The University of Florida announced Monday that it is joining the Coalition for Transformational Education (CTE). The national coalition of colleges and universities focuses on educational initiatives to prepare students for life after graduation. 

CTE is a non-profit organization working to change a statistic that says less than 5% of college students have a meaningful, mentor-based college experience, according to the press release. Eighteen institutions, from small private colleges to large public universities have joined the coalition to experiment, share best practices and collaborate in a mission to give students a “transforming educational experience.” 

Institutions can become CTE affiliates by meeting three requirements. They must have an educational initiative to “improve the wellbeing and career engagement” of graduates, have a plan to evaluate “emotionally supportive mentoring… and/or experiential learning that connects curriculum to authentic real world applications or problems,” and an interest in being actively involved in CTE’s learning community. 

UF has taken the further step of becoming a member, not just an affiliate, which requires the president or provost to publicly endorse CTE’s mission and vision, take part in CTE Leaders meetings and the CTE Annual Conference, and encourage faculty to engage with CTE initiatives. 

UF’s Quest Program is the qualifying educational initiative that has allowed the partnership with CTE. The Quest Program is part of the general education curriculum, including courses that ask students to consider “why the world is the way it is and what they can do about the problems confronting us.” 

The program focuses on close reading, critical thinking and effective communication of ideas instead of standardized tests and rote learning. 

“The UF Quest Program today is the result of years of sustained collaboration among our administration, faculty, staff, and students who have together reimagined general education,” Angela Lindner, UF’s associate provost for undergraduate affairs, who currently runs the Quest program, said in a release.  “We are excited to join the Coalition and gain from its collective wisdom as we continue expansion of the program to its full vision.”