General Education and Assessment 3.0: Next-Level Practices Now
Network for Academic Renewal Conference
March 3-5, 2011
Westin Chicago
Conference Highlights
Preliminary Conference Program (pdf)
KEYNOTE ADDRESS
Thursday, March 3, 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.
Reframing General Education
Colleges and universities are facing increasing pressure to reduce spending and curb tuition
increases while also improving graduation rates and “time to degree.” Most recently, these
demands have coalesced into calls to reduce the early part of college, traditionally the purview
of general education. In this keynote session, panelists will examine the push to shrink the
college experience and frame these strategies in a larger conversation about educational
quality and meaningful access to opportunity. They will discuss how campuses are reframing general education so that students develop the essential learning needed to effectively address contemporary, unscripted problems even in the midst of challenging times.
Ramón A. Gutiérrez, Preston and Sterling Morton Distinguished Service Professor in United States History and the College and Director, Center for the Study of Race, Politics, and Culture, the University of Chicago; Gail Mellow, President, City University of New York LaGuardia Community College; and Carol Geary Schneider, President, AAC&U
PLENARY
Friday, March 4, 9:15 – 10:15 a.m.
Investing in Quality
As undergraduate education is pressed to prepare more and more students for work and
life in a globally interdependent and technologically advanced world, how can institutions
make the most of their financial and human resources? In this plenary, Dr. Ferren will
discuss the relationships among educational quality, student success, and the cost of
higher education. She will describe how faculty and administrators can analyze factors
that contribute to student success and learning productivity. By considering alternate ways to use limited resources, campus leaders can ensure that students achieve their educational goals and that faculty accomplish their career aspirations.
Ann S. Ferren, Senior Fellow, AAC&U and former Provost, American University in Bulgaria
LUNCHEON AND PLENARY separate registration and fee required
Friday, March 4, 12:15 – 2:00 P.M.
E-Portfolios and the Problem of Learning in the “Post-
Course” Era
Within a larger cultural context characterized by social networks and webs of connection,
colleges and universities must consider the idea that “courses”—as bounded, discrete
entities—are no longer the center of undergraduate learning and engagement. Dr. Bass will
argue that this current context challenges us to take seriously the shift in proportion between
formal learning and informal learning, individual and group learning, and content knowledge
and knowledge-making in practice. E-portfolios, when implemented effectively, can play a
critical role in helping students —and campuses—shift to a more embodied way of looking at learning, where learning is participatory, emergent, and boundary-spanning.
Randall Bass, Associate Professor of English, Assistant Provost for Teaching and Learning Initiatives, and Executive Director, Center for New Designs in Learning and Scholarship, Georgetown University
PLENARY
Saturday, March 5, 11:00 A.M. – Noon
An Invisible Epidemic
One of the most pressing yet invisible epidemics in the United States today concerns
the systematic disappearance of boys, particularly minority boys, from the educational
process. A recent study conducted by the College Board revealed even more troubling
news: few individuals or organizations seem to know what to do about it. Dr. Williams will
place this disappearance within the context of the gradual decline in America’s capacity to keep up with the educational gains other countries are experiencing. He will also describe
the key characteristics of several programs that offer hope for reversing this trend. All of these programs exhibit qualities that are indispensable to a powerful general education, including providing opportunities for learners to explore their human possibilities.
Ronald Williams, Vice President, College Board, and former President, Prince George’s Community College
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