General Education

Director

Scott Karakas, Ph.D.
General Education Program Director
Office of Curriculum and Instruction
Academic Building 5, room 214-F
Phone: 239.590.7272
Email: skarakas@fgcu.edu

 

The General Education Program Director reports to the Associate Provost and Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs, and works collaboratively with the Colleges and the General Education Council to implement the FGCU General Education program. Specific responsibilities include:

• Using accreditation standards and assessment data in planning and implementing the General Education program.
• Serving as a resource for General Education faculty on options for assessing General Education courses.
• Collaborating with faculty to develop validation processes for Academic Learning Compact outcomes related to university-wide communication and critical thinking skills.
• Coordinating assessment of the General Education Program with faculty teaching General Education courses and the General Education Council.
• Working collaboratively with General Education faculty and the Senate Program Review Team to complete the General Education Program Review. Submitting Program Review to the Senate Program Review Team for approval. Presenting Program Review findings to the General Education Council and faculty.
• Developing policies for the General Education Program based on university-wide feedback, assessment data, and best practices. Draft policies are submitted to the General Education Council, Faculty Senate, Academic Council, and Academic Affairs for review and approval. 
• Attending OCI meetings and providing a report on the General Education Program at each meeting.
• Attending General Education Council meetings and providing a report on the General Education Program at each meeting.
• Providing updates on the General Education Program to college Deans and the Academic Council as requested.
• Providing staff support for the General Education Council and for the Academic Advising Council.
• Serving as a liaison between the Academic Advising Council, the Articulating Committee, and the colleges.
• Serving as an ex-officio member of the University Undergraduate Curriculum Team.
• Processing math and foreign language substitution forms.
• Approving articulation requests for General Education course substitutions and equivalencies.
• Approving articulation requests for Gordon Rule Mathematics and Writing course substitutions and equivalencies.
• Updating the listing of General Education courses and writing-intensive courses annually for the University Catalog.
• Developing and maintaining a General Education resource center and web site that can be utilized by the academic community.
• Ensuring a university wide approach to General Education.
• Maintaining expertise on best practices in General Education.