Title: GE Term 1 Update

Date & Time: Wednesday, 16 July 2025, from 1:30 to 3:30 pm

Venue: Via Zoom (Information session)

Conductors: Dr. Brian Phillips

In preparation for the upcoming academic trimester, an online session led by Dr. Brian Phillips was organized to discuss the current state and future direction of General Education (GE) courses at MUIC. This session focused on course planning, curriculum transitions, and strategic scheduling to accommodate both incoming and continuing students.

A key concern addressed was the disparity in course availability across the old and new GE curricula. With first-trimester enrollment projected to reach approximately 600–650 students, the number of GE offerings remains insufficient to meet demand, particularly in areas such as MU Literacy and Health Literacy. Additional two-credit courses in these categories are urgently needed to diversify options and mitigate over-reliance on repeated course sections.

Dr. Phillips emphasized the intended character of the new GE curriculum—interactive, intellectually engaging, and practically applicable. Courses should maintain academic rigor while fostering student benefit and participation. Faculty were encouraged to ensure their offerings uphold these principles.

Further recommendations included:

• Developing two-credit courses in service learning, health literacy, and finance.
• Expanding civic literacy and management offerings to address shortfalls.
• Coordinating scheduling—particularly for service-learning courses—to avoid conflicts, ideally by placing sessions on Fridays or Saturdays.

Dr. Phillips also highlighted logistical considerations: class sizes averaging 34 students may be necessary to meet demand in Trimester 1. Flexibility among instructors and collaboration across divisions are encouraged. Continued curriculum development in areas such as Life Appreciation, Global Citizenship, Critical Thinking, Leadership, and Digital Literacy is essential. 

The discussion also addressed scheduling nuances for the service-learning course, with Dr. Phillips recommending that lecturers consider reserving Fridays or Saturdays to reduce conflicts and enhance student participation. Additionally, there was a strong call to promote language studies, reinforcing MUIC’s commitment to its international mission. To conclude, successful implementation of the revised General Education structure will require ongoing collaboration and proactive planning.