Frequently Asked Questions

1. Review the Faculty Guidelines for the relevant course type.
2. Draft the course syllabus and confirm that it aligns with the learning outcomes and guidelines for the relevant Core area.
3. For courses in the Bridge to Exploration, facilitate departmental review and approval of the course and its proposed entry into the Core Curriculum.
4. Complete the Core Proposal Template form for the relevant course type.
5. Log in to Curriculog, and select either the Add a New Core Designation to an Existing Course form or Course New with Core Designation form.
6. Complete the Curriculog form, attaching the syllabus and the completed Core Proposal Template. Launch the proposal in Curriculog and then approve it as the Originator. It will then move to the first review step.

Most new Core courses are created by faculty members on behalf of, and with the participation of, a program or department. Courses in the Golden Gateway and the Applied Problem Solving seminar, with COR subject codes, are developed and proposed by individual faculty members who have attended the training to teach in the new Core. 

Yes. Our commitment to students is that they will meet all of the stated outcomes by the end of a course in a particular Core area; a Core course must meet (and have a plan assessing) each outcome. Courses may facilitate these outcomes in different ways, and with different emphases.

For fall 2027 courses, the deadline is November 30th. For spring 2028 courses, TBD.

In addition to those who review all course proposals (Associate Deans, Deans, etc.), all proposed Core courses will be reviewed by the Core Review Committee, a joint governance body made up of elected members from the USFFA and members appointed by the Provost [insert link to CRC website]. 

USF Core classes are 4 units, though courses transferred in to meet the Core requirement may be less than 4 units due to quarter-to-semester conversions. Regardless, students need to complete 40 units in the Core in order to fulfill the Core graduation requirement. 

Students must complete a designated Core course with a grade of D- or above to meet that Core area. Courses taken Pass/Fail do not count as fulfilling the Core area. Students must complete at least 40 units in the Core.
 

Yes. Those graduation requirements, which are separate from the Core, remain the same: CEL and CD designations can be added to (or removed from) by application through Curriculog.

Core classes are meant to be available to all students without requiring prior study in that area, so generally speaking they do not have prerequisites. In some instances, exceptions may be requested. 

The three initial year Golden Gateway courses are designed for students to complete in their first year at USF, and the Applied Problem-Solving Seminar sometime in their last 3 semesters at USF. Bridge to Exploration courses can be taken at any time.

Golden Gateway and Applied Problem Solving classes, which have COR subject codes and are intentionally interdisciplinary, count only toward the Core. There is no limit on counting Bridge to Exploration classes toward both the Core and major(s), minor(s), certificate(s), and cultural diversity (CD) and community engaged learning (CEL) requirements. Regardless of such double-counting, a single course cannot fulfill two separate Core areas and students must complete all the Core areas and a total of 40 Core units.
 

Bridget to Exploration courses, offered by departments under their own subject codes, will be subject to existing enrollment caps, which vary by course type. If you have questions about this, please contact your Associate Dean. 

Yes. New Core course equivalencies and articulations for transfer courses are being reviewed, and recommendations will be made to the Core Advisory Committee regarding new course equivalencies for AP and IB credits. 

The new Core will launch for first-time, first-year students in Fall 2027. In Fall 2028, the new Core will be fully in place for all incoming students, including transfer students. 

The existing Core will continue through Spring 2031 so that all students who entered under the old Core can meet those original requirements. During this “teach out” period the number of old Core classes will be reduced as new Core classes enter the schedule. Once the last cohort under the old Core has graduated, the old A-F Core designations will be discontinued.

To enter the new Core, which has learning outcomes that differ from the old Core, a course must be submitted for review and approval by the Core Review Committee. Meeting the learning outcomes in a particular Core area may require some rethinking and redesign of courses that had previous Core designation; in some cases the change will be modest, and other classes may require more significant revision. Programs may also opt not to enter courses from the old Core into the new Core. 

While course development and revision is considered part of faculty members' teaching workload, the Core Curriculum team and the Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE) are developing a resource list, and CTE will be offering workshops to assist in Core course development and pedagogy.

Yes, we will put out bi-annual calls for participation and will run workshops in August and January. 

No. You must submit a new Golden Gateway course proposal and it must be approved by the Core Review Committee. All faculty schedules will continue to be reviewed by department/program chairs and Deans' Offices. 

Both the faculty development workshops and the Ignatian pedagogy seminar are required for teaching in the Golden Gateway. The relevant training and background of participants is a welcome part of the development workshops, as we work collaboratively to prepare to serve our students in these courses. 

A class that is accepted for Core designation is not "owned" by a particular faculty member.

No. Once a Golden Gateway class is in the Core inventory, other faculty members may propose to teach it. In order to be considered, they must have completed the Golden Gateway faculty development workshop and the Teaching in the Ignatian Tradition seminar, and must meet Teaching Eligibility criteria. 

No. As with any class at USF, we expect instructors to have the relevant experience and expertise to facilitate the learning outcomes for the course they are seeking to teach. That includes, but is not limited to, disciplinary expertise. 

Departments should discuss faculty availability and needs, including the impact of potential Golden Gateway commitments, with their Associate Dean or Dean. If faculty are not available to teach in the Golden Gateway, they should not seek to do so.