ACU faculty approved the proposal to consolidate and eliminate CORE classes to accommodate students before registration for Fall 2012. Dr. Nancy Shankle, interim assistant provost for general education, said the changes to curriculum will provide students a well-rounded education.

“These changes to the CORE curriculum will help us provide a quality general education program,” Shankle said. “The general education electives will give students more flexibility in choosing courses to suit their interests.”

CORE classes can be combined in several ways to accommodate different schedule plans. The options include consolidating CORE 120 (Human Person and Identity) and CORE 220 (Community) into a single three-hour course (CORE 240), and consolidating CORE 320 (Transcendence [or Discovery/Creation of Meaning]) with BIBL 440 (Vocation and Mission) into a single three-hour course (BCOR 340). Bible faculty will serve as one of the team members teaching each course.

Shankle said advisers should be well versed on the changes and how they apply to each class.

“Advisers have attended meetings to learn how these changes apply to incoming freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors.” Shankle said. “Incoming freshmen will follow the new curriculum.”

Combining the CORE and BIBL courses gives students five extra hours to use as general electives or in a foreign language. The hours are allocated this way: three credits in a foreign language/cultural competency menu, and two credits in a general education elective menu. Students may choose two hours of credits from any menu within the general education requirements.

The consolidations have changed the course numbers and titles. CORE 240 (tentatively called Identity and Community) and BCOR 340 (tentatively called Meaning and Morality) will be available in the fall. These courses are being developed this spring and go to the university academic councils for review and approval before the end of the semester.

Alikay Wood, freshman English major from Sacramento, said the changes will allow more flexibility in her schedule, on-campus and abroad.

“I’m really excited about the changes in the CORE curriculum. It gives me more flexibility in my schedule and the opportunity to take other electives,” Wood said. “Because of the changes, I won’t be taking CORE in the fall but will wait until the spring to take it when I’m studying abroad in Oxford.”