Using experiences from three institutions, the authors describe a three-stage process for designing an integrated general education program that takes into account institutional differences. The three stages are (1) establishing initial discussions that lead to alignment of key university SLOs with key general education SLOs, (2) training and workshopping with faculty groups and administrators whose first task usually is to work with the key general education outcomes and select the appropriate measures for them, and (3) training and workshopping with faculty groups who teach the junior and senior courses that most majors take (the required courses, or courses such as senior capstones) to develop and establish course-embedded assessment in the assessment plans of the degree programs. 79 8

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This reflective essay describes the distinct ways that the scholarship of teaching and university has been integrated into the academic culture at two very different universities with the suggestion that universities who actively study their own relationship and history with SoTL can make some empowering discoveries.

The context: Most courses include a strong writing component, and I have found that the writing of my students improves more readily when they write reflectively about particular criteria of the course's writing rubric. Using online, blended learning writing assignments of this sort fosters reflection and focuses students upon the writing criteria which have yielded the most success and the greatest challenge. This strategy can be employed in the writing assignments of any course. The pedagogical purpose:The purpose is twofold: by having students write in detail about particular criteria of the rubric they acquire a deeper awareness of the criteria, and in having them use the criteria in a private context, they often tend to employ them more readily in class and in peer editing sessions. An added advantage is that in a blended learning situation, out of class, students tend to be more open to self criticism than when in a small group setting in class.The strategy: The assignments can appear to be deceptively simple: "Please select two criteria from our writing rubric and for each write a three paragraph, thoughtful explanation of how you did or did not apply the criterion in an essay you have written this semester." Rubric criteria will vary from course to course, but those I use frequently are: