January 2010 Update: Frequently Asked Questions for Faculty (PDF)
The General Education Requirements at USC have not been comprehensively reviewed in two decades. Today’s answer to the question "What do our students need to know to thrive as well-educated citizens?" may well differ from the response formulated in 1986.
In 2005 University of South Carolina Provost Mark Becker called for a revision of the General Education curriculum. A taskforce of more than 100 faculty members considered new learning goals for a revised General Education curriculum. Building upon this initiative, in early 2008 President Sorensen appointed the General Education Committee to formalize the changes and to guide the process to implementation. This Committee refined the draft learning outcomes and articulated the rationale, values, and guiding principles for the proposed curriculum revision.
New core competencies and learning outcomes were presented at a University Forum in January 2009 as the Carolina Core. Faculty, staff, and students from USC Columbia and Regional campuses participated over two days as well as online to make suggestions and comments on the new proposal. At the April 2009 Faculty Senate meeting, the new Carolina Core learning outcomes were approved. Since that time an appendix has been added to the original document in order to provide context statements about the new Core requirements.
In December 2009, more than 140 faculty, staff and students participated in a third University Forum to provide comments on the new learning outcomes, the context statements, and proposed distribution requirements.
Two Forums in 2010 (March and September) guided development of distriution requirements.
In Spring 2010, the Carolina Core Committee membership was augmented by nine faculty "content consultants" to assist in determining what is required for students to attain a foundational level of mastery in each learning outcome and how many credit hours are needed. Proposed distribution requirements will be presented to the Faculty Senate for a vote in November 2010.
Individual college curriculum requirements will need review in order to balance college goals for their graduates with the new Carolina Core requirements. Colleges are encouraged to review their own college curriculum requirements once the Carolina Core distribution requirements are adopted by Faculty Senate.
After the Faculty Senate action, the Carolina Core Committee will work to develop recommendations for policy and process for course approval for Carolina Core courses. Colleges will begin work on revision of their core requirements this summer as well. A Spring 2011 University Forum will focus on course selection and assessment policies and procedures. This phase will decide which courses will be approved to satisfy the various distribution requirements. Later work will review and approve course proposals for the Carolina Core.
Fall 2012 is the target date for implementation of the new Carolina Core curriculum.
QUESTIONS?
Contact the Carolina Core Committee representative for your campus, college or school.