The Grand Challenges Core: Transforming UF’s General Education Program

The UF Office of the Provost is inviting undergraduate-degree-granting colleges to submit proposals for general education courses in the natural and social sciences areas for the Grand Challenges Core.

The Preeminence Bill SB 1076 allows UF to require 9 – 12 credits of general education undergraduate coursework that is unique to UF and cannot be replaced by any accelerated mechanism or from courses from other postsecondary institutions. In response to this bill, UF is developing a distinctive General Education Program (GEP) with a core set of courses focusing on multidisciplinary “Grand Challenges.” This Grand Challenges Core will transform UF’s GEP into one of the highest quality, reflecting the institutional focus on research and creative works, knowledge creation, and the mission of educating people from diverse backgrounds to address the grand challenges of the world’s societies.

President Machen will make the awards by late April 2014 and colleges are expected to develop the courses during Summer 2014. The courses must be piloted in small sections in the 2014-15 academic year. Experience gained from the pilot program should be used to improve the courses to make them suitable for offering in 2015-16.

The College of Education

The COE is currently collaborating with numerous colleges across campus, including CALS, CFA, CHHP, CJC, and CLAS, to develop proposals for the Grand Challenges Core.

COE Internal Deadlines:

Please submit draft proposals by email to Thomasenia Adams at tla@coe.ufl.edu.

Draft 1 is due Monday, March 10, 2014. We will provide helpful context and editorial feedback and submit this feedback to the course development team.

Draft 2 is due Monday, March 24, 2014. We will give another careful review to each proposal, communicate with the point person as needed, and finalize each proposal for submission by the March 31, 2014 deadline.

Complete information is available at http://gened.aa.ufl.edu/uf-core.aspx