The Institute on General Education and Assessment (IGEA) provides campus teams with opportunities to refine and advance general education programs and their assessment. The Institute conveys a deep and abiding commitment to ensuring that access to excellence in higher education is available to all students, striving towards a vision of education that is energized by students’ multiple and intersecting identities. This vision of education committed to making the inextricable synergy between quality and equity the standard for excellence in undergraduate educational practice. During the Institute, teams will explore designing equity-minded approaches to integrating general education with the major, demonstrating the centrality of general education in connecting student learning with critical social issues that matter to students and society, and tjhat are intentionally aligned with the essential learning outcomes identified through AAC&U’s LEAP (Liberal Education and America’s Promise) initiative.
The Institute is framed around a liberal education that reflects the Principles of General Education Maps and Markers (GEMs)—proficiency; agency and self-direction; integrative learning and problem-based inquiry; equity; and intentionality, transparency, and assessment. These principles were developed as part of our nationwide study of foundational purposes of general education programs to advance student learning and preparation.
