GENERAL EDUCATION FACULTY RETREAT

GENERAL EDUCATION FACULTY RETREAT

JUNE 2, 2009

GENERAL EDUCATION GROUPS:

IA & IB-ENGLISH & LITERATURE

IIIA &IIIB-HUMANITIES & SOCIAL SCIENCES

ITINERARY

8:30-9:00-Breakfast9:00-9:15-Introductions & Itinerary9:15-10:45-Assessment Presentation10:45-11:00-Break11:00-12:00-Collaborate with ALL departments in General

Education sub-group area and map courses to General Education Student Learning Goals. IVA & IVB-Choptank GC 219 IIA&IIB-Nanticoke GC 236 V-Nanticoke GC 236

12:00-2:00-Working Lunch-Nanticoke Room Staying in your original sub-groups, write specific student learning

outcomes for your General Education sub-group area (e.g., IA, IIB, IIC), ALL relevant departments participate.

2:00-3:00-Each General Education sub-group area (e.g., IA, IIB, IIIC) will share their curriculum map and specific student learning outcomes with the larger group.

AN INTRODUCTION TO CURRICULUM MAPPING AND

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

Kara Siegert, PhDUniversity Analysis, Reporting, and Assessment

Anna ZilberbergJames Madison University

Assoc. of American Colleges & Universities

“Almost all of the institutions surveyed (89 percent) are in some stage of either assessing or modifying their general education program. Assessment of cumulative learning outcomes in general education is, in fact, now becoming the norm.”

“Fifty-two percent of institutions are currently assessing cumulative learning outcomes in general education beyond the level of individual course grades, with another 42 percent reporting that they are planning for assessment of cumulative general education learning outcomes.”

AAC&U, 2009, Survey of 433 colleges and universities

Workshop Objectives

Upon completion of the retreat, participants will be able to: Describe the difference between goals and

outcomes. Differentiate between program goals/outcomes

and student learning goals/outcomes Identify Student Learning Goals (SLGs) that

students completing courses in their General Education (GE) area (e.g. IA, IIB, IIIC, etc.) should attain

Name the four parts of a good outcome. Write outcomes that are aligned with the GE SLGs.

ACTIVITY

Take 5 minutes at your table to compile 1-2 questions that you have about: Assessment Goals/Outcomes Curriculum mapping

Clearing the air

What we are NOT trying to do: Compare faculty Design courses Evaluate individual academic programs Assess all skills using multiple-choice tests Collect student satisfaction or perception data Collect data that are not used Write outcomes that are irrelevant or

unattainable GE curriculum reform (handouts)

Student Learning Goals GE Curriculum

Things to Consider

You already do assessment! Systematic basis for collecting evidence of

student development and growth Think about why you go to work

everyday—your purpose Do you see your students as your

clients? What feedback from your clients would

be beneficial for program improvement?

Assessment Process

EstablishingOutcomes

Selecting/Designing

Instruments

CollectingInformation

Analyzing/MaintainingInformation

UsingInformation

*Regardless, of the type of program or level of coursework required, the assessment process is the same

Defining Needs

Continuous Cycle

Stage 1: Defining the Need

Does General Education Curriculum:

1. Assist the University in achieving its mission?

2. Align with the University Strategic Plan?

3. Help students to attain the Student Learning Goals

…offering excellent, affordable education in undergraduate liberal arts, sciences, pre-professional and professional programs…

Our highest purpose is to empower our students with the knowledge, skills, and core values that contribute to active citizenship, gainful employment, and life‑long learning in a democratic society and interdependent world.

GOAL 1:Provide exceptional contemporary liberal arts education…

GOAL2:Continue to attract and retain quality students

GOAL 3:Promote and develop a student culture that places the highest priority on academic engagement…

Levels of a Mission Statement

UNIVERSITY

PROGRAM

COURSE

Levels of Outcomes

PROGRAM

STUDENT LEARNING

COURSE

1. Provide a quality curriculum2. Design courses where participation in

group learning is required3. Encourage student interaction with a

faculty mentor

1. Prepare and deliver a well-organized and persuasive formal speech

2. Identify and use appropriate tools of information literacy3. Describe issues involved in analyzing societies different from

one's own

1. Use multi-media software for instruction2. When given a sentence in French, students will be

able to negate it in both oral and written forms.3. Describe the important structural features of each

amino acid

Curriculum Mapping Example

GENERAL EDUCATION STUDENT LEARNING GOALS— General Education Student Learning Goals

RANKING-Rank the level of importance of each outcome

OUTCOMES-Specific knowledge or skills students develop through their college experience

GEN ED AREA(S)-General Education Sub-group areas that provide courses for students to attain the identified outcome

SKILLS-

1. Critical Thinking 3Assess strengths and weaknesses of arguments in essays written for general audiences.

IA, IB, IIA, IIB, IIIA, IIIB, IIIC, IVA, IVB, IVC, V

1Compose well-reasoned and argued responses to arguments.


