Department of General Education
Starting Strong
The Department of General Education is dedicated to making the classes students take in their first years of college the most extraordinary and exciting.
Welcome to the Department of General Education
The Department of General Education's mission is to provide a diverse student body with opportunities to achieve academically, creatively, and professionally in their chosen fields. We provide students with a balanced and dynamic academic foundation so that they graduate not only with essential reading, writing, and quantitative skills, but with the excitement of academic discovery in a variety of disciplines, a strong foundation in critical reasoning, and a firm grounding in ethics.
General Education
First-Year Writing
The First-Year Writing Program at the University of West Georgia encompasses all sections of ENGL 1101 and 1102. These two courses are required for all entering students (unless exempted by university-approved scores on college entrance exams). First-Year Writing faculty are committed to working with first-year students to help them develop the college-level writing and critical thinking skills that they need to be successful in all of their college courses.
Resources
First-Year Mathematics
First-Year Math encompasses Quantitative Skills &Reasoning (MATH-1001), College Algebra (MATH-1111), and Precalculus (MATH-1113) as well as the corresponding lab and support sections. They also teach sections of Elementary Statistics (MATH-1401), Survey of Calculus (MATH-1413), and Calculus I (MATH-1634).
Resources
Learning Support FAQs
Learning Support (LS) consists of courses designed to support students in several entry-level college courses in English and Mathematics.
A learning support course is a 1-credit-hour course taken in the same semester as a core college course at UWG. For example, you might be taking ENGL 1101-01Z (English Composition) as well as ENGL 0999-01Z (English Composition Learning Support). We call these kinds of courses that are taken in the same semester “corequisite,” meaning they are required to be taken together.
| Collegiate Course (credited) | Co-Requisite Learning Support |
|---|---|
| ENGL 1101 | ENGL 0999 |
| MATH 1001 | MATH 0997 |
| MATH 1111 | MATH 0999 |
| MATH 1401 | MATH 0996 |
UWG and the University System of Georgia have discovered many important things in their work to develop the best college education system for Georgians.
- Students who pass ENGL 1101 and their first Mathematics courses in their first year of college are MUCH more likely to graduate college successfully.
- Most students will perform better in their first year of college if they have access to learning support corequisite classes.
- Students perform far better in LS courses that are corequisite -- taken in the same semester -- rather than those which are prerequisite, or taken before the main credited course.
Therefore, UWG requires that students take Learning Support classes where indicated, because those students have a much better chance of progressing successfully to graduation. If you take the class -- even if you are not required to take a LS course you are welcome to register -- you will do better and increase your skills in Math and/or English.
They do not. However, because the LS courses are corequisite, they will not delay your progress toward graduation.
The University System of Georgia and UWG place all students in an entry-level collegiate course with Corequisite Learning Support UNLESS students meet exemption criteria for a particular subject. You have been placed in this LS course so that you have the greatest chance of succeeding in the course.
To exempt placement in corequisite Learning Support students must:
Students must meet or exceed one or more of the criteria listed below.
Students must:
- have transferred or transferable credit for an Area A English course (must meet the minimum grade requirement for the institution – which is a “C” or higher at UWG); OR
- have an English Placement Index (EPI) of 4230 or higher; OR
- have a High School Grade Point Average (HSGPA) of 3.1 or higher AND have completed the Required High School Curriculum (RHSC) in English; OR
- score 430 or higher on the SAT (old) Critical Reading; OR
- score 480 or higher on the SAT (new) Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (EBRW) section; OR
- score 17 or higher on the ACT English or ACT Reading; OR
- score 61 or higher on the Classic Accuplacer Reading Comprehension test AND score 4 or higher on the Accuplacer WritePlacer test; OR
- score 237 or higher on the Next-Generation Accuplacer Reading Comprehension test AND score 4 or higher on the Accuplacer WritePlacer test.
Placement in MATH 1111 (College Algebra) without corequisite Learning Support. Students must meet or exceed one or more of the criteria listed below. Students meeting these criteria will also be eligible to enroll in MATH 1001 (Quantitative Reasoning) or MATH 1101 (Introduction to Mathematical Modeling) without corequisite Learning Support. Students must
- have transferred or transferable credit for an Area A mathematics course (must meet the minimum grade requirement for the institution – which is a D or higher at UWG); OR
- have been placed in pre-calculus or a higher mathematics course (e.g., College Trigonometry or some form of calculus); OR
- have a High School Grade Point Average (HSGPA) of 3.4 or higher AND have completed the Required High School Curriculum (RHSC) in Mathematics; OR
- have a Mathematics Placement Index (MPI) of 1265 or higher OR
- score 470 or higher on the SAT (old) Mathematics; OR
- score 510 or higher on the SAT (new) Mathematics section; OR
- score 20 or higher on the ACT Mathematics; OR
- score 79 or higher on the Classic Accuplacer Elementary Algebra test; OR
- score 266 or higher on the Next-Generation Accuplacer Quantitative Reasoning, Algebra, and Statistics test.
