Brief Summary of General Education Task Force Program Recommendations

Brief Summary of General Education Task Force Program Recommendations

Recommendation (1)—Areas to Strengthen

The Task Force reviewed the current model at Saint Mary’s in light of the mission of the College and needs of our current and future students. We recommend that the following areas be included or strengthened.

Diversity, which should include both theoretical and practical experiences. In this area, we need to address issues of race, class (including poverty and disability) and gender in this country and in a multicultural and/or international context (such as study abroad)
Women’s Studies
Catholic character/mission of the College, which in addition to religious studies might include justice education and service learning experience.
Integration of learning.

Recommendation (2)

To strengthen the general education curriculum and to move our program into the 21^st century, the task force recommends the following revision of the definition and program statement and central goals:

Program Statement and Central Goals

A liberal arts foundation provides a broad vision and perspective that enables women to think and act critically and creatively to make a difference in an increasingly diverse and complex world.

The General Education Program establishes a base for liberal learning within the Catholic tradition of open inquiry and social justice, providing a multidimensional approach through which students:

1. Develop a deepening awareness of themselves as women through reflection and examination of spiritual and ethical values;

2. Experience and integrate diverse modes of inquiry;

3. Apply knowledge through critical thinking, experimentation and problem solving;

4. Increase communication skills and information fluency; and

5. Cultivate intellectual curiosity, cultural awareness and independent learning.

Recommendation (3)

To move to a more coherent and integrated program, we recommend three broad areas that encompass the skills and knowledge from which students build their General Education experience.

(1) Skills of Learning and Modes of Communication

(2) Modes of Inquiry

(a) Natural Sciences and Quantitative Studies

(b) Social Sciences

(c) Humanities and Fine Arts

(3) Multidimensional and Integrating Experiences

Recommendation (4)--Tandems

The Task Force recommends that the number of tandems be increased and that all students be required to enroll in a tandem in their first or second year.

Recommendation (5)--Senior Capstone Special Topics

These courses are designed for seniors and invite those at the end of their college careers to cross disciplinary lines to discuss special topics or interdisciplinary themes with students from various majors.

Recommendation (6) -- Electronic Portfolios

The Task Force recommends using E-portfolios in the General Education Program to demonstrate student learning and growth over time

Recommendation (7)--Assessment

Assessment of General Education Program must occur in three areas:

Assessment of Student Learning
Assessment of Courses included in General Education as addressed in the Governance proposal.
Assessment of the General Education Program

The Task Force recommends an annual review of survey data that gets folded into the Governance process for course review and at the College level for program review.

General Education Task Force

Proposals

Strategic Plan, Area of Focus I. Educate Women to Make A Difference in a Complex World. Strategic Initiative 1: Breadth of Learning.

The General Education Task Force was asked to (1) Define general education and its goals so that they are clear and coherent to faculty, students and external constituencies; communicating these definitions, and (2) Define the structure and governance of general education.

Introduction

Survey results from students indicate that the General Education Program at Saint Mary’s College is not well understood, lacks coherence and is generally viewed by students as a check list of courses or irrelevant obstacles to be surmounted in order to get on with their major.

Periodically, perhaps every decade or so, many colleges and universities set out to review and revise their general education program to update them and make them more relevant. This sort of review was also conducted at Saint Mary’s at the beginning of the 90’s and the faculty engaged in debate about an effective model to meet the general education needs of students. Various models were proposed, such as a series of interdisciplinary core courses in common for all students or a departmental based distribution model. Common to all suggested models was the goal to support and empower students to become self-motivated learners with a foundation in different ways of viewing the world. However, there was no clear consensus as to the most effective pathway to achieving this goal.

The Task Force researched models at other institutions and found no single solution. There are many variations of models from core interdisciplinary courses in common, distribution models and hybrids and first year seminars on a single theme or multiple themes.

The General Education Task Force has taken on such a task again. The goal is a program of courses and experiences to help students develop and understand multiple perspectives on the world’s diversity and to sustain a life of learning.

Recommendation (1)—Areas to Strengthen

Diversity, which should include both theoretical and practical experiences. In this area, we need to address issues of race, class (including poverty and disability) and gender in this country and in a multicultural and/or international context (such as study abroad)
Women’s Studies
Catholic character/mission of the College, which in addition to religious studies might include justice education and service learning experience.
Integration of learning.

Specific course requirements and distribution are not specified in these recommendations.

Recommendation (2)

Current research suggests that some of the values of the current and incoming students, “the millennials,” value working together, integration of knowledge and getting to know one another and their professors. A successful general education program must resonate with the common values of our students and the mission of the college. It must also be articulated clearly to the students and prospective students and carried out enthusiastically by the faculty.

