Constructing a Syllabus

On October 4, 2023, the Board of Regents approved changes to its policy on the University System of Georgia’s core curriculum. Read the full description of the new policy. The USG core curriculum, Core IMPACTS, is designed to ensure that students acquire essential knowledge in foundational academic areas and develop career-ready competencies. There are seven Core IMPACTS areas. As presented in the table below, IMPACTS is a mnemonic for students to appreciate the impact of the overall core curriculum. (Policy Manual, Section 3.3.1)

Summary of the Changes

• Using meaningful (as opposed to alphabetical [A-E]) names for Core IMPACTS areas.
• Establishing systemwide Learning Outcomes for each Core IMPACTS area.
• Establishing systemwide Career-Ready Competencies for each Core IMPACTS area.
• Courses designed to satisfy the U.S./Georgia history and constitutions requirements (Georgia Legislative Requirements) are now separated into the Citizenship area (shorthand name) within “P” for Political Science and U.S. History.

What These Changes Mean for Instructors Teaching Courses in the Core Curriculum

• For the Spring 2024 semester and beyond, all syllabi for courses in the core curriculum are required to include a Core IMPACTS curriculum statement, created from the provided templates, that identifies the following as stated by the USG:
  • the Core IMPACTS area;
  • the provided two-sentence description of the meaning and purpose of Core IMPACTS;
  • the broad orienting question for the course’s area in Core IMPACTs;
  • the learning outcome for the course’s area in Core IMPACTs; and
  • the three career-ready competencies for the course’s area in Core IMPACTs.
• Instructors have the option to attach career-ready competencies in their Core IMPACTS course to individual assignments in iCollege.
  • For additional information, make an appointment with a learning technologist.

List of Core IMPACTS Areas, Orienting Questions, and Career-Ready Competencies

The Orienting Questions, Learning Outcomes, and Career-Ready Competencies assigned to each Core IMPACTS area are listed in the table below.

Core IMPACTS (Area Shorthand)	Orienting Question	Learning Outcome(s)	Career-Ready Competencies	Current (Pre-2024) Alphabetical Designations
Institutional Priority (Institution)	How does my institution help me to navigate the world?	Students will demonstrate the ability to think critically and solve problems related to academic priorities at their institution.	Critical Thinking Teamwork Time Management	Area B
Mathematics & Quantitative Skills (Mathematics)	How do I measure the world?	Students will apply mathematical and computational knowledge to interpret, evaluate, and communicate quantitative information using verbal, numerical, graphical, or symbolic forms.	Information Literacy Inquiry and Analysis Problem-Solving Teamwork (for STEM)	Area A2
Political Science and U.S. History (Citizenship)	How do I prepare for my responsibilities as an engaged citizen?	Students will demonstrate knowledge of the history of the United States, the history of Georgia, and the provisions and principles of the United States Constitution and the Constitution of Georgia.	Critical Thinking Intercultural Competence Persuasion	Area E
Arts, Humanities & Ethics (Humanities)	How do I interpret the human experience through creative, linguistic, and philosophical works?	Students will effectively analyze and interpret the meaning, cultural significance, and ethical implications of literary/philosophical texts or of works in the visual/performing arts.	Ethical Reasoning Information Literacy Intercultural Competence	Area C
Communicating in Writing (Writing)	How do I write effectively in different contexts?	Students will communicate effectively in writing, demonstrating clear organization and structure, using appropriate grammar and writing conventions. Students will appropriately acknowledge the use of materials from original sources. Students will adapt their written communications to purpose and audience. Students will analyze and draw informed inferences from written texts.	Critical Thinking Information Literacy Persuasion	Area A1
Technology, Mathematics & Sciences (STEM)	How do I ask scientific questions or use data, mathematics, or technology to understand the universe?	Students will use the scientific method and laboratory procedures or mathematical and computational methods to analyze data, solve problems, and explain natural phenomena.	Inquiry and Analysis Problem-Solving Teamwork Information Literacy (for Mathematics)	Area D
Social Sciences (Social Sciences)	How do I understand human experiences and connections?	Students will effectively analyze the complexity of human behavior, and how historical, economic, political, social, or geographic relationships develop, persist, or change.	Intercultural Competence Perspective-Taking Persuasion	Area E

Definitions of Core IMPACTS Career-Ready Competencies

Core IMPACTS Career-Ready Competencies are broad transferable skills that go beyond the content of specific courses. Responsibility for cultivating Career-Ready Competencies has been assigned to courses in each Core IMPACTS area and it is expected that students will develop these competencies through taking these courses.

These competencies are defined in the table below. The definitions are sourced from the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) Value Rubrics, the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), the “soft skills” listed in O*Net, as well as desired employability skills identified from surveys of Georgia employers.

Career-Ready Competencies	Definition
Critical Thinking	Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative approaches to solving problems and making decisions.
Ethical Reasoning	Assessing one’s own ethical values, recognizing ethical issues in a variety of settings, thinking about how different perspectives might apply to ethical dilemmas, and considering the ramifications of alternative actions.
Information Literacy	Recognizing when information is needed, and locating, evaluating, synthesizing, and effectively using the needed information, while appropriately crediting the original source of information.
Inquiry and Analysis	Exploring the world, and supporting informed conclusions through the collection, evaluation, and use of relevant evidence.
Intercultural Competence	Developing knowledge, skills and behaviors that support effective and appropriate interaction in a variety of cultural contexts.
Perspective-Taking	Considering perspectives other than one’s own and allowing new information, differing opinions, and others’ experiences to impress upon one’s thinking, understanding, and appreciation of others.
Persuasion	Using messages that are intentionally designed to appeal to another’s reason, emotions, or both, in order to enact change.
Problem-Solving	Designing, evaluating, and implementing strategies to solve problems using data, knowledge and facts.
Teamwork	Building and maintaining collaborative relationships to work effectively toward common goals, while appreciating diverse viewpoints and shared responsibilities.
Time Management	Prioritizing and structuring tasks and resources to achieve an effective use of time while performing goal-directed activities.