Students who do not meet the criteria for placement into MATH 1111 without corequisite Learning Support may meet criteria for placement into MATH 1111 with corequisite Learning Support or MATH 1001 or MATH 1101 without corequisite Learning Support.
For placement into MATH 1111 with corequisite Learning Support or MATH 1001 or MATH 1101 without corequisite Learning Support students must
- have a High School Grade Point Average (HSGPA) of 3.2 or higher AND have completed the Required High School Curriculum (RHSC) in Mathematics; OR
- have a Mathematics Placement Index (MPI) of 1165 or higher OR
- score 400 or higher on the SAT (old) Mathematics; OR
- score 440 or higher on the SAT (new) Mathematics section; OR
- score 17 or higher on the ACT Mathematics; OR
- score 67 or higher on the Classic Accuplacer Elementary Algebra test; OR
- score 258 or higher on the Next-Generation Accuplacer Quantitative Reasoning, Algebra, and Statistics test.
If your schedule cannot work with both LS areas, first-year students may defer taking their Math LS courses until their next semester. Enrollment in ENGL 1101 with Corequisite Learning Support takes priority and should be completed first. However, both English and Math learning support must be completed by the first 30 hours (typically the first year).
Students requiring LS in both English and mathematics may defer enrollment in Corequisite Learning Support and the paired collegiate course in one or the other area, but must be continuously enrolled in one or both pairs until the college-level courses have been passed. In cases where students cannot take courses in both LS areas simultaneously, enrollment in ENGL 1101 with Corequisite Learning Support should take priority. All Area A requirements must be completed within the first 30 credit hours, including college-level and Corequisite Learning Support requirements in both English and mathematics.
Whenever possible, we have sought to have the same instructor teach both the main section of English or Mathematics and the Learning Support Corequisite course associated with that main section. In other words, whenever possible, the teacher from your Math 1001 course will also be your teacher for your Math 0997 course. The LS courses are smaller and will meet separately from the main course.
No, each LS course for Math or English is designed to support mastery of the skills and concepts needed to pass the collegiate course. As you learn about a new idea or skill in the main course, your LS course will offer additional practice and work on that subject.
You should reach out to your advisor. That person’s name is listed in your MyUWG Wolf Watch, or you can check this webpage (Who's My Advisor?), or you can drop by either the Advising Center or the Momentum Center on campus for assistance.
Please reach out to the chair of the Department of General Education, Dr. Tim Schroer, about learning support classes and faculty in either Mathematics or English.
No, the main course must be passed in order to not have to repeat the LS requirement.
Please reach out to the Academic Testing Center (testwest@westga.edu). They would be happy to assist you in choosing the correct test and scheduling it.
Undergraduate Admissions (admiss@westga.edu) imports test scores and High School GPA. They should be able to assist with ensuring the correct data is in the system.
First, make an appointment to speak with your instructor during office hours. They are your first and best resource about your progress in your class. Other excellent options include an appointment with the Center for Academic Success or the University Writing Center, which can help you with any of your courses, including your LS courses.
In addition to speaking with Dr. Schroer, you may also contact Dr. Karen Owen, Dean of University College, to discuss Learning Support. There is also a manual from the University System of Georgia (pdf), which contains a great deal of information about LS Courses in the system.
LS is covered by financial aid at the regular tuition price, whether the course is online or on campus. It technically counts as 4 total credit hours for tuition, with 3 in the main course and 1 in the learning support section.
Fear not! The LS hold will remain until you successfully complete the Learning Support courses, but then it drops off.
Department Goals:
- to challenge students to think deeply, embrace difference and diversity, and seek a broad understanding of other peoples, perspectives, beliefs, and values
- to prepare students for life, learning, and leadership in an interconnected and globalized world
- to encourage students to explore and understand an ever-growing body of knowledge across multiple disciplines
- to teach students to communicate effectively in multiple discursive modes and for a wide array of audiences
- to equip students with problem-solving skills and reasoning abilities from an integrated, multi-disciplinary perspective
- to help students appreciate how different disciplines in general education inform and complement one another
General Education at UWG is designed to empower students to become
- mathematically, scientifically, and technically proficient;
- competent in information research;
- literate in reading, writing, and presenting; and
- effective critical thinkers.
Additionally, UC’s Gen-Ed department strives to
- enhance students' awareness of academic and professional values and ethics;
- enable students to articulate their personal and social values and how these values are shaped by the world around them;
- foster a growth mindset and conscientiousness in students;
- encourage students to examine individual and social behaviors; and
- develop students’ ability to collaborate in group settings.
At the Core
At The Core 2024
At the Core highlights the value of liberal arts core courses and our high value on mentoring and undergraduate research. They are at the core of the work we do in University College.
3rd Annual University College Writing and Research Conference
- Wednesday, April 24, 2024
- 8 AM - 3 PM
- Campus Center