Critical Thinking
Analyze and evaluate ideas, issues and evidence to form rational conclusions.
The purpose of the TBR General Education Core is to prepare every student to navigate a world of evolving opportunities. It is unbounded by academic discipline and challenges students to discover the inherent interconnectedness of knowledge and the intersection of self and society.
The General Education Core develops skills in acquiring, evaluating, and using information as well as communicating ideas through digital, written, oral, artistic, scientific, and mathematical expression. It challenges students to think independently, write clearly, and speak effectively, and to employ logical and critical reasoning to solve problems even when faced with incomplete, ambiguous, or conflicting data.
The Core encourages students to develop a curiosity for learning, an appreciation of conceptual complexity, and a deepened sense of self-awareness regarding their own beliefs and values. It helps students engage with civility and respect others who may have contrasting life histories, opinions, and worldviews. It fosters an appreciation for human commonality and teaches individuals the ethical implications of living in a global, social ecosystem.
Ultimately, the Core’s purpose is to equip every student to pursue a challenging career, experience a rewarding personal life, and inspire others to do the same.
Learning outcomes for all Core courses in a student’s degree program are aligned with the 7 Core Competencies established by TBR faculty. These learning outcomes are measured through assessments designed, reviewed, and approved by the faculty from the associated disciplines at each college.
Critical Thinking is the Core Competency Constellation’s North Star — a guiding principle for all courses in the TBR Core curriculum, which comprises the 7 competencies crucial for effectively navigating life at all levels: personal, professional, and civic.
As they experience the range of TBR Core courses in their program, students will have repeated opportunities to develop, refine, and reinforce all seven core competencies as they thoughtfully engage with key insights from across the academic spectrum and the history of human thought.
Communication
Create, evaluate and share ideas using appropriate oral or written techniques designed for various audiences.
Ethical Reasoning
Identify, develop and assess ethical arguments from a variety of social and moral perspectives.
Creative & Artistic Expression
Engage with the creative process through reflection and analysis of artistic works and the direct creation or performance of creative or artistic works.
Global & Cultural Awareness
Develop awareness of how diverse cultures relate to self, society and the global environment.
Scientific Inquiry & Mathematical Reasoning
Understand and explore the world through observation and experimentation, mathematical principles and formal reasoning.
Information Literacy
Locate relevant information, evaluate its usefulness and quality and apply it ethically and effectively.
The Journey
In 2019, TBR charted a course toward a new General Education experience for students earning an associate degree.
Each community college had representation on the steering committee who worked with their faculty and staff to disseminate, discuss, and collect information to inform the new Core model. The committee members below were instrumental in conceptualizing and developing the 2025 TBR Core.
|
Jimmy Barham |
Dyersburg State |
Dean of Arts, Sciences & Technologies |
|
Lacey Benns |
Columbia State |
Professor of Communication |
|
Donna Brewer |
Motlow State |
Associate Professor of English |
|
Jesse Cragwall |
Pellissippi State |
Department Head for Social Sciences |
|
Tricia Crawford |
Northeast State |
Dean of Behavioral & Social Sciences |
|
Alex Fitzner |
Pellissippi State |
Associate Professor of English |
|
Victoria Gay |
Columbia State |
Professor of English |
|
Barry Gidcomb |
Columbia State |
Dean of Humanities & Social Sciences, Professor of History |
|
Jennifer James |
Volunteer State |
Associate Professor of Communication |
|
Sherria King |
Southwest Tennessee |
Dean of Humanities, Social Sciences, and Mathematics |
|
Chris Knight |
Walters State |
Dean of Mathematics, Associate Professor of Mathematics |
|
Eric Niemi |
Chattanooga State |
Professor of English & Speech |
|
Devissi Muhammad |
Southwest Tennessee |
Associate Dean of Humanities, Social Sciences, and Mathematics |
|
Barsha Pickell |
Cleveland State |
Professor of History & Political Science |
|
Tammy Prater |
Jackson State |
Associate Professor of History |
|
Tony Rafalowski |
Jackson State |
Department Chair of Humanities |
|
Diane Raines |
Roane State |
Professor of English |
|
Rick Stoody |
Cleveland State |
Assistant Professor of Philosophy |
|
Ryan Thompson |
Cleveland State |
Dean of Humanities & Social Sciences |
|
Donald Turner |
Nashville State |
Professor of Philosophy |
|
Barbara Veith |
Pellissippi State |
Chair of Physical Sciences |
|
Sara Youngerman |
Jackson State |
Vice President for Academic Affairs |
Distribution Requirements
2025 Viewbook
2025 Viewbook
The faculty at each college determine their course content, so courses with a common name across the system may still cover differing principles, themes, use varying examples, and employ unique learning exercises, instructional materials, and pedagogical approaches. As part of the curriculum committee approval process, each college decides which courses to list in their Core catalog. This graphic shows which courses have been approved as having met Core criteria at each institution.
