This checklist will help instructors of WSU General Education courses with Life Sciences (LS) and LS/CC attributes to design a course syllabus that includes critical information about the General Education program.

 

Key Course Information

• Name of Course, with Gen Ed attributes specified (i.e., LS, LS & CC)
• Name of faculty member, meeting place and meeting time if F2F
• Contact info: office location, student hours, phone, email, faculty website link
• List of required texts
• Provide the catalog course description
• Clearly outline the scope and focus of the class with course objectives
• Check with your department/program chair and the Center for Excellence in Teaching & Learning for additional information and policies to be included in your syllabus, including:
  • Attendance policies
  • Plagiarism, academic honesty, and AI policies
  • ADA policies & statement
  • Core beliefs statement
  • Professionalism and Respect statement
  • Inclusivity statement
  • FERPA Rights
  • Student Responsibilities
  • Recording policies

Big Question and Signature Assignment:

• State the “Big Question” (BQ) of your Gen Ed course.
• Describe the Signature Assignment (SA) for your Gen Ed course. Examples can be found in the eWeber portal app titled, Signature Assignment samples.
  Include and modify this language to inform students of the BQ and SA in your Gen Ed course.
  This course is part of the WSU General Education program. GE courses introduce students to academic disciplines through important “big questions” (BQ). At their core, “big questions” provide students the opportunity to integrate and apply their knowledge of the discipline to address a significant, personal, social, or professional issue. GE courses also introduce students to underlying foundational knowledge and intellectual tools that run through all academic areas and are part of the ongoing preparation to address real world problems.
  All WSU General Education courses have “signature assignments” (SA) that require you to integrate and apply course content to address a big question with, for instance, critical or creative thinking, problem solving, or analysis. Signature assignments 1) will address a specific audience, 2) will tackle personal, social, or a professional question or issue, and 3) will integrate and apply course content through the use of 4) intellectual tools. You are enrolled in the WSU General Education course _______________ which is designed to tackle the following big question (BQ)____________________________ through the signature assignment (SA)____________________________. Please see ______ for more detailed information about the signature assignment for this course.
   
• Name your SA in the Canvas Gradebook as “Signature Assignment”
  The words “Signature Assignment” must be in the assignment title - not merely in the description of the SA, or on the syllabus. The actual assignment title should be something like “Signature Assignment,” “Final Paper (Signature Assignment)” or “Signature Assignment: Final Paper”. The General Education program cannot assess courses unless the Signature Assignment is labelled as such in the Canvas assignment title.

Life Sciences (LS) Area Learning Outcomes (LOs)

• List the five Life Sciences Learning Outcomes (LOs):
  Upon successful completion of the General Education Life Sciences requirement, students will be able to:

  1. Nature of Science: Describe and apply approaches to scientific discovery and interpretation of experimental data;

  2. Metabolism and Ecology: Demonstrate understanding of matter, energy, and their influence on biological systems;

  3. Evolution and Inheritance: Describe and apply evolutionary concepts in terms of inheritance, adaptation, and diversity of life;

  4. Genetics and Expression: Explain the mechanisms of information storage, expression, and exchange in living organisms; and

  5. Science and Society: Reflect on the relevance of life sciences in a broader context.

• Write the relevant Life Sciences (LS) LO(s) next to the aligned course assignment(s).

IF APPLICABLE...Cultural Competence (CC) Area Learning Outcomes (LOs)

• List the three CC Learning Outcomes (LOs):
  Upon successful completion of the General Education Cultural Competence requirement, students will be able to
  1. Evaluate their own perspective as one among many
  2. Analyze the ways in which biases or values influence and/or have influenced the structures, policies, practices, norms, or perspectives often assumed to be neutral.
  3. Apply diverse perspectives to complex subjects in the face of multiple or conflicting positions, in accordance with their sense of personal and civic responsiblility.
• Write the relevant CC LO(s) next to the aligned course assignment(s).