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General Education Transformation

Strengthening Learning for Student Success

A word cloud with the largest words being "General Education," surrounded by terms like collaboration, creativity, growth, knowledge, and critical thinking in white, red, and gray on a black background.

🎯 Project Focus: UNO’s General Education program plays a critical role in student success, retention, and workforce readiness. The General Education Transformation initiative will enhance the curriculum by integrating critical thinking, integrative learning, and community engagement into core courses. This initiative supports faculty in redesigning courses, establishing professional learning communities, and creating career-aligned pathways, ensuring that general education remains relevant, engaging, and impactful​.

💡 Why It Matters

  • General education is foundational to student success: These courses shape the first two years of college, impacting retention and graduation rates.
  • Employers value broad, transferable skills: Critical thinking, problem-solving, and ethical reasoning—core to general education—are among the top skills sought by employers.
  • Faculty support is key to curriculum transformation: Investing in faculty development ensures high-quality instruction and innovative course design.

🚀 Key Initiatives

  • Course Redesign & Faculty Support
    • Offers workshops to help faculty redesign general education courses.
    • Provides training on integrative learning, critical thinking, and distinct perspectives.
  • Professional Learning Community (PLC)
    • Creates a faculty network focused on teaching excellence, assessment, and student engagement.
    • Recognizes innovative teaching practices and collaborative course design.
  • Career-Aligned General Education Pathways
    • Develops interdisciplinary “pathways” that connect STEM and professional fields with the liberal arts.
    • Strengthens student preparation for complex, real-world challenges.

📈 Impact Goals

  • Increase student retention and graduation rates by making general education more engaging and career-relevant.
  • Improve workforce readiness by aligning core skills with employer expectations.
  • Enhance faculty development to support high-quality, innovative teaching.
  • Position UNO as a leader in general education reform and student success.