Faculty Resources
May 29, 2009
Deans, Department Chairs, and Program Directors:
As of July 1, 2009, the Faculty Director of the University Core Curriculum will be Dr. Anthony Cardoza of the Department of History (acardoz@luc.edu).
In the spring of 2008, Loyola University Chicago's Office of the Provost and the University Core Curriculum Committee (UCCC) launched a three-year project of Core Curriculum assessment. The overview of the results of the Core Curriculum assessment can be found here.
Course offerings for the new Loyola University Chicago core curriculum began in the fall of the 2005-06 academic year. Proposals for courses for the new university core curriculum are being evaluated by the University Core Curriculum Committee (UCCC), consisting of the following faculty members: JoBeth D'Agostino (CAS, Natural Science), Marilyn Krogh (CAS, Sociology), Ellen Landgraf (School of Business Administration), Mark Lococo (CAS, Fine & Performing Arts), Prudence Moylan (CAS, History), and Paul K. Moser (CAS, Philosophy; committee chair). A proposal from any program, department, or school should be submitted by the unit's administrator or designate.
Proposals for core courses, including model syllabi and supplementary materials, should be sent in electronic form to core@luc.edu.
The new core is outlined at:
http://www.luc.edu/core/coreknowledge.shtml, and in http://www.luc.edu/core/corevalues.shtml.
Beyond the required core knowledge areas, students must take one course (not necessarily a core knowledge area course) in each of the four values areas. Courses that satisfy the values requirements can be core knowledge area courses, courses in a major, courses in a minor, or elective courses. For details, and for submitting values course proposals, see:
http://www.luc.edu/core/valuesareas.shtml
Proposals for core courses in a knowledge area should identify specifically how the learning outcome for that area will be addressed. The learning outcomes for the core knowledge areas are listed at:
http://www.luc.edu/core/coreknowledge.shtml.
That webpage also includes competencies for each of the knowledge areas. Those competencies illustrate how a general learning outcome can be given specific content. Proposals may make use of these competencies to delineate the learning outcome for a knowledge area.
The UCCC will evaluate proposals for core courses on the basis of how well a proposed course promises to realize the relevant learning outcome in terms of a clear specification of (a) the selected learning outcome, (b) the pedagogical means to achieving that outcome, and (c) the means for assessing the achievement of that outcome.
General guidelines for core course proposals may be found at:
http://www.luc.edu/core/courseproposalguidelines.shtml.
Regarding specific steps for proposals and syllabi, the UCCC offers the document here to aid your preparation and revision of core proposals and syllabi. It clarifies some steps that should make the review process straightforward for all of us.
The university core curriculum committee has thus far approved about 200 courses for the new core; they are indexed at:
http://www.luc.edu/core/printablecourselist.shtml.
Please continue to revise any of your submitted proposals or model syllabi that needs to be brought in line with your department or school standard. In addition, please continue to submit proposals for values courses, including values courses outside the core knowledge areas.
Thank you for your good work on the new core!
All the best,
Anthony Cardoza
Faculty Director of the University Core Curriculum