Core Curriculum and Liberal Education

1. Core Curriculum and Liberal Education Yueh-Ting Lee College of Arts and Sciences at UT September, 2007

2. PPT • Why do I Use Power Point?

3. Overview • My introduction to you • Experience of sharing governance • Challenges and Opportunities in American Higher Education • Serving as a C-E for NCA-HLC • Conclusions and Q’s & A’s

4. Born in China • Lee: been given many nicknames but Yueh-Ting (pronounced as “your-ting”)=Your Team • In the Central Part of China near the Yangtze River where people cannot differentiate between L and N

5. Along the Yongtze River

6. L vs. N • Life vs. Knife • Be alert vs. Be a nerd

7. Education in China • 1980-1984, BA, English Language and American Literature at Changcha Railway University (aka: South Central U. China) • 1984-1986, MA, Psychology, Beijing Normal University (North China)

8. Immigration and Education in the USA • Immigrated to the USA in 1986 • Graduate School and Ph.D. (1986-1991) in Personality and Social Psychology at State University of New York Stony Brook

9. MA MNNDOH. • 1994-2000 Psychology Faculty at Westfield State College of Massachusetts and Founding Director of Multicultural and Ethnic Studies Program • 2000-2005, Chair and Professor, Dept. of Ethnic and Cross-Cultural Studies, Minnesota State University, Mankato • 2005-2007 Dean and Professor, College of Arts and Sciences at Minot State U, ND • 2007 Plan to serve at UT in OH for a long time.

10. Teaching, Research, Grants, and Administrative Service • Taught a variety of courses for about 16 years. • Research 7 scholarly books and about 70 journal articles and other publications on person perception, stereotypes, social identity etc. from the perspective of mind, culture and evolution • About $6 million (external grants for faculty research and student learning) • Being a servant in Higher Education.

11. Sharing Governance • MTA (Massachusetts Teachers Association) • IFO in MN (Inter-Faculty Organization) • ND-Minot State U’s Faculty Senate • Look forward to working with you (e.g., sharing governance and faculty’s ownership of curriculum)

12. Challenges and Opportunities in American Higher Education • The Spelling Reports • AAA (Accountability, Affordability and Accessibility) • Differences and relations between liberal education, liberal arts education, and general education

13. A TEST OF LEADERSHIP Charting the Future of U.S. Higher Education A Report of the Commission Appointed by Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings The Spellings Report

14. Our higher education faces many global challenges and opportunities • American higher education faces many challenges and opportunities. A recent report of the Commission appointed by Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings, A test of leadership: Charting the future of U. S. Higher education, states, “as other nations rapidly improve their higher education systems, we are disturbed by evidence that the quality of student learning at U.S. colleges and universities is inadequate and, in some cases, declining” (see U.S. Department of Education, p. 3. http://www.ed.gov/about/bdscomm/list/hiedfuture/reports.html).

15. AAA • Accountability (e.g., quality and excellence) • Accessibility (e.g., to diverse people) • Affordability (e.g., cost-efficiency) e.g., Quality is going down. Cost is going up.

16. Accountability and Transparency  Excellence • Scholars and higher education leaders also obtained similar findings (see Bok, 2006; Hersh & Merrow, 2005; Kuh et al, 2006; Schneider, 2005). Educational transparency and accountability via assessment may help to assure academic quality and excellence (see Walvoord, 2004). Academic leaders (including CAS deans) in higher education perhaps play a role in this educational process.

17. Concerns which business and community Leaders or other professionals have about college graduates—e.g. • Critical thinking? • Communication skills (written & oral)? • Computational and math skills? • Collaborative skills and team work? Diversity? • Character Building? Civic Engagement? • Citizenship? Well-rounded and global • Broad inquiry into knowledge?

18. Derek Bok: President and Professor Emeritus at Harvard • Our Underachieving Colleges:A Candid Look at How Much Students Learn and Why They Should Be Learning More (2006, Princeton University Press)

20. Liberal Education and American Promise (LEAP) by AAC&U • AAC&U: Association of American Colleges and Universities (http://www.aacu.org/) • Liberal Education and America's Promise (LEAP) http://www.aacu.org/advocacy/leap/index.cfm

21. Liberal Education is not equal to liberal arts or general education • Liberal artsSpecific disciplines (the arts, humanities, social sciences, and sciences). General Education is the part of a liberal education (LE) curriculum shared by all students. It provides broad exposure to multiple disciplines and forms the basis for developing important intellectual and civic capacities. • e.g., CAS offers most basic courses for almost all students on UT campus

22. What is Liberal Education? • A philosophy of education that empowers individuals with broad knowledge and transferable skills, and a strong sense of values, ethics, and civic engagement. Characterized by challenging encounters with important issues, and more a way of studying than specific content, liberal education can occur at all types of colleges and universities. "General Education" and an expectation of in-depth study in at least one field normally comprise liberal education. By its nature, liberal education is global and pluralistic. It embraces the diversity of ideas and experiences that characterize the social, natural, and intellectual world. To acknowledge such diversity in all its forms is both an intellectual commitment and a social responsibility, for nothing less will equip us to understand our world and to pursue fruitful lives.

23. Surveys and Focus Group Study by Peter D. Hart Associates Inc and AAC&U • Proportion of employers who say colleges and universities should place more emphasis than they do today on selected learning outcomes (http://www.aacu.org/advocacy/leap/index.cfm) • e.g., 82%  Concepts and new developments in science and technology • 76%  Teamwork skills and the ability to collaborate with others in diverse group settings

24. Basic Findings • 1. Knowledge of Human Cultures and the Physical and Natural World • 2. Intellectual and Practical Skills • 3. Personal and Social Responsibility • 4. Integrative Learning

25. The mission of The University of Toledo is to improve the human condition; to advance knowledge through excellence in learning, discovery and engagement; and to serve as a diverse, student-centered public metropolitan research university. Liberal Education supports the UT’s Mission

26. Higher Learning Commission (HLC) of North Central Association • Being a consulting evaluator; core curriculum is a very significant part of evaluation of any institution accreditation. • Five Criteria for an Institutional Accreditation (Mission & Integrity, Preparing for the Future, Student Learning and Effective Teaching, Knowledge, Engagement and Service)

27. The Four Themes • Teaching  Learning Outcomes • Four Themes of organizations • Future-oriented • Learning-Focused • Connected • Distinctive

28. Conclusions and Summary • Be Part of the Faculty at UT which is part of American Higher Education • AAA Challenges and Opportunities • What can we do to improve our core curriculum philosophically and practically? • Q’s and A’s

29. Comments and questions Thank you. Yueh-Ting=Your Team