Faculty Retreat on General Education GE Taskforce Presentation November 18, 2011

Phase I: GE Revision Process Revise General Education Mission and Goals Susan Taylor, LAS and Steve Tragesser, ENG Taskforce work and campus dialogue: fall 2009 to fall 2010 Nov 2010: UCCS campus-wide faculty vote approving revised GE Goals (93% approval)

UCCS General Education Goals Vision: General education at UCCS prepares students for success in their majors, professional pursuits, and lives as creative, thoughtful, informed, and engaged members of our diverse, global society. The goals of our general education program focus on three interrelated areas of learning, all of which are essential to an undergraduate education. Through the general education curriculum, students will develop competencies in each area and the ability to integrate these competencies as a foundation for lifelong learning. Evaluate and Create Know and Explore Act and Interact

Phase II: GE Revision Process Christina Jiménez, LAS and Jeff Ferguson, COB Taskforce work began in March 2011, continued through summer and fall 2011 Our charge: to design a structure to implement the faculty-approved GE Goals and a structure of faculty governance for the university-wide general education curriculum

GE Committee Members Chris Bell Sue Byerley Tom Christensen Jenny Dorrington Julaine Field Traci Freeman Lea Gaydos Peter Gorder David Havlick Katie Kaukinen Sherry Moreale Nina Polok Steve Tragesser Kee Warner David Weiss Glen Whitehead Regina Winters

Our goal for today: to get faculty ideas and input Overview of the current GE structure Present preliminary ideas from our committee work No proposal at this point Need faculty ideas, feedback, and input First of many opportunities to dialogue with the faculty about our GE program

Where did we start? Studied our current GE curricula Read the research about effective General Education programs Assessed the strengths and challenges of our current GE curricula

Strengths of our current GE curricula Breadth Strong disciplinary-based course offerings University-wide writing programs Plenty of flexibility for students to choose

Challenges of our current GE curricula Lack of coherence: a list of courses to “get through” Lack of integration Lack of intentionality Transferability of skills from GE course work to a student’s major Ineffective communication about our GE vision to faculty and students

Our key GE challenge to create Intentionality Vision Coherence Integration

What does the research show? AAC&U’s (American Association of Colleges and Universities) LEAP (Liberal Education, America’s Promise) Initiative High-Impact Educational Practices Research report: (http://www.aacu.org/leap/hip.cfm)

High impact practices What is UCCS already doing? How can we build on existing practices? What are other practices to consider?

High impact practices for consideration in UCCS GE program First-Year Seminars and Experiences Capstone Courses and Projects Common Intellectual Experiences --- Core Course --- Themes connecting courses Possible “components”

Some insights: Consider courses and course content, but also the intentional connections made between courses Several “means” exist to get us to our identified “end”

Our current GE curricula at UCCS Varies by college UCCS does not have a university-wide GE curriculum

= current total credit hours in UCCS college-based GE curricula (some examples) Nursing Elementary Education 53-54 cr. LAS Criminal Justice 49 cr. 45-49 cr. Business 48 cr. Engineering 37 cr. 31 cr.

Current Engineering BS GE Curriculum 31 Credits English 1310 portfolio PES 1110 PES 1120 Up to 4 added cr. in Natural Science 2nd Writing Course ENG 2090 3 cr. Hum or Soc. Sci. MATH 1350 Quantitative Reasoning MATH 1360 2nd Quantitative Reasoning

Current LAS Humanities BA GE Curriculum 45 Credits 3 cr. in Natural Sci. 3 cr. in Humanities HUM 3990 3 cr. in Social Sci. portfolio 1 hr. Lab English 1310 2nd Writing Course ENG 1410 Oral Diversity Quantitative Reasoning ID 105 or 200 Global

= existing common GE requirements across the colleges totals 22 credits Nursing Elementary Education 53-54 LAS Criminal Justice 49 45-49 Business 48 Engineering 37 31

Existing common GE requirements across the colleges (22 credit hours) portfolio English 1310 4 cr. Natural Sci. 3 cr. Hum or Soc. Sci. 2nd Writing Course Quantitative Reasoning

= existing common GE requirements across colleges = remaining GE credit hours to be decided by each college = possible additional GE requirements across colleges Nursing Elementary Education 53-54 LAS Criminal Justice 49 45-49 Business 48 Engineering 37 31

