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

The Network for Academic Renewal Conference
March 4-6, 2004
The Hilton Long Beach
Long Beach, California

Resources from Meeting

What Will It Mean to Be Educated in the 21st Century? (PowerPoint 166 KB)
Judith Ramaley, Assistant Director, Education and Human Resources, National Science Foundation
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.

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
In this complete text of Dr. Sanchez's speech, he admits he has not always been a fan of general education but concludes with the story of a recent interaction with a student, about which he states: "This exchange reminded me of the joy I get from teaching, opening up worlds of inquiry to students that are not separated from their own worlds, but can connect them with the worlds of scholarship and theory that I know. It reminds me of the very best that general education in 'liberal education' can provide, creating informed citizens from the multitude of experiences and backgrounds we see in the classroom." The PowerPoint presentation (1,183 KB) is also available.

The Examined Life: Assessment and the Ends of General Education (52 KB PDF file)
Peter Ewell, Vice President, National Center for Higher Education Management Systems
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. The text of this address reflects upon the scholarship and experiences shared throughout the conference and the meanings they might have to participants as they return to campus.

What's in a Name? Interpretations of, and Alternatives to, "General Education"(37KB PowerPoint presentation)
Stephen H. Bowen, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Bucknell University
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. Alternative titles, of how they may be perceived, and of what new meaning they may impart were explored.

Integrating Goals for General Education with the Work of Departments(497KB PowerPoint presentation)
Paul Gaston, Provost, Kent State University
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 (a) explored the role departments should seek in defining programmatic and pre-disciplinary competencies, (b) weighed 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) considered useful tactics for navigating likely political issues. A summary of the participant discussion is now available.

Aligning Goals and Practices: What Gives? What Counts? What Goes? (366KB PowerPoint presentation)
Margaret (Meg) Ann Malmberg, Provost and Dean of the Faculty, and Alan R Belcher, Director of Learning, Assessment and Technology, University of Charleston
The University of Charleston has explicitly designed a set of institutional structures and rewards that foster the integration of liberal learning outcomes throughout the curriculum in an effort to become intentional about teaching and learning and about the demonstration of exit level liberal learning outcomes. The impact of merit-based performance appraisals, program reviews, and the creation of a public culture of assessment upon student learning are examined.

Making Two-Year College General Education Programs More Viable for Student Transfers
James A. Ham, Director of General Education, Associate Professor of Mathematics, Delta College and Robert Stein, Associate Commissioner, Missouri Department of Higher Education
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 were discussed from both an institutional 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; and perspectives on ways to demonstrate measurable skills and competencies.

Embedded Assessment of Student Learning in General Education (99KB PowerPoint presentation)
Gail G. Evans, Interim Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies, and Thalia Anagnos, Director of Assessment; Professor of Engineering,San Jose State University,
In 1998, San Jose State University implemented new General Education Guidelines based on course-embedded assessment. This PowerPoint presentation reflects 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?

Disaggregating Data About Diverse Student Populations
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
Participants learned 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 examined how these materials might be used to advance their own efforts to bridge equity with excellence for every student.

National Research Results on Engaging Students through Learning Communities(34KB PDF file)
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
In this session, researchers shared findings on the factors inherent in first-year student learning communities that lead to greater student engagement and richer learning experiences. Swing's data collected from learning community students enrolled in institutions of all types across the country was discussed. Henscheid extended Swing's research with an in-depth analysis of the learning community efforts at 20 institutions. A Learning Communities Readiness Audit (11KB PDF file) was also distributed.

Diversity and Global Learning: Shaping Effective General Education Requirements(203KB PowerPoint presentation)
Daniel Hiroyuki Teraguchi, Program and Research Associate, and Caryn McTighe Musil, Vice President, Diversity, Equity, and Global Initiatives, AAC&U
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 focused on some of the most promising curricular approaches. It also featureed research on student learning in such courses and helped participants think through the aims of the courses, define learning goals, and design engaged pedagogies.

Starting Them Off Right: Speaking, Thinking, Writing -- A Case Study for Revision in General Education
Gretchen Anne Hazard, Cluster Coordinator, and Toni Selena Whitfield, Assistant Professor,James Madison University
This session outlined 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 discussed included: outcomes of the program's self-study, revision processes, cross-curricular linkages, and assessment from and faculty, student and administration point of view. A handout describing the new General Education Program at James Madison University (43KB PDF file) was provided.

Varied Experiences in General Education Program Assessment (599KB PowerPoint presentation)
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
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. The presenters described and analyzed their experiences related to regular, periodic reviews of general education courses and examined pilot assessment projects in written communication, mathematics, and critical thinking.

Informing the General Education Review Process with an Internal Assessment of Student Writing
Terri L. Flateby, Director, Evaluation and Testing, University of South Florida
This session explored the value of an internal assessment of student writing, thinking, and intellectual development using an analytic writing scale, the Cognitive Level and Quality of Writing Assessment, and the Measure of Intellectual Development. Assessment results from a large metropolitan research university have informed a self-analysis and revision of our general education curriculum; the writing assessment process led to serendipitous discoveries such as the insight into students’ attitudes and thinking processes, as well as specific writing weaknesses. Participate in USF's national survey on Writing Evaluation Practices.

Weaving Experiential Learning throughout a Liberal Arts Curriculum(210KB PDF file)
Anne Dueweke, Assistant Provost for Institutional Support and Research, and Paul Sotherland, Associate Professor of Biology,Kalamazoo College
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 learned 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.

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
This roundtable discussion focused on how the General Education Committee at Brigham Young University - Hawaii has sought to cultivate greater ownership of the curriculum on campus. Included in the discussion were the G.E. Committee draft of a new Mission Statement, implementing plans to assess the qualities behind the student outcomes, and seeking feedback from the many participants in the General Education program. The work of the committee was provided as a model for championing intentional learning and increasing accountability.

Problem-Based Learning Instructional Design
Wendy J. Flint, Faculty/Director of Business & Industry Contracts, College of the Desert
This roundtable discussed problem-based learning as a learning strategy that incorporates specific instructional pre-planned activities focused on a relevant learner problem and allows for the flexibility of the situation and the learners in the classroom. This course model has its foundation in the theories of humanistic, learner-centered, and problem-centered design approaches.