UFQUest
UF Quest is an ambitious program that enhances the undergraduate experience. UF Quest courses emphasize close reading, critical thinking, and effective communication of ideas that promote a high level of faculty-student engagement. UF Quest nurtures the intellectual curiosity of UF students and invites them to grapple with the difficult questions and challenges that they will face as thoughtful adults navigating a complex and interconnected world. UF Quest provides a signature opportunity for students to take interdisciplinary courses that address difficult problems that we confront today. All Quest courses include experiential learning and opportunities for self-reflection, preparing students for both lifelong learning and useful skills for their future careers.
UF Quest has four parts, Quest 1 – 4:
Quest 1 courses are interdisciplinary courses centered in the humanities. They invite students to examine essential questions about the human condition that are difficult to answer and hard to ignore. What makes life worth living? What makes a society a fair one? How do we manage conflicts?
Quest 2 courses are interdisciplinary courses that are centered in the biological, physical, or social and behavioral sciences. While Quest 1 courses ask what it means, Quest 2 courses ask what we can do. In Quest 2, students encounter important real-world issues that cut across disciplines such as the impact of climate change or social media.
Quest 3 is a semester-long practical experience in one of five areas: internship, undergraduate research, global engagement/study abroad, community/public service, or design competition/creative endeavor. Quest 3 is an opportunity for students to fully engage with the world vis a vis their undergraduate studies. Quest 3 is presently being piloted.
Quest 4, currently under development, is an optional component that provides a synthesis of the UF Quest experiences within the student’s discipline.
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UF NewsUF Quest redefines the student learning experience |
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UF NewsUF Quest reimagines the general education experience |
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UF NewsUF named top undergraduate research institution |
- To date over 200 Quest 1 and 2 courses have been created and over 10,000 students take these classes each year.
- This creates enormous student choice for general education courses.
- Faculty are excited to teach innovative courses related to their expertise to the general student population in an active and experiential learning setting.
- Each student has the experience of grappling with hard problems for which there is no simple solution in a community that reflects our diverse student body.
- Quest 3 will provide a quality experiential learning opportunity for all of our students
