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6/4/2007 Admissions
General Education At Widener
Scott Van Bramer – A&S
Sue Greenberg - SBA
6/4/2007 Admissions
Purpose Statement: Approved by Faculty Council November 2006 Widener University cultivates critical, creative, and
independent thinking to develop undergraduates who demonstrate intellectual integrity, civic engagement and potential for leadership.
General education promotes awareness and synthesis of different strategies of knowing, questioning, and understanding.
Through the integration of experiences both inside and outside the classroom, students learn to act as responsible citizens and to pursue knowledge beyond the boundaries of the university.
6/4/2007 Admissions
Distribution Requirements: 12 Credits in each
Humanities: art history, English, history, humanities, modern language, music, philosophy.
Science and Mathematics: biology, chemistry computer science, earth and space science, environmental science, mathematics, physics, and selected economics and psychology courses.
Social Science: anthropology, criminal justice, government and politics, communications studies, psychology, sociology, and selected economics courses
6/4/2007 Admissions
We take your education personally – GenEd courses….
are important components of the educational requirements identified by the accreditors of the professional programs
frequently serve as foundations for courses within the majors
contribute significantly to students’ ultimate success by developing intellectual qualities, cognitive (thinking) strategies,, and practical skills (NSSE study)
are taught by knowledgeable faculty
6/4/2007 Admissions
Professional accreditation requires general education
ABET (Engineering) AACSB (Business) Nursing Education Social Work Hospitality Management
6/4/2007 Admissions
School Requirements – Examples of specific GenEd courses required for majors:
Engineering• Chem 145 & 147 General
Chemistry• ASC 400 Values Seminar
Business• ANTH 105 Cultural
Anthropology• PRWR 215 Effective
Communication• PHIL 352 Business Ethics
Nursing• CHEM 105 General
Organic and Biochemistry• PSY 105 Introduction to
Psychology
Elementary Education• ENGL 101 Composition and
Critical Thought• HIST 121 & 122 Growth of
American Civilization Social Work
• BIOL 101 Principles of Biological Systems
• ANTH 105 Cultural Anthropology
Hospitality Management• ML Elementary Modern
Language• PRWR 215 Effective
Communication
6/4/2007 Admissions
NSSE Data: Communication and Integration
Widener 1st year
All
1st year
Widener Seniors
All Seniors
Made a class presentation 34% 31% 75% 61%
Worked on paper/project that required integrating ideas or information from various sources
80% 75% 92% 86%
Put together ideas/concepts from different courses when completing assignments or during class discussions
57% 51% 79% 69%
6/4/2007 Admissions
NSSE Data: Developmental
Widener 1st year
All
1st year
Widener Seniors
All Seniors
Memorizing facts, ideas or methods from your courses and readings 73% 67% 59% 60%
Analyzing the basic elements of an idea, experience, or theory 82% 77% 90% 84%
Synthesizing and organizing ideas, information, or experiences 70% 64% 82% 73%
Making judgments about the value of information, arguments, or methods 76% 65% 74% 70%
Applying theories or concepts to practical problems or in new situations
81% 72% 90% 79%
6/4/2007 Admissions
NSSE Data: General Education
Widener 1st year
All
1st year
Widener Seniors
All Seniors
Acquiring a broad general education 84% 80% 87% 83%
Writing clearly and effectively 81% 71% 80% 75%
Speaking clearly and effectively 58% 61% 71% 60%
Thinking critically and analytically 89% 80% 89% 86%
Developing a personal code of values and ethics 52% 53% 63% 55%
6/4/2007 Admissions
NSSE Highlights The greatest contributions of a Widener
education for freshmen and seniors were in the areas of thinking critically and analytically, writing clearly and effectively, and acquiring a broad general education. Over 80% of the freshmen and seniors said their Widener education contributed “quite a bit” or “very much” in these areas. In addition, about 83% of the seniors said their Widener education contributed “quite a bit” or “very much” in terms of acquiring job or work-related knowledge and skills (see Table 3).
6/4/2007 Admissions
NSSE Highlights
Freshmen at Widener were more likely than freshmen from the other NSSE institutions to say that their collegiate experience has contributed substantially in the area of writing clearly and effectively, 81% compared to 71%.
6/4/2007 Admissions
NSSE Highlights The freshmen at Widener reported spending
more time in a typical 7-day week preparing for class than freshmen at similar institutions. In addition, Widener freshmen wrote more papers or reports between 5 and 19 pages than other freshmen and were more likely to say that their coursework during the freshman year emphasized “making judgments about the value of information, arguments, or methods” and “applying theories or concepts to practical problems or new situations.”
6/4/2007 Admissions
NSSE Highlights
Seniors at Widener wrote significantly more papers or reports than seniors at comparable institutions. In addition, Widener seniors were more likely to say that their coursework emphasized the synthesis and organization of ideas, information, or experiences into new, more complex interpretations and relationships.
6/4/2007 Admissions
Writing Requirements
Freshman Composition Writing Enriched Courses (4)
• Multiple writing assignments
• Revisions
• 25 page minimum
• 25 students per class
• Distribution and Majors Courses Writing Samples
6/4/2007 Admissions
Faculty
Approximately 75% of 100 and 200 level A&S courses are taught by full time faculty.
No graduate students teaching general education courses.
Most adjuncts have a PhD in the field
6/4/2007 Admissions
Goals: A liberally educated person possesses knowledge beyond the boundaries of a chosen field of discipline and sustains a desire to pursue learning after leaving the university’s environment.
Students communicate effectively. Students use quantitative methods effectively. Students understand the world from multiple perspectives. Students cultivate an awareness of themselves and their role
within the human community. Students cultivate an awareness of their relationship to the
natural world. Students understand ethical theories and how to apply them
personally and professionally. Students understand and apply methods of inquiry and
interpretation. Students think critically.
6/4/2007 Admissions
Association of American Colleges and Universities “Liberal Education”
A philosophy of education that empowers individuals, liberates the mind from ignorance, and cultivates social responsibility. Characterized by challenging encounters with important issues, and more a way of studying than specific content, liberal education can occur at all types of colleges and universities. "General Education" (cf. below) and an expectation of in-depth study in at least one field normally comprise liberal education.1
6/4/2007 Admissions
General Education Network
Ways of Being - Growing and flourishing of the intellectual qualities of a liberally educated person
Ways of Knowing - Awareness and synthesis of different cognitive strategies of knowing, questioning, and understanding
Ways of Doing - Development and strengthening of the practical skills needed to be fully engaged in lifelong
6/4/2007 Admissions
Ways of Being:
Quality One: Possesses knowledge beyond the boundaries of a chosen field or discipline
Quality Two: Sustains a desire to pursue learning after leaving the university’s environment.
Quality Three: Cultivates an awareness of his/her place within the larger community
6/4/2007 Admissions
Ways of Knowing:
Strategy One: Understands the world around him/her from multiple perspectives.
Strategy Two: Has a consciousness of the wider human condition.
Strategy Three: Knows how to know.
6/4/2007 Admissions
Ways of Doing: Skill One: Uses written and oral
communication effectively Skill Two: Manifests quantitative competency
Skill Three: Accesses and evaluates
information from a range of sources Skill Four: Thinks critically Skill Five: Possesses depth, rigor, and
discipline of thinking and learning