General Education and Assessment: Generating Commitment, Value, and Evidence

11:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.

Conference Registration Open

2:00 - 5:00 p.m.

Pre-conference Workshops
(Separate registration and fee.)

Workshop #1

General Education Assessment 101
This is a beginner's assessment workshop that will introduce participants to basic assessment vocabulary, strategies, and processes. Participants will learn how to develop learning objectives, align the curriculum with those objectives, and develop and implement an assessment plan that is meaningful, manageable, and sustainable.
Mary Allen, Director, Institute for Teaching and Learning, California State University Office of the Chancellor

Workshop #2

Developing Outcome-Based Assessment that Aligns Curriculum, Pedagogy, and Assessment for General Education
This is an intermediate level workshop to help participants develop outcome-based assessment protocols by using examples from their own institutions or departments. The protocols will include articulation of outcomes, lines of evidence, criteria, and standards. Participants will explore the pedagogical and curricular implications as well as the assessment advantages for accountability.
Amy Driscoll, Director, Center for Teaching, Learning and Assessment, and Swarup E. Wood, Assistant Professor of Chemistry,California State University Monterey Bay

Workshop #3

Disaggregating Data About Diverse Student Populations
Participants will learn ways to use existing institutional data to monitor an institution's progress toward equity for historically underrepresented students in four areas: access, retention, institutional receptivity, and academic excellence. With materials from The Diversity Scorecard Project, participants will examine how these materials might be used to advance their own efforts to bridge equity with excellence for every student.
Estela Mara Bensimon, Professor of Higher Education, Director of the Center for Urban Education, and Principal Investigator for Diversity Scorecard Project, University of Southern California

Workshop #4

Integrating Goals for General Education with the Work of Departments
Beyond addressing broad institutional goals, most General Education programs seek to prepare students also for study “in the major.” Yet there is rarely a clear understanding of what such preparation should provide for study within (and among) particular disciplines. In the context of exemplary practices, participants will (a) explore the role departments should seek in defining programmatic and pre-disciplinary competencies, (b) weigh strategies for embracing institutional goals (e.g., educating and empowering students to take responsibility for their personal and civic actions) while honoring departmental goals, and (c) consider useful tactics for navigating likely political issues.
Paul Gaston, Provost, Kent State University

Workshop #5

Aligning Institutional Structures for Student Achievement
Participants will develop a framework for assessing the alignment between general education goals and institutional structures, exploring questions such as: How do general education values fit into institutional culture and structures? How do we assess the alignment between general education goals, institutional mission, strategic plan, and faculty roles and rewards? What are the best practices in developing a better fit between general education values and disciplines-driven, research-focused campus culture?
Nuria Cueves, Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs, Elsie M. Barnes, Vice President for Academic Affairs, and Alexei G. Matveev, Associate Director, Institutional Effectiveness and Assessment, Norfolk State University

7:00 - 8:15 p.m.

Opening Keynote

Keynote

What Will It Mean to Be Educated in the 21st Century
As our nation approaches universal participation in postsecondary education and as the patterns of enrollment and the pathways to success become more complex, we need to define the goals and purposes of an undergraduate education in ways that provide some coherence and clarity in the face of such rich diversity. Engaged scholarship and learning and work that seriously addresses the challenges of contemporary life will become an avenue to a fresh interpretation of the missions of our colleges and universities and a means to achieve the Greater Expectations that we have for our students.
Judith Ramaley, Assistant Director, Education and Human Resources, National Science Foundation

8:15 - 9:00 p.m.

Welcome Reception/Poster Displays

Creating a Climate for Liberal Education from the First Quarter
MeHee Hyun, Interim Chair, BA Program In Liberal Studies, and Andrea Lynn Richards, BA Core Faculty, Director of Developmental Literacy,Antioch University Los Angeles

How Faculty Evaluate Writing: Implications for Developing an Analytical Rubric for Program and Classroom Writing Assessments
Terri L. Flateby, Director, Evaluation and Testing, University of South Florida

A Risk Analysis of Intellectual Technology
Henry Aitcheson Smith, Professor of General Education, DeVry University

Linkages: General Education Diversity Courses and the Psychology Major
Hedva Lewittes, Director of General Education and Academic Assessment, Associate Professor of Psychology, and Fred Millan, Chair and Associate Professor of Psychology,SUNY College at Old Westbury

The Integration and Assessment of Emotional Intelligence in Post-Secondary Education
Peter Randolph Bender, Professor and Chair, Department of Psychology, John Abbott College

