In an effort to make our classes more engaging, we recently reorganized sections of our nonmajors biology course, using current issues in biology and society as a premise to promote coherence among course content and emphasize the relevance of biological concepts to everyday life. A key aspect of the reorganization included the development and implementation of collaborative, active-learning exercises designed to promote student engagement and foster the use of critical thinking skills--specified goals of our university's general education program. As the reorganization focused largely on fulfilling explicit objectives of the general education program, the purpose of this study was to determine if the new structure would promote student understanding and appreciation of the goals of the general education program within the context of a nonmajors biology course. Results show a positive impact on students' perceived understanding of the goals of the general education program, but little impact on student views of the significance of the program to a university education.