GENERAL EDUCATION COURSE PROPOSAL
WEBER STATE UNIVERSITY
LIFE SCIENCE EMPHASIS
Area: LIFE SCIENCE
Date: ______________________________
College: _____________________________
Department: _______________________
Catalog Abbreviation: _________________
Catalog Title: _____________________________________________
Course Number: _____________________
Credit Hours: _____
Substantive: ______
New: ______
Revised: ______
Renewal _____
Course description as you want it to appear in the catalog:
Justification:
If this course proposal changes the requirements for any existing program, a program change form that reflects the change must be completed and submitted with this course proposal.
NATURAL SCIENCES GENERAL EDUCATION MISSION STATEMENT
The mission of the natural sciences general education program is to provide students with an understanding and appreciation of the natural world from a scientific perspective.
Science is a way of knowing. Its purpose is to describe and explain the natural world, to investigate the mechanisms that govern nature, and to identify ways in which all natural phenomena are interrelated. Science produces knowledge that is based on evidence and that knowledge is repeatedly tested against observations of nature. The strength of science is that ideas and explanations that are inconsistent with evidence are refined or discarded and replaced by those that are more consistent.
Science provides personal fulfillment that comes from understanding the natural world. In addition, experience with the process of science develops skills that are increasingly important in the modern world. These include creativity, critical thinking, problem solving, and communication of ideas. A person who is scientifically literate is able to evaluate and propose explanations appropriately. The scientifically literate individual can assess whether or not a claim is scientific, and distinguish scientific explanations from those that are not scientific.
LIFE SCIENCE GENERAL EDUCATION COURSES
An approved life science general education course will prepare a student to fulfill all of the natural science and life science learning outcomes outlined below .
NATURAL SCIENCES LEARNING OUTCOMES
After completing the natural sciences general education requirements, students will demonstrate their understanding of general principles of science:
1. Nature of science. Scientific knowledge is based on evidence that is repeatedly examined, and can change with new information. Scientific explanations differ fundamentally from those that are not scientific.
Justification:
2. Integration of science. All natural phenomena are interrelated
and share basic organizational principles. Scientific explanations obtained
from different disciplines should be cohesive and integrated.
Justification:
3. Science and society. The study of science provides explanations
that have significant impact on society, including technological
advancements, improvement of human life, and better understanding of
human
and other influences on the earth’s environment.
Justification:
4. Problem solving and data analysis. Science relies on empirical
data, and such data must be analyzed, interpreted, and generalized in a
rigorous manner.
Jusrification:
LIFE SCIENCE SPECIFIC LEARNING OUTCOMES
Students will demonstrate their understanding of the following characteristics of life science:
1. Levels of organization: All life shares an organization that is
based on molecules and cells and extends to organisms and ecosystems.
Justification:
2. Metabolism and homeostasis: Living things obtain and use
energy, and maintain homeostasis via organized chemical reactions known as
metabolism. "
Justification:
3. Genetics and evolution: Shared genetic processes and evolution
by natural selection are universal features of all life.
Justification:
4. Ecological interactions: All organisms, including humans,
interact with their environment and other living organisms.
Justification:
COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING
1. Has this proposal been discussed with and approved by the department?
2. List those general education courses in other departments with similar subject matter and explain how this course differs.
3. If the proposed new general education course affects course requirements or enrollments in other departments, list the departments and programs involved and attach comments from each.
4. Attach a topical outline of the course. Include the number of contact hours per week and the format of these hours (e.g., lecture, lab, field trip, etc.).
New Courses Only:
5. Discuss how you will assess student learning outcomes associated with this course
Current General Education Courses and Existing Courses Seeking General Education Status:
6. Discuss how you have assessed the applicable or identified student learning outcomes associated with this course.
7. How has this assessment information been used to improve student learning?
GENERAL EDUCATION COURSE APPROVAL PAGE
Approval Sequence:
________________________________________
Department Chair/Date
_________________________________________
Dean of College/Date
_________________________________________
University Curriculum Committee/Date
Passed by Faculty Senate_____________________________Date