What is Core Curriculum Assessment?

The Texas Core Curriculum (general education program) ensures students will develop the essential knowledge and skills needed to be successful in college, a career, their communities, and life. Through the assessment of the Core Curriculum, Texas A&M University collects information about students’ abilities to demonstrate these knowledge and skills and use that information to continuously improve the Core Curriculum learning experience. 

As a public institution of higher education, Texas A&M University’s Core Curriculum is required to meet specific standards laid out by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) and its regional accreditor, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). Regular assessment of the Core Curriculum is a requirement for both the THECB (see Texas Administrative Code §4.30) and SACSCOC (see standard 8.2.b.). The Office of Institutional Effectiveness & Evaluation (OIEE) facilitates assessment for all core courses offered at all Texas A&M University campuses (College Station, Galveston, and Qatar).

The purpose of Core Curriculum Assessment is to collect data on student learning in order to identify areas for improvement. Because the purpose of assessment is to improve student learning, courses that are due for core recertification are asked to reflect on their assessment results to identify areas where student learning could be improved. The process is not punitive; instructors, departments, colleges, FCAs, and campuses are not penalized based on assessment results. Assessment helps instructors, courses, departments, and FCAs create data-informed actions to improve student learning.

When a course is due for centralized assessment, all sections of the course taught during the long semesters (fall and spring) submit artifacts (student-produced work) aligned to the assigned core objective(s) to OIEE. After collecting artifacts, the scoring team, comprised of assessment staff members in OIEE, apply the rubrics to randomly sampled artifacts. After all artifacts are scored, OIEE reports findings to the Faculty Senate's Core Curriculum Council (CCC) and instructors. 

When is my course due for assessment?

 
In Academic Year 2023-24, Cohort A courses are due for centralized assessment; a list of these courses can be accessed here. Instructors of record for Core Curriculum courses due for centralized assessment are contacted via email by the Office of Institutional Effectiveness & Evaluation (assessment@tamu.edu).

• Critical Thinking will be assessed for all Cohort A courses. 
• Social Responsibility will be assessed for Cohort A courses in the following FCAs: American History; Creative Arts; Government/Political Science; Language, Philosophy, & Culture; and Social & Behavioral Sciences. 

The due date to submit artifacts for centralized assessment is:
Monday, December 19, 2023 for Fall 2023 courses
Monday, May 13, 2024 for Spring 2024 courses 

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All current THECB-certified Core Curriculum courses are recertified by the Texas A&M University Faculty Senate–Core Curriculum Council (CCC) through a two-part process. In Year 1, student-produced work is collected, scored, and reported by OIEE. In Year 2, faculty prepare and submit a description of practice as part of the recertification curricular review conducted by the CCC. Part of this process involves reflection on how assessment data from Year 1 has informed pedagogical practice at a course level. For details about Year 2 of the process, visit us.tamu.edu/core.

Core courses are assigned to one of four cohorts (A, B, C, & D) continuously rotating through recertification over a four-year period. The student learning outcome data collected by OIEE for the centralized assessment of core objectives is based on a three-year scheduled assessment rotation. The standard cycle of centralized assessment includes a three-year rotation of the core learning objectives among cohorts. Rotation 1 includes Oral Communication, Visual Communication, and Teamwork. Rotation 2 includes Critical Thinking and Social Responsibility. Rotation 3 includes Empirical & Quantitative Skills, Personal Responsibility, and Written Communication.

These two rotating cycles (recertification and assessment rotation) occur concurrently to ensure each course in the Core Curriculum provides evidence of student learning of the core objectives at least four times across a 12-year period. The table below details the academic years, course lists, core objectives assessed, and assessment results. 

Academic Year	Course List*	Core Objectives Assessed	Assessment Results
AY19-20	Cohort A	Visual Communication	--
AY20-21	Cohort B	Critical Thinking and Social Responsibility	AY20-21 Report
AY21-22	Cohort C	Empirical & Quantitative Skills, Personal Responsibility, and Written Communication	AY21-22 Report
AY22-23	Cohort D	Oral Communication, Visual Communication, and Teamwork	Preliminary AY22-23 Report
AY23-24	Cohort A	Critical Thinking and Social Responsibility	Available in FA24
AY24-25	Cohort B	Empirical & Quantitative Skills, Personal Responsibility, and Written Communication	Available in FA25
AY25-26	Cohort C	Oral Communication, Visual Communication, and Teamwork	Available in FA26
AY26-27	Cohort D	Critical Thinking and Social Responsibility	Available in FA27

* Note on course lists: Core courses represented in each cohort list may differ from academic years to a variety of reasons including courses being added or subtracted from the Core Curriculum as well as course redesigns or name changes.

Where can I access assessment results?

After all artifacts are scored, OIEE presents findings to the CCC and publishes the reports online. Findings are aggregated by FCA and campus (College Station, Galveston, & Qatar). Course-level reports are often available on request by contacting OIEE (contingent on the requesting party, anonymity of individual instructors, and assessability of submitted artifacts). Reports are published per academic year and are available in the subsequent fall semester.

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Core Curriculum Assessment Reports

AY20-21 Critical Thinking and Social Responsibility Report
AY21-22 Empirical & Quantitative Skills, Personal Responsibility, and Written Communication Report
Preliminary AY22-23 Oral Communication, Visual Communication, and Teamwork Report

Questions about these reports can be directed to assessment@tamu.edu.