundamental element.)
• a program of general education where the skills and abilities developed in general education are applied in the major or study in depth;
• consistent with institutional mission, a program of general education that incorporates study of values, ethics, and diverse perspectives;
• general education requirements assuring that, upon degree completion, students are proficient in oral and written communication, scientific and quantitative reasoning, technological capabilities appropriate to the discipline, and information literacy, which includes critical analysis and reasoning;
• general education requirements clearly and accurately described in official publications of the institution; and
• assessment of general education outcomes within the institution’s overall plan for assessing student learning, and evidence that such assessment results are utilized for curricular improvement."

For the complete text of "Standard 12," click on the link below.