Program Statement and Central Goals

A liberal arts foundation provides a broad vision and perspective that enables women to think and act critically and creatively to make a difference in an increasingly diverse and complex world.

The General Education Program establishes a base for liberal learning within the Catholic tradition of open inquiry and social justice, providing a multidimensional approach through which students:

1. Develop a deepening awareness of themselves as women through reflection and examination of spiritual and ethical values;

2. Experience and integrate diverse modes of inquiry;

3. Apply knowledge through critical thinking, experimentation and problem solving;

4. Increase communication skills and information fluency; and

5 . Cultivate intellectual curiosity, cultural awareness and independent learning.

Recommendation (3)

To move to a more coherent and integrated program, we recommend three broad areas that encompass the skills and knowledge from which students build their General Education experience. We have suggested below a possible distribution of departments and programs within the recommended model.

(1) Skills of Learning and Modes of Communication—This area encourages personal creativity and confidence in expressing ideas with precision and grace through writing and speaking. A student will learn research skills to analyze and evaluate information and create new knowledge. She will become a better learner by developing skills that support and enhance her learning at Saint Mary’s and throughout her career and life.

Writing, Modern Languages, Information Fluency, Public Speaking, Communication.

(2) Modes of Inquiry—This area provides the full breadth of understanding of a variety of domains of knowledge. By exploring each new field, the student will learn to think across disciplinary boundaries and incorporate the knwoledge gained throughout future studies.

(a) Natural Sciences and Quantitative Studies provide insight into the natural world in which we live. Scientific literacy is beneficial and necessary to understand the principles of natural phenomena and scientific methods as a way of describing/understanding/knowing the world. Quantitative studies are essential to develop logical, reasoning and problem solving skills.

Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Nursing, Mathematics

(b) Social Sciences provide insight into the individual and the societal environment in which we live. The social sciences allow the student to experience modes of thinking and make connections among individual actions, social forces, interdependence and occurrences in a contemporary world.

Sociology, Social Work, Anthropology, Psychology, Economics, Political Science, Business

(c) Humanities and Fine Arts provide insight into the arts, literature, history, spirituality, ethics and values as expressions of the human mind, imagination, and spirit.

English Literature, Humanistic Studies, Philosophy, Religious Studies, History, Women’s Studies, Theater, Music, Art, Dance.

(3) Multidimensional and Integrating Experiences--This area ensures that the student will integrate multiple modes of inquiry and skills of learning. The student’s experience helps her gain an appreciation of cultural differences and a global perspective.

Diversity, Intercultural Studies, General Education Senior Capstone Special Topics, Internships, Service Learning, Tandems, Study Abroad.

Recommendation (4)--Tandems

The Task Force recommends that the number of tandems be increased and that all students be required to enroll in a tandem in their first or second year.

Tandem courses provide students the opportunity to make connections between two different academic disciplines. They build upon our students’ appreciation of working together, integration of knowledge and getting to know one another and their professors, Through an emphasis on small group discussion, students develop an appreciation for the interconnectedness of ideas and concepts that extend beyond one particular area of study. Because of the close interaction between faculty and classmates, student learn to work together to understand better the integrated issues facing the 21st century woman and the world around her.

Recommendation (5)--Senior Capstone Special Topics

Capstone courses are designed to broaden a student's perspective beyond her discipline and to provide an opportunity for the integration of previous courses in the major and the General Education Program of the College. These courses are designed for seniors and invite those at the end of their college careers to cross disciplinary lines to discuss special topics or interdisciplinary themes with students from various majors. Each student will bring the principles, theories, methods, and skills learned in both her general education and major courses to bear on discussions and projects of broad concern.

Capstone courses are taught within departments with the approval of both the department and the general education program. They allow faculty members to develop areas of special interest that invite interdisciplinary and, where appropriate, cross-cultural conversation. Capstone courses may raise ethical issues and concerns as well as questions of social justice, responsible citizenship, and lifelong learning.

The final evaluation of E-portfolios (see below) may be linked to Capstone courses. These portfolios provide an opportunity for seniors to reflect on their undergraduate experience and also serve as a tool for assessment of the general education program at Saint Mary's.

The task force suggests reducing the number of required General Education courses in the first two years which will allow faculty to teach more capstone special topic courses yet not increase the total number of general education hours required for students.

Recommendation (6) -- Electronic Portfolios

The Task Force recommends using E-portfolios in the General Education Program to demonstrate student learning and growth over time. A critical element in the success of E-portfolios is the student’s reflection on and integration of their learning. Use of the E-portfolio can serve multiple purposes:

(1) An electronic device to save products of courses and experiences that can be referred to over time, e.g., writing samples from the Writing Intensive course during the first year for reference in the Writing in the Major course during the senior year.

