Recertification and Assessment of Core Curriculum Courses

1. Recertification and Assessment of Core Curriculum Courses Presented by the Core Curriculum Council of the Faculty Senate Created by Barbara West, Program Aide, Undergraduate Studies

2. Process

3. CORE CURRICULUM RECERTIFICATION “To remain in the core, courses must be recertified on a four-year cycle. To provide for a more evenly balanced recertification process, courses in the first round of approval will be randomly assigned a three-, four-, five- or six-year initial approval period and then move to a regular four-year cycle.” Resolution FS.29.187 (4/30/12), “New Core Curriculum for 2014,” as by EC (2/11/13)

4. Assessment “The purpose of assessment of the Texas Common Core (TCC) is for institutions to discover, document and seek to improve student attainment of the TCC’s six core objectives.” From: Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, TCC Assessment Guidelines

5. Assessment “Institutions will assess the six core objectives using practices (required by SACSCOC) and submit the report to the Coordinating Board every ten years on a schedule in accord with their accreditation reaffirmation schedule.” From: Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, TCC Assessment Guidelines

6. Recertification vs. Assessment • Recertification and Assessment are parallel but independent activities. • Recertification documents are narrative summaries of a course’s compliance with its Foundational Component Area definition AND fostering core objectives. • Recertification requires submission of Assessment artifacts. • Assessment artifacts are examined and evaluated to measure student learning in each of the core objectives and is reported to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. • Assessment artifacts ARE NOT available to recertification reviewers and ARE NOT used in the recertification review process.

7. Why do courses have to recertify every four years? • The University must ensure the integrity of the Core Curriculum over time. • Instructors may change, thus changing the way the course is taught. • Course content may change over time. • A course may be taught less frequently, or not at all, if key faculty leave the university.

8. What are the State and University requirements for a Core Curriculum course? • The course meets the definition for the Foundational Component Area in which is it approved. (State) • The course satisfies the required State Core Objectives for its Foundational Component Area. (State) • The course has no prerequisites, other than classification. (State) • The course must be open to all students, regardless of college, major, or program. (University) • Average enrollment for the course is at least 30 students over the last three years during which the course has been taught. (University requirement; applies only to the College Station campus.)

9. What must be included with the recertification request? • Cover Sheet* • Foundational Component Area Form* • Course Syllabus • Artifacts of student work *Forms are available at corerecertification.tamu.edu.

10. Can I find out what was previously submitted for my course’s core curriculum approval? • Go to the current Core Curriculum list of approved courses at core.tamu.edu. • You may select your campus and Foundational Component Area in the first search area, OR • Enter your course prefix and number in the “Search within results:” box. • For your target course, click on the name of the Foundational Component Area to open the Request for a Course Addition to the Fall 2014 Core Curriculum (analogous to the FCA form). • For your target course, click on the course prefix/number to open the syllabus submitted with the original request.

11. Click here to open original Core Curriculum request form. Click here to open course syllabus submitted with original request.

12. Cover Sheet MS Word form can be filled out on your computer and printed for signatures and/or saved . MS Word form can be filled out on your computer and printed for signatures and/or saved . • Summarizes basic information about the course: • Course prefix and number • Course title • Department offering the course • Foundational Component Area • Enrollment history • Signatures of the person submitting the request and the department head

13. MS Word form can be filled out on your computer and printed and/or saved. Foundational Component Area form (unique to each FCA) • Justifies inclusion in a specific Foundational Component Area (FCA): • Describes how the course meets the description for the FCA • Outlines required Core Objectives for the specific FCA • Describes how students are informed of the Core Objectives • Describes how the course addresses each of the required Core Objectives • Describes how student learning related to each of the Core Objectives is evaluated

14. Example of FCA description Texas A&M University Core Curriculum Recertification and Assessment Foundational Component Area: Communication Courses in this category focus on developing ideas and expressing them clearly, considering the effect of the message, fostering understanding, and building the skills needed to communicate persuasively. Courses involve the command of oral, aural, written, and visual literacy skills that enable people to exchange messages appropriate to the subject, occasion, and audience. Describe below how this course meets the Foundational Component Area description for Communication. COMM xxx, Sample Communications Course, requires students to communicate in various situations and modes to both their classmates and to the instructor. Peer feedback often results in students adjusting their use of specific rhetorical elements. Instructor feedback at the draft and intermediate stages of assignments also provides opportunities for students to revise and refine their communication skills.

15. Example of Core Objectives for the Communication Foundational Component Area Core Objectives for the Communication Foundational Component Area: Critical Thinking: creative thinking; innovation; inquiry; and analysis, evaluation and synthesis of information Communication: effective development, interpretation and expression of ideas through written, oral and visual communication Teamwork: ability to consider different points of view and to work effectively with others to support a shared purpose or goal Personal Responsibility: ability to connect choices, actions, and consequences to ethical decision-making NOTE: Core Objectives are specific to each Foundational Component Area. They are defined by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and must be included for any course seeking continued approval for the Core Curriculum.

