Jason White hopes that more people attend the next presentation of the new general education program on April 29.  White believes that this program is very important for students to understand.

White is the director of first year and exploratory advising, and he was holding a Q&A for the new program that is going to be implemented by fall quarter. This new program is going to be unique to CWU, although it has been inspired by other programs from universities across the country.

Students that are still completing their general education requirements have the choice to continue their education through the old system or transfer over to the new version. Switching over to the new program will not be for all students, but for some it could make completing their general education requirements easier. In order for students to find out which program will work better for them, there is a “what-if report” that is designed for this specific purpose. It can be found online at the general education website under “should I switch” and then “tools to help” section. Students need to make the decision to switch to the new program by the deadline on June 7.

Students that are going to be attending CWU for the first time in the fall will not have the option of taking the old program and will have to take the new one.

The program starts with the “Engage: First Year Experience” section that students must complete by the end of their first year at CWU. The credits included in this section are  first year experience class, an academic writing credit and a quantitative reasoning credit.

The “Explore and Connect” section of the requirements sheet is the core of the new program. It requires that students must take a course in each of the knowledge areas on the left, and take three courses that are in the same pathway. If a student takes five courses in the same pathway, they will earn a transcript milestone. While it is not specified in the graduation requirement worksheet, it was made clear by Rebecca Pearson during the Q&A that students only need to complete one pathway with three or more classes.

The final section is the “Connect, Create, & Empathize: Culminating Experience.” In a student’s senior year at CWU, they will have to take a final class that has them connect what they learned during their general education.

Students must also complete UNIV 101 and year of a world language course, unless they have completed two years of a highschool language.

The new program will require most students to take 12 classes. Three of the classes will be in the “Engage” section, eight in the “Explore and Connect” and one final class in the “Connect, Create, & Empathize: Culminating Experience” section.