The Office of General Education is excited to promote a new resource developed by the Office of Institutional Planning and Effectiveness. We are excited to announce the launch of the Common Curriculum Assessment Design Assistant, a specially curated GPT designed to support SMU faculty and pre-approved activity supervisors.
This innovative tool helps instructors and pre-approved activity supervisors design thoughtful and appropriate assessment assignments that evaluate students’ attainment of the learning outcomes associated with specific Common Curriculum (CC) components. Whether you are developing a new assignment or refining an existing one, the Assistant provides practical, tailored support to ensure your assessments align with SMU’s Common Curriculum goals.
What the Assessment Design Assistant Can Do
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Create New Assignments
Generate fresh, outcome-aligned assessment ideas tailored to your CC component. -
Evaluate Existing Assignments
Review current assignments for alignment with student learning outcomes and receive suggestions for strengthening rigor, clarity, and relevance. -
Refine and Adapt Assessments
Get recommendations on how to better connect assignments to CC outcomes while also maintaining disciplinary integrity.
Key Benefits for Instructors and Supervisors
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Time-Saving Support – Quickly draft or improve assessments without starting from scratch.
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Alignment with Learning Outcomes – Ensure assignments directly measure student achievement of CC goals.
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Practical Guidance – Receive concrete, discipline-sensitive suggestions for assignment design.
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Flexible Use Cases – Helpful whether you are teaching a new course, refreshing an existing syllabus, updating co-curricular assessment and reflection prompts, or preparing for an upcoming CC assessment cycle.
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Confidence in Compliance – Know your assessments support institutional effectiveness and accreditation requirements.
The Common Curriculum Assessment Design Assistant is one more way SMU is committed to supporting faculty and supervisors in creating meaningful learning experiences and ensuring students thrive in the Common Curriculum.
The Common Curriculum Assessment Design Assistant is now linked on the Common Curriculum’s Faculty and Staff resources page.
