Welcome to the onlineOrientation tutorial!

We are John and Jenna, your virtual Orientation Assistants. When you come to Orientation this summer, you’ll have a real student to guide you through the process of registering for classes. But before that, we’d like to explain some things that’ll make your Orientation day go more smoothly.

Online Orientation Tutorial

First, we are going to look at the “anatomy of a degree”--- what your whole degree will look like. Then we’ll break it down into smaller pieces to make it easier to understand.

Remember, not all degrees are alike. While you can do some preparation ahead of time, you’ll have to talk with your adviser about specific courses required for your major.

Requirements are designed to fulfill the Liberal Education goals established forUW-Eau Claire students:

• Knowledge of human cultures and the natural world

• Creative and critical thinking• Effective communication• Individual and social responsibility• Respect for diversity among people• Integrative Learning

Your Degree = 120 Credits

General Education:GE I – Communication

GE II – Natural Science

GE III – Social Science

GE IV – Humanities

GE V – University Wide

Standard Major (36 credits) and a Minor (24 credits)

OR

Comprehensive Major 60 credits

University Requirements:• English• Math• Foreign Language or Foreign

Culture• Cultural Diversity• Service Learning• Wellness

Electives

All of this can seem a bit overwhelming, so let’s break it down a bit.

In your first year you’ll be taking many General Education courses and other university wide requirements, so let’s start there.

University requirements, including General Education, provide a common set of requirements that all undergraduates must fulfill, regardless of their major.

…....but General Education is so much more than “extra” classes:

An educated person--- which is what we know you want to be-- must know how to do research, know how to speak and write coherently and have skills working with and leading other people. We really believe that our General Education courses have helped us develop these skills and given us a better understanding of people and our environment.

They will encourage you to engage in life-long learning and public service.

They will provide an introduction to different disciplines.

They will build a broad framework to understand courses in your major.

Really, my G.E. courses did all this—and I’m still taking more!

We have to admit, the way UW-Eau Claire’s requirements are laid out can be a bit confusing, because in addition to General Education requirements, we have other requirements that complement G.E. :

• English Competency• Math competency• Foreign Language/foreign culture• Cultural diversity• Wellness

They all work together to make you a well-rounded person who is ready to become a

productive citizen.

Now on to the specifics---let’s take a look at university requirements first (but remember, requirements vary by major and degree).

First, English competency:Students need to earn a C in a college level English composition course. Most students will take English 110, Introduction to College Writing, a 5 credit course.

About half the freshmen take it their first semester and the other half take it their second semester.

Everyone needs to know how to write effectively--- and if you are anything like me, you may need some help learning how to do research papers at the college level.

Math CompetencyEveryone needs to show they can use numbers effectively---and believe me in this complicated world, we’ll need to be mathematically literate. Important decisions we’ll make about medical treatment, home buying, voting, etc., will depend on our math skills.

This requirement (like many others) depends on your major and the type of degree you want to complete.

The math course you begin with depends on your placement test--- so it is best to wait until Orientation to speak with and advisor and decide which one to take.

Cultural DiversityEveryone is required to include the equivalent of three credit hours of courses that study African Americans, Hispanic Americans, American Indians, or Southeast Asian Americans.

An educated person should be aware of and appreciate the wide range of cultural diversity that exists in the United States.

Anyone in the Career Services office will tell you that employers really want students who can work effectively with people from different backgrounds. When I came here, I didn’t know too many people different than me, so taking these courses was a big help!

Foreign Language/Foreign CultureWe also believe that understanding the world outside of the U.S. is absolutely crucial to being an educated person and a productive citizen. All students are required to do one of the following:A. Complete the second semester of a foreign language or the

third semester of American Sign Language with a C. (Can also test out by placement or CLEP)

B. Earn 9 credits of foreign culture courses or 6 credits of foreign culture courses and one semester of a foreign language or American Sign Language

C. Complete at least one semester of study abroad or an approved internship abroad.

This requirement is tricky and depends on your major --- so check with your adviser.

John studied in Australia.

I learned sign language - that was fun!

John studied in Australia.I learned sign language - that was fun!

Eau Claire students are really active--- 70% participated in high school sports. So you should know how important it is to continue taking care of yourself.

WellnessEveryone is required to take one credit of wellness theory and one credit of activity courses (sometimes the activity and theory are offered as one course).

Service LearningUW-Eau Claire is known for its commitment to serving our community and the world beyond Eau Claire. All students complete at least 30 hours of service that has a learning component.There are all sorts of great ways to get involved.Check out the Service-Learning web-site. For example--Jenna worked at the local Food Bank and I helped a non-profit set up their web-page.