The Inclusive Nature of Narrative
Carolyn Marie Mamchur, Professor of Education, Simon Fraser University

Melding General and Interdisciplinary Education: Creating the "Spine"
Linda Lora Hulbert, Project Coordinator and Adjunct Faculty Member, Department of Interdisciplinary Studies, Wayne State University

Workplace Success: Competency in Basic Skills Across Disciplines
Denise Anderson, Assistant Professor of Communication, The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, and Rebecca Perkins, Special Assistant to the President for External Affairs,University of Medicine and Dentistry - New Jersey

Assessing Writing to Improve General Education
Mark Louis Wiley, Professor of English, California State University, Long Beach

8:00 - 9:00 a.m

Continental Breakfast/Poster Displays

9:00 - 10:00 a.m.

Plenary

The Science of Learning: How Applications of Research Can Enhance Learning
The purpose of formal education is not high grades on an exam at the end of the semester, yet, for the most part, this is the only indicator of student learning, and by inference, the effectiveness of our own teaching that we ever look at. We implicitly assume that students who achieve high grades in school will be able to apply what they have learned after they graduate and in contexts that are very different from the classroom. As faculty we are educating the citizens and work force of the next generation; we need to think far beyond the end of the semester. We need to teach for a time in the distant future and for a test that we won't be giving. In other words, we need to teach for long-term retention and transfer, especially when the goal is to think critically and learn effectively. Great, but how do we do this? Empirically-validated studies of learning have shown the benefits of spaced review, practice at retrieval, overlearning, varied examples presented without the usual classroom retrieval cues, meaningful processing, and use of multiple representations. By applying basic principles from the science of learning, we can have long-lasting positive effects on our students-students who are better thinkers and learners. Please join me in considering some powerful learning techniques.
Diane F. Halpern, Director, Berger Institute for Work, Family, and Children, Professor of Psychology, Claremont McKenna College, and President-Elect of the American Psychological Association

10:30 a.m. - noon

Concurrent Sessions

Track I

Transforming General Education Through Interdisciplinary, Student-Learning-Centered Programs
Portland State University's general education program was revised to support liberal learning outcomes. Now in its 10th year, the program is a four-level, interdisciplinary, student-learning centered program. This session will highlight progress made and barriers confronted in institutionalizing the program, implementing student mentors, integrating comprehensive assessment of student learning including electronic portfolios, changing faculty and student attitudes and practices in relationship to teaching and learning and supporting transfer students. The session will also discuss service-learning and civic competencies in the general education curriculum at PSU.
Judy P. Patton, Director of University Studies, Candyce D. Reynolds, Director of University Studies Mentor Programs, Seanna Marie Kerrigan, Capstone Coordinator, and Deborah C. Smith, Assistant Professor, University Studies, Portland State University

Track I

National Research Results on Engaging Students through Learning Communities
In this session, two national researchers will share findings on the factors inherent in first-year student learning communities that lead to greater student engagement and richer learning experiences. Swing will present his analysis of data collected from learning community students enrolled in institutions of all types across the country. Henscheid extends Swing's research with an in-depth analysis of the learning community efforts at some 20 institutions also throughout the United States.
Jean M. Henscheid, Fellow, National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition, University of South Carolina, and Randy Swing, Co-Director, Policy Center on the First Year of College

Track II

Embedded Assessment of Student Learning in General Education
In 1998, San Jose State University implemented new General Education Guidelines based on course-embedded assessment. Hear about five years of experience with this model including: Brief overview of structure/guidelines/course approval process for 280+ courses; How a diversity component is incorporated into all courses (yes, even math!); Pitfalls and successes in implementation; A summary of what assessment data have revealed; Campus response to a systematic study of faculty reactions to GE assessment; What's next?
Gail G. Evans, Interim Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies, and Thalia Anagnos, Director of Assessment; Professor of Engineering,San Jose State University,

Track II

Planning a Culture of Evidence: Advancing Achievement for Students and Institutional Accreditation
This session will focus on how you know if you have a "culture of evidence" at your campus. We will discuss, for example, the impact of systematic assessment in getting at meaningful questions that advance our collective efforts toward deeper learning. Examples of assessment processes will be provided for several disciplines from both a program and general education perspective, for a cross discipline area (e.g., understanding and appreciation of diversity), and for cross-institutional approaches (articulation of learning outcomes). These examples will demonstrate approaches to planning for an effective culture of evidence. Participants will engage in an assessment of "a culture of evidence" and in strategy-building exercises. Implications for student achievement and institutional accreditation will be explored.
Linda Umbdenstock, Accreditation Liaison Officer, Long Beach City College, and Jerry Rudmann, California Academic Senate Research Advisory Committee,Irvine Valley Community College

