Information for Faculty

The first-year seminars have proven to be one of the strengths of the revised General Education program which started roll-out in fall ’20. Over 70 faculty have taught WAYS 100-level courses, but we are always looking for more people to be involved and would be happy to talk to you. WAYS 101 is our Critical Thinking seminar; WAYS 102 is our College Writing seminar; and WAYS 103 is our Talking about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion seminar. All three must be taken in a student’s first year at SUNY Potsdam. Each course is focused on a foundational skill and taught through the lens of faculty expertise and interest.

• WAYS 101 seminars explicitly introduce students to basic critical thinking skills (i.e., in the recognition, analysis, evaluation, and constructing of academic argument) and provide integrated opportunities to practice those skills as readers, writers, and speakers. They introduce the standards of good reasoning and strengthen students’ basic reasoning skills.
   
• WAYS 102 seminars will help students start to learn how to read academic texts, to draw on evidence as they write their own papers, and to build confidence as college readers and writers. Writing is a set of skills, not a “gift,” that everyone must work to develop and improve.
   
• WAYS 103 seminars are focused on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) topics which can often evoke intense emotions. Talking about these topics is difficult for many of us—students, faculty, and staff alike—and so we sometimes avoid them for fear of saying the wrong thing, being misrepresented, or not having an adequate understanding. Using public speaking skills, students are encouraged to develop a larger, systemic perspective and see DEI as not only about personal experience but, importantly, an area deserving formal academic inquiry. 

Learn More and View Outcomes

Interested faculty should contact the Associate Director of General Education or gened@potsdam.edu.

WAYS Syllabus Template

If you are teaching a WAYS course for the first time, follow the WAYS Syllabus Template (available in Sharepoint for employees with a CCA). It contains the required SLOs, policies, and other relevant material. Consult with the Associate Director of General Education as you develop your syllabus. All WAYS syllabi must be reapproved every three years. Reapproval requires submission of the most recent syllabus, evidence of involvement in assessment, and a faculty self-reflection on how/why they have changed the syllabus/what they have learned from teaching the WAYS course.

If you are teaching a WAYS course for the second time (and beyond), your syllabus will only need reapproval if there are substantial changes. Substantial changes are defined as revisions to pedagogy, changing which assignments are linked to which SLOs, and/or substantially revising the topic. Minor revisions are defined as some changes to the texts or minor calendar adjustments—minor revisions are expected as part of the teaching process and do not require syllabus reapproval. Reach out the Associate Director when you are ready to resubmit. They will direct you through the process of resubmitting your new or revised course to the General Education Curriculum Committee (GECC). 

If you are planning to teach the same WAYS course without substantial changes, please communicate your intent to your department chair and the Assoc Director. Schedule iterations are due the first week of each semester for courses to be offered in the following semester (i.e., first week of fall for spring offerings). The sooner we have the information, the quicker you can be entered into the schedule. 

The GECC will follow the student learning outcomes (SLOs) and design guidelines laid out in the approved General Education materials when reviewing WAYS courses. Materials must clearly demonstrate how the proposed course delivers those SLOs. It is the strongest possible recommendation that you have a one-to-one assignment and SLO linkage. Assessment of SLOs is facilitated by this one-to-one linkage. 

For assistance with the application process, please contact the Associate Director.

Follow these guidelines when seeking approval for a course to carry Ways of Thinking and Ways of Connecting designators. To prepare proposals for WAYS 101, 102, or 103 courses please consult the WAYS of Beginning “Course Approval Processes” section above.

Please note that courses can only be approved to carry ONE Ways of Thinking or Ways of Connecting designator. The only exception to this rule will be for CM and CT, where a single course or experience can be approved to carry both.

Ways of Thinking:
Thinking Aesthetically (TA)
Thinking Foundationally (TF)
Thinking Historically (TH)
Thinking Mathematically (TM)
Thinking Scientifically – Natural World (NW)
Thinking Scientifically – Social World (SW)

Learn More and View Outcomes

Ways of Connecting:
Connecting through Language Other than English (CL)
Connecting Globally (CG)
Connecting Clearly: Communication in the Major (CM)
Connecting Theory to Practice Through Applied Learning (CT)

Learn More and View Outcomes

The GECC will follow the criteria and student learning outcomes (SLOs) laid out in the approved General Education materials when reviewing courses for General Education designation. Applications need to demonstrate clearly how the proposed course delivers those SLOs. It is the strongest possible recommendation that you have a one-to-one assignment and SLO linkage. Assessment of SLOs is facilitated by this one-to-one linkage.

