Simpson Core

Foundations

The first course in a two-semester sequence required for first-year students. This course explores issues of well-being and civic engagement at the personal, local, and global levels. The course will serve as an introduction to writing and critical thinking skills.

Inquiry

The purpose of Inquiry courses is to provide a diverse liberal arts experience. These courses will be offered at the 100-200 level and typically have no prerequisites. Each requirement draws from sub-disciplines with recognized expertise in that area of study.

Mission

Effectively forming a core for the curriculum, Mission courses embrace disciplinary or interdisciplinary frames to develop students’ engagement with key areas of the college’s values and mission statements. They serve a scaffolding function by reinforcing and developing ideas learned in Foundations courses. These courses are aimed at second- and third-year students and are typically taught at the 200-level or 300-level without prerequisites. They may be taught by any department.

Experiential Learning

Experiential learning courses consist of approved high-impact practices such as internships, service learning, co-curricular or extra-curricular activities, study abroad, entrepreneurship, collaborative projects, or undergraduate research opportunities. Incoming, first-year students are required to complete TWO distinct experiential learning experiences. May be fulfilled by a course that also fulfills an Inquiry or Mission requirement or a course in the major. Foundations courses cannot carry an experiential learning designation.

Synthesis

The Synthesis course provides an opportunity for students to integrate and reflect on the knowledge they have gained from their Inquiry, Mission, and Experiential Learning coursework. This 0-credit course is aimed at students who have completed at least 96 credits.

Assessing the Simpson Core

The Simpson Core is assessed through the Assessment Committee, in accordance with the Faculty Handbook as indicated below:
3.1.4 General Curriculum AssessmentThe Committee is responsible for the assessment review of the general education program. In consultation with the Associate Dean of Curriculum and Assessment, the committee will review at least two components of the general election program each year.

Foundations & Writing Reinforcement Courses

Foundations and Writing Reinforcement courses are assessed each year. Artifacts are collected every time a course with these designations are taught, faculty provide an artifact that showcases student development related to the Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs).
Foundations SLOs:

SLO1: Summarize, synthesize, and analyze an element or issue tied to civic engagement or well-being
SLO2: Use relevant evidence to support analysis
SLO3: Develop or engage in a main idea
SLO4: Communicate clearly using appropriate writing structure and organization
SLO5: Demonstrate an understanding of the rhetorical situation (such as the influence of audience)

Writing Reinforcement (WR) SLOs:

SLO 1: Summarize, Synthesize, and Analyze an Element or Issue Tied to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
SLO 2: Synthesize Credible Evidence to Support Claims
SLO 3: Develop a Thesis or Argument
SLO 4: Communicate Clearly Using Appropriate Writing Structure and Organization in Relationship to the Audience
SLO 5: Demonstrate an Understanding of the Rhetorical Situation

Assessment Process:

Step 1: Artifacts are collected in Portfolium every time a course with a WR or Foundations designation are taught. This should provide approximately 350 artifacts each year.
Step 2: The Assessment Committee conducts and inter-rater reliability session with the Associate Dean of General Education and Assessment.
Step 3: Portfolium randomly selects 45% of the artifacts submitted and each artifact is reviewed by two separate Assessment Committee members.
Step 4: After all artifacts are reviewed, the committee meets to analyze the result and draft a formal report including suggestions for improvement.
Step 5: The report is shared with the Director of First Year Programs, the Director of the Writing Center, the Associate Dean of Student Success and a select group of faculty that teach in the designated area. This group determines a specific set of action plans based off the final report.
Final Step: The Associate Dean of General Education and Assessment shares the action plan with the Academic Dean and follows up with each responsible party to see the progress with each action plan item.

Sample Reports and Action Plan Documents:

SC 110 Foundations Core Review Fall 2024 - LINK HERE

Inquiry, Mission, and Experiential Learning Courses

Mission, Inquiry, and Experiential Learning courses are assessed on a rotating schedule. Artifacts are collected from the SC 385: Synthesis course that is taught in each term every year. The Simpson Core Assessment Cycle is as follows:

2024-2025 Collection Year
2025-2026 Collection Year
2026-2027 Inquiry
2027-2028 Mission
2028-2029 Experiential Learning
2029-2030 Inquiry
2030-2031 Mission
2031-2032 Experiential Learning

For each category of the Simpson Core, a rubric was created based of the SLOs. The Assessment Committee will follow the same step-by-step process when assessing these artifacts as they do when they assess Foundations and WR. The formal report for these designated areas are reviewed by the Associate Dean of General Education, the Director of the Teaching and Learning Center, and a minimum of 5 faculty who commonly teach in the designation area.
Inquiry SLO: As a result of taking Inquiry courses, students will be able to articulate the ways practitioners in different academic fields gain knowledge and draw conclusions.
Inquiry Rubric
Mission SLO: As a result of taking Mission courses, students will be able to explain how civic engagement and/or DEI inform the ways they apply the knowledge they have gained and influence the ways they draw conclusions.
Mission Rubric

Experiential Learning SLO: As a result of taking Experiential Learning courses, students will be able to explain how at least one of the college’s core values informs their experience of the high-impact practice.

Experiential Learning Rubric

Information for Faculty and Staff

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