Go to Constructing a Syllabus Go to Core IMPACTS Templates

Where can instructors find the Core IMPACTS syllabus statements?

Instructors can access the syllabus template statements and models in each core area on the IFE’s Constructing a Syllabus page, under the “Core IMPACTS Templates” tab. Instructors should click on their course’s area (Institution, Mathematics, Citizenship, etc.) via the table of contents to access the specific statement for their course’s area.

Which courses need to include the Core IMPACTS syllabus statement?

All courses in the general education core curriculum that correspond to what has previously been called areas A-E and what is now the Core IMPACTS areas must include the required syllabus statement on their syllabi, starting in Spring 2024 and continuing in all future semesters. Courses that count exclusively as Lower Division Major Requirements / Field of Study (previously called Area F) are not included as part of Core IMPACTS and do not need to include the syllabus statement.

Where on the syllabus should instructors include the Core IMPACTS required statement?

Core IMPACTS statements are automatically included on all appropriate syllabi within the Description section.

What is the timeline for implementing Core IMPACTS?

The Soft Launch of Core IMPACTS begins in Spring 2024, and the Full Launch will happen in Fall 2024. More details forthcoming.

Can instructors tailor the Core IMPACTS template statement to their specific course?

No. Instructors should keep the Core IMPACTS template statements exactly as the University System of Georgia has provided for usage. The only updates that should be made to the statement are to identify the specific course prefix, number, and name.

I already teach career competencies. Can I choose which career-ready competencies I would like to include in the Core IMPACTS syllabus statement for my course?

No. Instructors should list the specific career-ready competencies in the template statement provided by the University System of Georgia. If instructors teach other additional career competencies, they should be described or listed in other parts of the course syllabus outside of the required Core IMPACTS statement.

Can I teach and/or list additional career competencies beyond the three listed in the template statement for my Core IMPACTS area?

Yes. Many courses may already be teaching career competencies beyond the three assigned to the Core IMPACTS area by the USG. However, we ask that instructors who want to list additional career competencies or details (such as definitions of the career competencies) beyond the provided templates do so in a separate area of the syllabus, perhaps below the required Core IMPACTS syllabus statement language.

One of the assigned career-ready competencies in my course does not fit with the way I currently teach the course. Do I have to incorporate coverage of all three assigned core competencies in my course’s area?

Yes. Instructors are required to incorporate coverage of all three assigned core competencies in their Core IMPACTS area. Instructors are not allowed to remove or swap career competencies for others, though additional competencies beyond the required three can be included. How instructors teach the required three competencies is entirely up to them and their departments. Instructors wanting additional pedagogical support for teaching CRCs can contact the IFE for a consultation (IFE@westga.edu) and/or coordinate with colleagues in their department.

What discretion do I have in addressing career-ready competencies?

While the new policy requires certain career-ready competencies to be included in each Core course, it does not mandate how we teach the competencies. For example, if the course is American Government and one of the required competencies is persuasion, the instructor is free to determine how they introduce persuasion into their course. The instructor could ask students to investigate, with a critical eye, some of the negative uses of persuasion in the political arena. The instructor is not precluded from teaching additional competencies, like civil discourse, along with the required ones. An instructor might even teach skills that are perceived to be in tension with one another (e.g., persuasive rhetoric vs. evidence-based rhetoric), and explore that tension with their students. Departments should convene to discuss the best way to frame the CRCs in their Core course. Instructors are encouraged to be creative and maximize their autonomy with respect to these CRCs.

Are the number of credits in the core curriculum areas staying the same?

Yes. Even though the names of the Core IMPACTS areas have changed and some courses have moved to different areas, the overall total number of credit hours in the Core is staying the same.

For courses in the Core curriculum that have both a lecture section and a lab section that are different CRNs (e.g., GEOL 1121 and GEOL 1121L), do both sections need to include the syllabus template and teach the assigned career competencies?

