General Education Learning Outcomes Report to Faculty Senate and Office of Academic Affairs

Steering Committee Linda Subich, Chair Janet Bean (English, CAS) Thomas Calderon (Accounting, CBA) Irina Chernikova (Math, Summit) Mary Beth Clemons (ASG President) Katie Duff (BoT Student Trustee) Beth Graham (Communication, CPA) John Green (Bliss Institute) Virginia Gunn (Family & Consumer, HHS) Annie Hanson (Advising) Jennifer Holz (Wayne) Marlene Huff (Nursing, APC) Tim Lillie (Education, Senate) Elizabeth Mancke (History, CAS) David Perry (Chemistry, CAS) Andrew Rancer (Communication, CPA) Bill Rich (Law, APC) Joe Salem (Library) Linda Saliga (Math, CAS) Brooks Toliver (Music, CPA) Don Visco (Engineering) Sheldon Wrice (English, Summit)

Committee’s Charge VISION 2020, recognizes the need to prepare students with 21st century global competencies. – The examination of our current General Education Program is a part of VISION We were charged to – examine policy, research and practices relevant to a revision of the University’s General Education curriculum – to use that information to recommend changes in our current General Education curriculum

Baccalaureate Model Capstone Experience Deep Skills Deep Knowledge Broad Knowledge Broad Skills Capstone Experience Deep Skills Deep Knowledge Broad Knowledge Broad Skills

Learning Outcomes Four assumptions guide our General Education curriculum – Outcomes begin at the foundational level and should be expanded and built upon during the remainder of the baccalaureate degree work – Outcomes must be measurable – A capstone experience should culminate the student’s education at UA – Associate degrees fall under baccalaureate umbrella, and as such should address a subset of the baccalaureate learning outcomes

Assessment of the Outcomes Students’ successful completion of designated courses or experiences will indicate they have met the learning outcomes Institutional assessment of learning outcomes should be regular and include a mechanism for continuous improvement – This must be course-embedded – Student products should be collected for later sampling

Learning Outcomes Communication Skills and Information Literacy Critical Thinking and Complex Reasoning Skills Natural Sciences, Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities Social, Personal and Environmental Responsibility

1. Communication Skills and Information Literacy – Students will demonstrate foundational competency in written communication, oral communication and information literacy – This includes, for example : Understanding context and purpose Use of credible sources Use of appropriate style conventions, syntax, grammar, punctuation, spelling Use of information in a responsible, ethical and legal manner

2. Critical Thinking and Complex Reasoning Skills Students will demonstrate foundational competency in creating and evaluating reasoned arguments, and employing quantitative, qualitative, and normative information in such arguments This includes: – Creating reasoned arguments and evaluating the reasonableness of arguments – Employing appropriate analysis and application of quantitative, qualitative and normative information

Critical Thinking Quantitative information – Identify and evaluate magnitude and multitude measures – Manipulate and express these measures to solve problems Qualitative information – Identify and evaluate character and capacity assessments – Interpret and express contrary, relational and unique expressions of this information Normative information – Know and evaluate prescriptive and proscriptive claims – Acknowledge claims about personal behavior, social and intellectual life and describe how to use them to make ethical decisions

3. Natural Sciences, Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities Area Knowledge/Content competency – Know major concepts, findings, history, ethics – Find and evaluate information resources – Understand scientific, technical or cultural issues

3. Natural Sciences, Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities Area Knowledge/Content competency – Know major concepts, findings, history, ethics – Find and evaluate information resources – Understand scientific, technical or cultural issues Area Methods of Inquiry competency – Articulate, apply and evaluate scientific method as appropriate – Solve problems as appropriate – Use rhetoric to analyze creative works and their components – Communicate as appropriate to each area

4. Social, Personal and Environmental Responsibility Students will demonstrate foundational competency in knowledge and skills that promote social, personal, and environmental responsibility This includes: – Awareness of multiple dimensions of diversity – Awareness of responsible citizenship and the knowledge and skills that support it

Diversity Recognize multiple dimensions of diversity (broadly defined) Recognize cross-cultural difference within and outside of the US Articulate how diversity impacts knowledge and its application Work successfully in diverse teams

Responsible Citizenship Articulate the rights and responsibilities of national and global citizenship Demonstrate knowledge and skills in these areas: – Financial literacy – Personal health and its maintenance – Environmental sustainability – Legal, ethical and constitutional use of power

Next Steps Future dialogue about the learning outcomes – Present at Senate meeting – Present at campus forums hosted by Senate – Present at colleges – Review and consider feedback Offer recommendations for assessment of learning outcomes and continuous improvement Build a comprehensive implementation plan

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