(2) An assessment tool to demonstrate a student’s development through the course of her academic career at Saint Mary’s.

(3) As a means to demonstrate Information Technology proficiency, if used to save products in multiple media (web pages, PowerPoint presentations, video of a performance or public speaking, etc.) and if using various software (word processing, web page creation, spread sheets, statistical analysis).

(4) As an electronic resume and portfolio containing selections from her portfolio, used for job applications.

E-portfolios might be implemented gradually, starting with Tandems that are “W” classes for writing evaluation, and then expanded to Writing in the Major classes or the Senior Capstone Special Topics course, then throughout the General Education coursework.

Consultation with IT indicates that current technology at Saint Mary’s would support use of E-portfolios within the current course management system and that capacity is adequate for gradual implementation.

Recommendation (7)--Assessment

Assessment of General Education Program must occur in three areas:

Assessment of Student Learning—With the use of E-portfolios, assessment could be conducted by individual faculty for outcomes of an individual course, through advising for longer term academic development and as part of the Senior Capstone course.
Assessment of Courses included in General Education as addressed in the Governance proposal.
Assessment of the General Education Program through questions on the Soph/Sr. and Alumnae surveys. The Task Force recommends an annual review of survey data that gets folded into the Governance process for course review and at the College level for program review.

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Costs

It is not clear, at this level of detail what the costs of these recommendations will incur. Areas of cost identified at this point are:

Those associated with some shifting of resources required to develop and implement required Tandems.
IT costs for using E-portfolios, including those associated with training activities needed to support student use, faculty use and administering the assessment activities for student learning.

Proposal from the General Education Task Force

Strategic Plan – 2005

Governance of General Education

Introduction: Under the current governance structures the curriculum committee is currently responsible for the governance of the General Education curriculum:

Section I, Part 1.a.(4)(d)

2)) RESPONSIBILITY The Curriculum Committee

b)) reviews and recommends the structure and purpose of the core curriculum;

f)) reviews and approves departmental recommendations regarding which courses satisfy the core curriculum;

h)) reviews and approves proposed changes in course offerings which affect the degree requirements of more than one department or the core curriculum of the College;

i)) has responsibility for assessment of general education though the implementation of Systematic Assessment to Improve Learning (SAIL) procedures for general education;

In reviewing the governance of the General Education curriculum (also called the core), it has become apparent that the curriculum committee does not have adequate time (nor the political power) to properly review the general education curriculum. In practice, the curriculum committee has only approved courses, and has not undertaken a systematic review of the curriculum as a whole, nor participated in the assessment of the overall program. The task force sees several major issues that must be resolved:

1) A systematic review of courses that are currently listed as meeting general education requirements to determine if they still meet the goals of the general education curriculum and removing those designations when appropriate.

2) The responsibility reviewing new courses, as proposed by the sponsoring department, to see if the course meets the goals of the general education program.

3) The dissemination of advising guidelines to faculty (especially new faculty) to allow coherent, clear and useful advising of students.

4) Assessment of the curriculum in meeting the goals of the General Education program, and adjustment of the curriculum to meet those goals.

Proposal: Because of the constraints on the curriculum committee with regards to the governance of General Education, the task force proposes the following changes:

1) A new committee on General Education be formed as a committee of the President. The composition of the committee will involve administrators, students and a majority membership from faculty. The exact composition will be determined later, but it is highly desirable to have the faculty members of the committee also be teaching in the general education curriculum.

2) The committee will have the responsibility for:

a. Approving the general education designation for all new courses.

b. Periodically review current courses to determine if they should continue to be designated as a general education course.

c. Periodically review the overall structure of the general education curriculum to determine if the course selections are sufficient for students achieve the goals of the general education program.

d. Participate, in collaboration with the assessment committee, in the assessment of the general education program.

e. Any exceptions to the general education curriculum (see Science, art, etc) must be approved and periodically reviewed by the general education committee.

3) The committee will not approve new courses, but if a course is to be considered in the general education program, it must be approved by both the curriculum committee and the general education committee.

4) The General Education committee will select one member to represent it on the academic affairs committee.

5) Conduct regular sessions with faculty in order to improve advising in the general education curriculum. These should include a session with new faculty.

Cost-Benefit Analysis: We are proposing a new permanent committee of the college. While we understand that the proliferation of committees is of great concern to the faculty as a whole and the burden on faculty time is of keen concern to all of us. However, we believe that this proposal is crucial to the continued growth and success of our general education program. There is no direct cost to the college, as this would a part of the faculty and administrator role in governance. The time required for this committee would be no more than other active committees on campus.