General Education Syllabus Requirements & Guidelines
Every syllabus for a General Education course must fully conform to the UF syllabus policy and also include the following seven items:
- A link to verbatim statement of the General Education Objectives for the relevant subject area(s).
- The course description from the UF catalog that clearly addresses not only course-specific content but also General Education content for courses that offer General Education credit. For new or updated catalog descriptions, the course description must be written using standard style approved for use with the Catalog. This style currently makes use of sentence fragments, omitting such phrases as "This course will..." or "We will..." The best descriptions are either single or a combination of:
- Noun phrases (*preferred): "Introduction to...", "Examination of...", "Theory and method in...", etc.
- Verb phrases: "Explores...", "Introduces...", etc.
- Adjective phrases: "Designed to equip students with...", "For students with...", etc.
- Course goals / objectives / outcomes that clearly address not only course-specific goals but also the General Education area objectives. A course goal, objective, or outcome describes what a faculty member will cover in a course. they are generally more broad than student learning outcomes. Examples of course objectives include:
- Students will study the production of food in the U.S.
- Students will study the distribution network of food in the U.S.
- A description, list or table of course-specific Student Learning Objectives/Outcomes (SLOs), separate from the course objectives mentioned above, that outline the general knowledge (content) and skills (critical thinking & communication) students can expect to acquire through successful completion of the course, and the assignments through which each SLO will be assessed.
- Student Learning Outcomes are a detailed description of what a student must be able to do at the conclusion of a course. Use verbs that are measurable or that describe an observable action. The best outcomes will include a description of the conditions ("when given x, you will be able to...").
- NOTE: State Core General Education courses must include the SLOs approved by the state general education discipline committees. These SLOs can be found here: State Gen Ed Core - Undergraduate Affairs - University of Florida
- Examples of SLOs include:
- "At the conclusion of this course, students will be able to summarize the scope and source of food waste in the U.S."
- "At the conclusion of this course, students will be able to identify institutions that focus on reduction of food waste within the local community"
- The following statement, preferably near the grading rubric for the course: "A minimum grade of C is required for general education credit."
- A weekly course schedule that includes sufficient detail for the General Education Committee to determine the appropriateness of the requested general education classification(s). This should include topics or themes, a brief summary of the content, assigned materials, other assignments, due dates, assessments. Each mandatory assignment should include reading lengths / word counts / page counts (assigned readings) and length (assigned multimedia / audio-visual items). Video lengths are recorded length; they do not need to include time for students to pause to answer embedded questions, etc.
- General Education designations(s) stated in the syllabus.
If the course carries an International designation (N) the syllabus must demonstrate that a majority of the course addresses international content and engagement; it should be a substantial, defining feature of the course.
- International courses should have significant touchstones to relate to current world (should be comparative to current world) in order to be contemporary.
- These courses should clearly demonstrate how self-reflection is incorporated.
For courses that count towards the University Writing Requirement, please see the specific syllabus requirements below.
Courses that Count towards the University Writing Requirement: Required Syllabus Items
Courses that request to count towards the University Writing Requirement for 2,000, 4,000, or 6,000 words, must include these items:
- The following statements:
- "The Writing Requirement (WR) ensures students both maintain their fluency in writing and use writing as a tool to facilitate learning."
- "Course grades have two components. To receive writing requirement credit, a student must receive a grade of C or higher and a satisfactory completion of the writing component of the course."
- The syllabus must also include the following:
- A statement or statements indicating that the instructor will evaluate and provide feedback on all of the student's written assignments with respect to grammar, punctuation, clarity, coherence, and organization.
- Assignment word counts and submission deadlines.
- A writing assessment rubric or detailed explanation of the evaluation criteria for written documents.
- Information on, or a link to, the University's Writing Studio: http://www.writing.ufl.edu/
- A required or recommended writing or style manual.
- Additionally, the syllabus must clearly show that the course meets the writing requirement to:
- Evaluate [2,000 / 4,000 / 6,000] written words in assignments during the semester (This must be done through GEC approved assignments. Full list and explanation here: Criteria for Graded Assignments).
- Provide all feedback on assignments by the end of the course.
- Inclusion of the following syllabus item is strongly encouraged:
- Recommended website(s) for writing support.
For more information regarding UF syllabus policies that pertain to the General Education Program, including Quest-specific requirements, please refer to the UF General Education Audit information page.
Undergraduate Affairs