Re-imagining General Education The North Park Dialogue David Koeller

Re-imagining General Education

The North Park Dialogue

David Koeller

An Education Based on Micah 6:8

Will be practical. It speaks of doing justice, not simply contemplating it.

Must be interdisciplinary. Real world problems do not nicely divide themselves into disciplinary boxes.

Cannot be completed in 4 years and 120 credit hours. Hence, life long learning.

Should not be preparation for life in the academy, but preparation for life in the world.

Must include concerns about character.

Caveat

I have a personal stake in the program. This is paper is based on trends in the

program, not as it actually was at any moment.

The program since has been significantly altered.

Three Elements of General Education

Knowledge Skills Character

Knowledge

The Dialogue Sequence

Dialogue 1: What Does it Mean to Be Human?

Dialogue 2: What Does it Mean to Be Ethical? Research Paper

Dialogue 3: Experiential Learning and Public Presentation

Subject

Expert

AmateurAmateurAmateur Amateur

Subject

Learner Learner

Learner Learner(Teacher)

Skills

A New Quadrivium:

Writing Rhetoric Logic Hermeneutics

“the mixed message curriculum”

Gerald Graff. Clueless in Academe Commonalities Among the Disciplines

Source of dataForms of AnalysisMeans of Communicating Results

Writing To Learn

Writing is part of the learning process Emphasis on revision

Global revisionsParagraph revisionsSentence level revisions

Revision Steps

Peer Review of First Draft Revise First Draft Writing Advisor Reads Second Draft Conference with WA on Second Draft Revise Second Draft Third Draft is read and graded by

instructor

Writing Assessment Summary

 Essay 1:

Dialogue 1Essay 3:

Dialogue 1Essay 3

Dialogue 2

1: Strong Thesis   2.29 1.97

2: Coherent Argument   2.38 2.61

3: Supporting Evidence   2.35 2.92

4: Paragraph Unity   2.46 2.64

5: Paragraph Coherence   2.29 2.71

6: Transitions   2.08 2.42

7: Grammar: Comprehension   2.61 3.3

8: Grammar: Accuracy   2.57 2.97

9: Prose Clarity   2.48 2.85

10: Sentence Structure   2.43 2.95

Average   2.39 2.73

Character

ReflectionNarrative Essay NPD 1What should be done? NPD 2

Experiential LearningNPD 3

NPD 3: Justice and Education

Longitudinal Study of the Williams Multi-plex.

Students observe students, interview faculty members and administrators

Prepare a report that is presented to parents, faculty and administrators.

Students who claim: NPD 1 (n=123)

NPD 2 (n=110)

To have missed no more than 3 class discussions. 88% 78%

To have missed no more than 2 lectures. 92% 69%

To have done more than 60% of the assigned readings.

92% 68%

That over the semester their understanding of the writing process improved moderately or substantially.

71% 49%

The course contributed either moderately or substantially to their ability to use the library and evaluate library sources.

33% 38%

They were moderately to extremely satisfied with the course

(Not on NPD 1 survey)

41%

Why Did It Fail?

Failure to re-imagine the professoriate Failure to re-imagine the institution Failure to re-imagine our students

Re-imagining the Professoriate

Expertise Passion for one’s Discipline A Liberal Arts program requires liberally

educated professors

Re-imagining the Institution

University as Ivory Tower Pure over applied Knowledge for Knowledge Sake

Re-imagining our Students

The professoriate should not be the standard for pedagogy:“That’s the way we did it when I was in

school”Our students aren’t us