16. Critical Information for FCA Form • How students are informed of the core objectives EXAMPLE: Syllabus, assignment instructions • How the course fosters student development related to each core objective EXAMPLE: Assignments that require use of skillsinherent in core objectives • How student learning related to each core objective is evaluated EXAMPLE: Grading criteria and methods, non-graded assignments, participation, group projects

17. For one representative course section (open to all majors, including a general population of students, not an Honors Section) taught in the year prior to this recertification request: • 1. Describe how students are informed of the core objectives being addressed in this core curriculum course. • First, students were informed that the course would foster these through learning outcomes stated on the first page of the syllabus. • Demonstrate mastery of the course material • Define, understand and use concepts and terms relevant to the study of state and local government in the United States • Understand the origins and impact of varying subnational political systems (social responsibility) • Understand the opportunities that exist for citizens to participate in subnational politics (social responsibility, personal responsibility) • Demonstrate the ability to find and recognize comparative information on state and local government • Identify, compare, and assess the validity of relevant data (Critical thinking, communication} • Develop testable explanations for existing variation across states (critical thinking, communication) • (Note material in parenthesis did not appear on the syllabus but has been added here to show alignment of Learning Outcomes with Core objectives.) • Second, students were verbally informed about these objectives on the first day of class.  Example of how students are informed of Core Objectives, borrowed from submission for POLS 207 from TAMU-Qatar

18. Course Syllabus • Must meet University minimum requirements • Should include week-by-week summary of topics covered, exam dates, and assignments and projects that support/correspond to the required Core Objectives • Should include clear explanations of grading standards as related to Core Objectives

19. Student Artifacts for Assessment IMPORTANT NOTE: Reviewers DO NOT have access to student artifacts; therefore, they are not used in the review process. Assessment artifacts are required and used by the THECB/TCC. • Must be submitted before the course is considered for recertification • Complete set of student work from the same section as used for recertification • Must demonstrate evaluation of learning related to required core objectives • May include graded assignments, ungraded student work, written responses embedded in tests • Should not include grades or instructor comments

20. How will reviewers evaluate recertification submissions?Reviewers will receive a copy of this form for each course they evaluate.

21. How will reviewers evaluate recertification submissions? Reviewers first determine if the recertification packet includes the course syllabus, and if the syllabus adequately outlines the core objectives. They also evaluate whether the course, as described on the FCA form, satisfies the definition of the Foundational Component Area for which the course is seeking recertification.

22. How will reviewers evaluate recertification submissions? Score charts correspond with the three questions asked on the Foundational Component Area form.

23. How will reviewers evaluate recertification submissions? !. Students informed of core objectives May be implicit or explicit statements of core objectives; may include specific language on the syllabus; may be implied by grading standards, type of assignments, and exam formats.

24. How will reviewers evaluate recertification submissions? 2. …advances student learning related to each core objective… Assignments, required readings, projects, and exams should foster the specific types of learning reflected in the core objectives for the FCA in which the course is approved.

25. How will reviewers evaluate recertification submissions? 3. …how student learning is evaluated… How well do assignments, projects, exams, and in-class activities demonstrate students’ skills in each core objective for the FCA in which the course is approved?

26. Tips for a Successful Recertification Submission • Demonstrate that the course addresses each of the Core Objectives directly and specifically. • Core Objective “Communication” includes all three aspects: written, oral and visual. Be sure to include an explanation of how each type of communication is developed and evaluated. • Maintain consistency between the course syllabus and the stated means of evaluating student learning. Example: If you evaluate “Teamwork” via group projects, be sure to include mention of the group project in your syllabus. • Faculty can request specific details for their course(s) after the initial recertification reviews are complete.

27. How to Submit Materials for Core Curriculum Recertification • Email completed and signed Cover Sheet, FCA form, and syllabus to the Core Curriculum Council at fso-ccc@tamu.edu, OR • Submit hard copies of the signed Cover Sheet, FCA form, and syllabus to Kristin Harper, MS 1125, 10th Floor Rudder Tower. • Submit student artifacts to the Assessment Office via the portal at corerecertification.tamu.edu.

28. For assistance or questions about your Core Curriculum Recertification submission packet, please contact:Core Curriculum Councilfso-ccc@tamu.eduFor assistance or questions about Assessment and submitting student artifacts, please contact:Blair AlexanderOffice of Institutional Effectiveness & Evaluationblairalex@tamu.eduorElizabeth Bledsoe PiwonkaOffice of Institutional Effectiveness & Evaluation979-458-2913ebledsoe@tamu.edu