Frequently Asked Questions
How do I register for the ES course series?
To register, apply for one of the 150 available slots. Students will be accepted into the program on a first-come, first-served basis and notified of their acceptance prior to summer orientation.
How does a Curriculum for Liberal Education course series work?
Students who enroll in the Earth Sustainability (ES) course series (UCCS 2984/MATH 2984) should plan to take the series for four consecutive semesters excluding summer (fall 2008 through spring 2010). Upon completion of all four semesters, students will receive credit for university CLE areas 2 through 7 that are not already specified by their major. The seventh, area 1 (writing and discourse), if not met by AP credit, can be fulfilled with any area 1 course but we highly recommend enrolling in Communications Skills or English Composition. Special or dedicated sections of these courses are available for ES students.
Do I need to complete all four semesters of the series to get full credit for the university Curriculum for Liberal Education (CLE) areas that this series covers?
To receive full credit for areas 2 through 7 of the CLE, the entire series must be completed successfully. If you are unable to continue with the series after the first year, partial credit for some CLE areas may be awarded on a case-by-case basis in consultation with your advisor and your college associate dean.
What Curriculum for Liberal Education areas will I receive credit for when I complete this series?
Upon successful completion of all four semesters of the ES course series (ES 1, 2, 3, and 4) and the appropriate writing and discourse course or equivalent, you will receive area credit for those CLE areas not already specified by your major.
How many credits is the course?
Most students who opt into the ES series will be registered for UCCS 2984 (4 credits) and MATH 2984 (1 credit). The math component of the course series is embedded into it directly and is not a separate course. Math is an integral part of the ES course and the course content is the same regardless of registration. However, by offering both a 4-credit and 5-credit registration, students with majors that require several area 5 math courses can avoid a credit overload. It is expected that primarily the engineering students will opt for the 4-credit course.
ES sounds like a lot of credits. Is it?
In reality, no but scheduling ES does require that you work closely with your advisor to create some flexibility in your major requirements during the first two years. In just 20 credits (5 credits x 4 semesters), up to six of the seven CLE areas can be fulfilled. If the courses you need to take for your major do not include any CLE courses, you would need to take 28 additional credits of CLE approved courses to fulfill areas 2 through 7. However, most majors do require courses for the major that also carry CLE designation. For example, a geology option major would need to take specific introductory geology and calculus courses and these courses also satisfy areas 4 and 5. However, the requirements for a geology major do not specify which courses should be taken to satisfy CLE areas 2, 3, 6, and 7. ES can fulfill these unspecified areas. But juggling numbers and credits really misses the point of the course series which is to offer students a unique experience through which they can delve deeply into complex interdisciplinary topics and build relationships with fellow students and faculty.
Will I get credit for my math requirements?
The math component of ES is approved for CLE area 5 credit; however, most majors also require specific math courses that tend to also be approved for area 5 credit. Regardless of whether the math component of ES counts toward CLE area 5 credit or not, it will definitely count toward graduation credit.
Can Earth Sustainability CLE area credits substitute for CLE area courses required by my major or for accreditation requirements for professional degrees such as in the College of Engineering?
Generally no. If you are required to take specific courses as required for professional accreditation that also happen to fulfill university CLE area requirements, you will still need to take those courses. Similarly, if your major requires that you take specific courses that happen to also fulfill university CLE area requirements, you will still need to take those courses for your major. In rare cases, an advisor or department may decide that the content of Earth Sustainability sufficiently duplicates that of a required in-major course that a waiver can be granted. In that case, your advisor would grant the in-major waiver.
What if I don’t pass one of the courses? Can I continue in the series?
To be able to continue with the series, you must successfully complete each semester of the series as it is offered. Because this program is still in development, there are no “trailing sections” available for retaking a given course.
What if I need to drop out for a term? Can I pick up the course series again at a later date?
This is possible, but not guaranteed. Because this is a developing program, it may or may not be feasible. Currently, the series starts over again on alternate fall semesters.
Do many people drop out?
Very few students drop out. We do not recommend taking the course series only “half” of the way through. It really is a package and is designed as such to build skills and knowledge systematically and sequentially. The greatest intellectual development occurs in the fourth semester. You’ll not want to miss that opportunity.
What is the course designator/number for the series?
This Earth Sustainability designator is “UCCS” and it stands for university core course series. We use the same number, “2984,” for all four semesters. The embedded math component is MATH 2984. Unless you are in the College of Engineering, you will be registered for both courses if you choose to enroll in ES.
Can I take ES without taking the math course?
It depends. The mathematics component is embedded directly into the ES content curriculum. It is not a separate course. We use mathematics to understand problems just like we use English to discuss them. Symbolic and quantitative reasoning are part of the fabric of interdisciplinary learning and problem solving. However, some majors, such as those in the College of Engineering, do not have “room” in their semester schedules for 5 credits of coursework. In general, these majors are math intensive already so the mathematics component of the ES curriculum should be familiar to students with math intensive degrees. As a result, we will allow those students to enroll in the ES series for four credits. Thus, we are assuming that students from math intensive majors will attend fewer math help sessions and will complete the math component of projects in less time than other students. This “time savings” for the quantitatively more adept is estimated at 1 credit hour per semester.
Is this course series just for environmentalists?
No! This course series is for anyone who is interested in learning more about the world we share and live in. Students and faculty from a wide variety of disciplines, perspectives, and backgrounds join in the conversations. It is this rich variety of perspectives that make this program work. This course series is for those who would like to participate in a learning community that focuses on issues of sustainability.
What is a learning community?
A learning community is an approach to education that invites all members of the community to be partners in the learning process. Members of learning communities take ownership and responsibility for their learning in ways that are not as common in other courses. Each learning community decides upon and sets its own protocols and policies for engagement and responsibility. Concerns, when they arise, are brought back to the community for discussion. Decisions are commonly consensus driven rather than decided upon by an authority (e.g. usually a faculty member). Learning community members are expected to keep up with lecture and reading materials and take turns leading classroom discussions so that a rich conversation about the information can ensue. It is through this process of engagement with content information that learning occurs so participation by all members is critical to the success of the community.
How are students evaluated and graded in ES?
As in more traditional classes, ES still offers traditional opportunities for writing, working on projects, and taking exams. These assessment tools are important for measuring personal progress toward external benchmarks. We focus on learning outcomes and work with each student to help them achieve a desired level of success.
What do students think of the course?
See what they have to say!
What are the benefits for the student?
Students who complete the ES series are more globally aware and can engage with big questions. They have achieved a significant level of competence with 21st century skills critical to professional success including but not limited to: information literacy, team skills, professional writing and speaking using several different genres, critical reading and thinking, multi-disciplinary problem-solving skills, and diversity awareness.
Is the interdisciplinary learning community approach valid? How do I know I am not wasting my time?
Yes, the interdisciplinary learning community approach to general education is a valid approach that is demonstrating significant benefits to learning. Educational research on student learning outcomes from the first two cohorts who have participated in the ES series have shown significant increases in both student epistemological development and performance measures (e.g., critical thinking and scientific reasoning skills) as compared to student learning outcomes in a matched cohort of students enrolled in more traditional general educational programs. Programs like this one are not yet common because they require significant changes to the ways in which courses are structured. This is truly 21st century education.
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