Comets to the Core

Overview:

Comets to the Core is a co-curricular requirement that began in the fall semester of 2017 for all first-time in college freshmen. Comets to the Core is completed during the fall semester of students first and third years at UT Dallas through the UNIV 1010/2020 course sequence. The purpose of the Comets to the Core project is to measure students’ skills obtained in the Core Curriculum, as required by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, in the following areas:

1. Critical thinking – critical thinking, innovation, inquiry, analysis, evaluation, and synthesis of information.
2. Communication Skills [oral and written] – effective development, interpretation and expression of ideas through written, oral, and visual information.
3. Teamwork – to include the ability to consider different points of view and to work effectively with others to support a shared purpose or goal.
4. Social responsibility – intercultural competence, knowledge of civic responsibility, and the ability to engage effectively in regional, national, and global communities.
5. Personal responsibility – ability to connect choices, actions and consequences to ethical decision-making.
6. Empirical and Quantitative Skills – to include the manipulation and analysis of numerical data or observable facts resulting in informed conclusions.

The Comets to the Core Project requires students to work individually and in small teams to analyze several solutions to a complex world problem. For Fall 2023, students will address the question of “How should UTD incorporate artificial intelligence in its curriculum?” This topic aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #4 of Quality Education. Additional information about the Comets to the Core Project is available via E-learning.

Students complete the following assignments as part of the Comets to the Core Project:

1. Perceived skills assessment.
2. Short essay (2-3 pages) in response to a series of questions related to your project.
3. Group contract.
4. Group video pitch (5-7 minutes) to potential investors and/or a grant review board as if they are attempting to secure funding to implement their solution.
5. Evaluation and reflection survey.

Student Learning Outcomes:

In this course, students will:

1. Collaborate with peers to develop a solution to a real-world problem.
2. Analyze research to identify how they can alleviate social problems in the real world.
3. Identify the social, political, environmental, and economic components of a complex world problem, and will provide a solution that addresses sustainability in each of those areas.

Contact Information

Instructor: Lance Kyle Bennett

Email address: core@utdallas.edu

Office hours: Fridays from 9 a.m. to noon (via Teams – see eLearning course page for more information).