Okay, we’ve covered University Requirements … that took a while! Now we’re ready to discuss General Education (GE).Your G.E. requirements vary depending on your degree. While everyone needs to meet the minimum requirement, sometimes you need to take more courses or need to take a specific course.

I think we said that already, just wanted to make sure you’re reading carefully.

As you go through the next few slides you can link to a “course catalogue” that will give descriptions of courses freshmen can take in each category. Not all of them will be open when you come to Orientation, but they can give you a good sense of what types of courses are included in each category.

You can use this worksheet to make a long list of courses that sound interesting and bring it to Orientation with you. You may not be able to take them your first semester, but they’ll give you ideas for your second semester.

.These are the General Education categories:

GE I – Communication GEIA – Language Skills GEIB – Analytical Skills

GE II – Natural Science GE III – Social Science GE IV – Humanities GE V – University Wide

We’ll go through themone by one.

GE

General Education Category I is Communications, also known as GE I.

You’re required to take a minimum of six credits from this category.

Within GE I there are three subcategories:GEIA – Language skillsGEIB – Analytical skillsGEIC- Interdisciplinary studies-communications

However, almost everyone takes their courses from GE IA and IB. So let’s look at these subcategories in more detail………………..

Sub-category GEIA isLanguage skills; it includes:

Communication and Journalism English Foreign languages

Good writing and speaking skills are necessary for success in almost any field. Almost all Alumni wish they had taken more communication courses.

See courses available

The second subcategory is GEIB - Analytical Skills,

it includes: Computer Science, Mathematics Philosophy (logic) Students often take a math course to meet this requirement.

See courses available

Quantitative analysis and analytical thinking are crucial for us to understand the ordinary as well as the technical problems in life.

I really like this quote--- “Today, the race goes not just to the swift, but to the inventive, the resourceful, the curious.” Natural Sciences help us understand the principles governing the physical universe.

The second GE category isNatural Sciences - GE II

We need to take 9-15 credits with at least one lab course from at least two of the following sub-categories (that means subjects)

• Biology• Chemistry; • Geography (physical); • Geology; • Physics• Interdisciplinary Studies - Natural Sciences

See courses available

The next GE category isSocial Sciences - GEIII

We take 9- 12 credits from at least two of the following sub-categories:

Anthropology, Economics, Geography (cultural), Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, Interdisciplinary Studies - Social Sciences

Throughout my life I hope to meet people from lots of different backgrounds. Courses in the social sciences help me understand and appreciate both individual differences and differences among groups of people. We can also learn how institutions can and do change.

See courses available

The fourth GE category isHumanities - GE IV

We need to take 9 - 15 credits from at least two to fourof the following sub-categories: Fine Arts (Art, Art History, Music, Theatre Arts) Philosophy or Religious Studies (excluding logic) History Literature (English literature, Foreign Language literature, and civilization) Interdisciplinary Studies (Humanities, International Studies, and

Women's Studies)

Humanities allow us to learn about human creativity in all its forms and about richness of human experience, past and contemporary. I learned about Asian religions, took a Film class and discovered I liked Jazz when I took a music course.

See courses available

The last category is University-Wide GEV

0-6 creditsUniversity-wide courses either involve multiple GE areas or incorporate a professional school perspective to courses in the liberal arts.

You don’t have to take any courses in this category, but if you do, it helps get you earn the total GE credits for graduation.

See courses available

One unique way to fulfill some of your general education requirements is by enrolling in a “Bundle”. This is a group of 4-6 classes taught across two semesters. You will take courses that are linked together to explore a “big question” from different disciplines of study. This is a great way to meet general education requirements in an interesting and meaningful way. Check out the bundles being offered for freshmen this fall. And talk to your adviser to see if a bundle would be right for you!

Bundle Courses

Yahoo! You’ve made it through the university requirements, including G.E.

Remember the other half of the pie chart?Majors and minors?

General Education

Standard Major (36 credits) and a Minor (24 credits)

ORComprehensive

Major60 credits

University Requirements

Electives

Majors and Minors

…..but I started out as “undeclared” -what we call students who aren’t sure what they want to major in. It’s o.k. to be undeclared - about 30% of freshmen are undecided. My adviser helped me choose the right courses so I could explore.

There are lots of majors to choose from;I’m a Political Science major, John is a Marketing major.

Whether you think you know what you want to major in, or you just want to explore some majors, you should check out the “Introductory Advising Guides.” These will give you information about how to explore the major, requirements for the first year and who to contact for more information. The web-version that we are pointing you to actually links to descriptions of the courses---isn’t that great!?

So, we’re going to leave you for a bit and let you explore the Introductory Advising Guides. After you finish, please open the next power point that has some pieces of advice. AND it allows you to take the quiz and have a chance to win prizes (plus see how much you’ve learned and if you’re ready for Orientation).