Integration, Innovation, and Internationalization: General Education and Mission Alignment

1. Integration, Innovation, and Internationalization: General Education and Mission Alignment Promising Practices Session: AAC&U Network for Renewal General Education and Assessment: New Contexts, New Cultures New Orleans, LA February 25, 2012

2. Session Facilitators: David Griffin, Dean of Academic Affairs, European Programs Melissa Mecham, Vice President of Admissions and Student Services Elizabeth Fountain, Associate Faculty

3. Session Outline: What drives the need for a new undergraduate curriculum model? (15 minutes) City University of Seattle’s model: An overview (15 minutes) How can this model apply to your institution? (30 minutes) Small group discussions Questions and answers, synthesis of discussion (15 minutes)

4. What drives the need for a new undergraduate curriculum model? Increasing diversity in student populations Age, academic experience, nationality, languages Increasing demands for accountability for student learning Learning outcomes assessment, total cost of college education Increasing need to prepare for professional success and provide a foundation of liberal learning Industry needs for specific and “soft” skills Increasing need for multiple pathways to degree completion Freshmen entry, transfer students, returning students

5. City University of Seattle’s new undergraduate curriculum model: An overview Mission and international character of CityU “Anyone with the desire to learn” – open opportunity 6000-7000 students worldwide, eleven countries Professional-oriented programs in business & management, technology, education, psychology, and communications In the U.S. – primarily adult returning learners, with a new freshmen population; in Europe, Mexico, and Australia, primarily traditional-age undergraduates

6. City University of Seattle’s new undergraduate curriculum model: An overview CityU’s challenge: Design an undergraduate curriculum model that is – Congruent with the mission and coherent academically; Links theory to practice; Serves multiple populations of students with various needs; and Removes unnecessary obstacles to completion.

7. Multiple pathways design: How it works at CityU Foundations: Research in knowledge management – scaffolding of experiences to successfully transmit knowledge Lumina Foundation’s Degree Qualifications Profile – outcomes and standards for each degree level, using common components AAC&U’s Value Project Rubrics – means to determine levels of student achievement

8. Multiple pathways design: How it works at CityU Steps: Define learning outcomes at the associate’s and bachelor’s levels (DQP, VALUE) Articulate clear curricular sequences and pathways with various entry points (freshman and transfer) Construct theory-to-practice opportunities at each step in the curricular sequence Determine means of assessing student achievement of learning outcomes

9. Undergraduate curriculum model Complete undergraduate degree (freshman through senior year) “Pivot point” Infuse applied & performance-based learning, best practices in scholarship and teaching Degree completion (junior and senior year)

10. How can this model apply to my institution? Small group discussions

11. Questions and Answers Synthesis of Discussion