General Education Course Proposal

Instructors who wish for their courses to fulfill a General Education requirement must submit their course for approval through the CourseLeaf system.  Course forms can be initiated at any point during the year.  However, the various committees that review these courses only meet during the Fall and Winter semesters, in accordance with the contract.   

In evaluating whether and how a course should fulfill a General Education requirement, instructors and chairs should consider: 

• How new courses and course revisions will affect current students and the curriculum in general (i.e. which "effective term" is best) 

• What appropriate course levels for General Education courses should be - General Education designation is only possible for course numbers 0000-4999 

Navigating the Course Form 

The General Education section on the form is driven by course number, and it only appears for courses 0000-4999. 

The General Education section is the last section on the form (Click here for example)  

For new courses, users will see the question, "Are you requesting that this course be considered for General Education?" followed by a list of checkboxes for the various Gen Ed options. 

For existing courses, the form only includes the checkboxes.  

As soon as a box is checked, a new section opens below the form labeled "General Education." It includes a series of questions provided by the GEOC.  

Proposed courses should include a copy of the syllabus, which should include the General Education learning outcomes, by uploading it to the link provided in the course form. 

All of these sections must be completed in order for a course to be considered for General Education designation. 

Navigating the Approval Process 

Once you submit your course, it enters an approval workflow these are the different stages of approval within the University.  All courses submitted for General Education designation will include the following steps: 

• Department Chair (where applicable) 

• Dean's Office 

• Provost's office 

• GEOC (General Education Oversight Committee) 

Additional steps can be added to the workflow upon request. 

Individual schools and colleges may have additional review processes.  Consult your chair or Associate Dean for more information on college-level processes. 

During the review process, all users can visit the course form home page to view workflow progress.  Approvers should receive automated emails from the Course Records address with links to the proposal and the approver's approval queue.   

Your course proposal form may be returned to you at any point in the workflow.  Please check the comments and make necessary corrections before resubmitting the form. 

Courses that are approved will disappear from the system and enter the Undergraduate Bulletin.  If your course proposal form no longer appears in the CourseLeaf system, please check the Bulletin under the relevant General Education category. 

All questions about the form itself should be directed to courserecords@wayne.edu. 

All questions about General Education guidelines should be directed to gened@wayne.edu. 

GEOC Approval 

All courses approved by the GEOC must fulfill all of the learning outcomes for their relevant General Education category.   

In following its operating guidelines and definitions https://provost.wayne.edu/geocguidelinesdefinitions, GEOC members look for evidence of robust engagement with the learning outcomes in proposed syllabi.  Examples of evidence might include course readings, assignments, or in-class activities.   

When there are questions about a syllabus, the GEOC will reach out to chairs/instructors for clarification or return the syllabus with feedback.   

We are always happy to work with you or answer any questions.  Please contact us at gened@wayne.edu or contact one of the GEOC Co-Chairs.