LSCS Core Curriculum 2014
Background/History
In its January 2009 report to the Coordinating Board Designing Texas Undergraduate Education in the 21st Century, the Undergraduate Education Advisory Committee (UEAC) suggested that the statewide general education core curriculum be reconsidered. Following a comprehensive review of trends and promising practices in undergraduate core curriculum initiatives nationwide, the UEAC developed recommendations for a revised Texas Core Curriculum centered on increasing student learning and improving student success.
The recommendations were as a second report - Revising the State Core Curriculum: A Focus on 21st Century Competencies. In October 2011, the Coordinating Board approved the revised Core Curriculum to be implemented in Fall 2014.
For additional information, please visit the THECB’s Texas Core Curriculum website.
LSCS General Education Vision Statement
The Lone Star College general education curriculum is designed to empower students with foundational knowledge and transferrable skills guided and informed by a strong sense of values, ethics, and civic engagement. The general education curriculum prepares students for academic excellence and careers through progressively higher-level studies in the areas of critical thinking, communication, empirical and quantitative skills, teamwork, personal responsibility, and social responsibility.
Embedded in the Lone Star College Core Curriculum is our firm belief that educated members of society must possess a broad base of experience and general knowledge to balance the narrow focus of degree and vocational requirements. We strive to ensure that our core curriculum provides many important benefits that exceed those listed above. Students taking the core curriculum interact with a wide range of cultures, both domestic and international. They develop important individual traits and skills such as empathy and communication that are critical for their future careers and personal development.
Students hone interpersonal skills and develop critical workplace and academic skills, such as communication, time management, and leadership that will enhance their ability to collaborate with colleagues, employers, and society.
Lone Star College values civic engagement and encourages students to become informed participants in the civic and social responsibilities of our local, state, national, and global communities. Participation in our core curriculum creates opportunities and encourages our students to evaluate their own value systems through the study of the humanities and sciences while recognizing the diversity of beliefs and values present within our society.
In sum, our graduates learn to become autonomous decision makers through the development of a broad base of knowledge, skills, personal wellness, and interpersonal competencies.
LSCS’s Revised Plan
LSCS began a core redesign process in 2011, but it was paused in 2012 in order to redevelop a process that was driven by LSCS’s overall goals for its graduates. A task force was appointed by the Chancellor to develop a General Education Vision Statement for LSCS that would help guide the core curriculum revision process.
The recommended General Education Vision Statement was vetted by the Vice Presidents of Instruction Council, then approved by Executive Council on April 3, 2013.
Using the General Education Vision Statement as a guide, curriculum teams will submit a proposal form for each course that they want to be in the new core. Component Area Subcommittees will simultaneously review the proposals and assessment plans and address any questions with the curriculum team facilitators. Recommended courses for the core will be forwarded to the VPI Council for further recommendation. EC will approve the final recommendations before they are submitted for Board approval. The approved core curriculum will be submitted to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board in November, 2013.
