Timeline
The Blazer Core Curriculum will be required of all incoming students beginning in the Fall of 2023. The timeline below provides an overview of the implementation process as well as completion information for major stages of the process.
Design—
2017 to 2019
- Spring 2017: Provost Pam Benoit convenes a Signature Core Curriculum Committee, co-chaired by Dr. Alison Chapman (English) and Dr. Suzanne Judd (School of Public Health).
- Academic Year 2018-19: Feedback solicited from departments, faculty, administrators, and students through presentations and surveys, resulting in the development of a “Core Action Plan”
- Summer 2019: insights from feedback formulated into a draft core curriculum.
Development—
2019 to Spring 2021
- Academic Year of 2019-20: Feedback on the draft core curriculum solicited from faculty, students, administrators, and community members through departmental presentations and meetings.
- 2019: Provost Benoit convenes First Year Experience Council to examine existing First Year Experience courses and develop recommendations.
- Spring 2020: Core Faculty Fellows program developed and first class of 25 Faculty Fellows begins two-year core teaching fellowship.
- Spring 2021: Director of the Core Curriculum, Dr. Christopher Minnix (English), appointed.
Implementation—
Spring and Summer 2021
- Spring 2021: Provost’s Award for Excellence in Core Teaching Announced.
- Summer 2021: Signature Core Curriculum rebranded as Blazer Core
- Summer 2021: Blazer Core Curriculum Committee Convened
- Summer 2021: Second Class of Core Faculty Fellows Welcomed
- Summer 2021: FYE Retreat
- Summer 2021: IMPACT (Innovative, Measurable, Place-Based, Access-Oriented, Core Teaching) institute founded.
- Summer 2021: Department and Faculty Submission Guide Drafted and Review Process Begins
Implementation—
Future: Fall 2021-Fall 2023
- Fall 2021: Department and Faculty Core Course Submission Guide Submitted for Approval
- Fall 2021: Departments and Faculty begin Developing Proposals for Course Submission
- Spring 2021: Committee Begins Reviewing Proposals for Core Course Submission
- Fall 2021-Summer 2023: Proposals Reviewed on Rolling Basis
- Fall 2022: Third Class of Core Faculty Fellows Begins
- Fall 2022-Summer 2023: Core Requirements Entered into Academic Catalogue
- Fall 2023: Blazer Core Live for 2023 Freshman Class
“UAB has experienced significant growth during the past 52 years, so it just made sense to update the required core classes to keep pace with our evolution, It was important to us to not just simply have a set of requirements on a page. Instead, we wanted to develop courses and approaches that change how students and faculty approach teaching and learning.”
— Alison Chapman, Ph.D.
“The opportunity to integrate classroom learning with local and world events quickly emerged as foundational to the undergraduate experience at UAB. As soon as we began talking about how to merge in opportunities to apply learning to the local community, students, faculty and community members became truly excited about how to make this happen.”
— Suzanne Judd, Ph.D.