• General Education - Revised Exit Course Language Working Page (from QEP Document)

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Gordon Rule

General Education -- Philosophy

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Exit courses extend the Core Curriculum throughout the baccalaureate program, signaling that the university values a liberal education as a vital part of any USF degree. The Exit Course Program requires students to take two exit courses (six credits total): at least one writing-intensive course and at least one capstone course. The capstone class could be either within the major (and be restricted to majors or open to both majors and non-majors), or a capstone course for the Core Curriculum. Enrollment in these courses is restricted to upper level students. Each course must emphasize critical thinking, inquiry-based learning, and at least one of the other dimensions of the general education curriculum as described in The Foundations of Knowledge and Learning Core Curriculum (http://www.ugs.usf.edu/gec/fklcc.htm).

Interdisciplinary Experience

• Each course should include an interdisciplinary experience that extends the liberal arts goals of the Core Curriculum. An interdisciplinary approach leads students to reflect on specific issues and problems in the context of perspectives outside the discipline of the course.

The Capstone Course

• Capstone courses provide students with a culminating education experience, either for the major or for the Core Curriculum. Capstone courses within the major discipline typically bring together knowledge from the discipline into a culminating learning experience for deeper understanding of the discipline. A capstone course for the Core Curriculum should integrate multiple areas of knowledge and dimensions (intellectual strategies, approaches to knowledge and processes, perspectives, and competencies). Capstone courses should challenge students to view human inquiry beyond disciplinary boundaries. These courses, by definition, must lead to a summative product, such as a project, a paper, a proposal, or a performance.

The Writing Course

• Writing-intensive courses continue the emphasis of the Core Curriculum on writing. In addition, these courses may focus on writing within the discipline, where students gain skills that assist in their preparation for professional work or graduate studies. In all cases, the emphasis is on the processes of communication both within and among disciplines and for multiple audiences. Writing-intensive courses must meet or exceed the current Gordon Rule communication requirements (Gordon Rule).

Core Curriculum Assessment

As part of assessing the Core Curriculum, faculty who teach exit courses may be asked to participate in its ongoing assessment. Their students may be asked to complete writing assignments, respond to surveys, or participate in other measurements designed to assess the Core Curriculum learning outcomes.

Exit courses typically should be taught by regular faculty, who are in the best position to provide feedback to the department on the preparedness of students on an ongoing basis. To help ensure focus on the development of critical thinking and inquiry-based learning skills, writing-intensive courses should not have more than 30 students per grader and capstone courses are recommended to have no more than 50 students per instructor or graduate assistant.

(Link to Examples of Courses)