Questioning the Future of Liberal

EducationBryan Alexander, NITLE

Chad Berry, Berea CollegePeter Felten, Elon University

Ashley Finley, AAC&UAmy Jessen-Marshall, Otterbein College

Leo Lambert, Elon UniversityJuliette Landphair, University of Richmond

John Ottenhoff, Associated Colleges of the MidwestMichael Reder, Connecticut College

What if...1. ...liberal education really focused on how people learn?

2. ...we reorganized academic departments, curricula, and majors to promote and reflect what we know about learning and knowledge?

3. ...we changed the reward and incentive structures for faculty, students, and academic leaders to reflect what we know about learning and knowledge?

4. ...we took an assets- or solutions-based approach to students and liberal education?

5. ...we rethought how higher education is funded and structured so that high-impact educational experiences are available to all students?

1. What if...

•...liberal education really focused on how people learn?

2. What if...

•...we reorganized academic departments, curricula, and majors to promote and reflect what we know about learning and knowledge?

3. What if...

•...we changed the reward and incentive structures for faculty, students, and academic leaders to reflect what we know about learning and knowledge?

4. What if...

•...we took an assets- or solutions-based approach to students and liberal education?

5. What if...

•...we rethought how higher education is funded and structured so that high-impact educational experiences are available to all students?

What if...1. ...liberal education really focused on how people learn?

2. ...we reorganized academic departments, curricula, and majors to promote and reflect what we know about learning and knowledge?

3. ...we changed the reward and incentive structures for faculty, students, and academic leaders to reflect what we know about learning and knowledge?

4. ...we took an assets- or solutions-based approach to students and liberal education?

5. ...we rethought how higher education is funded and structured so that high-impact educational experiences are available to all students?

Choose a question

•In your small group, respond to, sharpen, dissect, improve ... the question.

Synthesize your discussion

•In your group, write on one notecard your revised question(s).

What else?

•What are one or two other fundamental questions that need to be asked?

What’s next?

•Your questions and synthesis (now), http://blogs.nitle.org/let

•Academic Commons volume (later 2010), http://academiccommons.org

•Continuing conversations