Track II

Assessing Experiential Education for Engagement in Contemporary Issues
In this session we will match the goals and objectives of several general education courses and several embedded as well as final course assessment instruments focusing on the experiential learning aspects of a course. We will also look at experiential learning courses as stand alone learning experiences. Students portfolio development and their evaluation rubrics, different reflection and journal models, community partner evaluation and oral and written assessment instruments will be explored and distributed to participants to best match course objectives with course evaluation.
Karen Kashmanian Oates, Professor of Integrative Studies, George Mason University

Track III

Valuing Practical General Education Administration
This is a Council for Administration of General and Liberal Studies (CAGLS) interactive session designed for new administrators in general and liberal studies. Administrative methods used to achieve ends are central to the achievement of curriculum reform and coordination of programs. Following an introduction, the audience, as teams, will be asked to solve specific administrative problems outlined in printed scenarios. Following small group discussions, the teams will report to the whole on methods for solutions.
Sponsored by the Council for Administration of General and Liberal Studies
William J. Badley, Director of General Studies, Middle Tennessee State University, William D. Jenkins, Coordinator of General Education,Youngstown State University, and Fred T. Janzow, Dean, Graduate and University Studies, Southeast Missouri State University

Track III

Starting Them Off Right: Speaking, Thinking, Writing -- A Case Study for Revision in General Education
This session will outline the faculty driven changes that have taken place in the speaking, thinking, and writing portion of the General Education Program at James Madison University. Elements to be discussed include: outcomes of the program's self-study, revision processes, cross-curricular linkages, and assessment from and faculty, student and administration point of view. Time for discussion and questions will be provided.
Gretchen Anne Hazard, Cluster Coordinator, and Toni Selena Whitfield, Assistant Professor,James Madison University

Track I

Diversity and Global Learning: Shaping Effective General Education Requirements
Drawing on AAC&U 's work with colleges and universities across the country who are creating new general education requirements to better prepare students for their multicultural, interdependent world, this session will focus on some of the most promising curricular approaches. It will also feature research on student learning in such courses and help participants think through the aims of the courses, define learning goals, and design engaged pedagogies.
Daniel Hiroyuki Teraguchi, Program and Research Associate, and Caryn McTighe Musil, Vice President, Diversity, Equity, and Global Initiatives, AAC&U

2:00 - 3:00 p.m.

Concurrent Sessions

Track I

From Vision to Practice: Meaningful General Education Programs for Adult Learners
William Pepicello, Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, University of Phoenix

Track I

Using Learning Goals and First-Year Portfolio Review to Foster Integrative Learning
The challenge of promoting an integrative approach to student learning (on the basis of which students become able to apply and extrapolate knowledge across disciples and in new problem domains) has been a central goal of Hampshire's new first-year program. At the heart of this new academic program is the desire to systematically develop and assess a set of learning objectives for the first-year that are calculated to develop basic learning skills, promote a multicultural perspective on knowledge, and support the ability to undertake inquiry-based learning in advanced studies and beyond.
Mike Ford, Dean of the College, Hampshire College

Track II

Using Diversity Assessment to Further General Education Goals: Starting With What You Know
Attendees will participate in a discussion about the challenges of assessing outcomes in the affective domain. We will describe the steps in developing a valid and reliable measure of diversity attitudes, emphasize the importance of pre-instructional assessment of these attitudes, demonstrate how to customize instructional materials to reach diversity goals, and explain the interventions that were successful in changing the attitudes of freshman students and the differences in the students' diversity interests by demographics.
Sonia V. Gonsalves, Professor of Psychology, Tim Haresign, Associate Professor of Biology, Merydawilda Colon, Assistant Professor of Social Work, and Richard Stockton College of New Jersey

Track II

General Education Assessment in Practice at an Urban University
Once a university has adopted student learning outcomes and revised its General Education program, the work of assessment begins. California State University, Los Angeles is a comprehensive urban university. We present GE assessment at three levels: 1) in an individual course, 2) across a block of lower division science courses, and 3) for improvement of the GE program. The strengths and weaknesses of our model of GE assessment are discussed.
Robert R. Nakamura, Associate Professor of Biological Sciences, Susan Cash, Professor of Art and Acting Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs, Beverly Krilowicz, Professor of Biological Sciences, and J. Theodore Anagnoson, Professor of Political Science and Chair of the Faculty Senate, California State University, Los Angeles

