Administrative Structure and Communication Subcommittee

Administrative Structure & Communication Subcommittee

• Members: Sherrilyn Billger (chair), Daniel Holland, Catherine Kaesberg, Jonathan Rosenthal, Stewart Winger

• Resources: http://ilstu.libguides.com/content.php?pid=215086&sid=2070348

Administrative Structure and Communication Subcommittee

Administrative Structure and Communication

• Main Recommendations• Administrative Structure

• Current Structure• Recommended Structure

• Communication• Current Communication• Recommendations for Improvement

Administrative Structure and Communication Subcommittee

Main Recommendations

1. Move Director of General Education position into the Provost’s Office, to support all important aspects of the program.

2. Add three more workgroups to the existing structure which has a workgroup for Critical Inquiry. These workgroups should be discipline-focused: Science and Numeracy, Arts and Humanities, and Social Sciences.

3. Change the current institutional structure surrounding the General Education program with consistent, enticing, and effective communication across all constituents.

4. The General Education Director should coordinate improved communication about the General Education program, including advising, Preview, web page, course syllabi, etc.

Administrative Structure and Communication Subcommittee

Current Structure

Director of General Education and

Associate Dean for Academic Programs and Student Affairs, CAS

Council on General Education

Administrative Structure and Communication Subcommittee

Director’s Current Responsibilities

• Monitor enrollment patterns• Work with department chairs to have enough seats for GE

courses• Work with the Provost to gather and allocate resources for

teaching GE courses• Facilitate the Council on General Education• Manage assessment for the GE program• Chair the Interdisciplinary Studies program• Serve as primary articulator for GE and Illinois Articulation

Initiative coursework

Administrative Structure and Communication Subcommittee

Council on General Education (CGE)• Coordinate the undergraduate curriculum for General Education and

Interdisciplinary Studies (IDS), ensuring that the spirit of the philosophy of General Education is maintained by the program.

• Periodically review and analyze existing General Education and IDS courses and program, based on program objectives and student outcomes.

• Report recommendations to the Academic Senate regarding program modifications.

• Provide consultation to departments, colleges, and other faculty groups who are planning new additions to the undergraduate curriculum for General Education and IDS.

• Review and approve or disapprove all proposals for new programs, courses, and changes in existing programs/courses connected to GE and IDS in consultation with the Director of General Education.

• Provide the Academic Senate each year with a report of Council on General Education’s proceedings.

Administration and Communication Subcommittee

The Good, The Not So Good, & There’s no Ugly

Advantages• Council on General

Education works well

• GE Director is also CAS Associate Dean (facilitates working with chairs)

Disadvantages• Insufficient professional

development• Insufficient collaboration

between Assessment and GE

• Insufficient focus on strategy for GE

• Lack of effective communication about GE

Administrative Structure and Communication Subcommittee

Recommended Administrative Structure

Director of General Education(within Provost’s Office)

Council on General Education

Workgroups for disciplinary areas, with one Facilitator for each group:

Science and Numeracy, Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities, and Critical Inquiry

Administrative Structure and Communication Subcommittee

Current Communication about GE

• Advising, Preview, web page• Chairs: assignments and evaluation• “get GE courses out of the way”• “General Education change is not just a

task of curricular change: it is also cultural change” (Awbrey, 2005, p.4)

Administrative Structure and Communication Subcommittee

To Improve Communication• Enticing language: Rename the

program? Rename the courses?• Syllabi relate to GE goals• Be consistent• Professional Development: TT & NTT• Testimonials from employers & alumni

Administrative Structure and Communication Subcommittee

To Improve Communication, Cont’d

• Preview “marketing” e.g., student-made video about GE

• Student evaluations and course rigor?, hold student focus groups

• Longer-term contracts for NTTs teaching in the program

• GE Symposium or more involvement at T&LS

Administrative Structure and Communication Subcommittee

Create a Slogan / Tagline for the program

Find your calling(as opposed to find your major)

Passion

Inspire Curiosity Sense of Purpose

DREAM

Foundation for Lifelong SuccessAs actively engaged citizens of the world

Improve your quality of life

Passionate CommitmentTo meaningful life work