UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State Office for General Education is pleased to announce an opportunity for faculty interested in developing a new Integrative Studies General Education course.
Through The Office of the Provost, $400,000 has been provided for seed grants to promote the development of courses that embrace the goals of General Education, specifically around integrative thinking learning objectives and the new Integrative Studies requirement. The program is also supported by thirteen different collaborating University units, including five academic units, which will provide additional funds or wrap-around expertise and resources to assist faculty.
In April 2015, the University Faculty Senate approved a new Integrative Studies requirement within General Education, and implementation details were approved in March 2016. Such courses have never been required or had a recognized designation at Penn State. The seed grant initiative is designed to incentivize faculty to develop integrative studies courses, through either inter-domain or linked courses.
“Integrative thinking is a hallmark of contemporary education and a key new component of General Education at Penn State," said Margaret Slattery, interim director and assistant dean of the Office for General Education.
“Integrative Studies courses are intended to give students an intentional opportunity to practice this way of thinking. Development of these courses presents an opportunity for faculty to focus on helping students examine topics from different disciplinary perspectives,” Slattery continued.
More details about new General Education requirements, the seed grant initiative, as well as information on how to apply, can be found at gened.psu.edu. The deadline for grant submission is Feb. 28.
A webinar will be hosted by the Office for General Education at 2 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 26, to describe the new Integrative Studies courses, requirements of the proposal, and the expectations for seed grant awardees. All faculty and staff are invited to participate. Connection details can be found at gened.psu.edu. For those not able to connect, a recording of the webinar will be made available.
“Integrative thinking is a hallmark of contemporary education and a key new component of General Education at Penn State."
--Margaret Slattery, interim director and assistant dean of the Office for General Education
The Office for General Education opened in August 2016 to develop and lead the General Education curriculum for all undergraduate students at the University and to support faculty development in this area. The unit was created as a result of recommendations from the University Faculty Senate to Penn State Provost and Executive Vice President Nick Jones regarding the need for a structure to provide ongoing support for general education at Penn State.
The Office for General Education is part of Penn State Undergraduate Education, the academic administrative unit that provides leadership and coordination for University-wide programs and initiatives in support of undergraduate teaching and learning at Penn State. Learn more about Undergraduate Education at undergrad.psu.edu.
