The General Education Program will undergo a process of continual assessment. During each summer other than those designated for an overall program review, two groups of General Education Categories will undergo review so that over four years all categories in the program will be assessed.
Assessment Cycles
- Assessment of Perspectives on Society and Scientific Inquiry: Summer 2025, Summer 2029
- Assessment of Effective Communication and Quantitative Reasoning: Summer 2026, Summer 2030
- Assessment of Human Expression and Social Responsibility in a Diverse World: Summer 2027, Summer 2031
- Assessment of Integrative Thinking and Critical Thinking: Summer 2028, Summer 2032
Standard Timetable for Assessment of General Education Courses
- Assessment Materials Available to Departments - Mid-Summer
- Assessment Reports due to the GEC - October 15
- Feedback from the GEC Sent to Departments - Early Winter Semester
General Education Categories
View the: Effective Communication Assessment Rubric
View the: Effective Communication Inclusion Form
- Inclusion Form Instructions: All completed Inclusion Forms must be submitted for GEC review through the via email by the Department Head of the Department or instructor in which the course resides. Please be sure to refer to the Rubric and Guidance documents for each component when preparing your proposal.
- Correspondence: Direct all e-mail correspondence concerning GEC matters to Dr. David Donovan, Director of General Education, (ddovonan@nmu.edu) or David Pierce, GEC Chair (davpierce@nmu.edu).
View the Approved Courses for Effective Communication
View the Scientific Inquiry Assessment Rubric
View the Scientific Inquiry Inclusion Form
- Inclusion Form Instructions: All completed Inclusion Forms must be submitted for GEC review through the via email by the Department Head of the Department or instructor in which the course resides. Please be sure to refer to the Rubric and Guidance documents for each component when preparing your proposal.
- Correspondence: Direct all e-mail correspondence concerning GEC matters to Dr. David Donovan, Director of General Education, (ddovonan@nmu.edu) or David Pierce, GEC Chair (davpierce@nmu.edu).
View the Approved Courses for Scientific Inquiry
View the: Quantitative Reasoning and Analysis Assessment Rubric
View the: Quantitative Reasoning and Analysis Inclusion Form
- Inclusion Form Instructions: All completed Inclusion Forms must be submitted for GEC review through the via email by the Department Head of the Department or instructor in which the course resides. Please be sure to refer to the Rubric and Guidance documents for each component when preparing your proposal.
- Correspondence: Direct all e-mail correspondence concerning GEC matters to Dr. David Donovan, Director of General Education, (ddovonan@nmu.edu) or David Pierce, GEC Chair (davpierce@nmu.edu).
View the Approved Courses for Quantitative Reasoning and Analysis
View the: Perspectives on Society Assessment Rubric
View the: Perspectives on Society Inclusion Form
- Inclusion Form Instructions: All completed Inclusion Forms must be submitted for GEC review through the via email by the Department Head of the Department or instructor in which the course resides. Please be sure to refer to the Rubric and Guidance documents for each component when preparing your proposal.
- Correspondence: Direct all e-mail correspondence concerning GEC matters to Dr. David Donovan, Director of General Education, (ddovonan@nmu.edu) or David Pierce, GEC Chair (davpierce@nmu.edu).
View the Approved Courses for Perspectives on Society
View the: Social Responsibility in a Diverse World Assessment Rubric
View the: Social Responsibility in a Diverse World Inclusion Form
- Inclusion Form Instructions: All completed Inclusion Forms must be submitted for GEC review through the via email by the Department Head of the Department or instructor in which the course resides. Please be sure to refer to the Rubric and Guidance documents for each component when preparing your proposal.
- Correspondence: Direct all e-mail correspondence concerning GEC matters to Dr. David Donovan, Director of General Education, (ddovonan@nmu.edu) or David Pierce, GEC Chair (davpierce@nmu.edu).
View the Approved Courses for Social Responsibility in a Diverse World
View the: Integrative Thinking Assessment Rubric
View the: Integrative Thinking Inclusion Form
- Inclusion Form Instructions: All completed Inclusion Forms must be submitted for GEC review through the via email by the Department Head of the Department or instructor in which the course resides. Please be sure to refer to the Rubric and Guidance documents for each component when preparing your proposal.
- Correspondence: Direct all e-mail correspondence concerning GEC matters to Dr. David Donovan, Director of General Education, (ddovonan@nmu.edu) or David Pierce, GEC Chair (davpierce@nmu.edu).
View the Approved Courses for Integrative Thinking
View the: Human Expression Assessment Rubric
View the: Human Expression Inclusion Form
- Inclusion Form Instructions: All completed Inclusion Forms must be submitted for GEC review through the via email by the Department Head of the Department or instructor in which the course resides. Please be sure to refer to the Rubric and Guidance documents for each component when preparing your proposal.
