The general education faculty assess Core IMPACTS (formerly Areas A - E) and Field of Study (formerly Area F) student learning outcomes (SLOs) at least once in each academic year. Whether face-to-face, hybrid, or online, the assessment process is the same. The coordinators from both Atlanta and Perimeter College collaborate to discuss how to administer, report, and document the assessment process. During the first two years, the coordinators create a common Assessment Plan and Assessment Findings report. The Assessment Plan describes the activities (for both campuses) that will determine the extent to which students realized the learning outcomes. The Assessment Findings report summarizes (for both campuses) the results and identifies opportunities for improvements. Finally, in year three, the coordinators provide an Assessment Plan, Assessment Findings, and Action Plan. The Action Plan closes the loop by describing the impact of the previous Action Plan, summarizing results from the past three years, and identifying action items based on the results.
In 2024, the University System of Georgia approved the Core IMPACTS policy, 2.4 General Education Core Curriculum as the framework for the new student learning outcomes (SLOs).
General Education Framework
The University System of Georgia (USG) is a composite of diverse institutions that require system wide coherence to facilitate success for students. To achieve these ends, the USG has outlined a Core IMPACTS curriculum that will serve as a guide for institutions to develop and refine course selections that will enable students to meet the Learning Outcomes and Career-Ready Competencies for each Core IMPACTS area. There are seven Core IMPACTS domains. IMPACTS is a mnemonic for the core curriculum, as shown in the table below.
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Core IMPACTS Mnemonic
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Domain Shorthand
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|---|---|
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Institutional Priority
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Institution
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Mathematics & Quantitative Skills
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Mathematics
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Political Science and U.S. History
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Citizenship
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Arts, Humanities & Ethics
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Humanities
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Communicating in Writing
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Writing
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Technology, Mathematics, & Sciences
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STEM
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Social Sciences
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Social Sciences
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Core Curriculum Assessment Resources
We encourage you to use the Assessment Checklist, which provides step-by-step instructions for the assessment plan, findings report, and action plan. All core assessment reports are due in Taskstream AMS on or before October 15 of each year.
Generating and Downloading the Assessment Sampling Worksheet (via iPort)
Developing and Submitting a Robust Core Assessment Plan
Remember to attach the Sampling Worksheet
Submitting the Assessment Findings (including updated/completed Assessment Sampling Worksheet)
Remember to download, update, and re-attach the Sampling Worksheet.
Submitting the Analysis and Action Plan
Reports submitted in Findings Only years are desk-reviewed by Office of Assessment and Review (OAR) staff. Reports that include Analysis and Action Plans are peer-reviewed by 2 faculty assessment coordinators: One from Perimeter College and one from the Atlanta Campus college (AYS, CAS or COTA) for the relevant core Area. The 2 reviews are aggregated by OAR staff and published anonymously.
This 8-minute video demonstrates how to access and complete a peer-review assignment.
Exemplars for General Education/Core and Area F
Assessment Plans
Assessment Findings
Action Plan
This 8-minute video demonstrates how to navigate Taskstream and view reports for core courses.