The purpose of the Core Curriculum Assessment at UT Austin is to gather course materials and student work to assess and document the degree to which students demonstrate outcomes for each component area. This will inform our understanding of the Core Curriculum and its impact on student learning, provide instructors and departments with insights to help them continually improve Core Curriculum courses, and provide faculty an opportunity to share instructional practices across departments and colleges. This effort is not designed to evaluate the instructor; it is part of a large-scale effort to assess how students at UT Austin are succeeding in acquiring the knowledge and skills expected in the Core Curriculum.
The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board requires that courses in each Core Curriculum component area are embedded with the required Core Objectives. UT Austin faculty developed the Student Competencies which are used to define each Core Curriculum component area and have embedded the required Core Objectives within the Student Competencies. The THECB also requires assessment of the Core Objectives on an ongoing basis.
Our Approach is Collaborative
UT Austin’s Core Curriculum is overseen by a single, central academic unit, the Undergraduate College.
- We seek frequent faculty input via the Core Curriculum Advisory Committee, departments, and course instructors;
- Apply institution-specific definitions for state requirements;
- Engage in collaborative two-way communication between administrative units; and
- Use an improvement-oriented approach, which builds on previous results and incorporates new knowledge, emerging techniques, and best practices.
Current Assessment Cycle
We use a multi-step multi-year process to assess the Core Curriculum. Each annual cycle includes planning, collection and assessment of student work samples, and results sharing. See the Annual Cycle Timeline PDF for additional details.
2021 – 2022 • American & Texas Government • Visual and Performing Arts
2022 – 2023 • Natural Science & Technology • Signature Courses
2023 – 2024 • Mathematics • US History
2024 – 2025 • Social & Behavioral Sciences • Humanities
2025 – 2026 • Communication-RHE 306 • Communication-Writing Flag
Participation in the Assessment Cycle
- November – February: Instructors teaching courses in the spring semester are invited to Information Sessions to learn more about the timeline of activities and expectations for participation. RSVP here.
- By March 1: Instructors work with the Undergraduate College to identify relevant assignment(s) in which the students are expected to demonstrate the Student Competencies using the Assignment Identification Form. See below for instructions and submission links.
- Spring semester: Instructors teach their spring semester course.
- By the end of spring semester: Instructors submit student work samples. Course observations may be conducted upon invitation from the course instructor.
- Summer: A team of raters review the student work samples using the faculty committee-developed rubrics. View the rubrics via Box.
- Fall & onward: Instructors receive aggregate results reports and attend a results sharing event.
Download the Assignment Identification Forms here.
Results & Reports
Undergraduate College prepares aggregate results reports documenting activities, outcomes, and findings from each Core Curriculum component area. We are just getting started on the current assessment cycle. Check back soon for results. View the 2014–2019 reports via Box.
Contact Us
For questions, please contact us via email.