General education reform is hard. It can feel overwhelming, particularly when many of us tasked with leading or supporting gen ed reform lack the experience and strategies to begin the process and keep it moving forward.


This book seeks to address common challenges that occur when building, revising, or enhancing general education or core curriculum including lack of community, unclear direction, unfocused discussions, meeting accreditation standards, developing an assessment plan, and navigating shifting institutional politics and priorities through vignettes, worksheets, tips, and reflections that can be used by the reader individually or brought to committees, departments, or task forces collectively. Designed to adopt or adapt, these components provide the reader with practical strategies to address these, and many more challenges faced through the four major stages of reform: laying the foundation, designing the program, implementing the program, and sustaining engagement.

The practical nature of the book, along with the fun and user-friendly activities that align with our road trip metaphor, allows the reader to execute the suggestions and activities to build a foundation for gen ed reform decisions, direction, and discussion at their institutions. It gives the people doing the work the skills needed to conduct a successful gen ed reform process from start to finish.

Dr. Stephen Biscotte has lived and breathed general education since 2013: supporting a full reform effort, serving as President of the Association for General and Liberal Studies (AGLS), completing a doctoral dissertation focused on general education teaching, as well as presenting, publishing, researching, and serving as external evaluator on all things general education.

Dr. Tisha Paredes is an accomplished leader in higher education, specializing in institutional effectiveness, accreditation, and assessment. Her roles at a university and as a consultant have been pivotal in shaping and reforming general education, developing rubrics for various courses and programs, and guiding institutions through accreditation processes.