Intellectual Foundations Program for Faculty
Florida Atlantic University believes that higher education should go well beyond the preparation of individuals for demanding careers in their chosen fields. It should also provide broad intellectual enrichment through systematic exposure to a diversity of academic experiences. The purpose of the Intellectual Foundations Program (IFP) in this endeavor is to develop the intellectual skills, habits of thought, ethical values, and love of learning that transcend the choice of major. These are the hallmarks of educated men and women capable of meeting effectively the social, political, and economic challenges of contemporary life.
Thus, the mission of a comprehensive university education is to produce graduates who can intelligently analyze information, appreciate diverse peoples and ideas, and adapt to change through the self-motivated acquisition of new knowledge.
Consequently, Florida Atlantic University's Intellectual Foundations Program is a carefully devised program that draws on many subject areas to provide and reinforce essential skills and values from different points of view. It equips students with the academic tools they will need to succeed, not only as undergraduates in their degree programs but also as responsible citizens in a complex world. Please click here for a detailed description of the IFP.
IFP Course Submission and Approval Procedures
The Core Curriculum Committee (CCC), a subcommittee of the University Undergraduate Programs Committee (UUPC), oversees the development, implementation, and assessment of the Intellectual Foundations Program which was revised in spring 2015. The CCC includes three representatives from the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, two representatives from the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, and one representative from each of the other colleges offering undergraduate degrees. The Dean of Undergraduate Studies chairs the committee and is a non-voting member of the CCC as well as the Executive Director of Assessment for Undergraduate Studies. The CCC reviews courses for inclusion in the Intellectual Foundations Program.
Please click here for the submission procedures.
IFP Course Assessment and Reporting
Learning outcomes are associated with each category of the Intellectual Foundations Program. Faculty are required to provide the Core Curriculum Committee a yearly report on IFP student learning outcomes in their course(s). The method used to evaluate student performance on course learning outcomes is entirely at the discretion of the instructor, as long as they can report the number of students who met each of the required outcomes. A procedural manual for testing and reporting IFP student learning data can be found through a hot-link below.
Faculty Resources - to assist faculty in creating a successful assessment plan for their IFP course(s), the following resources are provided below.
FAU IFP Academic Assessment Plan
A procedural manual for testing and reporting IFP student learning data. This will answer the "who, why, how and what" of evaluating your IFP course(s).
Complete this report template for your IFP course(s). This report is reviewed by the Core Curriculum Committee. Submit completed reports to Dr. Anthony Ambrosio at aambrosio@fau.edu.
(Multiple Courses)
(IFP and discipline accreditation outcomes combined data )
(using a Scoring Rubric)
(to produce IFP student learning outcome data)