Track III

Student and Academic Affairs Collaborations to Enhance General Education
Through a series of provocative vignettes, we will explore the challenges that call for increased collaborations between academic and student affairs, such as multiple diversities in the academic community and their implications in different types of institutions. Ideas will be shared about the potential for collaborations that have not been explored and the need for assessment of the effects of collaborations that have been implemented. All who believe that the well being and academic success of students must be weighed against the boundaries that figuratively and literally separate the work of academic and student affairs are invited to share in the dialogue.
Gwen Dungy, Executive Director, National Association of Student Personnel Administrators, and Alma R. Clayton-Pedersen, Vice President for Education and Institutional Renewal,AAC&U

Track III

Coherence Inchoate: Assessing Connections and Changing Behavior
Professors and employers heartily agree that graduating students and new employees should possess better communication skills. This interactive session uses two real cases to illuminate where disconnections occur between the communication skills professors teach and those that students learn. Educational institutions are systems, yet often baccalaureate skills are learned as isolated parts. Participants will learn how application of assessment can help to align "parts" and hitch them up as an integrated system.
David J. Sill, Associate Provost, and Douglas J. Eder, Director, Undergraduate Assessment,Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

Track III

Aligning Goals and Practices: What Gives? What Counts? What Goes?
At the University of Charleston we are becoming intentional about teaching and learning and about the demonstration of exit level liberal learning outcomes. We have explicitly designed a set of institutional structures and rewards that foster the integration of liberal learning outcomes throughout the curriculum. We will examine the impact of merit-based performance appraisals, program reviews, and the creation of a public culture of assessment upon student learning.
Margaret (Meg) Ann Malmberg, Provost and Dean of the Faculty, and Alan R Belcher, Director of Learning, Assessment and Technology, University of Charleston

3:15 - 4:15 p.m.

Concurrent Sessions

Track I

Designs for General Education: Similar Principles, Different Contexts
How do you design a general education program to achieve liberal learning outcomes? What principles apply across institution type? This session will compare general education programs at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona and Harvey Mudd College. Participants will discuss articulating goals, assessing the effectiveness of existing programs, identifying those goals not met, manageable methods for overcoming obstacles to change, and practical strategies for implementing new programs. Session participants will explore how they might adapt strategies from other institutions to address changing student populations and major needs, and align general education curricula with institutional mission.
Nancy Page Fernandez, Professor and Director, Interdisciplinary General Education Program, Amanda H. Podany, Professor of History and Director of the University Honors Program, Tomas D. Morales, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Student Affairs, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, Kerry K. Karukstis, Professor of Chemistry, Margaret Kasimatis, Executive Assistant to President for Assessment, and Eric Ditwiler, Assistant Dean, Harvey Mudd College

Track I

Weaving Experiential Learning throughout a Liberal Arts Curriculum
What happens when a liberal arts curriculum integrates a series of significant off-campus learning experiences throughout the undergraduate years, not just for a few adventuresome students but for the vast majority of the student body? In this session participants will learn about Kalamazoo College's K-Plan (which combines on-campus coursework, a Career Development experience, Study Abroad, and a Senior Individualized Project) and how Kalamazoo is assessing the broad (and often ineffable) student outcomes of the program.
Anne Dueweke, Assistant Provost for Institutional Support and Research, and Paul Sotherland, Associate Professor of Biology,Kalamazoo College

Track II

Overcoming Political Barriers in Assessing and Revising General Education Curriculums
This interactive session enables administrators and faculty members with leadership roles in administrating general education curricula to anticipate common political barriers (e.g., departmental turf battles, competing program objectives, opposing ideological beliefs, prevailing bureaucratic norms and rules, and conflicting expectations from elected officials and regional accreditation associations) to assessing and revising general education curricula. Role playing exercises and small group discussions will enable participants to become acquainted with strategies for overcoming political obstacles.
Paul Bradford Raymond, Director of Assessment for the Core Curriculum and Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Southern Indiana

