A course syllabus serves multiple purposes including:
- serving as a contract establishing prerequisites, expectations, requirements, and policies
- addresses what students will learn
- providing course logistics and administrative information such as contact information, meeting information, modality specifics, and access to course materials
- setting the tone for the course
The Faculty Manual provides additional information on syllabi.
Academic Affairs provides a syllabus template that includes both required and suggested language. Faculty should use the syllabus template to construct their syllabus. The syllabus must be made available via MyCourses per the Academic Policy Manual Policy 20.2.
Core IMPACTS Syllabus Requirements
On October 4, 2023, the Board of Regents approved changes to its policy on the University System of Georgia’s core curriculum. The USG core curriculum, Core IMPACTS, is designed to ensure that students acquire essential knowledge in foundational academic areas and develop career-ready competencies. There are seven Core IMPACTS areas that include an orienting question, learning outcomes, and career-ready competencies.
List of Core IMPACTS Areas, Orienting Questions, and Career-Ready Competencies
The Orienting Questions, Learning Outcomes, and Career-Ready Competencies assigned to each Core IMPACTS area are listed in the table below.
| Core IMPACTS (Area Shorthand) | Orienting Question | Learning Outcome(s) | Career-Ready Competencies | Current (Pre-2024) Alphabetical Designations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Institutional Priority (Institution) | How does my institution help me to navigate the world? | Students will demonstrate the ability to think critically and solve problems related to academic priorities at their institution. | Critical ThinkingTeamworkTime Management | Area B |
| Mathematics & Quantitative Skills (Mathematics) | How do I measure the world? | Students will apply mathematical and computational knowledge to interpret, evaluate, and communicate quantitative information using verbal, numerical, graphical, or symbolic forms. | Information LiteracyInquiry and AnalysisProblem-SolvingTeamwork (for STEM) | Area A2 |
| Political Science and U.S. History (Citizenship) | How do I prepare for my responsibilities as an engaged citizen? | Students will demonstrate knowledge of the history of the United States, the history of Georgia, and the provisions and principles of the United States Constitution and the Constitution of Georgia. | Critical ThinkingIntercultural CompetencePersuasion | Area E |
| Arts, Humanities & Ethics (Humanities) | How do I interpret the human experience through creative, linguistic, and philosophical works? | Students will effectively analyze and interpret the meaning, cultural significance, and ethical implications of literary/philosophical texts or of works in the visual/performing arts. | Ethical ReasoningInformation LiteracyIntercultural Competence | Area C |
| Communicating in Writing (Writing) | How do I write effectively in different contexts? | Students will communicate effectively in writing, demonstrating clear organization and structure, using appropriate grammar and writing conventions.Students will appropriately acknowledge the use of materials from original sources.Students will adapt their written communications to purpose and audience.Students will analyze and draw informed inferences from written texts. | Critical ThinkingInformation LiteracyPersuasion | Area A1 |
| Technology, Mathematics & Sciences (STEM) | How do I ask scientific questions or use data, mathematics, or technology to understand the universe? | Students will use the scientific method and laboratory procedures or mathematical and computational methods to analyze data, solve problems, and explain natural phenomena. | Inquiry and AnalysisProblem-SolvingTeamworkInformation Literacy (for Mathematics) | Area D |
| Social Sciences (Social Sciences) | How do I understand human experiences and connections? | Students will effectively analyze the complexity of human behavior, and how historical, economic, political, social, or geographic relationships develop, persist, or change. | Intercultural CompetencePerspective-TakingPersuasion | Area E |
Definitions of Core IMPACTS Career-Ready Competencies
Core IMPACTS Career-Ready Competencies are broad transferable skills that go beyond the content of specific courses. Responsibility for cultivating Career-Ready Competencies has been assigned to courses in each Core IMPACTS area and it is expected that students will develop these competencies through taking these courses.
These competencies are defined in the table below. The definitions are sourced from the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) Value Rubrics, the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), the “soft skills” listed in O*Net, as well as desired employability skills identified from surveys of Georgia employers.
| Career-Ready Competencies | Definition |
|---|---|
| Critical Thinking | Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative approaches to solving problems and making decisions. |
| Ethical Reasoning | Assessing one’s own ethical values, recognizing ethical issues in a variety of settings, thinking about how different perspectives might apply to ethical dilemmas, and considering the ramifications of alternative actions. |
| Information Literacy | Recognizing when information is needed, and locating, evaluating, synthesizing, and effectively using the needed information, while appropriately crediting the original source of information. |
| Inquiry and Analysis | Exploring the world, and supporting informed conclusions through the collection, evaluation, and use of relevant evidence. |
| Intercultural Competence | Developing knowledge, skills and behaviors that support effective and appropriate interaction in a variety of cultural contexts. |
| Perspective-Taking | Considering perspectives other than one’s own and allowing new information, differing opinions, and others’ experiences to impress upon one’s thinking, understanding, and appreciation of others. |
| Persuasion | Using messages that are intentionally designed to appeal to another’s reason, emotions, or both, in order to enact change. |
| Problem-Solving | Designing, evaluating, and implementing strategies to solve problems using data, knowledge and facts. |
| Teamwork | Building and maintaining collaborative relationships to work effectively toward common goals, while appreciating diverse viewpoints and shared responsibilities. |
| Time Management | Prioritizing and structuring tasks and resources to achieve an effective use of time while performing goal-directed activities. |