Undergraduate Core Curriculum Redesign Task Force

• Mark Cannice, Professor, Entrepreneurship & Innovation, School of Management
• Karin Cotterman, Director, Engage San Francisco Initiative, McCarthy Center
• Lester Deanes, Assistant Vice President, Student Engagement
• Eve-Anne Doohan, Associate Professor, Communication Studies, College of Arts & Sciences
• John P. Fitzgibbons, S.J., Chancellor and Chief Mission Officer
• Josh Gamson, Professor, Sociology, College of Arts & Sciences (Tri-Chair)
• Louise Goupil, Assistant Professor, Biology, College of Arts & Sciences (Tri-Chair)
• Katie Hoffman, Project Manager, Office of Assessment and Accreditation Support
• Rebecca Hong, Vice Provost of Student Success, Inclusive Excellence and Curricular Innovation (Tri-Chair)
• Poonam Kakodkar, Doctoral Student, School of Education
• Stacey Kohut, Director of Undergraduate Student Services, School of Nursing & Health Professions
• Pedro Lange-Churión, Professor, Languages, Literatures and Cultures, College of Arts & Sciences
• John “Jack” Lendvay, Professor, Environmental Science, College of Arts & Sciences
• Marvella Luey, Associate Dean for Student Academic and Faculty Services, College of Arts & Sciences
• Keally McBride, Professor, Politics, College of Arts & Sciences
• Leigh Meredith, Associate Professor, Rhetoric and Language, College of Arts & Sciences
• Mark Miller, Associate Professor, Theology and Religious Studies, College of Arts & Sciences
• Teresa Moore, Associate Professor, Media Studies, College of Arts & Sciences
• Julio Moreno, Professor, History, College of Arts & Sciences
• Milka Nikolic, Associate Professor, Physics and Astronomy, College of Arts & Sciences
• Victor Palacios, Director, Data Science Partnerships, Data Institute
• Akshay Pattabi, Assistant Professor, Engineering, College of Arts & Sciences
• Annie Pho, Head of Instruction and Outreach, Gleeson Library
• Zoe Wang, Undergraduate Student Representative, ASUSF
• Lilianna White, Undergraduate Student Representative, ASUSF
• David Wolber, Professor, Computer Science, College of Arts & Sciences
• Susan Zolezzi, Associate Director Instructional Design, Educational Technology Services 

• Jorge Aquino, Associate Professor, Theology and Religious Studies, College of Arts & Sciences
• Lester Deanes, Assistant Vice President, Student Engagement
• Louise Goupil, Assistant Professor, Biology, College of Arts & Sciences
• Heather Hoag, Professor, History, College of Arts & Sciences
• Rebecca Hong, Vice Provost of Student Success, Inclusive Excellence and Curricular Innovation (Co-Chair)
• Monika Hudson, Associate Professor, Entrepreneurship, Innovation & Strategy, School of Management
• John Joseph Hurley, Assistant Professor, Nursing, School of Nursing & Health Professions
• Poonam Kakodkar, Doctoral Student, School of Education
• Sabrina Kwist, Associate Vice Provost for Antiracism, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
• Marvella Luey, Associate Dean for Student Academic and Faculty Services, College of Arts & Sciences
• Keally McBride, Professor, Politics, College of Arts & Sciences
• Annie Pho, Head of Instruction and Outreach, Gleeson Library
• Star Plaxton Moore, Director, Community-Engaged Learning and McCarthy Center Programs
• Michael Rozendal, Associate Professor, Department of Rhetoric and Language
• Natalie Ryu, Undergraduate Student Representative, ASUSF Senate
• Isabelle Sholes, Undergraduate Student Representative, ASUSF Senate

The Core Redesign Task Force is looking forward to sharing their progress on proposed models for the Core Curriculum Redesign and invites you to engage in this important iterative process. Your feedback is essential as we shape the future of our Core Curriculum together. We encourage you to mark your calendars and join us at one of the upcoming engagement opportunities:

• Core Redesign Community Session (in person) --- March 25 (Tuesday), 11:45 AM – 12:45 PM, Fromm Hall 125 - Maraschi Room RSVP »

• Provost’s Chat & Chai: Core Redesign --- March 26 (Wednesday), 4:00 – 5:00 PM, McLaren 250 RSVP »

• Core Redesign Community Session (zoom) --- March 28 (Friday), 2:00 – 3:00 PM RSVP »

Your insights will help as we work toward ensuring the Core Curriculum aligns with our institutional mission and student needs. We look forward to engaging with you in this effort!

