The Office of the Provost provides campus-wide leadership in undergraduate education and administers the general education policy that has been enacted by the campus Senate. To contact the Office of the Provost with any questions related to General Education coursework, please email genedboard@illinois.edu.
Senate General Education Policies and Guidelines
- Senate Committee on Educational Policy Proposal for Revision of Undergraduate General Education Requirements (EP.89.09)
- Senate General Education Policy – The UIUC Senate adopted a revised set of general education requirements in 2016 (EP16.80) and made provisions for a campus-wide General Education Board to implement the requirements.
General Education Procedural and Advisory Information
- General Education Learning Outcomes – This website includes information about General Education Assessment, including the specific Learning Outcomes for the General Education Categories
- General Education Course Feedback Forms – General Education Board members use feedback forms to determine whether course submissions meet the requirements of general education categories. These feedback forms are provided here to clarify the review process and give guidance to applicants. We encourage applicants to review the relevant feedback form(s) prior to submitting their course information for review. Note that all general education course reviews will include the All Gen Eds form, as well as the category specific form. Ensuring that your class meets all of the requirements for a general education course will facilitate the review process and increase the likelihood that your course will be approved.
- Proposing a Course for General Education Certification – General education certification can be sought for existing undergraduate courses. This is done as a course revision to the existing course. New courses must first be approved as a course, then the request for general education certification as a subsequent revision is submitted. Course Inventory Management (CIM C) system is used for proposals of new courses and for course revisions, and fields required for general education certification are within the CIM C form.
- New General Education course certifications require the upload of a syllabus. The course syllabus for all general education course proposals is to adhere to the format of the Campus Requirements for General Education Syllabi.
- At the bottom of the CIM C form, in the “Course Edits Proposed by:” field, please enter the sponsor information (first name, last name, net id/email) of the person whom the Gen Ed Board could communicate with if any questions arise during the review.
- In filling out the CIM C form, do not make any additional edits or input information into fields other than the Justification, General Education section, and Course Edits Proposed by sections. If your department or college requires the Course Detail section to be completed, that is acceptable. If there are other revisions being considered, please contact the Office of the Provost at bsnewell@illinois.edu.
- Every 10 years , courses with a general education certification will be reviewed and recertified. This is done as a course revision to the existing course in the CIM C system. The Office of the Provost will initiate the course revision and contact the course sponsor CIM Department Head and College contacts at least the summer prior for their courses that are due for recertification in the next academic year.
- General Education course recertifications require that two syllabi are attached – an example from a recent offering and one for an upcoming semester. The latter should use the format of the Campus Requirements for General Education Syllabi.
- At the bottom of the CIM C form, in the “Course Edits Proposed by:” field, please enter the sponsor information (first name, last name, net id/email) of the person whom the Gen Ed Board could communicate with if any questions arise during the review.
- In filling out the CIM C form, do not make any additional edits or input information into fields other than the Justification, General Education section, and Course Edits Proposed by sections. If your department or college requires the Course Detail section to be completed, that is acceptable. If there are other revisions being considered, please contact the Office of the Provost at bsnewell@illinois.edu.
- Recent examples of successful proposals – The General Education Board has identified several examples of successful proposals that can be reviewed.
Learn about the General Education Board.
General Education Course Offerings
The current Gen Ed policy sets expectations on Gen Ed course offerings:
- “General Education courses should be offered on a continuing and regular basis, though they need not be offered every year. Once approved, departments must agree to offer a General Education course for a minimum of three years on a regular basis (e.g., every semester or once a year).” (EP.17.74, Part I: 2.1)
- “Courses approved for General Education credit will be thoroughly reviewed and reapproved or disapproved on a regular basis as is determined to be the minimal amount of time feasible for careful reviews by the General Education Board.” (EP.17.74, Part I: 2.2)
Units are responsible for ensuring their Gen Ed offerings follow all Gen Ed guidelines, including offering courses on a continuing and regular basis. The Provost’s Office will monitor Gen Ed courses each semester and remove Gen Ed certification from inactive courses. Gen Ed courses are considered inactive if they do not meet one of the below criteria:
- Newly certified Gen Ed courses: Must be offered at least once a year for the first three years.
- All Gen Ed courses: Must be offered within the past three years (six academic terms plus three summer terms).
General Education Policy: Inactive Courses provides additional information about the policy, justification, and the process and implementation.
Contact Melissa Newell genedboard@illinois.edu with questions.