Susan A. AmbroseSenior Vice Provost, Undergraduate Education & Experiential

LearningProfessor of Education & History

NEASC Annual Meeting & Conference December 2015

College and CareerCompetencies

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Agenda

I. Goals

II. Educational Model

IV. Approach to Assessment

III. Educational Framework

Our Overarching Goal is Our Overarching Goal is BalanceBalance

Intellectual

Exploration &

Discovery

Employment

Preparation & Practical

Skills

Examples of Intellectual Skills Gap Areas

• Ability to obtain and process information• Problem solving • Analytical reasoning• Critical thinking• Written communication• Verbal communication

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Examples of Professional Skills Gap Areas

• Build relationships• Plan, organize & prioritize work• Manage time • Work well in diverse teams• Advocate & negotiate • Respect boundaries • Use appropriate work etiquette • Tactfulness

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Our Educational Model is Our Educational Model is Experiential Experiential

Learning by doing integrates theory and practice– Increases student motivation (value &

expectancy)– Facilitates practice & feedback– Promotes transfer of learning– Assists in mastery– Encourages “just in time” learning

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Our Educational Model is Our Educational Model is Experiential Experiential

In 2014-2015 (undergraduates):•35% completed 3 or more Co-ops•41% completed 2 Co-ops•18% completed 1 Co-op•40% of graduating seniors engaged in at least one global experience•900 showcased their research at RISE •3,522 students completed in 221,720 community service hours

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Our Framework is Integrated & Student-Our Framework is Integrated & Student-CentricCentric

GLOBAL MINDSET

INTELLECTUAL AGILITY

SOCIAL CONSCIOUSNESS& COMMITMENT

PROFESSIONAL & PERSONAL EFFECTIVENESS

WELL-BEING

COGNITIVE CORE

ISLE Cognitive CoreISLE Cognitive Core THINKING & THINKING & REASONINGREASONING e.g.,

Critical thinkingIntegrative thinkingDesign thinkingStrategic thinkingComputational thinkingCreative thinkingEthical reasoning

APPLIED SKILLSAPPLIED SKILLS e.g.,

Problem solving Decision makingCreative expression Inquiry & analysisNegotiation Emotional intelligence Intercultural competency Teamwork/collaborationObservation & InterpretationVisual, written, oral & digital

communication

TRAITSTRAITSe.g.,

Curious/Inquisitive Open-mindedEmpathetic InitiativeInnovative ResourcefulnessIndependent Civically-mindedAdaptable/Flexible Perseverance

KNOWLEDGEKNOWLEDGE ACQUISITIONACQUISITION

METACOGNITIONMETACOGNITION

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Dir

ec

t

Ind

irect

Employer skills gap survey

Alumni survey

Student self-assessment of Co-op

Employer eval of Co-op

Student eval of Dialogues of

Civilization

Student eval of Service Learning

Job data for graduates

Phenomenological Study (104 Seniors)

Cross sectional study of guided inquiries

Longitudinal study of guided inquiries

Co-op Experiences:

Phase I: Student poster presentations of co-op artifacts,

learning outcomes and integration of academic & co-

op knowledge and skills

Phase II: Developing a rubric for poster presentations

Assessment of curriculum through capstone courses and

AAC&U Rubrics

Co-op employer evaluation of student learning outcomes

Our Approach to Data Collection includes Our Approach to Data Collection includes Multiple Methods & ApproachesMultiple Methods & Approaches

Quantitative

Qualitative  

Examples of how we have used data Examples of how we have used data for for IMPROVEMENTIMPROVEMENT

Findings Response / Actions Phenomenological study: Concern about students “having the experience but missing the meaning”

• Revision of co-op prep course• Revision of content & timing of guided

inquiries/reflections• Revision & alignment of co-op student

self-assessment & employer evaluation

Phenomenological study: Lack of consistency in integration between academic work & co-op

• Creating system to automatically share co-op job titles, descriptions & learning outcomes

Skills Gap Survey: Higher than other graduates but not high enough

• Created the Integrated Student Engagement Model (ISLE)

Assessment through capstone: Capstone defined differently across programs

• Currently under discussion

Student evals of Dialogues of Civilization: Need to leverage “unplanned” learning opportunities

• Revision of faculty and student global orientations

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Examples of how we have used data Examples of how we have used data for for RESOURCE ALLOCATION RESOURCE ALLOCATION

• Redeployment of – staff resources, e.g., CATLR– financial resources, e.g., Provost grants,

staff expansion, staff development

• New resources for Research Institute for Experiential Learning

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Examples of how we have used dataExamples of how we have used data TO INFORM THE PUBLICTO INFORM THE PUBLIC

• Recruiting & admissions materials, alumni materials, presentations, etc.

• Research articles • Discussions with legislators to impact

policy

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We are excited by the possibilities of learning new things – through assessment and research – about what we do in order to continually evolve a high quality experience for our students to allow them to be successful in a high-velocity world.

In Conclusion . . .