Track II

Social Justice Education: Assessing Student and Institutional Learning for Accreditation and Accountability
Participants will learn about Saint Mary's institutional commitment to education for civic responsibility and ways in which the College is assessing how well it is accomplishing its goal of developing student engagement with issues of social justice through both the WASC educational effectiveness review and the FIPSE-sponsored assessment of Academic Affairs and Student Affairs partnership programs.
Janet Luce, Director, Catholic Institute for Lasallian Social Action, Shawny Anderson, Associate Dean, School of Liberal Arts, Patrizia Longo, Professor of Politics, and Gary Adler, Assistant Director, Catholic Insitute for Lasallian Social Action, Saint Mary's College of California

Track III

Everybody's Job: Engaging the College in Curricular Renewal
An administrative/faculty team from Bellevue Community College will present a case study and lead small group discussions to examine the roles and dynamics of institutional leadership in advancing general education reform. Issues to be explored include: empowering and rewarding faculty leaders, supporting contractual obligations, procuring necessary resources, designing and assessing outcomes across disciplines, faculty buy-in and training, building a supportive institutional culture, ensuring instructional pluralism, defining the place of co-curricular programs and providing for innovation.
Ron Leatherbarrow, Executive Dean, Diane Douglas, Executive Director, Center for Liberal Arts, and Robin Jeffers, English Instructor and Faculty Director, Assessment Coordinating Team, Bellevue Community College

Track I

What's in a Name? Interpretations of, and Alternatives to, "General Education"
Educators have rarely been satisfied with the term "general education". It seems vague and lacking in focus or purpose. Yet, it persists as the most common title for that part of the curriculum required of every student. Join this open-ended discussion of alternative titles, of how they may be perceived, and of what new meaning they may impart.
Stephen H. Bowen, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Bucknell University

Track III

The Culture of the Core: Using Existing Institutional Models to Reinvigorate General Education
This presentation will demonstrate ways existing campus programs can provide models for revising and reinvigorating general education. Several current programs, such as a mobile computing project, a summer seminar, and a grant initiative have provided the inspiration for broad curricular revision at Seton Hall University, resulting in campus-wide discussions and the engagement of faculty, administrators, and students. This interactive session will allow participants to determine how they might recreate this experience at their own institutions.
Mary McAleer Balkun, Associate Professor of English, Marian Glenn, Professor of Biology, and Margaret J. Greene, Associate Professor of Nursing, Seton Hall University

4:30 - 5:30 p.m.

Concurrent Sessions

Track I

The Hourglass Turns: Renewing a Core Curriculum
Otterbein College's core curriculum of liberal learning has entered its 4th decade. Throughout thirty years, the sands have trickled down from the top of the hourglass-programming, to the bottom vessel-students and their learning. Now, as we look back at our program, we upend the hourglass to use the knowledge we're gaining from assessments of student learning to "re-fill" the program. We present strategies and questions for renewal and growth in a core curriculum.
Lyle Barkhymer, Chair, Integrative Studies and Professor of Music, and Jeffrey Smith, Professor of Mathematics, Otterbein College

Track I

Integrative Learning: Exemplary General Education Programs
The presentation addresses two questions: (a) how commonly is integrative learning evidenced in the general education programs of liberal arts colleges, and when found (b) how do these liberal arts colleges develop and implement integrative learning in their general education programs. Three successful programs, identified from an examination of 40 recognized liberal arts colleges, will be presented. Examples of challenges and suggestions to fa ciliate implementation will assist attendees interested in developing integrated programs at their institutions.
Brent D. Cejda, Associate Professor of Higher Education, and Phuong Nguyen, Graduate Student,Texas Tech University

Track I

The Emperor's New Clothes: Mixed Outcomes in the Assessment of the First-Year Experience in the Liberal Arts Curriculum
Academic and Student Affairs undertook a first-year experience project in the liberal arts curriculum including out-of-class experiences and collaborative partnerships of faculty, staff and students. Results of the two-year assessment indicated that modest social gains and increased retention rates were ultimately obtained, however expected gains in students' engagement in the learning process were not realized. What outcomes are necessary to justify the resources required to maintain programs or "do you like the Emperor's new clothes?"
Beverly Ann Kopper, Special Assistant for Academic Affairs & Professor of Psychology, Aaron Mayer Podolefsky, Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs, and Janice Marie Hanish, Director of Maucker Union, University of Northern Iowa

