General Education Principles
The General Education Task Force and the faculty adopted the following first principles of general education early in the fall of 2004. The committee has engaged in preliminary discussion of these principles both within the committee and with the faculty at large. Adoption of these first principles is the first step in the development of a procedure of systematic oversight of Point Loma Nazarene University’s general education requirement.
Principles of Purpose
1. Wesleyan Connection
- Point Loma Nazarene University grounds its understanding of General Education in principles rooted in the Wesleyan-Arminian theological tradition.
- General Education focuses on general knowledge, not specialized introductions to majors. General Education exposes students to a breadth of fields and experiences and develops core abilities such as writing, quantitative reasoning, public speaking and critical thinking.
- General Education provides a common experience for students. Certain core General Education courses are required of all students, and it is assumed that all sections of multiple-section General Education courses have shared goals and objectives and use at least some common texts.
- General Education teaches students skills that allow them to live responsibly and faithfully as thoughtful Christians within God’s created world.
Principles of Implementation
- All PLNU students are required to fulfill General Education requirements, regardless of major.
2. Ongoing Development
- General Education extends over all four years of the student’s academic experience.
- General Education is accessible to students, and the university provides a system to facilitate transfer of units for those students entering from other accredited institutions.
- General Education has concrete goals and objectives that can be and are routinely assessed.
5. Faculty Participation
- Whenever possible, full-time faculty teach General Education courses. Faculty involvement with General Education is not limited to junior faculty only.
6. Accreditation Compliance
- The General Education program meets or exceeds the standards of the university’s accrediting body.