Towson University’s Core Curriculum USM GENERAL EDUCATION FORUM FEBRUARY 26, 2016.

Slides:



Advertisements
Similar presentations
Ability-Based Education at Alverno College. Proposed Outcomes for Session 1. To introduce you to Alvernos approach to designing integrative general education.
Advertisements

RIDE – Office of Special Populations
The Common Core State Standards: Opportunities and Challenges for the Mathematical Education of Teachers.
Agenda Why the change? What changed?
Welcome to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Advising 1001.
Bridging the Sophomore Gap: A Developmental Model of Information Literacy Shawn Bethke, Head of Library Public Services George Loveland, Library Director.
A Systemic Approach February, Two important changes in the Perkins Act of 2006 A requirement for the establishment of Programs of Study A new approach.
Selected Items from a Report of the Higher Learning Commission Comprehensive Evaluation Visit to OSU Pam Bowers Director, University Assessment & Testing.
Ivy Tech and the HLC Assessment Academy Learning College Conference February 26-27, 2009.
SEM Planning Model.
Stony Brook Model for General Education Assessment Pilot Report November 13, 2003 GEAR as a Catalyst for Change Beginning to Build a Campus- Wide Culture.
Assessment Plans Discussion CLAS Unit Heads Maria Cimitile, Associate Dean, CLAS Julie Guevara, Accreditation & Assessment Officer January 11, 2006.
Welcome to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Advising 1001.
Be a Part of Something Great! Learning Communities at Wayne State.
Curriculum, Instruction, & Assessment
University Conference 2009 Overview and Brief Discussion of Survey Results Debi Cartwright David Hayes Mary Shapiro Thursday, February 19, 2009.
Accreditation: An Opportunity to Promote Information Technology Fluency NLII Annual Meeting San Diego, CA January 26, 2004 Joan K. Lippincott CNI.
Middle School Recommendations December Middle School Design Team (MSDT) 1. Support for the Middle School Model as Implemented in APS 2. Focus on.
Continuing QIAT Conversations Planning For Success Joan Breslin Larson Third webinar in a series of three follow up webinars for.
2009 NWCCU Annual Meeting Overview of the Revised Accreditation Standards and New Oversight Process Ronald L. Baker Executive Vice President and Director,
The Learning Evidence Team Dr. Tracy Edwards Chief Learning Officer Valencia Community College February 18, 2004.
Engaging the Arts and Sciences at the University of Kentucky Working Together to Prepare Quality Educators.
Career and Technology Education (CTE) in Maryland.
SLOAC Committee Flex Day Working Session Date: Time: 12:45 – 2:15.
Assessment Cycle California Lutheran University Deans’ Council February 6, 2006.
Undergraduate Core at Doane March 14, Overview of Undergraduate Core at Doane Philosophy of the Undergraduate Core at Doane (aligned with mission)
Year Seven Self-Evaluation Workshop OR Getting from Here to There Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.
Drury: Our Context Small college (1,600) in SW Missouri; founded by Congregational church Liberal arts heritage, now with professional & master’s programs.
Joey Offer, Ph.D. QEP Director. QEP Central Goal: Considerations Survey results from the ACC community and the greater Austin community ACC student success.
Campus Plan East & Winter Park Mission Statement East Campus values innovation, creativity and achievement. This Campus Plan provides the initial.
Teachers’ and Advisors’ Conference 30 April 2015 The Leeds Curriculum - a voyage of discovery Karen Llewellyn and Caroline Campbell.
ACM Faculty Career Enhancement Workshop June 3-4, 2011 Finding Our Way: Strategies for Internationalizing Undergraduate Psychology Dana Gross and Kenneth.
Marilyn Kurata, Ph.D. Director of Core Curriculum Enhancement Marilyn Kurata, Ph.D. Director of Core Curriculum Enhancement Faculty Forum March 24, 2012.
Evidence of Student Learning Fall Faculty Seminar Office of Institutional Research and Assessment August 15, 2012.
EHS and EMS Presentation 11/12/10 With thanks to Lucille E. Davy, Senior Advisor, James B. Hunt, Jr. Institute.
Preparing and Evaluating 21 st Century Faculty Aligning Expectations, Competencies and Rewards The NACU Teagle Grant Nancy Hensel, NACU Rick Gillman, Valporaiso.
What could we learn from learning outcomes assessment programs in the U.S public research universities? Samuel S. Peng Center for Educational Research.
General Education at Oakland University. General Education  Broad-based knowledge  Skills  Preparation for citizenship, further study, and careers.
MEAP / MME New Cut Scores Gill Elementary February 2012.
N O The Standard Course Level Approach to Assessment of General Education DCC General Education Characteristics Writing Skills Oral Communications Analytical.
Common Core State Standards A Brief Overview for Staff Members of Public Schools of Petoskey September 2011.
The Undergraduate Curriculum at Doane A briefing by the General Education Task Force Gerry Allen, John Burney, Alec Engebretson, Kay Hegler, Adam Hunke.
The Conceptual Framework: What It Is and How It Works Linda Bradley, James Madison University Monica Minor, NCATE April 2008.
NOVA Evaluation Report Presented by: Dr. Dennis Sunal.
1 The Common Core State Standards Implications for Teacher Preparation The Importance and Impact of Effective Practice K-16 Dorothy S. Strickland, Ph.D.
Supporting Your Child Through the Transition to Common Core Mathematics What Parents Need to Know.
Members of the CCBC General Education Review Board August 2013 General Education Program at CCBC.
DEEP DIVING INTO THE REVISED MSCHE STANDARDS FOR RE-ACCREDITATION ​ Brigitte Valesey, Ph.D. Widener University ​ Drexel Assessment Conference ​ September.
CAA Review Joint CAA Review Steering Committee Charge Reason for Review Focus Revision of Policy Goals Strategies Milestones.
CAEP STANDARD 1: TEACHERS KNOW THEIR CONTENT AND TEACH EFFECTIVELY STANDARD 1 COMMITTEE.
Richland College Teaching, Learning, Community Building ThunderWater Organizational Learning Institute: Faculty Professional Development Richland College.
Laboratory Science and Quantitative Core Requirements.
Academic Program Review
Report from Curriculum Committee 4/3/2017
Partnership for Practice
ORTIi Annual Conference April 28, 2016
Phyllis Lynch, PhD Director, Instruction, Assessment and Curriculum
Academic Affairs Update Monday, April 17, 2017
General Education Review
Director of Policy Analysis and Research
Stop, Collaborate and Listen:
Elements of General Education
First-Stage Draft Plans for Gen Ed Revision
Colorado Graduation Guidelines
Curriculum design Compliance with the new regulatory framework using the new ACU templates.
Moving toward the EDGE:
General Education Redesign Task Force
EDUCAUSE MARC 2004 E-Portfolios: Two Approaches for Transforming Curriculum & Promoting Student Learning Glenn Johnson Instructional Designer Penn State.
HART RESEARCH A S O T E C I AAC&U Members On Trends In Learning Outcomes, General Education, and Assessment Key findings from online survey among 433 Chief.
General education core issues
Presentation transcript:

