EO1100R FAQ's

• General Education (GE) ensures that graduates have a broad background in various disciplines, including math, writing, science, art, cultural and ethnic studies, the humanities, and the social sciences, among others.
• GE requirements are designed to provide the knowledge, skills, experiences, and perspectives that will enable CSU students to be successful, well-rounded, and civicly engaged.
• Courses approved for CSU GE are responsive to the need for students to have developed knowledge of, or skills related to, quantitative reasoning, information literacy, intellectual inquiry, cross cultural awareness and understanding, human diversity, civic engagement, communication competence, ethical decision-making, environmental systems, technology, lifelong learning, and physical and emotional health throughout a lifetime.

• As set forth in the Chancellor’s memorandum accompanying EO 1100R, the executive order was issued to: “(1) clarify [GE] requirements, (2) ensure equitable opportunity for student success, and (3) streamline graduation requirements.”
• The executive order is intended to establish a common understanding of the requirements for CSU General Education Breadth (GE) and to provide for the certification of courses completed by transfer students at regionally accredited institutions.
• The EO also enhances course reciprocity among the institutions, and reduces time to graduation by allowing double counting of any course that is approved to meet a section of GE and a requirement within the major.
• The policy incorporates changes recommended by faculty, students, administrators and the statewide Academic Senate. Additionally, the revised executive order includes a revised definition for mathematics/quantitative reasoning in response to recommendations from a variety of sources. The full EO 1100R consultation timeline is available here: http://www.calstate.edu/app/policies/2017-09-08-eo-1100-rev-survey-feedback.pdf.

• Yes. There will be no changes in CSUN’s unique Section F. Section F remains a distinct section of GE and CSUN students will still complete 6 units in Section F. Incoming fully GE Certified transfer students are exempt from Section F.

• Again, there are no changes to Section F. All students will be required to take 6 units as they are now. The major change to General Education that begins in 2019 is a requirement for upper division science as part of the GE plan. Students currently enrolled will continue to follow the current GE plan which allows a choice as to which upper division general education courses they take. Under the new EO, students will take one upper division course in science; one upper division course in the arts or humanities; and one upper division course in social science. Given this new requirement, all departments, including ethnic studies, may see a shift in enrollment. However, the ethnic and cultural studies departments all have courses in the arts and humanities and/or social sciences sections of GE.

Because CSUN has been granted a waiver to retain Section F, the remaining changes are necessary to align with EO 1100R. They include:

• Designating that upper division GE courses in Sections B, C, and D are required for students to complete their GE requirements.
• Splitting Section C into C1 (Arts) and C2 (Humanities).
• Allowing all Major courses that are approved for GE credit to double count for the previously approved GE requirement as well as for the major requirement, as is the existing practice in many of our departments.
• Increasing the number of units in Section B from 11 to 12.

• No. Section F remains a distinct section alongside the other 5 sections of general education. All students will be required to take 6 units, as they do now. There was discussion of a plan that was referred to as “overlay” more than a year ago when we thought we needed to replace Section F and was an effort to preserve all the courses that were counted in Section F. Since we now have a waiver for Section F from the Chancellor’s Office, there is no need for an overlay plan. Thus, there is no change to the section F requirement.

• There is nothing in EO 1100R that requires or, indeed even suggests, that courses count in more than one section of general education. One proposal that has emerged from faculty discussion would allow more courses to count as upper division science if they meet that section’s Student Learning Outcomes. This proposal’s objective is NOT to move courses into section F, but rather to allow courses from other sections (C, D, E, F) to also count in upper division science (section B). All departments would be encouraged to examine whether or not current offerings might also count as an upper division science. Courses would need to meet the same student learning outcomes as they have previously in order to count in upper division science.
• For example, ANTH 341 (Bones) currently a Section D (Social Science) course, could also count for upper division Section B given it meets 3 or more of the SLOs below.
  • These are the current student learning outcomes for section B/Natural Science:
    • Demonstrate an understanding of basic knowledge, principles and laws in the natural sciences.
    • Explain how the scientific method is used to obtain new data and advance knowledge.
    • Demonstrate an understanding of the logical foundations and boundaries of science.
    • Recognize the contribution and potential of science in human society and everyday life.
    • Demonstrate competence in applying the methods of scientific inquiry.
    • Demonstrate an ability to apply scientific knowledge and to critically assess real-world issues and make sound decisions.

