Grand Challenge Learning  (GCL) 100-level “Experiences” are designed for first-year students.  Each fulfills a requirement in at least one General Education category, and has no pre-requisites.  GCL Experience courses are all taught by UIUC faculty who recognize that education means more than the passive transmission of skills and information.  GCL Experience courses follow one of three themed “pathways” (Health and Wellness, Sustainability and the Environment, or Inequality and Cultural Understanding).

Instead of tests or exams, GCL courses ask students to engage in experiential learning – which might include projects, design, art, service learning, or community-engaged writing and scholarship – in order to learn about deep-seated dilemmas that cross many disciplines.  With enrollment  capped at 25 students per section, GCL Experience courses are also small seminars that privilege collaborative work, putting student inquiry and reflection at the center of the learning experience.

You can find more information about our ten Spring 2017 GCL courses, including a downloadable PDF describing each section, at this link:

http://undergrad-education.illinois.edu/initiatives/grand-challenge-learning-pilot/100-level.html.

Thanks to Professor Kelly Ritter for this information item.