Core Course Approval
Narrative:
TBR Policy 2.01.00.00 on General Education Core and Degree Requirements (§III.) specifies the process by which courses may be listed in a college’s Core catalog. Proposals are reviewed on an annual basis by a committee comprising members from all 13 community colleges. To facilitate transferability, the committee includes representatives from the locally governed universities.
Core Course Approval Process 
Core Course Review Committee roster- Core Course Proposal Forms (zip file)
Academic Advisor Talking Points
TCA Section 49-7-202 (2)(C) reads:
The forty-one-hour lower division general education core common to all state colleges and universities shall be fully transferable as a block to, and satisfy the general education core of, any public community college or university. A completed subject category, for example, natural sciences or mathematics, within the forty-one-hour general education core shall also be fully transferable and satisfy that subject category of the general education core at any public community college or university.
The General Education Core is a foundational element of Tennessee Transfer Pathway whereby students can earn the associate degree at a TBR community college and be confident their credits will transfer to a bachelor’s degree and any public university and many private universities in Tennessee.
Middle Tennessee State University
East Tennessee State University
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
AACU 2023 Employer Report
These are the results of an American Association of Colleges & Universities survey of over 500 executives and hiring managers responsible for making hiring and promotion decisions in US companies of various types and sizes across a wide range of industries. There is a powerful similarity between the TBR Core Competencies and the qualities employers find important in their employees.
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges is the regional accreditor for TBR community colleges. The Resource Manual for the 2024 Principles of Accreditation approved by the SACSCOC Board of Trustees include the following section on general education requirements:
Core Requirement 9.3 reads:
The institution requires the successful completion of a general education component at the undergraduate level that:
(a) is based on a coherent rationale.
(b) is a substantial component of each undergraduate degree program. For degree completion in associate programs, the component constitutes a minimum of 15 semester hours or the equivalent; for the baccalaureate programs, a minimum of 30 semester hours or the equivalent.
(c) ensures breadth of knowledge. These credit hours include at least one course from each of the following areas: humanities/fine arts, social/behavioral sciences, and natural science/mathematics. These courses do not narrowly focus on those skills, techniques, and procedures specific to a particular occupation or profession.
Rationale and Notes
General education is an integral component of an undergraduate degree program through which students encounter the basic content and methodology of the principal areas of knowledge. This Core Requirement establishes four key principles regarding the general education component of undergraduate degree programs:
- The General education component is based on a coherent rationale.
- General education courses are college level.
- In order to promote intellectual inquiry, general education courses present a breadth of knowledge, not focusing on skills, techniques, and procedures specific to the student’s occupation or profession, and are drawn from specific academic areas.
- The general education component constitutes a minimum number of semester hours, or its equivalent, and comprises a substantial component of each undergraduate degree.
It is essential to understand the general education component of the degree program within the context of the institution’s mission and within the expectations of a college-level institution. Through general education, students encounter the basic content and methodology of the principal areas of knowledge: humanities and fine arts, social and behavioral sciences, and natural sciences and mathematics. Courses in each of these areas introduce a breadth of knowledge and reinforce cognitive skills and effective learning opportunities for each student. Such courses may also include interdisciplinary studies. It is important, however, that courses selected by students as “general education” do not focus on skills, techniques, and procedures specific to that student’s occupation or profession.
Community College faculty are developing a 12-credit Cornerstone Humanities pathway through the 2025 TBR Core curriculum and the public baccalaureate institutions of Tennessee. The pathway will begin with a gateway course built around transformative texts.
While each institution will maintain its distinctive identity, the tracks they create will have a cross-institutional focus, Being Human, and will be fully transferable to any participating institution.
The pilot project includes participation from Chattanooga State Community College, Cleveland State Community College, and Middle Tennessee State University. Plans are to scale this to all 13 community colleges and all 6 locally governed public universities in Tennessee.
This project is being funded by the Teagle Foundation.