• There are currently 28 sections (Titles) of the California Code of Regulations. The section that deals with education is Title 5.(https://oal.ca.gov/publications/ccr/)
• Title 5 is comprised of rules enacted by the Trustees that carry the weight of law. Sections 40405.1-40405.3 define the structure of General Education within the CSU. 40405.4 designates the Chancellor as the authority “to implement the objectives and requirements of Sections 40405.1-40401-3.” (Title 5 CCR § 40405.4)
• The CSU Chancellor’s Office and Campus Presidents are responsible for implementation and compliance with Title 5 regulations, and utilize Executive Orders to implement regulations.

• Yes. The Board of Trustees has the responsibility under California Education Code to adopt rules and regulations governing the CSU, including regulations focused on General Education. Those rules and regulations often take the form of executive orders issued by the Chancellor, the chief executive officer of the CSU, following consultation throughout the CSU.
• Through the authority vested by the Board, the Chancellor issued Executive Order 1100 Revised (EO1100R) on August 23, 2017 (Note that original Executive Order 1100 was issued on February 16, 2015). The memorandum transmitting executive orders to CSU Presidents state, in part, "In accordance with California State University policy, the campus president has the responsibility for implementing executive orders..."
• As a member of a 23 campus system, CSUN must carry out the rules and regulations contained in executive orders. Individual campuses cannot simply ignore these rules and campuses are periodically audited to determine campus compliance.

• Sixteen campuses are in alignment with EO1100R, while six campuses are working toward alignment and have approved plans to bring them into alignment by AY 2019-2020 and AY 2020-2021. CSUN is currently the only campus without an approved plan.

• A component of Title 5 – section 40405.4(Procedures for Implementing Programs to Meet General Education Requirements) states:
  • (a) The Chancellor shall establish procedures to implement the objectives and requirements of Sections 40405.1-40405.3, including provision for exceptions in individual cases of demonstrable hardship, and including periodic review of the extent to which the objectives and requirement are being met.
  • (b) The Chancellor may grant exceptions to the requirements of subdivision (a) of Section 40405.1 for high unit degree major programs on a program-by-program basis.
  • § 40405.1. Defines California State University General Education - Breadth Requirements.
  • § 40405.2. Defines Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum.
  • § 40405.3. Defines Lower Division General Education Reciprocity Between the California State University and the University of California.
• Section 40405.4 expressly empowers the Chancellor to devise rules/orders to implement the GE requirements set forth in Title 5.

• No. Alignment with the EO will not require changes to the current structure of departmental programs. However, many departments may choose to develop new courses to better serve students in areas such as upper division science where the number of offerings is currently too few for the number of students that will require it.

• Yes. Students will be required to complete 3 units of upper division science (Section B).
• Faculty will determine what courses are available for the upper division B requirement.

• Alignment with the EO can be accommodated with no additional courses. However, additional courses may be developed to meet new requirements. This is the prerogative of the faculty.

• “Double-counting” allows students to apply any GE course from their major to an appropriate section in GE, as well as to any requirement in the major that the course may fulfill. Most departments currently allow students to double count 3 units. However, 22 departments currently allow students to double count more than 3 units and 4 departments allow unlimited double counting, including Africana Studies, Asian American Studies, Central American Studies, and Chicana/o Studies. EO1100R mandates that GE courses taken in all majors will double count, without exception.

• EO1100R provides the structure of GE in alignment with Title 5. The president is committed to shared governance, and has asked faculty to determine the best way for the campus to align with the requirements.