For assistance with the application process, please contact the General Education Director. For assistance with questions about the SLOs for the individual designators, please contact the appropriate Designator Liaison.

Applications must include the following:

1. A completed General Education Designator Approval Form
    
2. Syllabus for the course (or at least two syllabi for multiple section courses). Syllabi must include:
   1. Course description,
   2. Faculty contact information, including office hours,
   3. A statement that identifies the course as part of the Potsdam General Education Program (e.g., “This course fulfills the Thinking Mathematically requirement of the General Education Core Curriculum”),
   4. The approved description of the General Education requirement the course will satisfy,
   5. Course goals and objectives in addition to those laid out in the General Education description,
   6. The approved Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) of the General Education requirement the course will satisfy,
   7. A list of assignments explicitly linked to SLOs in a one-to-one linkage,
   8. Methods of evaluation explicitly linked to SLOs,
   9. Grading policy,
   10. A list of assignments and/or assignment categories and their percentage contribution to the overall course grade,
   11. Required texts and readings,
   12. Prerequisites (if any),
   13. Tentative course schedule,
   14. Attendance and other course policies,
   15. Disruptive student policy.
       
       You may also want to include:
       1. Any other course specific SLOs in addition to those laid out in the General Education description,
       2. A section on student support services in your syllabus as recommended by the Student Care Advisory Group,
       3. Highlights of the ways your course engages issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
           
3. Point-by-point demonstration of how the course meets the requirement criteria. Include:
   1. methods of instruction (e.g., lectures, discussions, small groups, simulation), pointing out opportunities for active student learning;
   2. for multiple section courses—a description of how courses will be coordinated to insure consistent implementation and assessment across all sections of the course (as appropriate);
   3. a description of how the assignments and examinations are linked to the SLOs for the appropriate General Education designator.

Follow these guidelines when seeking approval for a course to carry the Core Writing designator

Before starting this process, you will want to have the following materials at hand:

1. A course syllabus (or at least two syllabi for multiple section courses)
2. A point-by- point narrative and other supporting documents, as detailed below in section #3.
   
   The deadline for applications for designation for the spring semester is October 15; for the fall semester, March 15.  The GECC will follow the criteria and student learning outcomes (SLOs) laid out in the approved Core Writing materials when approving courses for designation. Applications need to clearly demonstrate how the proposed course meets those criteria and delivers those SLOs. 
   
   For assistance with the application process, please contact the General Education Director. For assistance with questions about the criteria and SLOs for the Core Writing designator, please contact the Core Writing resource person.
   
   Applications must include the following:
   1. A completed Core Writing Course Approval Form 
   2. Syllabus for the course (or at least two syllabi for multiple section courses).
      
      Syllabi must include:
      1. Course description;
      2. A statement that identifies the course as a Core Writing course
      3. The approved Core Writing description
      4. Any course goals and objectives for the course in addition to those laid out in the Core Writing materials (if applicable);
      5. The approved Core Writing Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs);
      6. Methods of evaluation explicitly linked to SLOs;
      7. Grading policy;
      8. A list of assignments and/or assignment categories and their percentage contribution to the overall course grade;
      9. Required texts and readings;
      10. Tentative course schedule;
      11. Attendance policy;
      12. Office hours and faculty contact info;     
          
          You may also want to include a section on student support services in your syllabus as recommended by the Student Care Advisory Group. 
3.  Point-by-point demonstration of how the course meets the criteria for the designator. In addition to the point-by-point demonstration please address the following:
   1. methods of instruction (e.g., lectures, discussions, small groups, simulation), pointing out opportunities for active student learning;
   2. for multiple section courses—a description of how courses will be coordinated to insure consistent implementation and assessment across all sections of the course (as appropriate);
   3.  a description of how the assignments and examinations are linked to the SLOs for Core Writing