2006 Institute on General Education
June 9-14, 2006
Washington, DC
Continuing its long tradition of providing top-quality programs for member and non-member campuses alike, AAC&U held its annual Institute on General Education from June 9-14, 2006 at the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC.
The Institute created a varied, intellectually stimulating environment for advancing campus planning in general education. In addition to interactive presentations by leaders in general education reform, the program provided campus teams with ample opportunity to meet with experienced consultants and share ideas with other campuses.
The schedule featured a rich curriculum in general education reform including a track on planning and improving assessment of general education outcomes and programs. Campus teams also learned strategies for placing their general education reform within the context of AAC&U's Greater Expectations initiative.
2006 Institute Curriculum
While the curriculum is revised each year based upon the stated needs of the participating institutions, the 2006 Institute included three formal “tracks” in addition to a variety of concurrent sessions and workshops.
Track 1: The Process of General Education Reform
Many general education efforts founder because of inattention to the process of curricular change. In this track, teams learned to analyze campus dynamics and politics, create communication plans, select strategies, gather faculty input, and prepare for implementation.
Track 2: Intentional General Education: Goals, Curriculum, and Teaching Practices
Track two built on a model of learning improvement by emphasizing the interrelationships of learning goals, curricular design, teaching practices, and assessment in a continuous improvement loop.
Track 3: Assessment of General Education
This track responded to campus needs for useful assessments of student learning to serve multiple purposes. Strategies were explored that help show progress toward learning goals both within and across courses, evaluate the effectiveness of specific pedagogies, evaluate general education curricula, and meet external demands for accountability.
2006 Institute Faculty
J. Herman Blake - University of South Carolina, Beaufort
Helen Chen - Stanford Center for Innovations in Learning
Ann S. Ferren - American University in Bulgaria
Jerry G. Gaff - Association of American Colleges and Universities
Paul Gaston - Kent State University
L. Lee Knefelkamp - Teachers College, Columbia University
Andrea Leskes - Association of American Colleges and Universities
Peggy Maki - Education Consultant
Ross Miller - Association of American Colleges and Universities
Terrel L. Rhodes - Portland State University
Karen M. Schilling - Miami University
Carol Geary Schneider - Association of American Colleges and Universities
Barbara Wright - Western Association of Schools and Colleges
Additional Information
More information about the 2006 Institute is available in the Institute Brochure (pdf), available for download.
If you have any questions about this or other institutes, please contact Ross Miller at miller@aacu.org.
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