Maintaining Coherence Integration of Course, Program, and University Outcomes Michael Zieg Department of Geography, Geology, and the Environment Slippery Rock University, PA

Degree Coherence: We Are Not Alone Each program is part of broader institutional environment Must demonstrate a contribution to University’s mission Funding, other support may depend on explicit furtherance of institutional goals University can provide resources outside our specialties General Education/Liberal Studies (e.g., communication, humanities) Allied disciplines (e.g., math, chemistry, physics) Co-curricular activities and organizations (e.g., cultural enrichment, student clubs)

Degree Coherence: We Are Not Alone Student awareness of coherence Course requirements within and outside department work together Students frequently divide courses into “major” and “other” Major courses → important (easy to see relevance) Other courses → unimportant (difficult to see relevance) We should demonstrate the importance/relevance of external requirements if we want students to take them seriously

Degree Coherence Matrix How does the program support the University mission? Program outcomes University-wide student learning outcomes How are the goals accomplished? Degree (program) coursework Liberal Studies (General Education) program requirements “Out-of-classroom” or co-curricular experiences How do we know it’s all working? Assessment methods Results & analysis

Example

Degree Coherence Matrix Outcomes Coherence Assessment Plan

“External” Outcomes

Establishing Degree Coherence Consider the relationship between program and university missions and resources Universities typically strive for ~ “Liberal Arts” education Programs often emphasize ~ “pre-professional” training How does your degree program accomplish the university mission? Courses within the major department Courses external to the major department Additional programs/experiences

Acknowledgements Degree coherence approach at SRU inspired by Dr. Dan Weinstein, Winthrop University Implementation at SRU driven by Dr. Tom Flynn, Communications