The New Core: Next Steps
NEW:
- Core Policy with Student Learning Outcomes Highlighted
- Critical Thinking and Global Perspectives Guidelines approved by Council on General Education.
- Georgia State University’s new core is approved by Gen Ed Council. See item 22 on this page.
In October 2009, the Board of Regents approved a revision of the University System of Georgia’s core curriculum to allow for greater flexibility in aligning students’ general education experience with individual institutional missions and strategic plans and to document institutional learning outcomes in all areas of the Core. The revised policy provides minimum requirements in each Core area (e.g., communication skills, quantitative skills, humanities/fine arts, natural sciences, mathematics, technology, social sciences, and institutional options), includes additional learning requirements in global perspectives, US perspectives, and critical thinking, maintains the USG’s transfer guarantee of core courses, and keeps the total number of hours required (i.e., 42 semester credits) the same. The Humanities and Fine Arts area now includes Ethics as part of the array of courses that may be offered in this domain.
The revised policy requires all institutions to develop and assess at least one student learning outcome for each area of the Core (Learning Goals A-E), as well as for the courses within the Core designated to fulfill the newly added Global Perspectives, US Perspectives, and Critical Thinking requirements (Learning Goals I-III). These outcomes must be approved by the Council on General Education and institutions must regularly assess these outcomes as a part of their required report on comprehensive program review to the Office of Academic Programs.
In summary, the newly adopted USG Core Curriculum Policy must be implemented by Fall 2011 by all four-year institutions and by Fall 2012 by all two-year institutions. Steps for implementation, each requiring approval by the Council on General Education, include:
- specifying General Education Learning Outcomes, Areas A-E and I-III
- specifying overlay requirements (US, GL, CT)
- specifying institutional requirements for each Core Area CTandGLGuidelines.docx