Track II

Assessing the Effects: A Multi-Method, Multi-Directional Approach to Evaluating General Education Outcomes
UCLA's Freshman Cluster Program is an interdisciplinary, collaborative approach to General Education. Methodologies used to assess these effects of the program on undergraduates, graduate teaching assistants, and faculty instructors include traditional approaches (e.g., surveys, interviews, focus groups) and non-traditional approaches (e.g., portfolio assessment, "quick-writes"). The advantages and drawbacks to the methodologies employed will be discussed, related findings will be presented, and session participants will engage in conversation about benefits and drawbacks to diverse evaluation methodologies.
Marc Levis-Fitzgerald, Director and Paula Zeszotarski, Postdoctoral Scholar, Office of Undergraduate Evaluation and Research, University of California Los Angeles

Track II

Improving Learning Outcomes of a General Education Proficiency Exam
This presentation will provide the audience with a philosophical and pragmatic approach to improving student performance with insights into the strength of teamwork, the value of test preparation, and the need for comprehensive student notification and advising. Student performance data will be provided using demographic variables including sex, ethnicity, admission status (freshman or transfer), and language preference. Ongoing efforts to improve the general education curriculum and the importance of monitoring data will be described.
Anne Prisco, Vice President and Associate Provost, and Lisa Eistrech, Coordinator of Instructional Support Services Program, Lehman College

Track III

Revising General Education: The Social Contract with Faculty as Stakeholders in Institutional Vision
This session presents a case study about revising general education at a private liberal arts college, a college with a rich tradition of faculty identifying with departments, not the broader curriculum. The social contract with the faculty about updating and revising the general education curriculum to address issues of living/learning and globalization, the successes and bumps along the way, and the role of administrative and faculty leadership will be examined.
Bud Warner, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs and Director of General Education, Presbyterian College

8:00 - 9:00 a.m

Continental Breakfast/Roundtable Discussions

Championing the General Education Mission: A Strategy for Collaboration and Assessment
James B. Tueller, Associate Professor of History, Keith S. Peterson, Associate Professor of English, and C. Beth Haynes, Professor of Economics, Brigham Young University - Hawaii

CLAQWA: How an Analytical Assessment of Student Writing Was Used to Improve a General Education Program
Terri L. Flateby, Director, Evaluation and Testing, University of South Florida

Citizen-Students: Assessment as Participatory Democracy
Beth Kalikoff, Assistant Professor of Writing Studies, University of Washington, Tacoma

Problem-Based Learning Instructional Design
Wendy J. Flint, Faculty/Director of Business & Industry Contracts, College of the Desert

Learning, Observing, and Applying: The Travel Course and Liberal Education
Gordon A. Babst, Assistant Professor, Political Science, and Roberta Lessor, Professor of Sociology,Chapman University

General Education for Lifelong Learning and Social Commitment
Sara Waller, Associate Professor of Philosophy, and Susan Needham, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, California State University, Dominguez Hills

Global Citizenship Curriculum
Georgia Kenyon White, Professor of Marketing, and Douglas S. Wright, Professor of Philosophy,Westminster College

Chopping Academic Broccoli: Integrating the Sciences into a general education
David W. Goldsmith, Assistant Professor of Geology, Westminster College

Cultural Immersion Experiences: A Seamless Approach to Achieving General Education Outcomes
Kathleen McSharry, Associate Dean of General Education, Margaret Morales McKale, Assistant Professor of Spanish, and Michael McKale, Professor of Religious Studies, Saint Francis University

A Critical Approach to Liberal Learning Assessment: The Case of Clare College
Michael Chiariello, Dean, Clare College, St. Bonaventure University

Thorny Old Issues Discovered on the Road to a General Education Program
Donald Read, Assistant Professor, Business and Information Systems Department, Bronx Community College

The Siren Sings: Making a Liberal Arts General Education Program
Marianina Demetri Olcott, Associate Professor of Humanities and Foreign Languages, Coordinator of Humanities Honors Program, San Jose State University

9:00 - 10:00 a.m.