9Sythesize and apply informaton and ideas from readings across disciplines


Determine the relevance and validity of information that could be used for structuring and solving problems and distinguish it from invalid or non‑applicable data.


18Apply theories and perspectives from a variety of disciplines and advance convincing reasons to connect and differentiate among these theories.


Students use the results of analysis to appropriately construct new arguments and formulate new questions.


Why Do We Need Goals and Outcomes?

Foundations Of Excellence-Best Practices There are established common learning goals specifically for the

first-year experience that are written, endorsed by the institution, and shared widely.

In first-year courses, understand campus-wide learning goals for the first year, understand the characteristics of first-year students, and understand broad trends and issues in the first year.

The institution communicates effectively with first-year students about institutional mission, the institution’s academic expectations.

The institution effectively communicates its vision to students

The institution effectively communicates its rationale for the required courses (e.g., core curriculum, distribution, and general education), required competencies (e.g., library skills, computing, writing), and requirements for entry into majors.

Why Do We Need Goals and Outcomes?

Goals and outcomes will help… Demonstrate the impact of GE on the success of our

students. Define how we will measure the success of the GE

program in helping develop well-educated students Explicitly define expectations of students

What kinds of knowledge, skills, and attitudes will students have upon completion of GE courses?

Regardless of the course taken in a given GE area (e.g., IA, IIB, IIIC, etc.) all students should learn the same basic skills

Goals, Objectives, and Outcomes: Are they all the same?

GOALS General expectations for student learning outcomes

Example: Students will acquire abilities to engage in independent and creative thinking and solve problems effectively (Critical Thinking.)

OUTCOMES = OBJECTIVES Specific knowledge, skills, or attitudes that students

are expected to achieve through their college experience Example: Students will accurately apply perspectives

from at least three different disciplines and advance convincing reasons to connect and differentiate among these perspectives.

Goals and Outcomes

Goal: Students will have the ability to relate to and work effectively with diverse groups of people (Interpersonal Communication) Outcome 1: Upon completion of a freshmen

seminar course, students will be able identify and manage the verbal and nonverbal dimensions of communication in a variety of contexts.

Outcome 2: Upon completion of the freshmen seminar course, students will be able to cooperate with team members to prepare a coherent formal debate presentation.

Hierarchy of goals and outcomes

UNIVERSITY GENERAL EDUCATION STUDENT LEARNING GOALS

PROGRAM OUTCOMES

COURSE

GENERAL EDUCATION OUTCOMES

STUDENT LEARNING

General Education

Goals

Program Level Outcomes

UNIVERSITY GENERAL EDUCATION STUDENT LEARNING GOALS

PROGRAM OUTCOMES

COURSE

GENERAL EDUCATION STUDENT OUTCOMES

STUDENT LEARNING

Acquire abilities to use libraries, computer applications and emerging technologies.

Locate and navigate information resources using technology to gather evidence relative to a thesis

The program will teach students the basic use of a scholarly search engine.

Students will locate and use Social Science peer reviewed journals when composing a research paper.

Students will cite, using APA style, all the

resources used in a literature review on a

Piaget, Skinner, or Erikson.

Hierarchy of goals and outcomes

Pop Quiz-Is it a Goal or Outcome?

Students will develop tolerance and respect for diverse groups of people

Students will understand the interdependence among disciplines in the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences.

Students will compose and revise well-structured and grammatically correct written arguments.

GOAL

GOAL

OUTCOME

What are Student Learning Outcomes

OUTCOMES Specific knowledge, skills, or attitudes that

students are expected to achieve through their college experience

Describe observable behavior indicative of learning or development

Student-centered! Aligned with the GE goals and the

program’s mission Specific Measurable Attainable Reasonable

Timely

Writing Student-Focused Learning Outcomes

Outcomes should be worded to express what the student will learn, know, or do as a result of the instruction-- NOT what the instructor or program will do for the student

The verb dictates the type of assessment Recognize – matching or multiple choice Demonstrate = performance assessment

BAD Outcome: Provide students with knowledge about how the library works.

