The Value of General Education:UAA and the National Discussion

Presentation by the UAA General Education Assessment Task Force for the Faculty Senate

Open Forum, January 24, 2014

Faculty Senate Motion of Sept. 2012 created the Task Force called for a two year project including:

•Researching national best practices in assessment of GER outcomes

•Fostering a campus wide dialogue on GER outcomes

•Recommendations for action on GER student learning outcomes assessment at UAA.

The General Education Assessment Task Force (GERA) Charge

The Confusion of Acronyms and Trends:

Bologna Process (Europe)AAC&U LEAP initiative (National)GELO (Statewide)PASSPORT (WICHE)The GER “9” (UAA GER Student Learning

Outcomes)PSLOs (UAA, Program level SLOs)

The General Education “Vortex”:Nationally, Statewide, and UAA

Nationally, and locally, almost all General Education approaches are animated by the “liberal education” approach: Breadth and Depth—multi-disciplinary exposure and in-

depth study of particular area/major Conceptual learning as much as or more so than content

based knowledge Transferable skills and intellectual perspectives as

important as specific knowledge The “well-rounded” student as the goal: thoughtful,

engaged, capable, aware and concerned

The Key Question in General Education: What do We Value?

National Examples on the Value of General Education

AAC&U LEAP Outcomes Professor William Cronon’s 10

qualities of Liberally educated people

Employers Survey—2013, AAC&U and Hart Research

AAC&U LEAP Outcomes

1. They listen and they hear. 2. They read and they understand. 3. They can talk with anyone. 4. They can write clearly and

persuasively and movingly. 5. They can solve a wide variety of

puzzles and problems.

William Cronon’s 10 qualities of a liberally educated person (U. Wisc.)

6. They respect rigor, not so much for its own sake but as a way of seeking truth.

7. They practice respect and humility, tolerance and self-criticism.

8. They understand how to get things done in the world.

9. They nurture and empower the people around them.

10. They follow E. M. Forster's injunction in the novel Howard's End: "ONLY CONNECT."

William Cronon’s 10 qualities of a liberally educated person (U. Wisc.)—cont’d

Nearly all those surveyed (93%) agree, “a candidate’s demonstrated capacity to think critically, communicate clearly, and solve complex problems is more important than their undergraduate major.”

More than nine in ten of those surveyed say it is important that those they hire demonstrate ethical judgment and integrity; intercultural skills; and the capacity for continued new learning.

Employers Survey—What Employers Value in Graduates (AAC&U and Hart Research, 2013)

More than three in four employers say they want colleges to place more emphasis on helping students develop five key learning outcomes, including: critical thinking, complex problem-solving, written and oral communication, and applied knowledge in real-world settings.

Employers endorse several educational practices that require students to a) conduct research and use evidence-based analysis; b) gain in-depth knowledge in the major and analytic, problem solving, and communication skills; and c) apply their learning in real-world settings.

Employers Survey—What Employers Value in Graduates (AAC&U and Hart Research, 2013)

Employers Survey—What Employers Value in Graduates (AAC&U and Hart Research, 2013)

Purpose and 3-Tier Structure of the GERs

The GER “9”—the GER Student Learning Outcomes

Course Based Fulfillment.—37 total credits required

The GERs At UAA:What we Have Now

“General Education Requirements (GERs) provide students with a common educational experience in order to provide a foundation for further study and broaden the educational experience of every degree-seeking student.

They are designed to promote an elevation of the student’s level in basic college-level skills (Tier 1), a breadth of exposure to traditional academic disciplines (Tier 2), and experience in applying his/her education in understanding and responding to the evolving state of knowledge and the world in the 21st century (Tier 3).”*

The GERs At UAA:What we Have Now—Purpose and Tiers

*UAA Academic Catalog, 2013-14, p. 85

After completing the General Education Requirements, UAA students shall be able to:

1. Communicate effectively in a variety of contexts and formats;

2. Reason mathematically and analyze quantitative and qualitative data competently to reach sound conclusions;

3. Relate knowledge to the historical context in which it developed and the human problems it addresses;

4. Interpret different systems of aesthetic representation and understand their historical and cultural contexts;

The GERs At UAA:What we Have Now—The GER 9

5. Investigate the complexity of human institutions and behavior to better understand interpersonal, group and cultural dynamics;

6. Identify ways in which science has advanced the understanding of important natural processes;

7. Locate and use relevant information to make appropriate personal and professional decisions;

8. Adopt critical perspectives for understanding the forces of globalization and diversity; and

9. Integrate knowledge and employ skills gained to synthesize creative thinking, critical judgment and personal experience in a meaningful and coherent manner.

The GERs At UAA:What we Have Now—The GER 9

GERs at UAA fulfilled by select, approved lists of courses for each of the Tiers and disciplinary areas:

Oral Communication—3cr. Quantitative Skills—3cr. Written Communication—6cr. Fine Arts—3cr. Humanities—6cr. Natural Sciences—7cr. Social Sciences—6cr. Integrative Capstone—3cr.

The GERs At UAA:What we Have Now—Course Based

TIER II

TIER I

TIER III

GELO: General Education Learning Outcomes coordinated for the 3 MAUs of UA system?

Passport—WICHE (Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education): competency based transfer credit?

University College: within UAA, a common core set of experiences and courses for all incoming freshman?

“Tuning” what we have: review outcomes language, GER course selection, transfer issues, etc.—review and revise, rather than complete restructure?

Possibilities and Challenges: Where we might go with General Education at UAA

The “Simple” but vital part of General Education Assessment as the scholarship of teaching and

learning Must be “organic”: faculty-driven, growing from the

bottom up—from course and program level to institutional level

Goal is to foster dialogue, analysis, reflection and engagement towards student learning and achievement

General Education SLOs actually happen at multiple levels, from introductory to upper-division courses—when isn’t critical thinking or effective communication an outcome?

Assessment of GER Student Learning Outcomes—the big picture

Program Level Assessment of GERs: mapping of PSLOs that correspond to GER SLOs—through survey

Faculty generated reporting: from sampled and staggered GER outcomes/courses

Faculty Inquiry Groups: (Summer?) Faculty teaching towards selected outcomes invited to participate in working groups to investigate and discuss student learning on these outcomes—should include term and adjuncts.

Seminars and Open Forums: continue building on what AAC and GERA have started with assessment seminars and forums.

Assessment of GER Student Learning Outcomes—possible approaches

We VALUE General Education: the goals of a broadly trained individual who can think, communicate, imagine, analyze and engage is valued by society, employers and UAA

Breadth and Depth: National efforts at restructuring still come back to a series of requirements across disciplines, as well as a focused area of specialty

Flexibility in transfer and real-life experience can and should be explored, but . . .

Time-in, class-based educational experience remains the cornerstone of university education

Communication: Need to constantly reinforce the value and purpose of general education and its learning outcomes at every level: class, program, college, university—to student, faculty, administrators and community.

The Take-Away on General Education and Assessment at UAA

A College Education Pays Long-term benefits