- Correspondence: Direct all e-mail correspondence concerning GEC matters to Dr. David Donovan, Director of General Education, (ddovonan@nmu.edu) or David Pierce, GEC Chair (davpierce@nmu.edu).
View the Approved Courses for Human Expression
Graduation Requirements
Criteria and Rubrics for Courses to Satisfy the Mathematics Competency Requirement
The following document provides the criteria courses must meet in order to count toward the Mathematics Competency Requirement and the rubrics the Mathematics Department will use to judge whether courses satisfy the criteria. Further inquires should be directed to J.D. Phillips, Department Head, Mathematics & Computer Science.
- View the: Mathematics Competency Requirement
- View the: Proposal for Quantitative Oriented Courses to Satisfy the Mathematics Competency Requirement
Criteria and Rubrics for Alternative Intermediate Composition Courses
The following documents provide the criteria courses must meet in order to count toward the Intermediate Composition portion of the Written English Competency Requirement and the rubrics the English Department will use to judge whether courses satisfy the criteria. Further inquiries should be directed to Lynn Domina, Department Head, English.
- View the: Written English Competency Requirement
- View the: Criteria and Rubrics for Alternative Intermediate Composition Courses
- View the: Alternative Intermediate Composition Course Proposal Form
- View the: Final Reflective Assignment Template
Requirement:
Each baccalaureate student must demonstrate competency in the Global Citizenship requirement which deals primarily with supporting students in furthering their knowledge of globally diverse groups, issues, and identities to support a worldview based in the critical understanding of all who live in it. The experiences may include such topics as literary, artistic and other cultural achievements; religious and ethical values; social, economic and political systems; or intellectual and historical trends. Students may explore how various socially marginalized groups navigate the world with different and ever-changing social disparities, furthering the understanding to be conscious and reflective in regard to their own lived experiences as well as the lived experiences of those around them. Transfer students seeking approval of a previous credit taken at a prior institution substitute course to meet this requirement should contact the Registrar’s Office and provide a course syllabus for the course they wish reviewed.
The intention of the requirement is to advance students’:
1. Understanding of how culture is expressed in terms of historical evidence, artistic accomplishments, technology, customs and texts.
2. Engagement with and respect for social and cultural diversity, demonstrating an understanding of global interconnectedness.
3. Understanding of how factors (such as race, ethnicity, culture, gender, sexuality, social class, marginalization and ability) affect how groups within a culture relate to each other.
4. Articulation of the important achievements and contributions of various cultures in such areas as the arts, literature, philosophy, ethical values, religion and science.
This requirement can be achieved 1 of 3 ways:
Option #1 - A course from the list of approved Global Citizenship courses (identified by *)
Option #2 - An NMU approved Study Abroad course using the following description
The Global Citizen requirement may be met by successful completion of a course through participation in an NMU-approved Study Abroad program during which the participant resides in a country outside of the U.S. and actively engages with the people and practices of the host culture. Study Abroad programs should require that the student utilize a wide variety of skills, both academic and inter/intrapersonal, to interact with globally diverse groups to negotiate shared experiences through cross-cultural communication and exposure to new ideas, worldviews, histories, cultural identities, as well as political, religious, and economic trends outside of the U.S. Students should have had an opportunity to analyze their experience and reflect on how their worldview is newly shaped by it.
Option #3 - A lived experience outside of the first two options.
A student who believes they have a lived experience that meets the Global Citizenship requirement must submit a petition to the General Education Council for the experience to satisfy the requirement.
Examples:
Attending university in another country and transferring back to the U.S.
Completing an NMU approved course during which the participant resides in a country/culture outside of the U.S. and actively engages with the people and practices of the host culture (i.e. Internship, Directed Study). Any courses considered for this option must give students the opportunity to analyze their experience and reflect on how their world view is newly shaped by it.
Living in/coming from a culture other than U.S. culture. Under usual circumstances individuals must have lived in that culture for at least 3 months.
Petition for Lived Experience to Fulfill the Global Citizenship Requirement
To request approval, students must work through the Registrar's Office to submit a formal petition to the General Education Council, which includes the following:
- A Brief Letter (1-2 pages) Addressing:
- Description of Experience – Provide a clear summary of your lived experience, including when and where it took place.
- Connection to Global Citizenship Goals – Explain how this experience furthered your knowledge of globally diverse groups, issues, and identities.
- Personal Growth & Reflection – Discuss how this experience shaped your worldview, challenged assumptions, and deepened your understanding of global interconnectedness.
2. Supporting Documentation (if applicable)
- Evidence such as transcripts, syllabus, course materials (if studying abroad), program details, work records, or any relevant materials that support your petition.
Submission Process:
Students should work with the Registrar's Office to first identify if their experience qualifies.
Petitions should be submitted to the General Education Council.
The review process typically takes 2-4 weeks, and students will be notified of the decision via email.
View the: Global Citizenship Inclusion Form
View the: Global Citizenship Petition Process