Plenary

Challenging Student Identities: Confronting Race and Class
George Sanchez, Director, Program in American Studies and Ethnicity and Associate Professor of History, University of Southern California

10:30 a.m. - noon

Concurrent Sessions

Track I

Seeing the Big Picture: Integrating the Sciences and Humanities in Learning Communities
This interactive session will overview the learning community pedagogy then introduce an NSF-funded model that fully integrates two freshman general education courses (a laboratory science course for non-science majors and a humanities course) around a common theme (e.g., water, cosmology, conservation, biomedical ethics, etc.). Each learning community is developed and led by two faculty members and two undergraduate "preceptors" and incorporates K-12 outreach, experiential learning, teamwork, enhanced use of information technology, and outcomes' assessment.
Ellen S. Goldey, Associate Professor of Biology, Wofford College

Track I

General Education as Liberal Arts Education
Recognizing two principal understandings of the aims of general education-one sees general education as a means to equip students with a certain set of skills and knowledge, in service to pre-professional or disciplinary training; a second sees general education as the site for a liberal arts education-we develop the second, giving an account of liberal arts education as aimed at higher-order intellectual arts (wisdom, thoughtfulness, citizenship…) and presenting case studies of institutions modeling general education toward this aim.
Frederik Ohles, Senior Research Fellow, Charles F. Blaich, Director of Inquiries, Center of Inquiry in the Liberal Arts, Wabash College; David Neidorf, Director, Integrated Studies Program, Middlebury College; Edward J. Katz, Associate Vice Chancellor for University Programs, and Merritt Moseley, Professor of Literature and Director, Honors Program, University of North Carolina Asheville

Track I

Making Two-Year College General Education Programs More Viable for Student Transfers
Whether through traditional transfer or some other enrollment pattern, an increasing number of students participate in formal learning experiences at two or more institutions. Several challenges associated with swirling enrollment will be discussed from both a two-year college and a state perspective including: obstacles that prevent students from completing a coherent general education program; responsibilities for ensuring alignment of educational pathways; strategies for increasing faculty involvement and ownership; approaches to ensure a fair and equitable transfer system; perspectives on ways to demonstrate measurable skills and competencies. Participants will be invited to explore with the panelists best practices for designing portable general education programs for intentional, engaged learners.
James A. Ham, Director of General Education, Associate Professor of Mathematics, Delta College, and Robert Stein, Associate Commissioner,Missouri Department of Higher Education

Track I

Integrating Student Engagement, Academic Challenge, and Global Understandings in the First Year Experience
This session will explore first-year programs designed to encourage intentional learning, develop high level critical thinking, and encourage global understandings at two institutions. Faculty development and the programs' impact on the institutions will be addressed.
Stephen Earl Braye, Director, General Studies Program; Associate Professor of English, Elon University, Scot M. Guenter, Faculty-in-Residence, General Education, and Emily Wughalter, Director of The MUSE Program, San Jose State University

Track III

Listening to Colleagues: What Faculty Learned From Collaborative Review of Student Evidence
The presenter will discuss results of interview studies of faculty who participated in two processes focused on assessment. The first was directed to the collaborative design of general education learning outcomes, criteria, and standards. The second process focused on the collaborative analysis of evidence demonstrating achievement of those outcomes. The results include new understandings for teaching, learning, curriculum, and assessment, and appreciation of assessment processes, alignment of pedagogy with outcomes, and collegial collaboration.
Swarup E. Wood, Assistant Professor of Chemistry, California State University Monterey Bay

Track II

Conducting General Education Outcomes Assessment through the Humanities
This session describes how DeVry University utilizes a capstone class to define and measure a specific group of academic outcomes expected from its General Education program. Attendees will be engaged in discussion through multiple methods employed by the presenter, including a review of the outcomes assessment form being used by the University, an online presentation of the course being described, and use of Power Point slides to examine the steps involved in the entire outcomes assessment process.
Carolyn Elizabeth Paul, Associate Professor of Sociology, DeVry University

Track III

Mobilizing Campus Resources for General Education Reform: A Problem-Solving Approach
This interactive session walks participants through a four-part problem-solving model designed to involve the entire academic community in designing and implementing a distinctive, high profile undergraduate core curriculum. The session will present the model and an overview of its application at Salve Regina University, as well as invite participants to work through the initial stages of the process for their own institutions.
Stephen Lawrence Trainor, Dean of Undergraduate Studies, Paula Jeanne Martasian, Professor of Psychology, and Antonia Anastasia Vouthounes, First Year Experience Coordinator, Salve Regina University

1:30 - 2:30 p.m.

