Information for Faculty

Photo of five students sitting in a row in class

Information for Faculty

General Education Requirements 

  • Students entering NJCU from fall 2024 onwards follow the new General Education Program requirements.
  • Unless they migrate to the new program, student entering NJCU between fall 2021 and spring 2024 follow the curriculum first detailed in the 2021-2022 catalog.
  • Unless they migrate to the new program, students entering NJCU between fall 2015 and spring 2021 follow the curriculum detailed in the 2017-2018 catalog.

Student Learning Outcomes

  • Before fall 2024, every approved GE course, apart from Tier III courses, cover two student learning outcomes. From fall 2024 onwards, each course, including the newly renamed Capstones, cover one student learning outcome.
  • Instructors should a) plan a weekly course schedule that helps students achieve the outcome(s) covered by the course, and b) assign end-of-semester signature assignments that cover these outcomes. 
  • For the programs in existence before fall 2024, please review a simple description of the student learning outcomes.
  • The new General Education Program that will be in place from fall 2024 aligns with the General Education Foundation for NJ’s Community Programs, including the student learning goals in that program. The General Education Committee will develop NJCU specific learning objectives to achieve these goals as well as comparable material for Civic Engagement and Integrative Learning. The Committee will continue to use the AAC&U Value Rubrics, where available, to assess students’ learning and develop new rubrics where necessary.
  • During AY23-24, the General Education Committee will assess Critical Thinking in existing Tier 1 and Tier 2 courses to develop a proposal for embedding Critical Thinking throughout the new program from fall 2024. 

Signature Assignments

Information on Signature Assignments and End-of-Semester Assessment Procedures

Every Gen Ed course currently covers two of the six University-wide student learning outcomes in the context of work on its (inter)disciplinary subject matter. Students are required to complete and submit, for a grade and for program assessment purposes, end-of-semester "signature assignments," that demonstrate their achievement of the two University-wide learning outcomes covered by your course. The specific dimensions for each outcome appear on the program rubrics. These are the performance criteria for assessing the outcomes students develop throughout the semester and demonstrate on their signature assignments.

The two University-wide student learning outcomes are included in the approved course proposal for your course. It is vital to know what learning outcomes are covered and assessed in your course, and to plan a weekly course schedule that helps students achieve these outcomes; and it is essential to assign students an end-of-semester signature assignment that provides them with an opportunity to demonstrate these outcomes.

For information on Tier, University-wide Student Learning Outcomes, and course descriptions for currently offered Gen Ed courses, please consult the catalog

The General Education Committee is examining whether to update these assessment protocols for the fall 2024 program. Any changes will be communicated in advance of the new program’s launch.

Gen Ed Complete

The Gen Ed Complete is a student retention initiative designed with the HUB. Faculty who believe a student is at risk of failing their Gen Ed course may nominate that student to one of two programs:

  1. Gen Ed Complete: Catchup Contract. Details.
  2. Gen Ed Complete: Intersession. Details coming soon

Resources

General Education complete information

Center for Teaching and Learning resources