Walk, run, jump, leap: moving essential learning outcomes center stage

1. Walk, run, jump, leap: moving essential learning outcomes center stage AAC&U Meeting New Orleans February 23-25, 2012 General Education and Assessment: New Contexts, New Cultures Maureen Andrade, Kathie Debenham, KD Taylor Utah Valley University

2. Utah Valley University - At A Glance • Member of LEAP Campus Action Network • Participant in 2011 Shared Futures Project: Global Learning and Social Responsibility/GE • USHE State GE Task Force/Lumina Tuning Project • Carnegie Community Engaged designation • Surviving and implementing recent GE re-visioning

3. Overview: Moving ELOs Center Stage • Common Challenges to ELO Assessment • UVU’s Four-Step Approach • Identify simplified language to market the Essential Learning Outcomes (ELOs) • Refine communication processes • Provide professional development opportunities • Assess progress • Attendee Strategies and Solutions

4. Challenges – Recognize any of these? • Stakeholders unfamiliar with ELOs • Course syllabi do not list ELOs • Course syllabi list different ELOs for the same course • Lack of knowledge about the GE program • Faculty connected to disciplines, not GE • Large number of adjuncts teaching GE courses • Coordination of core themes, ELOs, GEOs & responsibilities for assessment • Accreditation recommendation • Publish outcomes • Develop consistent assessment practices • Improve learning

5. UVUs Essential Learning Outcomes (ELOs) • Integrated and Applied Learning • Engaged Learning • Integrated Learning • Applied Learning • Intellectual and Practical Skills Foundation • Communication • Quantitative Reasoning • Qualitative Reasoning: Critical, Analytical, and Creative Thinking • Information Literacy • Technical Literacy • People of Integrity • Ethical Reasoning and Understanding • Personal and Social Responsibility • Professional Competency • Ability to Adapt and Change • Teamwork • Problem Formation and Solution • Stewards of Place • Local Community • Global Community • Interdependence Among Communities • Knowledge Foundation • Core and Distribution

6. Identify GE program connection to ELOs ELOs- Detailed and Complex GEOs-Transparent and Memorable Communication Critical and Creative Thinking Community Core & Distribution courses • Integrated and Applied Learning • Intellectual and Practical Skills Foundation • Qualitative Reasoning: Critical, Analytical, and Creative Thinking • People of Integrity • Professional Competency • Stewards of Place • Knowledge Foundation

7. Content maintained • Reorganization • Simplification Approval ProcessesNeeded

8. Core Themes and ELOs

9. Marketing & Public Relations Internal Community • Trustees • Administration • Department Chairs • Faculty • Advisors • Staff • Students External Community • Commissioner’s Office • Board of Regents • Other institutions, state committees • Service region • Prospective students & friends of UVU • Employers

10. Internal Community External Community Speakers & panel discussions with civic leaders Website News media Magazines & brochures Career & internship fair Recruitment events Billboards Work with VP Engagement with Chambers of Commerce, business clubs & associations Social media • Presentations • Web site “ads” with links • Catalog • Syllabi • Digital signage • Magazines & brochures • Banners • Student orientation • Student handbook • Student newspaper • Forums • Social media • Common course shell for all GE courses in Canvas • Fall Faculty Convocation

11. Use Common GE Course Shell in Canvas Why How Summer Seminar for pilot group of faculty from departments teaching gateway courses Identify necessary common elements Provide significant faculty freedom for elements not needing to be common • Provide an identity for GE courses in LMS • Students see the continuity of GE outcomes related to the ELOs • To facilitate assessment via significant assignments required in shell • Provide access to uploading assignments in eportfolio

12. Employee Incentives Student Incentives Degree Career preparation & marketability Personal achievement Knowledge of educational & workforce expectations Responsible citizenship • Informed campus citizen • Ability to assist students • Professional development opportunities • Special events and recognitions • Guilt

13. Course Objectives & Syllabi COMET: Curriculum Online Management Enterprise Tool • Inclusion of ELOs in course/program design • List the ELO(s) that each GE course meets • 257 GE courses • Must be added manually • Needs approvals by Curriculum Committee and Academic Affairs Council SYLLABI • Prepare syllabus addendum explaining ELOs for all classes • Require course syllabus to include information about ELOs and how course meets specific ELO(s). • Suggest ways to summarize ELO(s) in e-portfolio

14. ELO Catalog Markers General Education Distribution Course CC - English Composition ** ENGL 2010 CC Intermediate Writing -- Humanities/Social Sciences 3:3:0 Su, F, Sp • Prerequisite(s): ENGL 1010 or ENGL 101H with a grade of C - or better. • Essential Learning Outcome(s): Intellectual and Practical Skills Foundation, Knowledge Foundation, Professional Competency ELODescription Possible abbreviated codes shown below Emphasizes academic inquiry and research in the humanities and social sciences. Explores issues from multiple perspectives. Teaches careful reasoning, argumentation, and rhetorical awareness of purpose, audience, and genre. Focuses on critically evaluating, effectively integrating, and properly documenting sources. In addition to major essay assignments, may include in-class writing and collaboration, an annotated bibliography, oral presentations, and portfolios. Code Description IA Integrative and Applied Learning IP Intellectual and Practical Skills Foundation PI People of Integrity PC Professional Competency SP Stewards of Place KF Knowledge Foundation

15. Faculty Center • Learning Circles • New faculty orientation • Summer training • Canvas GE course shell • ELOs • Assessment • Signature/significant assignment • Rubrics

16. Assessment of Strategies • Institutional Research data • Community response • Employer response • Faculty response • Social media feedback • Student survey on ELOs done as baseline Fall 2012 in Omnibus Survey; follow up two years later

17. Achievement of ELOs • Embedded assessments in GE and major courses • First year experience course • First year seminar • Capstone courses • E-portfolios

18. E-Portfolio Project • GE Committee Learning Circle • Zubizarreta, J. The learning portfolio, 2nd ed. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. • Guiding Questions • Why do want an e-portfolio system? • What key elements are we seeking from a system/platform? • What are the portfolio contents and design? • Stakeholder Meetings • Education and Business • Grants for Engaged Learning • Institute for Professional Engagement • Courses • English 1010 • History 1700 • Digital Media

19. Current Directions • Student experiences with e-portfolios and ELOs • Summer faculty training • Canvas GE course template • Signature assignments • Rubrics • Fall pilots • Student support kiosks • Data collection • Continued campus conversations

20. Bart’s takeaways • There are lots of different possible structures • The more the structure the more effective the GE program is • Organizational and Funding Structure is necessary to having an effective GE program (i.e. making an intentional educational impact on the students) • An effective GE program MUST be actively supported at the highest levels. • The GE program must have broad support from the faculty. • The organization given responsibility must have the ability to effect and manage change.

21. More Thoughts • There were a number of other institutions there looking for the same thing we were. • General Education needs to be something more than something that student ‘get out of the way’. • Faculty and Students must know its purpose and why they are there. • Quite a few presentations referred to re-certifying their GE courses either at the reorganization of their GE programs and/or at periodic intervals (every 3-5 years) • Most seem to have rather detailed instructions and/or templates which need to be filled out.