General Education and Degree Breadth Operating Procedure

To set the standards for general education and degree breadth course development, delivery, and retirement to ensure all program requirements are met.

All general education and degree breadth courses.

Breadth requirement: criteria specified in the Program Quality Review Standard for Program Content (PEQAB 2020) and the Ontario Qualifications Framework (OQF).

Degree breadth course: a non-core course that engages students, enrolled in a degree, in learning beyond their vocational field of study. The course falls into one of the following five Ministry of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security (MCURES) mandated fields: humanities, science, social sciences, mathematics, and/or global cultures.

Degree level program: a program that has been approved by MCURES and PEQAB that leads to a Baccalaureate/Bachelor’s degree qualification awarded upon successful completion of the program, as defined by the OQF.

General education course: a course that contributes to student development and learning. Its purpose is to strengthen a student’s essential employability skills, such as critical analysis, problem solving, and communication, in the context of an exploration of topics with broad-based personal and/or societal importance.

General education course standard: the criteria within the Minister’s Binding Policy Directive where courses must provide a broad theoretical overview of a topic of personal and/or societal importance (categorized as arts in society, civic life, social and cultural understanding, personal understanding, and science/technology) with little or no applications training.

Post-secondary Education Quality Assessment Board (PEQAB): an arm’s length agency to which the Ministry of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security (MCURES) refers proposals for initial consent and renewal of consent to deliver degree programs for assessment against quality standards dictated by the OQF.

Program of instruction: a group of related courses typically leading to a diploma, certificate, degree, or other credential (funded or non-funded) awarded by the College.

1. Course Development

1.1. New General Education and Degree Breadth courses are proposed to the Chair, Interdisciplinary Studies via the General Education and Degree Breadth Course Proposal Template

1.2. Chair, Interdisciplinary Studies brings forward new course proposals to the General Education Committee for feedback and provides recommendations for development based on the following criteria:

1. Alignment to stackable micro-credentials.
2. Alignment to categories and levels.
3. Ability to have course in multiple modes of delivery.
4. Must be introductory in nature and not require a pre-requisite.
5. Must be theory-based.
6. Must be 3-credits in length.

1.3. The recommended courses are presented to the Program Quality Assurance Committee (PQAC) for a decision.

1.4. Chair, Interdisciplinary Studies identifies, and flags program exceptions based on the following criteria:

• If a course is too closely related to the vocational learning outcomes of the program.
• If a course is part of the core program curriculum.

2. Course Offerings and Delivery

2.1. The General Education and Degree Breadth course roster is reviewed annually, during the curriculum review period, to offer a current and relevant list of elective course options for all relevant credentials.

2.2. The roster is also reviewed to ensure program exceptions are flagged and systematized.

2.3. Course Offerings are based on balance and variety to appeal to student interest, while satisfying requirements such as:

• Indigeneity requirements.
• General Education and non-core/breadth courses that make up core curriculum in select programs.
• Micro-credential offerings (including stackable micro-credentials).
• Offering Breadth courses from multiple categories and levels.

2.4. Each semester, the Chair, Interdisciplinary Studies selects and schedules the General Education and Breadth courses based on the following:

1. The number of General Education and Breadth courses required according to enrolment projections and program curriculum.
2. A variety of themes, categories, and levels based on enrolment projections and program curriculum.
3. The delivery schedule and requirements of micro-credential certificates.
4. A variety of delivery modes to meet the needs of students.

3. Course Retirement

3.1. General Education and Breadth courses can be suspended for various reasons such as:

• Student interest
• Faculty feedback
• Course content concerns
• Student completion rates

3.2. Suspended General Education and Breadth courses may be reinstated within two (2) years of suspension.

3.3. The Chair, Interdisciplinary Studies presents the list of suspended courses to the General Education Committee for feedback, consideration and a retirement recommendation.

3.4. Retirement recommendations are presented to the Program Quality Assurance Committee for a decision.

3.5. Retired General Education and Breadth courses must be submitted as a new proposal for reconsideration.