• Students use the GE program that is in effect in the first year they start at the university. For example, first-time students entering CSUN in Fall 2019 will be the first cohort covered by the new GE program that CSUN adopts. Continuing students will stay in their current GE program unless they choose to change to the new GE package.
• Students who transfer to CSUN are covered by the GE program in effect upon their first enrollment in a community college program. As such, students entering community college programs in 2019 or thereafter who subsequently transfer to CSUN will be covered by the new GE program.

• The president, in consultation with the Senate Executive Committee, established the GE Task Force to make recommendations that "advance student success through quality general education while maintaining our cross-cultural competency requirements (Section F of current GE Plan) and aligning with the California Education Code." The GE Task Force worked through the spring semester and completed its work last May.

• The recommendations of the CSUN Taskforce have been provided to the Faculty Senate and all faculty.
• Alignment with the EO will be completed by the appropriate faculty committees, and it is recommended that the GE Taskforce recommendations be carefully considered in acknowledgment of the work done by students, staff, faculty and administrators on the Taskforce.

It is anticipated that alignment will enhance student success by:

• Reducing time to graduation by allowing double counting of courses that are approved to meet both GE and major requirements, as already practiced by some departments.
• Improving the ability of students to transfer from within California Community Colleges, the CSU, and non-CSU campuses with minimal loss of credit or time.
• Supporting enhanced course reciprocity among the institutions.

EO 1100R Section 2.2.5 allows the following exceptions:

• Partial waivers for individual students.
• Exceptions for one or more requirements for high unit majors.
• Exemption of additional GE requirements for earned prior baccalaureate or higher degrees or equivalent academic preparation.
• Reasonable adjustments in number of units assigned to any of the five required distribution areas (A through E).

• GE Certification allows students to transfer from community college to the CSU and from CSU campus to CSU campus and not need to repeat content. Currently only community colleges are allowed to certify students as “GE complete.” Under EO 1100R, CSU campuses can now certify students as having GE done as well.
• GE Certification makes transfer more seamless across the state and ensures students will get credit for the work they’ve done at any other campus.
• It allows certification of lower-division GE Areas satisfactorily completed at ANY CSU campus.
• Certification ensures students aren’t held to additional GE Lower-Division requirements.
• Upper-Division GE courses completed at one CSU campus will now fulfill the same requirement at ANY other CSU campus.
• It allows students at any community college to transfer seamlessly to any CSU campus.
• It improves time to degree.

First Time GE Certified Transfer Students are expected to:

• take 9 units of Upper-Division GE coursework at CSUN.
• satisfy requirements in the major.
• maintain minimum 2.0 GPA.
• take the Upper Division Writing Proficiency Exam (UDWPE).

• The larger context of the state's commitment to ethnic studies education is part of both the new requirement for teacher certification candidates and K-12 education.
• CSU General Education is unrelated to the new K-12 curriculum.

• Students who plan to be teachers need to take the qualifying courses in their degree plans and all CSUN degrees designed to lead to a credential have the content in them currently.
• General Education classes give students breadth in their education, but typically do not count for specific professional requirements for licensure or credentialing.

• Outreach to CSUN's advising community regarding the implementation of EOs 1100R and 1110 has and will continue to occur via a variety of direct and ongoing communications with the advising directors, advising staff, graduation and retention specialists, associate deans and faculty.
• Information about CSUN's GE requirements will continue to be available via the University Catalog. The Catalog contains information about requirements, coursework, policy, student learning outcomes, course schedules, which courses are certified for each of the GE areas and two- and four-year graduation plans.
• Per EO 1100R, Fall 2018 incoming First Time Freshman (FTF) will follow the modified GE plan. Continuing students will follow the current GE plan R. To ensure seamless transition for students, CSUN has in place processes used during the conversion of the C to R GE plans.

• Other than the consistency in definition of quantitative reasoning, they cover separate areas. EO 1100R creates a consistent GE pattern across the state. EO 1110 deals with incoming freshmen and academic preparation. CSUN will provide more information about EO 1110 once we have more information about its implementation.