By Wayne Bowen, Ph.D.
Associate Dean
College of Undergraduate Studies
In January 2024 – following the guidance of Florida Senate Bill 266 (2023) – the Florida Board of Governors (BOG) and the Department of Education jointly approved revisions to the statewide General Education Program (GEP), also known as the Core Curriculum. At UCF, they are sometimes called “black diamond” courses because of the symbol associated with them on advising sheets.
The most significant change was replacing SYG 2000 with AMH 2010 as a core course in the Social Science or Social Foundation categories. Even though SYG 2000 will no longer be a core course, we expect it to continue to be in UCF’s GEP.
In fall 2023, Florida approved course descriptions and learning outcomes for all Core Curriculum courses. They were developed and validated by State University System and Florida College System faculty committees. The GEP core list and descriptions are available on the GEP webpage. Even though SYG is no longer in the GEP core curriculum, it’s included on the list.
What does this mean for UCF faculty teaching GEP courses? All Florida students must receive equivalent GEP content. Faculty teaching courses in the core curriculum need to make sure their classes are consistent with the GEP core curriculum descriptions and learning outcomes.
UCF Academic Affairs will update the university’s catalog to ensure accurate descriptions. Course titles may vary by institution, but faculty should verify that their courses meet the state guidelines and are consistent with state law and regulations from the BOG. Faculty should work with colleagues assigned to the same course, departmental GEP Coordinators, GEP Faculty Co-Leads, and department chairs to develop plans to make necessary updates.
For more articles, visit the GEP Newsletter Archive page.