To all instructors of courses approved for General Education credit in Categories I and II the General Education Committee wishes to communicate its expectation regarding the minimum standards which all courses in these two categories are expected to meet.

1. As 4-unit courses, all GE Category I and II courses are expected to require a total of 12 hours of work weekly by students. In courses which meet in class four hours a week, a total of eight hours of outside preparation would be expected; in courses which meet in class three hours a week, a total of nine hours of outside preparation would be expected. Such calculations include not only reading assignments, but written assignments as well.
2.  It is expected that students in a GE Category I or II course will be required by instructors to submit a minimum of 12 to 15 pages of written assignments during the semester (apart from examinations).
3. It is expected that courses will introduce students to a substantial body of primary-source material in a GE Category I or II course. (You may recall that one requirement of courses in Category I and II is that they "include discussion of the cultural context of primary materials under consideration.")
4. It is expected that midterm and final examinations will follow some form of essay format for answers, either short or long, rather than True/False or multiple-choice formats.
5. It is expected that by the eighth week of the semester, students will have a clear indication of the grade level at which they are performing in the course.

Thank you very much for your cooperation in our efforts to make the new General Education program of a quality and scope of which we can be proud.