For courses required by the State (HIST 1301, 1302, 2301, and GOVT 2305 & 2306), curriculum teams will need to document the student learning outcomes and assessment in those courses that will cover the required core objectives, but approval by LSCS of those courses for the new core is not necessary.Timeline
April-May, 2013 – General Education Committee will determine Component Area Option (CAO) general guidelines (and address “flash points”; Component Area Sub-Committees will develop/review rubrics and develop proposal form examples; New proposal forms will be distributed; Kickoff meeting with Curriculum Team Facilitators; VPIs will hold campus kickoff meetings with faculty
September 5, 2013 – Curriculum Teams will submit proposal forms
September, 2013 – Component Area Sub-Committees meet
September 30, 2013 – Component Area Sub-Committees submit completed proposal forms and rubrics to Co-Facilitators
October 1-8, 2013 – General Education Steering Committee meets and makes recommendations
October 2013 – Faculty Senate Presidents Comments, Deans’ Council Comments, and VPI Approval of Recommended Core Curriculum (keeping in mind that each proposal should uphold the General Education Vision Statement, THECB Policy, LSCS Policies and Procedures, and Course Transferability)
October 23 or 30, 2013 – Recommended Core to EC for Approval
November 7, 2013 – Recommended Core to Board for Approval
November 1-30, 2013 – Upload of LSCS’s submission of 2014 Core Curriculum to Coordinating Board for review
September 2013-February 2014 – Coordinating Board staff conduct review of institutions’ 2014 Core Curriculum
March 1, 2014 – Institutions’ approved 2014 Core Curriculum posted and available
August 2014 - Revised Core in Place
Useful Resources
Texas Core Curriculum 2014
General Education
- Strong Foundations: Twelve Principles for Effective General Education Programs
- LEAP’s Principles of Excellence
General Education Assessment
Completion
- Planning Pathways for Completion
- Reclaiming the American Great Community Colleges and Nation's Future - American Association of Community Colleges
2013 - 2014 General Education Committee
Co-Facilitators
Jim Stubbs – Dean at Kingwood
Marie Thibodeaux – Director of Curriculum Development
LSC-CyFair
| Name | Discipline | Core Component Sub-Committee |
| Heather Cannon | CIT | Communication |
| Tim Sebesta | Kinesiology | Social/Behavioral Sciences |
| Mark Thorsby | Philosophy | Language, Philosophy, Culture |
| Jonathan Durm | Psychology | Social/Behavioral Sciences |
| Thomas Kelly | History | Social/Behavioral Sciences |
LSC-Kingwood
| Name | Discipline | Core Component Sub-Committee |
| Corey Cryer | Art | Creative Arts |
| Amelia Keel | English | Life and Physical Sciences |
| Marie Camarata | Kinesiology | Mathematics |
| Jay Whatley | Music | Creative Arts |
| Lisa Bryant | Speech | Communication |
LSC-Montgomery
| Name | Discipline | Core Component Sub-Committee |
| Linda Woodward | Art | Language, Philosophy, Culture |
| Nishi Mathew | Biology | Life and Physical Sciences |
| David Kennedy | Government | Communication |
| Amy Curry | History | Communication |
| Samuel Thomas | Speech | Creative Arts |
LSC-North Harris
| Name | Discipline | Core Component Sub-Committee |
| Rhonda Cannon | Counselor | Life and Physical Sciences |
| Velma Smith | English | Language, Philosophy, Culture |
| Stephen Washington | Math | Life and Physical Sciences |
| Jennifer Welsh | Philosophy | Mathematics |
| Jacqueline Davis-Gilmore | Speech | Language, Philosophy, Culture |
LSC-Tomball
| Name | Discipline | Core Component Sub-Committee |
| Mary Hood | Biology | Life and Physical Sciences |
| Van Piercy | English | Communication |
| Steven Prewitt | History | Language, Philosophy, Culture |
| Roger Jay | Math | Social/Behavioral Sciences |
| Michael (Dusty) Capistran | Philosophy | Creative Arts |
LSC-University Park
| Name | Discipline | Core Component Sub-Committee |
| Phillip Lee | CIT | Mathematics |
| David Miller | English | Mathematics |
| Daria Willis | History | Social/Behavioral Sciences |
| Rui Dai | Math | Mathematics |
| Martha Donnely | Math | Mathematics |
Ex Officio Members of the Core 2014 Process will include:
LSC Vice Presidents of Instruction Representatives
Ann Kirch, VPI at LSC-Montgomery
Feleccia Moore-Davis, VPI at LSC-Cy-Fair
LSC Faculty Senate Representative
David Birch, Faculty Senate President (LSC-Tomball) and Political Science Faculty Member
Campus Advising Representative
Juan LeBron, Counselor at Montgomery
Janis Bloecher, Advisor at Montgomery
LSC System Office
Debra Rockefeller, Executive Director, Academic Support
Marylou Amann, Program Coordinator of Curriculum Development
Executive Director, Educational Partnerships