Task Force members welcome input from community members at all stages of this process. Please feel free to share ideas, comments, or concerns via this survey or email the Core Redesign at CoreRedesign@usfca.edu.

As part of the ongoing Core redesign, the task force has developed an Initial Year Experience that will provide students with a meaningful and engaging academic foundation. The goal of this component of the Core redesign work focuses on developing a signature initial year experience that incorporates high impact practices, development of core learning outcomes, student belonging, interdisciplinary learning, and engagement with the broader San Francisco community. 

The task force is currently ideating around the “middle” (years two and three) and possibly a final year experience. The task force looks forward to sharing a draft model of the redesigned Core Curriculum this spring and hearing feedback from the community as we engage in this iterative process. Please mark your calendars for these upcoming opportunities and rsvp: 

• March 25 (Tuesday) 11:45am-12:45pm at FR 125 - Maraschi Room. Please RSVP.
• March 26 (Wednesday) 4-5pm Provost’s Chat & Chai: Core Redesign at the McLaren 250. Please RSVP.
• March 28 (Friday) 2:00-3:00pm Zoom. Please RSVP

Task Force members welcome input from community members at all stages of this process. Please feel free to share ideas, comments, or concerns via this survey or email the Core Redesign at CoreRedesign@usfca.edu.

As part of the ongoing Core redesign, the task force arrived at a consensus in shaping an Initial Year Experience that provides students with a meaningful and engaging academic foundation. This Initial Year Experience will be made up of a humanities-focused “transformative texts” course and an interdisciplinary, experiential “Golden Gateway” course using the San Francisco Bay Area as a learning environment. This component of the Core redesign work focuses on developing a signature initial year experience that incorporates development of core learning outcomes, high impact practices, student belonging, experiential learning, interdisciplinary learning, and engagement with the broader San Francisco community. 

Task Force members welcome input from community members at all stages of this process. Please feel free to share ideas, comments, or concerns via this survey or email the Core Redesign at CoreRedesign@usfca.edu.

The Core Redesign Task Force has made significant progress this fall, including the development of a working draft of Core learning outcomes aimed at fostering key skills and knowledge, tied to Jesuit values, that ensure students are equipped for both academic success, post-graduation opportunities.

For the remainder of the fall semester, the task force is brainstorming ideas and potential models for a redesigned Core Curriculum. A major focus is incorporating high-impact practices and exploring experiential learning opportunities where students learn and develop skills while tackling real-world problems. Additionally, the task force is exploring innovative structures to ensure a seamless transition for first-time first year and transfer students that support learning outcomes and time to degree completion. 

Throughout this design phase, the task force has taken and continues to take an iterative approach both in the development of learning outcomes and possible models for a redesign Core curriculum. 

Task Force members welcome input from community members at all stages of this process. Please feel free to share ideas, comments, or concerns via this survey or email the Core Redesign at CoreRedesign@usfca.edu.

The 25-member Core Curriculum Redesign Task Force has embarked on the design phase. The task force aims to have a draft proposal by the end of the fall semester to present to the community for feedback, with the goal of presenting a vetted and revised proposal to the Joint University Curriculum Committee in March 2025.

The task force began the design phase with a review of the report from the discovery phase and a two-day core curriculum workshop provided by the American Association of Colleges and Universities. Led by Kate Drezek McConnell and Tia Brown McNair, the workshop included discussions on topics such as high-impact educational practices, designing for equity and inclusive excellence, program-level assessment, and strategies for facilitating institutional change. Building from the vision statement generated in phase I, the task force will brainstorm and refine core learning outcomes, operationalize those outcomes into possible core curriculum structures, and refine those into a proposal.

Task force members welcome input from community members at all stages of this process. Please share ideas, comments, or concerns via this survey or email coreredesign@usfca.edu.

We have made significant strides toward revamping our core curriculum to better prepare students for a constantly changing and pluralistic world that demands agility, adaptability, creativity, and collaboration. The curriculum will help prepare them for future careers, many of which may not even exist yet.