BETTER Outcome: After taking the Research Methods course, students will be able to demonstrate their knowledge of how the library works by finding ten sources for a research paper in the library.

Bloom’s Taxonomy

Level Description

1. Knowledge Recognize facts, terms, and principles

2. Comprehension Explain or summarize in one’s own words

3. Application Relate previously learned material to new situations

4. Analysis Understand organizational structure of material; draw comparisons and relationships between elements

5. Synthesis Combine elements to form a new original entity

6. Evaluation Make judgments about the extent to which material satisfies criteria

Less complex

More complex

Bloomin’ Verbs

Bloom’s Level Verbs

1. Knowledge match, recognize, select, compute, define, label, name, describe

2. Comprehension restate, elaborate, identify, explain, paraphrase, summarize

3. Application give examples, apply, solve problems using, predict, demonstrate

4. Analysis outline, draw a diagram, illustrate, discriminate, subdivide

5. Synthesis compare, contrast, organize, generate, design, formulate

6. Evaluation support, interpret, criticize, judge, critique, appraise

Trice( 2000) p. 81; Grendler (1999), p. 69

The ABCD Method

A = Audience What population are you assessing?

B = Behavior What is expected of the participant?

C = Conditions Under what circumstances is the behavior to be performed?

D = Degree How well must the behavior be performed? To what level?

From “How to Write Clear Objectives”

Writing objectives isn’t creative writing: Just follow a formula!

Given [Conditions] the [Audience] will [Behavior] by [Degree].

The ABCD Method: Example

Outcome: Given 2 hours of time and access to all the library resources, students will be able to demonstrate their knowledge of how the library works by finding ten sources for a research paper in the library.

Audience Students

Behavior Demonstrate knowledge

Condition Given 2 hours of time and access

Degree 10 sources

Adapted from “How to Write Clear Objectives”

We may not be

ready to define

“degree” yet!

ACTIVITY

Take 5-10 minutes to write 1-2 Student Learning Outcomes with other members of your table using the ABCD method.

Reasonable Outcomes

Outcomes should be reasonable; that is, they should reflect learning that the student can accomplish as a result of completing General Education requirements. BAD Outcome: Students will demonstrate

open-mindedness for all cultures by strongly agreeing with all of the items on the Open-Mindedness Inventory (OMI)

BETTER Outcome: Upon completion of the Study Abroad program, participants will show an increase in open-mindedness through a 10-point increase on the OMI.

Observable, Measurable Outcomes Student learning should be assessed with

an observable, measurable outcome. Outcomes such as “know” and “understand” are not observable. BAD Outcome: Students will understand the

electoral college. BETTER Outcome: Students will be able to

distinguish between the electoral college and popular votes as they apply to modern elections.

Specific Outcomes

Outcomes should specify the criterion of acceptable student performance. BAD Outcome: The student will learn about

the various art forms. BETTER Outcome: Students completing

their IIA General Education requirement will be able to explain how artistic works and culture are interrelated.

Common Mistakes

Vague behavior Example: Have a thorough understanding of

particle physics. Gibberish

Example: Have a deep awareness and thorough humanizing grasp on…

Instructor behavior Example: Train students on how and where

to find information.

From “Mager’s Tips on Instructional Objectives”

Summary: The Benefits of Clear GE Outcomes

Provide common understanding of expectations within each Gen Ed Area

Provide focus Help students understand expectations,

focus their attention, and estimate how well they are doing.

Helps program administrators and staff clarify student learning and development priorities.

Dictate intervention Allow for self-evaluation

SCHEDULE

TIME: 11-12:00WHAT: Collaborate with ALL

departments in General Education sub-group area (e.g., IA, IIB, IIC) and map courses to General Education Student Learning Goals and rank the goals selected by level of importance (1-5, N/A)

1=least important - 5 = most important

TIME: 12-2:00WHAT: Working Lunch.

Staying in your original sub-groups, write specific student learning outcomes for your General Education sub-group area (e.g., IA, IIB, IIC), ALL relevant departments participate.

TIME: 2:00-3:00WHAT: Each General Education sub-group area (e.g., IA, IIB, IIIC) will share their curriculum map and specific student learning outcomes with the larger group

Documents

GENERAL EDUCATION FACULTY RETREAT