General Education Context
A truly liberal education is one that prepares us to live responsible, productive, and creative lives in a dramatically changing world. It is an education that fosters a well-grounded intellectual resilience, a disposition toward lifelong learning, and an acceptance of responsibility for the ethical consequences of our ideas and actions. Liberal Education requires that we understand the foundations of knowledge and
inquiry about nature, culture, and society; that we master core skills of perception, analysis, and expression; that we cultivate a respect for truth; that we recognize the importance of historical and cultural context; and that we explore connections among formal learning, citizenship, and service to our communities.
from the Association of American Colleges & Universities, “Statement on Liberal Learning”
Bellevue College subscribes to the educational purposes and values articulated in the AAC&U’s “Statement on Liberal Learning” and is committed to providing students a comprehensive learning experience which addresses critical dimensions of student personal, professional, and intellectual growth. Accordingly, the college has developed a general education program that incorporates the essential elements of liberal learning. The General Education program at Bellevue College has undergone an extensive review. BC’s General Education program is designed to address areas and specific requirements which ensure that students’ learning experiences prepare them to build fulfilling and successful lives as individuals, workers, citizens, and life-long learners. To ensure ease of student transfer, BC has carefully formulated its General Education requirements to correspond with lower division and general requirements at other community colleges and at typical baccalaureate institutions. As a reflection of our values of maintaining excellence and anticipating future needs in teaching and learning, Bellevue College has identified three main overarching General Education areas: Creative and Critical Thinking, Communication, and Connections.
Opportunities to develop these skills in those three areas have been incorporated throughout the college curriculum, with different courses supporting different general education goals. Students in professional/technical Associate of Arts degree programs will fulfill the college’s general education requirements by completing the courses required for the particular program. Other degrees offered at BC are designed to provide appropriate levels of student preparation and learning in the general education areas by taking a course designated as a “Diversity Degree Requirement ” by BC, in addition to taking the Written Communications courses, Quantitative/Symbolic Reasoning courses, and distribution courses (in Social Sciences, Humanities, and Natural Sciences) required by the State’s Direct Transfer Agreement.
General Education Competency Requirements
| Creative and Critical Thinking |
Communication |
Connections |
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The ability to utilize a range of thought processes to evaluate information and opinions, generate new ideas, and identify creative and successful outcomes. Specific topics that fit within this area include:
- Critical Thinking/Problem Solving
- Quantitative / Symbolic Reasoning
- Research / Information Literacy
- Scientific Inquiry (Nature of Science)
- Aesthetic Awareness
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The ability to communicate effectively using written, oral, visual, and/or electronic means, as appropriate to a given situation. Specific topics that fit within this area include:
- Reading
- Writing
- Listening and speaking
- Visual
- Computer literacy
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The ability to identify and explore connections, themes, and patterns in the social and natural world, and to see commonalities within dissimilar circumstances. Specific topics that fit within this area include:
- Self-Assessment/life goals
- Group processes
- Ethics
- Global Citizenship
- Historical and Intellectual Perspectives
- Cultural Diversity
- Science and the Natural World
- Technology and Society
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The specific general education requirements listed above are accurate as of the publication date for this Catalog.
Assessment Context
The goal at Bellevue College is to engage in a process of assessment and improvement for our student outcomes at many levels, course outcomes, program outcomes, and college-wide outcomes.
We have identified the general education outcomes as college-wide outcomes for large-picture assessment for the transfer program. Each course has a class level outcome (or multiple outcomes) that is linked to one or more of the general education outcome. By assessing the general education we are also able to assess course-level level learning outcomes.
For classes/programs without general education outcomes, we use individualized assessment plans.
Assessment of Student Learning Outcomes and General Education requirements are coordinated by the Faculty Assessment Coordinating Team (FACT).
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