Towson University’s Core Curriculum USM GENERAL EDUCATION FORUM FEBRUARY 26, 2016

Towson University’s Core Curriculum  The purpose of the TU University Core is, in part, to provide students with an experience of different approaches to learning, different disciplinary frameworks for analysis, and different perspectives on issues and beliefs 1  Implemented in 2011, the Core comprises 14 categories of courses, organized under 4 themes:  Fundamentals  Ways of Knowing  Writing in a Chosen Field  Perspectives  Collectively, these courses are aligned with:  Current Maryland General Education Requirements  Middle States Commission for Higher Education Requirements  TU’s Strategic Plan and Goals 1.Source: Report of the General Education Review Committee Towson University, Fall 2008

Components of the Core (1)  Fundamentals  Fundamentals (Normally taken during the first year of college study) 1. Towson Seminar 2. English Composition * 3. Mathematics (at or above the level of college algebra) * 4. Creativity and Creative Development *  Ways of Knowing  Ways of Knowing (Normally taken during the first two years of college study) 5. Arts and Humanities (Must be taken in a discipline different from the course meeting requirement 4. A foreign language course may be taken to meet requirement 5.) * 6. Social and Behavioral Sciences * 7. Biological and Physical Sciences (with laboratory) * 8. Biological and Physical sciences, (with or without laboratory) * * Indicates alignment with MD General Education Requirements