High impact practice: first-year experience Gateway Experience: Introduces students to GE vision and goals Explores knowledge of self and the world around us Introduces new perspectives in learning and understanding 1st Year Gateway Experience

High impact practice: capstone experience 4th Year High impact practice: capstone experience Capstone Experience: Requires students to integrate and apply what they have learned Could be a research project, internship, performance, exhibit, or other experience, not necessarily a course Can link GE Goals to major

Capstone Experience 4th Year ? 1st Year Gateway Experience

Capstone Experience Gateway Experience

High impact practice: common intellectual experience Core Integrative Course: Study complex problems from multiple perspectives Learn tools of analysis from multiple disciplines Provide cohesive, intentional linkages to GE goals Core Integrative Course 2nd Year 1st Year Gateway Experience

Gateway Experience Core Integrative Course 3rd Year 2nd Year 1st Year Gateway Experience

Capstone Experience Gateway Experience 4th Year Core Integrative Course 3rd Year Core Integrative Course 2nd Year 1st Year Gateway Experience

College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences’ Distributed List for Area Requirements Natural Sciences Arts or Humanities Social Sciences

“Structured List” of courses for university-wide GE curriculum Natural Sciences Arts or Humanities Social Sciences

the Structured List? One idea How should we organize the Structured List? One idea Know & Explore Act & Interact Create & Evaluate

How should we organize the Structured List? Another Idea Responsibility Engagement Inclusiveness Sustainability

Themes within the Structured List Provide coherence as a common intellectual experience, a high impact practice More clearly show the vision of GE Provide the experience of addressing complex problems using frameworks and methodologies from several disciplines Achieve GE goals in an integrated way

Themes within Structured List Natural Sciences Arts or Humanities Social Sciences Natural Sciences Arts or Humanities Social Sciences Natural Sciences Arts or Humanities Social Sciences Natural Sciences Arts or Humanities Social Sciences Natural Sciences Arts or Humanities Social Sciences Natural Sciences Arts or Humanities Social Sciences Self & Society Gateway Experience

Themes within Structured List Create & Evaluate Know & Explore Act & Interact Create & Evaluate Know & Explore Act & Interact Create & Evaluate Know & Explore Act & Interact Create & Evaluate Know & Explore Act & Interact Create & Evaluate Know & Explore Act & Interact Create & Evaluate Know & Explore Act & Interact Creativity, Art & Innovation Gateway Experience

Themes within Structured List Responsibility Engagement Inclusiveness Sustainability Responsibility Engagement Inclusiveness Sustainability Responsibility Engagement Inclusiveness Sustainability Responsibility Engagement Inclusiveness Sustainability Responsibility Engagement Inclusiveness Sustainability Responsibility Engagement Inclusiveness Sustainability Power Gateway Experience

Existing Common Courses Quantitative Reasoning English 1310 2nd Writing Increase connection to GE Goals? Other ways to increase coherence and intentionality? Participate in themes? Include high impact practice?

Combination of possible components Natural Sciences 3rd Year Arts or Humanities 2nd Year Social Sciences English 1310 2nd Writing Course Quantitative Reasoning portfolio

? ? Social Sciences Social Sciences Sustainability Arts or Humanities English 1310 ? Social Sciences Social Sciences Sustainability Arts or Humanities Social Sciences Natural Sciences 2nd Year 3rd Year Arts or Humanities portfolio Act & Interact ? Natural Sciences Natural Sciences Know & Explore 2nd English Course Arts or Humanities Quantitative Reasoning Inclusiveness

FACULTY CONVERSATION TABLES Discuss possible components with other faculty at your table Provide focused feedback based on group conversations using the “component cards” Also complete your individual feedback form

Where: The Overlook “Nook” COME HAVE A COFFEE BREAK with members of the GE taskforce. Share ideas, ask questions, voice concerns. Wed, Dec 7, 2-4pm Thurs, Dec 8, 2-4pm Fri, Dec 9, 2-4pm Where: The Overlook “Nook” Coffee provided by Provost’s Office. PLEASE COMPLETE THE INDIVIDUAL FEEDBACK FORMS. WE WANT TO HEAR YOUR IDEAS, QUESTIONS, AND CONCERNS.