Yes. Syllabi for separate sections of courses, even co-requisites such as lecture and labs, both need to list the Core IMPACTS syllabus statement and teach all three assigned competencies in both sections. The Core IMPACTS syllabus templates are automatically placed in the Description area for all Core courses of the syllabus in Concourse.

For courses in the Core curriculum that could count in more than one area within a student’s Core requirements, which area syllabus template should be included?

The only courses that students could count in either the Mathematics area or the STEM area are as follows: MATH 1401 and MATH 1634. For this specific list of courses, instructors should use a combined template that lists the orienting questions, learning outcomes, and career-ready competencies for both the Mathematics and STEM areas. See the IFE syllabus template website for examples of the combined template.

Where were the Core IMPACTS: Career-Ready Competencies drawn from?

The USG reviewed the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) Value Rubrics, the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) competencies list, the “Soft Skills” listed in O*Net, and lists of desired employability skills from surveys of Georgia employers. Our limited list of Career-Ready Competencies was derived from these lists and filtered by what seemed appropriate to embed in core courses. Many of these skills are already being delivered in the core curriculum but making them explicit helps faculty specify what they’re teaching, and helps students understand the value of what they are learning, regardless of the careers that they pursue.

How do the various Core IMPACTS Career-Ready Competencies align with the Learning Outcomes for each area?

The Core IMPACTS Career-Ready Competencies are not intended to have a 1:1 alignment with the Core IMPACTS Learning Outcomes, though the competencies are broadly aligned (e.g., a Writing course helps develop a “persuasion” competency, while a Math course helps develop a “problem-solving” competency). A list of Career-Ready Competencies was created using the process described above. The decision was made to assign no more than three Career-Ready Competencies to courses in any Core Impacts area.

How will the accomplishment of the Core IMPACTS: Career-Ready Competencies be assessed?

The Career-Ready Competencies are developmental competencies that cannot be expected to be mastered by taking a single course, but each course needs to play a significant part in developing that mastery. For the most part, faculty are already contributing to developing such competencies. However, we need to ensure that this is happening in all Core courses, and that the value is being made explicit to students taking those courses, so that they feel better prepared for the majors and careers that they will eventually pursue. Assessment of Career-Ready Competencies will require a phased approach. The eventual goal will be to assess the outputs - whether the competencies have actually been acquired by students. However, before we get to output metrics, it is important to measure input metrics—whether the competencies are being taught. Therefore, the first step will simply be to ensure that faculty highlight Career-Ready Competencies (along with Learning Outcomes) in each syllabus, and also highlight it in their teaching practices.

Conversations about how implementation of Core IMPACTS will be assessed should be happening within departments and colleges. Additional guidance related to assessment will be provided in the coming months ahead of the full launch.

What should our department do if we see courses listed on the Core IMPACTS pages that we don’t regularly offer?

The General Education Course Catalog was used, as well as consultations with the Office of the Provost, to create the course lists on the IFE's Core IMPACTS website page. If you think a course is listed in error, please contact us at ife@westga.edu and we will verify. If departments would like to pursue making changes to their core course curriculum to either add or remove courses currently listed in the catalog, they will need to follow the procedures for proposing curriculum changes through the Faculty Senate Undergraduate Programs Committee.

Where can instructors go for additional help or support with implementing Core IMPACTS?

Please email the Institute for Faculty Excellence (IFE) at IFE@westga.edu for additional support. The IFE can help with pedagogical support if you want to talk through your course and assignment designs in terms of how to teach the Core IMPACTS goals, objectives, and career-ready competencies; we can also help with teaching technology support for how to use CourseDen or other technology tools to help track and assess career-ready competencies.

Additional FAQs related to Core IMPACTS are available via the USG’s Guidance Associated with BOR Approval of Revised Policy 3.3.1 on Oct 4 2023.

 

Have another question not answered here? Email us at IFE@westga.edu