Pictured | Devyn Decker | Bachelor of Science in Education, Secondary Education, Social Studies | Elkhart, Indiana (hometown)

Additional Requirements (0 cr.)

As part of their General Education, students must complete two tagged requirements–Information Literacy and First Year Seminars.

Information Literacy

The campuswide general education curriculum requires students to demonstrate competence in modern information gathering and evaluation. 

Students will fulfill the Information Literacy requirement by taking one course tagged as an Information Literacy course OR by taking a stand-alone, credit bearing course, COAS-Q110 Introduction to Information Literacy (1cr.). Courses with the Information Literacy tag vary by major and are indicated as meeting this requirement in the Schedule of Classes.

Such a course should enable students to:

1. Search for research materials using appropriate search tools
2. Search for research materials using effective search strategies
3. Retrieve sources that are appropriate for the topic and for use in academic research
4. Evaluate sources based on standard criteria and information need
5. Use sources ethically by documenting correctly
6. Reflect on the research process and selected sources

First Year Seminars

First Year Seminars are specifically designed for incoming students. FYS is a tagged General Education requirement associated with a credit bearing course. Students should look for this FYS designation in the Schedule of Classes. Students in the Honors program are exempt from this requirement by taking HON-H100. Students may only enroll in one FYS course.

In a small classroom setting, each student engages not only with the course’s material and instructor, but also with the entire campus and wider community. Each class has a peer mentor to help students with the transition to college life. Taught by award-winning, IU South Bend faculty, these classes attend to the specific academic needs of first-year students to ensure their success.

Such a course should enable students to:

1. Explain how this course fits into the bigger picture of General Education and major fields of inquiry (sciences, social sciences, humanities and professions)
2. Show how their personal beliefs and preconceptions influence their learning experiences.
3. Demonstrate critical-thinking and decision-making skills
4. Name the ways they have gotten involved in campus life
5. Reflect on their growth as learners to show how their academic skills and knowledge can be transferred to new contexts
6. Make a successful transition from high school to college