The 15-member Core Curriculum Redesign Task Force, which includes faculty from all three undergraduate schools, staff from co-curricular and student support areas, and two student representatives, has led us through the discovery phase of our core revision. Drawing from the findings and recommendations of the discovery phase, we are now in the design phase with new and returning members of the task force. The goals of the design phase are to:

• Develop core learning outcomes that articulate the purpose of a redesigned core curriculum.
• Design and propose a new core curriculum model aligned with core learning outcomes that upholds the committee’s charge and the guidelines and principles outlined in the strategic plan working group recommendations, including a distinctive Jesuit education that equips students for success beyond their undergraduate studies and high-impact practices.

The task force will be soliciting feedback on potential models prior to proposing a redesigned core curriculum. The task force will be sharing updates throughout the year through community forums and on the core curriculum redesign website. Reports, presentations, and the final report from the discovery phase are also posted on the website.

Thanks to all who have attended the Undergraduate Core Curriculum Redesign Survey Findings presentations and the Undergraduate Core Curriculum Redesign Community Conversations last month. If you've missed the last two community conversations, the Undergraduate Core Curriculum Redesign Advisory Group has one more opportunity this semester. This Community Conversation will take place on Tuesday, April 16 from 11:45am-12:45pm on zoom. Please register if you’re interested in attending and a zoom link will be sent to you. If you have ideas or comments you'd like to share about the Undergraduate Core Curriculum Redesign, please feel free to share via this survey.

The Core Redesign Task Force continues its data collection and sharing out its findings, while developing the guidelines and values for the redesigned core curriculum. The Core Redesign Advisory Group seeks to amplify this work and widen the core conversation by facilitating community listening sessions. Upcoming opportunities include: 

• The next Community Conversation on the core redesign will explore how we can better support and advance student learning in a newly designed core curriculum. 
  
  Monday, March 25, from 12–1 p.m. PDT online via Zoom. Register »
  (An in-person listening session is forthcoming.)

• The Core Redesign Task Force will share its survey findings with the community. Thank you to the 222 faculty and staff and 1,239 students who completed the Core Redesign Survey last month! 
  
  Wednesday, April 3, from 4–5 p.m. PDT online via Zoom. Register »
  (An in-person listening session is forthcoming.)

Undergraduate Core Curriculum Redesign Task Force (CRTF) Update

On Feb. 26 from 12 to 1 p.m., the task force members will share what they learned through the data collection process on the current USF core curriculum as well as core curricula at other higher education institutions. Please register here. Interested, but can't attend the presentation? Register anyway — all registrants will receive a recording of the presentation and a copy of the presentation slides.

The task force continues its work this semester with ongoing data collection during the discovery phase and wants to hear from you! Please complete this survey before Feb. 11. Your feedback will be greatly appreciated!

Community Listening Sessions

We are planning two Community Listening Sessions this spring for facultycurricular stakeholders and the wider USF community to participate in this redesign process. Please be on the lookout for more information. These sessions will be organized and facilitated by the newly formed Core Redesign Advisory Group.

Core Redesign Advisory Group

Comprised of 10 full-time faculty members representing units across the university, the Core Redesign Advisory Group is tasked with creating a community engagement plan around the core redesign process and supporting the provost’s office and Core Redesign Task Force by providing timely feedback on core-related issues. The group was formed out of a recommendation advanced by last year’s Strategic Plan Working Group #1: Reimagining Jesuit Education that sought to support the core redesign process, provide key stakeholders more opportunities for input, and increase transparency and community involvement.

The Core Curriculum Redesign Task Force has been spending the fall semester embarking on Phase I: Discovery. Throughout the fall semester, the Task Force has been examining existing data around the Core Curriculum in conjunction with exploring General Education/Core models at peer institutions. In the spring semester, the Task Force will be sharing these findings with the community and gathering feedback on what the community hopes to see in a redesigned Undergraduate Core Curriculum. Please be on the lookout for opportunities to share your feedback come spring semester. 

Undergraduate Core Curriculum Redesign Phase II: Design Task Force 

In Phase II of the Undergraduate Core Redesign, we are looking to bring together a working group of faculty, librarians, staff, and students to collaboratively engage in the design of the new Core Curriculum. The design phase commitment is the 2024-2025 academic year with an opportunity to attend the AAC&U General Education, Pedagogy, and Assessment conference in the spring 2024 semester. The work of the Core Redesign Task Force is key to Strategic Plan Goal 1: Reimagine a Jesuit Education.

To nominate yourself or someone else,  please submit the nomination form by January 31, 2024. Faculty, librarians, staff, and student nominations are invited and self-nominations are accepted.