{"id":10473,"date":"2026-04-06T15:41:22","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T20:41:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/secu\/?page_id=10473"},"modified":"2026-04-06T15:42:56","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T20:42:56","slug":"apcc-policies-and-procedures-for-faculty-document-2836r4","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/secu\/governance\/faculty\/standing-committees\/academic-program-curriculum-committee\/apcc-policies-and-procedures-for-faculty-document-2836r4\/","title":{"rendered":"APCC Policies and Procedures for Faculty Document 2836R4"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Program-level Exemptions to GER<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Criteria and procedures for reviewing requests from schools and colleges for exemption from the General Education Requirements (GER).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Criteria                                            <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Requests for exemption from specific aspects of the General Education Requirements cannot be based on objections to the goals and rationale of the requirements, as described in 51ÁÔÆæ\u2019s General Education Policy, Faculty Document No. 2836R4, and must be consonant with the general principle and purpose of the requirements. Requests for exemptions must address both: (a) why the specific requirement at issue is inappropriate for the students of the school or college, and\/or what purpose would be served by an exemption from the requirement, and (b) why the school\u2019s or college\u2019s program cannot be modified to accommodate the requirement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, requests for temporary exemptions for specified periods from specific requirements will be considered if it can be shown that time is needed to modify the school\u2019s or college\u2019s program to accommodate the requirement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Documentation                          <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

With the request for exemption, the school or college must submit the most recent available data comparing its program with comparable programs at comparable universities vis-a-vis the requirement at issue, including universities that have adopted or are in the process of adopting university-wide general education requirements similar in character to 51ÁÔÆæ\u2019s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mechanism                                  <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Requests for exemption will be reviewed by a standing subcommittee of the APCC consisting of one member from each of the four divisions of the university, and the chairperson of the APCC. The subcommittee will report to the whole APCC, which must act on the request.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Review<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

All GER exemptions will be reviewed initially in five years and thereafter every 10 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Appeals                                          <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Decisions of the Academic Program and Curriculum Committee may be brought to the Faculty Senate for appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Criteria and Procedures for Approval of GER Credit and Assessment of Learning Outcomes          <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

General Policy                                        <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The administration of 51ÁÔÆæ General Education Requirements will be informed by the UW System Shared Learning Goals and embrace the definition of liberal education developed by the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U): \u201cLiberal education is a philosophy of education that empowers the individuals with broad knowledge and transferable skills, and a strong sense of values, ethics, and civic engagement.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

University of Wisconsin System Shared Learning Goals for Students:                  <\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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  1. Knowledge of Human Cultures and the Natural World, including breadth of knowledge and the ability to think beyond one\u2019s discipline, major, or area of concentration. This knowledge can be gained through the study of the arts, humanities, languages, sciences, and social sciences.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Critical and Creative Thinking Skills, including inquiry, problem solving, and higher order qualitative and quantitative reasoning.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Effective Communication Skills, including listening, speaking, reading, writing, and information literacy.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Intercultural Knowledge and Competence, including the ability to interact and work with people from diverse backgrounds and cultures; to lead or contribute support to those who lead; and to empathize with and understand those who are different.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. Individual, Social and Environmental Responsibility, including civic knowledge and engagement (both local and global), ethical reasoning, and action.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Course Policy<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    All departments or instructional units at 51ÁÔÆæ may submit courses to the Academic Program and Curriculum Committee for inclusion in the list of courses that satisfy GER Distribution Requirements. The APCC and its GER Subcommittee look to the faculty for leadership in curriculum design and innovation and will work closely with them to facilitate and implement new or redesigned course plans. All GER courses will include effective assessment plans specific to their chosen learning outcomes; the results of such assessment will be reported to APCC according to the schedule discussed below. The following policies govern this work:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    1. In principle, courses primarily providing professional training do not meet or satisfy GER distribution requirements.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    2. To be included in the GER curriculum, courses must demonstrate that they:\n
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      1. frame instruction in the general methodology of the discipline within a broader context of liberal education as described in the UW System Shared Learning Goals statement, with attention to appropriate learning outcomes derived from those Goals;<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      2. do not deal with techniques in the narrow sense but explore the foundations of knowledge: how the discipline establishes its concepts; how these concepts are established with respect to alternative patterns of inquiry, mode of expressions, or course of action; and<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      3. follow a syllabus that explicitly articulates how the course meets 51ÁÔÆæ General Education Requirements by integrating UW System Shared Learning Goals with divisional learning outcomes; syllabi will identify the assignment(s) intended to help students achieve specific Shared Learning Goals and divisional criteria, including how such assignments will be assessed.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      4. The list of approved courses may be modified by addition or deletion. Request for such modifications must be originated by the appropriate department or unit or the Academic Program and Curriculum Committee (APCC).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      5. Departments or units are urged to integrate GER courses within their programs of study for the major or minor, subject to the guidelines given above.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      6. Restrictions:\n
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        1. No course may be repeated for GER distribution credit beyond a maximum of three credits.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        2. Courses listed as variable topics will not be given GER credit unless the course title and catalog description clearly indicate that the topics offered under that course will always conform to the GER criteria addressed in the original course submission to APCC.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        3. The regular and effective assessment of GER courses and learning outcomes is a joint responsibility of instructional units and the APCC. The APCC will provide instructional units with clear guidelines and templates for reporting GER outcomes. Instructional units will collect and archive assessment data annually for internal purposes of review and action and do so according to a schedule and format approved and codified by the Departmental Committee. Instructional units will report data results and any actions taken to the APCC during the scheduled six-year external reviews discussed below.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        4. Each year, the GER Subcommittee will prepare a report on the assessment of learning outcomes in one of the six GER categories (Civics and Perspectives, Communication and Literacy, Humanities and Arts, Mathematics and Quantitative Reasoning, Natural Science and Wellness, Social and Behavioral Science). These will proceed in sequence each year, creating a six-year cycle for divisional outcomes reports.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        5. At the beginning of the academic year, the GER Subcommittee will notify instructional units offering courses with that year\u2019s divisional criteria of the timeline for reporting results and with guidelines regarding how many courses should be reported upon.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        6. By the end of the academic year, the GER Subcommittee will have submitted its report to the APCC for discussion, as well as to all reviewed instructional units. The GER Subcommittee will recommend courses that should continue to have GER or courses that should have GER removed based on the course materials submitted. For courses recommended to have GER status removed, there will be an appeals process for departments to make course adjustments to be GER compliant or submit any additional course materials.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

          General Education Categories<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

          Civics and Perspectives<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

          Students must earn a minimum of six credits in at least two courses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Definition:<\/strong> Courses in this area explore how identities, perspectives, and civic contexts shape people\u2019s experiences and participation in society. Students will develop the ability to analyze diverse worldviews and lived experiences, and to understand how historical, cultural, or governmental forces influence community life, public decision-making, and engagement in democratic societies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Criteria:<\/strong> Courses satisfying this requirement shall incorporate outcome 1 and\/or 2, plus at least one other outcome from the bulleted list below. Students will be able to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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          1. analyze foundational civic structures, principles, and processes, including governmental organization, social contracts, and the rights and responsibilities of citizenship, and evaluate the mechanisms by which individuals participate in civic life. Incorporate how differing societal perspectives shape the interpretation, development, and functioning of civic participation and responsibilities; and\/or<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          2. analyze the perspectives, worldviews, and lived experiences of a group or groups, defined by factors such as race, ethnicity, region, nationality, religion, gender, LGBTQ+ status, disability, class, or other dimensions of identity, and how these shape participation in civic and cultural life within or across societies; and\n