Concurrent Sessions

Track I

Fostering and Assessing Liberal Learning Outcomes Across the Curriculum
The University of Charleston converted to an outcome-based curriculum with liberal learning outcomes identified for citizenship, creativity, critical thinking, communication, ethical practice, and science. In addition, each program/major identified how its curriculum contributes to meeting these outcomes as well as specific program outcomes. Faculty are challenged to design appropriate assessment measures to ascertain that for individual programs and as an institution, our students are meeting the identified outcomes within the context of "Learning Your Way."
Joseph Janisch, Assistant Professor of Music and Chair of the Department of Humanities and Dennis McMillen, Associate Professor of Business, University of Charleston

Track I

General Education: Beyond Approval to Implementation
A 3-person panel will analyze Earlham College's recent revision of General Education to show that, often, the most important and positive changes occur after approval and during implementation. Presenters will identify what they might do differently if they faced the same task again. The session should be especially useful for those contemplating or attempting major curricular change. The session will also identify roles for students in curriculum design.
Robert F. Southard, Associate Academic Dean, Professor of History, Bonita Washington-Lacey, Registrar, Associate Dean of the College,Earlham College, and John Lawrence Stimpert, Professor of Economics, Colorado College

Track I

Science Education for New Civic Engagement and Responsibilities (SENCER)
Sponsored by AAC&U and funded through the National Science Foundation, SENCER is a comprehensive, national dissemination project that aims to improve undergraduate science education and foster civic engagement by teaching "to" the basic science "through" complex, capacious and contemporary issues which have meaning in the lives of our students. The first phase of the SENCER project is focused on integrating general education courses in challenging curriculum with progressive pedagogical approaches for deeper student learning and understanding. We will discuss several strategies created to sustain durable science education reform and include an opportunity for questions on how the national SENCER office might help you in your work on general education science initiatives.
Trace Jordan, Assistant Director, Morse Academic Plan for the Foundations of Scientific Inquiry, New York University, and Amy Shachter, Associate Dean of Arts and Sciences,Santa Clara University

Track II

Creating Liberal Learners
An analytical assessment of the relationship of different pedagogies to the creation of the two fundamental outcomes created through liberal education: "analytical thinkers” and “engaged citizenship".
Lori M. Collins-Hall, Associate Professor of Sociology, Hartwick College, and Richard A Detweiler, Distinguished Scholar,Council of Library and Information Research

Track II

Varied Experiences in General Education Program Assessment
CSU Chico has investigated various methods for assessing the general education program. Assessment focus ranges across general education, from individual courses, to specific learning outcomes, to larger programmatic overviews. We will describe and analyze our experiences related to regular, periodic reviews of general education courses and will examine pilot assessment projects in written communication, mathematics, and critical thinking.
Russell S. Mills, Professor and Chair of Civil Engineering, Margaret A. Owens, Professor and Chair of Mathematics, and Gregory M. Tropea, Instructor of Philosophy, California State University, Chico

Track II

Developing a Culture of Assessment in General Education
In the past two years significant progress in establishing mechanisms for periodic review in General Education has occurred at CSU Dominguez Hills. Pilot embedded assessment in upper-division General Education courses provided data on student achievement in critical reading, analysis and writing, and provided useful information about how to implement embedded assessment on a broader scale. A rolling five-year program review process has been launched, spearheaded and conducted by faculty.
Linda Pomerantz, Assistant Vice President for Undergraduate Studies, and Sue Schaar, Associate Professor of Teacher Education, California State University, Dominguez Hills

Track III

Presidential and Grant Support: Fostering the Learning Objectives of a New Core Curriculum
In this interactive panel presentation we will present the Presidential Learning Assessment Grant Program at Pace University, focusing on three successful Assessment Grant Projects, each of which looked at a distinct aspect of Pace's new Core Curriculum: "Improving Student Learning through Portfolio Assessment;" "Using E-Portfolios to Assess a Comprehensive Student Learning Experience;" and "The Design and Initial Implementation of an Assessment Plan to Measure the Effectiveness of Learning Communities."
Adelia V. Williams, Associate Dean for Academic Programs and Services, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences, Linda Anstendig, Professor of English, Co-Director, Writing Across the Curriculum, and Barbara S. Pennipede, Associate Director of Assessment, Pace University

2:45 - 4:00 p.m.

Closing Plenary

The Examined Life: Assessment and the Ends of General Education
Knowledge of oneself and the world around one-and its use to inform right action-are commonly claimed as ends of general education. These qualities should equally describe institutions that purport to teach it. But we live in an age where "the examined life" is fast becoming a prominent feature of public policy for higher education, just as it has for K-12, in ways we do not like. Responding responsibly to this condition with appropriate, nuanced, and credible bodies of evidence about institutional and student performance is both imperative and doable. All we lack is the will.
Peter Ewell, Vice President, National Center for Higher Education Management Systems

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