Oregon
Oregon joined the LEAP initiative as a partner state in 2007. In collaboration with AAC&U, administrative and faculty leaders in Oregon are piloting a series of campus action and advocacy efforts that champion the value of liberal education for all college students. In concert with LEAP, educational leaders hope to advance a strategic dialogue on the future of higher education and the importance of liberal education in the state. A central focus is sharpening student learning outcomes, improving curricula and teaching-learning practices, making excellence inclusive, and strengthening outcomes assessment methods for the aims of liberal education and the majors.
In October 2007, the Provosts’ Council of the Oregon University System unanimously agreed to become a “LEAP State,” affirmed by the Chancellor. In doing so, they pledged to “do our best for Oregon postsecondary education as well as the success of national efforts to better define, educate, and assess the learning students need in this new century.” You can read the full letter from the Provosts’ Council here (pdf).
The Oregon University System is also a partner in AAC&U’s project, Give Students a Compass, funded by Carnegie Corporation of New York, State Farm Companies Foundation, and Lumina Foundation for Education. The Compass Project is a tri-state collaborative effort to re-map educational aims, practices and assessment strategies for general education in public higher education—two-year and four-year—within a set of participating state systems. The project creates a strong and sustained focus on the educational needs of students who, historically, have been underserved in higher education: first generation students, ethnic and racial minorities, and those from low-income families. Within these focus areas, the project explores ways for systems be ‘generative catalysts for change.’
Three campuses serve as Compass Beta Campuses in Oregon: Eastern Oregon University, Portland State University, and Southern Oregon University. The remaining four Oregon public universities are “engaged sister campuses” to the Compass Project: Oregon Institute of Technology, Oregon State University, University of Oregon, and Western Oregon University. The Interim Report (pdf) of OUS on Compass was completed in June 2009.
Oregon University System Beta Projects at a Glance:
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EOU is aligning learning outcomes in the curriculum and co-curriculum with LEAP outcomes. They are creating new advising tools for students and tracking low-income and minority students’ success in the First Year Experience seminar.
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PSU is evaluating first-year seminars for students who live in residence halls. They are identifying pedagogical practices that benefit first-generation and Hispanic students, expanding the use of ePortfolios in general education, and promoting ePortfolios in courses that serve transfer students.
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SOU is identifying proficiency benchmarks for LEAP outcomes. They are analyzing data from the first-year writing seminar and from capstones, and they are conducting studies to identify retention strategies for first-generation, first-year students.
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Recent and Upcoming Events
The Oregon Joint Boards of Education (Board of Higher Education and Board of Education) and the Oregon Business Council held a Tri-Board Invitational Forum on January 7, 2010, in Portland. The Forum was entitled: College Learning and Oregon’s Future: Return on Investment for Students, the Economy and our Communities. Business and education leaders discussed contemporary developments in college education nationally and in Oregon, linked to the PK-16 continuum of learning. Topics focused on learning outcomes that matter in college, practices that support student success in achieving essential outcomes, emerging practices in outcomes assessment, Oregon’s engagement in LEAP, and strategies for strengthening public understanding about 21st Century college learning imperatives. Paired with the Forum was a Joint Boards of Education meeting in which policy action was taken and steps outlined for future developments.
Institutions in the Oregon System
Additional LEAP Campus Action Network Institutions in Oregon
Resources and Activities to Promote Liberal Education in Oregon
The Interinstitutional Learning Outcomes and Assessment Task Force (appointed by the Provosts’ Council and Vice Chancellor in February 2008) has been working to understand current learning outcomes and approaches to outcomes assessment across the OUS universities, to promote capacity building and best practices, and to enhance alliances with community colleges and K-12 in this work. Members represent the seven universities, OUS and the Interinstitutional Faculty Senate. A progress report (pdf) was provided to the Oregon State Board of Higher Education in early spring 2008, followed by a progress report (pdf) to the Provosts’ Council on November 6, 2008.
The Oregon University System sent a team of nine faculty, administrators and staff (representing all public campuses and the Interinstitutional Faculty) to the AAC&U General Education Institute in Minneapolis, May 2008. A second team was assembled to represent the three Compass Beta campuses and system leadership for the 2009 General Education Institute. Special meetings back in Oregon were held to hear reports and discuss the findings and thinking of each team. The reports continue to inform the work of the Learning Outcomes and Assessment Task Force and Provosts, as well as the campuses.
Press Releases, Events and Coverage
- Vanguard, the student newspaper of Portland State University, announced the Oregon University System's participation in the Compass Project in July 2009.
- On May 16, 2008, AAC&U hosted a regional meeting on the campus of the University of Oregon (in partnership with the Oregon University System) on the “Role of the Departments in Advancing and Assessing Liberal Education Outcomes.” Representatives from sixteen Oregon institutions (public and private) gathered to talk about current practices in student learning and assessment and strategies for strengthening assessment practices in departments and in the major.
For more information about the Oregon University System LEAP program, please contact Bob Turner, Bob_Turner@ous.edu; or Susan Albertine,
Vice President, Office of Engagement, Inclusion, and Success, albertine@aacu.org.
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