Faculty FAQs
How do I propose a course for the core curriculum?
Faculty members who wish to propose a course should discuss their ideas with their curriculum committee and/or head of their department. With their approval, nominations may be submitted each fall or spring semester via Curriculog.
Instructions for submitting a course through Curriculog can be found here.
What is the timeline for nominating course proposals?Course nominations may be submitted to the UCC at any time. Faculty should electronically complete the course nomination form, submit a course syllabus with a rationale indicating how the course meets the target foundational learning outcome, and submit signed approval from their appropriate departmental administrator. During monthly meetings, UCC subcommittee members and the full UCC will review, discuss and vote on courses for inclusion within the core curriculum. Proposals submitted by the end of the month will be reviewed by the UCC within two months.
Who approves courses for the core curriculum?
The Undergraduate Curriculum Council (UCC), composed of faculty members from each of the undergraduate academic units, approves courses for the core curriculum. Evaluation of course proposals is delegated to the appropriate subcommittee, which reviews course proposals and forwards its recommendations to the UCC. All council members then discuss and vote on all panel recommendations.
How is the Purdue core impacted by the Statewide General Education Transfer Core Curriculum?Our core is directly aligned with the statewide core curriculum. Both are based on learning competencies. What directly impacts Purdue students and those at other Indiana institutions is the requirement that all must complete a minimum of 30 credit hours as part of their core curriculum.
Can a course be proposed for fulfilling more than one foundational learning outcome?
A single course may be proposed for meeting no more than two foundational learning outcomes.
Can a student use a single course to meet more than one foundational outcome?Yes. A few foundational courses have been approved as meeting two foundational outcomes (see approved list of foundational courses). When a student takes and successfully completes one of these courses, they will meet both foundational outcomes tied to that course.
Can I propose a brand new course for the core curriculum, even though it has not yet been approved as part of the Purdue course catalog?
No. All courses submitted to the Undergraduate Curriculum Council for review must be part of the Purdue course catalog prior to proposal submission. However, it is not necessary for a course to have been taught or offered prior to being submitted for consideration.
Is it possible to cross-list a core curriculum-approved course?
Cross-listings of courses approved for the core curriculum are permitted only if all four of the following conditions are satisfied:
- Each course in a cross-listing is approved for meeting the same foundational outcomes requirement(s)
- Each course satisfies all other formal requirements, including those governing expected frequency of offering
- The cross-listing is approved in writing by the department heads or persons with administrative authority of the unit(s) offering the courses before the final schedule for the relevant semester is submitted to the Office of the Registrar
- Departmental scheduling officers must comply with technical requirements specified by the Office of the Registrar to ensure that students enrolled under different course numbers and titles in cross-listed classes can be credited with fulfilling a core curriculum requirement
Can I limit course enrollment?
Yes. Faculty may limit course enrollment on any course based on their current or predicted resources for offering the course.
Can a nominated course restrict enrollment to a certain major?Faculty members should nominate courses that accept enrollment for all students. A course may indicate that a course is recommended for certain majors but would still be open to all students. At registration, a program/course may provide priority enrollment for certain majors first during a limited period before opening enrollment for all students.
EMBEDDED OUTCOMES
What are embedded outcomes?The embedded outcomes are met within each student’s major and define the learning expectations of particular degrees. Faculty within each program will determine where and at what level embedded outcomes will be met within their programs. The three embedded outcomes are communication; ways of thinking; and interpersonal skills and intercultural knowledge. For a description of the embedded outcomes, please click here.
How might embedded outcomes be met within a program/major?Embedded outcomes shall be managed at the program level and shall not be tracked at the individual student level. Unlike the foundational outcomes, which are satisfied by coursework and are portable across campus, the embedded outcomes are addressed throughout—or threaded through—a program's curriculum. A program's curriculum taken as a whole should contribute to achieving the embedded outcomes. Faculty in each program will determine how their students will meet embedded outcomes. Students may take designated courses, complete projects, engage in service learning, participate in a study abroad experience, or complete another approved assignment that documents their acquisition of embedded outcomes. Ultimately, it will be up to program faculty to agree upon how their students will meet these outcomes.
Must programs require students to complete ALL embedded outcomes?Yes. Embedded outcomes are a required component of Purdue’s Outcomes-based Core Curriculum.
Will continuing, CODO, and Transfer students who change to a new curriculum be required to meet embedded outcomes?
Yes. Continuing students, CODO, and Transfer students who change to the new curriculum will be required to meet all degree requirements including embedded outcomes.
How will Colleges/Schools document that their programs allow students to meet all embedded outcomes?
Each program will be asked to map their program of study to the foundational and embedded outcomes. This will then be reviewed and documented by programs and reported to the UCC every three years.
How will Colleges/Schools report that their programs meet the Outcomes-Based Core Curriculum requirements for meeting all learning outcomes?
Every three years, Colleges/Schools will be asked to submit documentation to the UCC via their designated representative. This documentation should specifically include their procedures for how their programs map to the outcomes and their results. For example, a report would indicate 1) the template used for mapping programs and 2) an executive summary providing a discussion of levels of proficiency across outcomes and an example of the courses, activities, and experiences in which students are engaged as they meet the embedded outcomes.
How will embedded outcomes be assessed?
Programs of study identify where and how students will meet embedded outcomes, how student learning of these outcomes will be assessed, and what evidence will be gathered to support that assessment. For example, if a study abroad experience is used to meet the outcome of interpersonal skills and intercultural knowledge, students may be required to provide the link to their electronic blog in which they completed a series of reflective writing assignments that demonstrates their achievement of the outcome.
To whom will information about the core be reported?
Information gleaned from the evaluation process will be reported to the Higher Learning Commission for accreditation purposes and to the Indiana Commission for Higher Education for indicating that Purdue aligns with Indiana’s statewide transfer general education expectations. This information is also regularly used by faculty to determine the effectiveness of their own instruction and their impact on student learning of outcomes, plus by our degree programs to meet the expectations set by their specialized accreditation or external program review bodies.