Components of the Core (2)  Writing in a Chosen Field  Writing in a Chosen Field (Normally taken in the third year of college study) 9. Advanced Writing Seminar  Perspectives  Perspectives (One course under Perspectives must be taken in a discipline in the arts and humanities, different from the discipline in requirement 5. * One course under Perspectives must be taken in a discipline in the social and behavioral sciences, different from the discipline in requirement 6. *) 10. Metropolitan Perspectives 11. The United States as a Nation 12. Global Perspectives 13. Diversity and Difference 14. Ethical Issues and Perspectives * Indicates alignment with MD General Education Requirements

Learning Outcomes & Assessment  The University Core requirements, as a group and individually, are linked with a set of articulated learning outcomes for Towson Students  Courses within specific categories are assessed annually for their effectiveness in addressing the targeted learning outcomes for the category

The Core by the Numbers

Trends Since Introduction

The Good, The Bad and the Ugly  The Core Curriculum represents a substantial commitment of resources and planning effort to schedule and staff  It meets the Maryland General Education requirements and that of Middle States  For the most part it is working as expected, but there are areas that require our attention  This year’s January Conference was devoted to addressing the Core Curriculum  Faculty and staff from across the campus convened  Dr. Carol Christ was our keynote speaker  This was followed by a series of concurrent sessions that focused on a wide range of issues  The crucial questions we have begun to evaluate include:  Is the Core sustainable in its present form?  What aspects need to be refined or modified?

Most Significant Current Issues Core 1: Towson Seminar  Our original intent was to require both entering Freshman AND transfer students to take a Towson Seminar  This has been waived from the outset for transfer students  Considerable number of classes no longer offered and difficulty scheduling a sufficient number of sections each semester  Significant number of students must repeat the TSEM  TSEM is the only Core category which is designated to fulfil the information literacy requirements of Middle States accreditation Core 10-14: Perspectives  This where the second arts & humanities course and social & behavioral science course typically is found  Convoluted system for designation as arts & humanities versus social & behavioral science.  We ‘ve had trouble transitioning from our old GenEd system to offer a sufficient number of courses in certain perspectives categories  Difficulty aligning transferred courses to perspectives categories within transfer packages

Another Concern  Are we really able to demonstrate that the Core Curriculum is meeting its intended goals?  No assessment of the categories as a whole  Courses within each Core Category are assessed on a 7-year cycle  Data expected to be collected and compiled annually  Per review of assessment process and results  Process to recertify courses periodically now being developed  Assessment plans are decentralized to the College or Department  Varying levels of department and faculty commitment to the assessment process

Looking Forward: Other Important Issues & Concerns (1)  Do we really need to have such a large Core Curriculum?  Current Maryland General Education requirements allow a range of courses for 4-year programs  Fulfilling TU’s Core now at (depending on courses selected)  Do we have the right balance between Core and Major requirements?  Considerable variance among majors with regards to number of courses required for the major (many dictated by outside bodies, e.g., NCATE)  Initial stipulation that Core and major could only overlap by two courses  Morphed to no be no more than 2 per HEGIS code

Looking Forward (2)  Do we have the right mix of Core Categories?  Are we creating the most important “competencies of the mind”?  What are the long-term outcomes we hope our Core will foster?  Multidimensional thinking and problem solving  Employment/career success  Informed, engaged citizens  Prudent habits/lifestyles  Could certain courses across categories be linked to explore issues that would benefit from (if not require) an inter-disciplinary approach?  Courses within categories are largely autonomous (unless part of a sequence within a particular discipline)  Few courses deliberately incorporate service learning components

What’s Next?  Our Core curriculum should not be static, but needs to evolve  Our transition from the old Gen Ed System to the Core was not a revolutionary change, but a progression to better prepare our students for their future careers and lives beyond TU  We are in the initial stages of revisiting our Core Curriculum to refine it to  Incorporate more high impact practiceshigh impact practices  Be a more sustainable program