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Engaging a Multicultural, Multicampus Community in General Education Reform

Lenore P. Rodicio, Dwight Smith, and Lois Willoughby

Miami Dade College

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Who is Miami Dade College?

StudentsIn Academic Year 2005-2006, MDC enrolled 79,845 credit students and 75,750 noncredit students.MDC has one of the most diverse student populations in the country. It is impossible to define a “typical” MDC student.However, we can say that MDC students are most likely to be. . .

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Who is Miami Dade College?

66%

21%

10%

3%

White Non-Hispanic

Black Non-Hispanic

Hispanic

Other

Race

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Who is Miami Dade College?

39%61%

Female

Male

Gender

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Who is Miami Dade College?

8% <1%1%

26% 65%

A.A. (transf er degree)

A.S. (career-oriented 2-yrdegrees)

Credit Certifi cate (short termcareer programs)

Non-Degree

Bachelor of Science

Degree Type

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Who is Miami Dade College?

47%

46%

5%

2%

English

Spanish

Creole/ French

Other

Native language

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Who is Miami Dade College?Most of our students work part-time or full-time…

21%28%

11%

21%

20%

None

1 - 20

21 - 34

35 - 39

40 or more

…and approximately 36% have an annual income below the poverty level.

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Who is Miami Dade College?

FacultyMore than 20% of full-time faculty have Doctorate degrees and 38% hold the rank of Professor. Half (52%) of full-time faculty are ethnic minorities; 50% are female. Faculty are experienced - the average years of service at MDC is 13.7.

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Who is Miami Dade College?The campuses

Eight campuses, several outreach centers in Miami-Dade County, FL

Programs• Bachelor of Science Degrees in Exceptional Student Education,

Secondary Science Education, and Secondary Mathematics Education

• Bachelor of Applied Science in Public Safety Management• Bachelor of Science in Nursing• Associate in Arts Degree (university transfer program) • Associate in Science and Associate in Applied Science Degrees• College Credit Certificates• Vocational Credit Certificates• Advanced Technical Certificates• Applied Technology Diplomas, Credit and Vocational• Community Education Non-Credit

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General Education Review Process

In 2005, SACS submits its recommendation regarding assessment of general education outcomes.Formation of General Education Team.AACU Institute on General Education.General Education Team makes recommendations for revision of outcomes to the college president, provost for academic and student affairs, and campus presidents.

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Disciplines and schools are asked for input to develop list of outcomes. List of college-wide outcomes is developed during the General Education Summit.Feedback obtained from surveys.

General Education Review Process

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General Education Team makes final revisions to general education outcomes using feedback from surveys. In October, 2006, final list of outcomes is approved by the Academic Leadership, the Campus CASSCs, College-wide CASSC, and the District Board of Trustees.

General Education Review Process

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Guidelines for Outcome Statements

Fewer rather than manyBroad and general rather than specificInterdisciplinary rather than reflecting content of each disciplineMeasurable

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Feedback Surveys

Example from Faculty Survey

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Example from Student Survey

Feedback Surveys

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Results of Feedback Surveys

At least 78% of faculty surveyed agreed or strongly agreed that the outcomes were interdisciplinary and sufficiently broad.At least 63% of the faculty surveyed agreed that the outcomes were measurable.At least 86% of all students surveyed agreed or strongly agreed that all outcomes were important to achieve At least 77% of all students surveyed agreed or strongly agreed that the outcomes are supported by their education at the College.

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General Education Purpose Statement

Through the academic disciplines and co-curricular activities, General Education provides multiple, varied, and intentional learning experiences to facilitate the acquisition of fundamental knowledge and skills and the development of attitudes that foster effective citizenship and life-long learning.

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General Education Outcomes

1. Communicate effectively using listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills.

2. Use quantitative analytical skills to evaluate and process numerical data.

3. Solve problems using critical and creative thinking and scientific reasoning.

4. Formulate strategies to locate, evaluate, and apply information.

5. Demonstrate knowledge of diverse cultures, including global and historical perspectives.

As graduates of Miami Dade College, students will be able to:

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6. Create strategies that can be used to fulfill personal, civic, and social responsibilities.

7. Demonstrate knowledge of ethical thinking and its application to issues in society.

8. Use computer and emerging technologies effectively.

9. Demonstrate an appreciation for aesthetics and creative activities.

10. Describe how natural systems function and recognize the impact of humans on the environment.

As graduates of Miami Dade College, students will be able to:

General Education Outcomes

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General Education Assessment:Guidelines

Assessment follows the students’ paths to graduation.Assessment is about student learning.Faculty are integral to the process.Faculty and students are anonymous.The results are aggregated.Results are used to improve student learning.Assessment process is reviewed periodically.

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General Education Assessment:Process

Formation of an Assessment Team, September, 2006Consultation with experts in assessment fieldGeneration of tasks and rubricsAdministration of mini-pilotInitial administrationGrading Dissemination of results to the College, March 1, 2007Feedback loop

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General Education Assessment: Procedures

Tasks and rubricsSample selectionAdministrationGrading Results

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General Education Assessment:Examples of Tasks

Students read information about oil extraction in the local environment and respond on a computer to three prompts about the proposed oil drilling in Biscayne Bay.Students prepare and give an oral response to an ethical dilemma in the workplace.

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Four categories: Emerging DevelopingProficientExemplary

Categories are defined for each outcome for each task.

General Education Assessment:Rubrics

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Selection of course sections with many potential Fall Term graduates. Target: at least a 10% sample of potential AA and AS graduates.Resulting sample was 65 classes (all campuses represented) yielding almost 380 tasks (18% of potential graduates).

General Education Assessment: Sample Selection

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Faculty of the selected sections invited to participate.Task administered to all students in the class.Assessments completed within 50 minutes.Faculty observations collected for Assessment Team to review.

General Education Assessment: Administration

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Training on holistic scoring.Identification of anchor papers and establishment of inter-rater reliability.

Two teams of two scorers per task.

General Education Assessment:Grading and Scoring

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General Education Assessment:Role of the Disciplines

To which outcomes does your discipline, school, or student service area contribute?What can your discipline, school, or student service area do to enhance student learning related to at least one of these outcomes within the next year?What can you do to enhance student learning related to at least one of these outcomes within the next year?

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General Education Assessment:Where do we go from here?

Discussion by and input from the disciplines, schools, and student service areas.Suggestions reviewed by Assessment Team, and tasks and process revised as needed.Institutional Research conducts additional analyses of overall process to insure validity and reliability.Next administration in Fall, 2007.

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More Information available at the Academic Affairs Website:

http://www.mdc.edu/asa/academic_affairs.asp