General Education at Grand Rapids Community College is comprised of two goals. The first is to expand and deepen our students’ understanding of the intellectual traditions that constitute the liberal arts and sciences. To that end, General Education courses at GRCC combine content knowledge with broadly-applicable academic skills such as critical thinking and communication. The second is to provide students with a set of courses that help meet their educational and career goals. In keeping with this goal, GRCC recognizes the Michigan Transfer Agreement (MTA) and includes General Education coursework in its transfer and workforce associate degree programs. General Education at GRCC builds knowledge, skills, and attitudes that every college-educated person should possess.
The GRCC General Education Program is comprised of three broad areas: Humanities, Social Sciences, Natural Sciences and Mathematics, and also includes requirements in English Composition and Communication. Courses designated as fulfilling general education requirements must satisfy one of these areas.
The GRCC General Education Learning Outcomes are comprised of seven broad areas: Civic Engagement, Communication, Critical Thinking, Cultural Competence, Information Literacy, Intellectual Curiosity, Problem-Solving.
General Education Learning Outcomes (GELO)
1. Civic Engagement:
Apply knowledge of social, political, or environmental conditions to demonstrate understanding of community responsibility.
2. Communication:
Demonstrate effective communication through listening, speaking, reading,or writing using relevant sources and research strategies.
3. Critical Thinking:
Gather and synthesize relevant information, evaluate alternative perspectives, or understand inquiry as a means of creating knowledge.
4. Cultural Competence:
Understand diverse interpersonal and cultural perspectives through analysis of scholarly or creative works.
5. Information Literacy:
Discover, ethically apply, or disseminate scholarly information.
6. Intellectual Curiosity:
Seek and apply knowledge through discovery, experimentation, or research to advance academic, personal, and career growth.
7. Problem-Solving:
Apply theory, calculation, or experimentation to demonstrate effective problem-solving.