Process for Submitting a Course for GE Designation

PLANNING TIMELINE FOR GEP COURSE APPROVALS^**

^**Allow up to one year for the entire process

STEP 1: DEPARTMENT APPROVALS AND CREDENTIALING

1. Establish need for category courses
   • The instructor or department/division chair must first consult with the Associate Dean of General Education and Honors to see if there is a need for additional courses in this category prior to seeking GEP status for a course.
2. Instructor credentialling
   • ​​​​​​​The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) requires that any instructor have appropriate credentials to teach in any general education category. The General Education Committee (GEC) does not review transcripts/set credentialing guidelines; rather, it sets guidelines that are reviewed by appropriate administration. That process requires that Instructor Qualification forms and graduate transcripts be sent to the Associate Dean of General Education and Honors.
   • To find relevant Instructor Qualification forms, please visit the GEC website or click here: https://www.uwsp.edu/gep/Pages/Forms.aspx.
3. GEP Course Category Application form
   • The instructor completes the relevant General Education Program (GEP) Course Category Application form as thoroughly as possible. It is strongly advised that departments/instructors consult with the GEP Category Representative (add link here) for feedback while preparing the forms if they are unfamiliar with the process.
   • Once the department/division/unit has voted to proceed with a particular curriculum proposal, it is forwarded to their respective Dean's Office for review and signature.

STEP 2: GENERAL EDUCATION COMMITTEE CHAIR

The signed proposal is then sent from the Dean's office directly to the GEC Chair for review.

Once the Associate Dean of General Education and Honors determines the instructor(s) is(are) qualified to teach in that category, and the GEC Chair has received the completed GEP Course Application forms, the GEC Chair sends the signed forms to the GEP category representative of the committee so they can look at the learning outcomes, alignment, and provide any additional feedback before it goes to the full committee.

STEP 3: FORMS GO TO FULL COMMITTEE

Once the category representative of the GEC has given feedback on the proposed course(s), the GEC Chair will put the application(s) on a future agenda. The application may not appear immediately on the next agenda. The Chair will place proposals on the agenda in the order they are received and if other items do not take priority. Please refer to the deadlines for submissions at the top and below.

The GEC Chair will invite the instructor and department/unit chair to the meeting for general questions.
The category representative will present a short summary to the committee regarding the proposal they have vetted.

STEP 4: RATIFIED THROUGH COMMON COUNCIL

It is the purview of the GEC to approve a course for GEP status, but all governance changes still require Common Council and Chancellor approval. New courses will also need approval of the Curriculum Committee, please plan accordingly. General Education items go to Common Council as information items. If Councilors wish to make these action items and vote on individual proposals, that is the discretion of members of Common Council.

STEP 5: CHANCELLOR'S SIGNATURE

All curricular and governance changes must be signed by the Chancellor prior to being listed in the Timetable. Common Council will forward ratified curricula to the Chancellor's Office.

STEP 6: TIMETABLE

The Fall timetable is published the second Friday in February and the Spring Timetable is published the first Friday in October. For a course to be included in an upcoming Timetable it must be signed by the Chancellor and sent to Registration no later than two weeks prior to publication. It may take up to one year for all planning and approvals.

In order to guarantee that a course gets a GEP designation on the Fall Timetable:

• The course must be approved by the GEC by the end of October.
• The course must be approved by Common Council in November.
• The course must be signed by the Chancellor in December.

In order to guarantee that a course gets a GEP designation on the Spring Timetable:

• The course must be approved by the GEC by the end of March.
• The course must be approved by Common Council in April.
• The course must be signed by the Chancellor in May.