The Pain and Promise of CRITICAL CORE Implementation

Objective for Today Provide a foundation of where we are currently with the CRITICAL CORE Discuss the benefits for our students Review the requirements for faculty Overview new developments and opportunities Discuss and get feedback on how to support faculty going forward Answer your questions about CRITICAL CORE

Overview The CRITICAL CORE model represents Central Piedmont Community College’s commitment to ensuring students have the CRITICAL CORE skills they need for personal, academic, and professional success. We have identified and organized these skills into the following skill sets: COMMUNICATION CRITICAL THINKING PERSONAL GROWTH & CULTURAL LITERACY INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY & QUANTITATIVE LITERACY Our model is simple: A pathway that ensures students are exposed to each CRITICAL CORE skill multiple times during progression from general education requirements through program-specific requirements and completion.

EMPLOYER NEEDS 95% of employers give hiring preference to college graduates with skills that will enable them to contribute to innovation in the workplace1. 93% of employers say that a “demonstrated capacity to think critically (Critical Thinking), communicate clearly (Communication), and solve problems (Information Technology and Quantitative Literacy) is more important than [a candidate’s] undergraduate major2. 9 in 10 of employers say it is important that those they hire demonstrate ethical judgment and integrity; intercultural skills; and the capacity for continued learning (Personal Growth and Cultural Literacy).

National Standards The Degree Qualifications Profile (DQP) Liberal Education and America’s Promise (LEAP) Association of American Colleges & Universities (AAC&U) National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment (NILOA) And more … So what?

Implementation Where are we now? Where are we headed?

“The Key Three” Signature Assignment Artifact Common across all sections of a course Same weight in student’s final grade Signature Assignment Grade The actual grade on the assignment by individual instructors Signature Assignment CRITICAL CORE Rubric Score A score reported as based on CC KI Rubric: Blank – Assignment not submitted 0 – Plagiarized assignment or not enough to score the skill, but an assignment was submitted 1 through 4 – Use the CC KI Rubric to assess

What’s New? Working toward FULL implementation! All course will have signature assignments by the end of this academic year. Third review of student work in the General Education Foundation will take place in January. Faculty Liaison Teams are expanding – Let us know if you want to join! CRITICAL CORE Signature Assignment Scores to be used as part of the Healthy Programs Review process.

Faculty Support Talk to us! How can we support you all? What do you need and how can we help?

Question and Answer What questions do you have for us?