The Quality Imperative: New Vision, New Markers, New Accountability Raising the Bar: Preparing Utah College Students for Life, Work, and Responsible Citizenship Salt Lake City, UT April 14, 2010 Carol Geary Schneider

Agenda The National Dialogue on Student Success and the Quality of Learning Preparing Students to Succeed and Contribute – In the Economy and In Our Democracy Utahs Role as a Leader in the National Effort to Define – and Meet – 21 st Century Standards for Educational Quality and Success

Two National Dialogues about Student Learning in College Underserved Student Success – U.S. Success; Utah Success American Capability

Our Challenge: Merging the Two Dialogues Creating a Compelling Guiding Vision Fulfilling the Promise Even in the Midst of Economic Contraction

Dialogue #1 – U.S. Success: College Completion and Graduation Rates

The Demand for College Level Skills Is Going Up By 2018, 63% of all jobs will require postsecondary education (vs. < 30% in 1975)

The Supply of College Educated People Is Falling Short The U.S. used to lead the world in the % and # of college degrees But the college completion rate has leveled off at 40% Completion rate for younger people (25-40) is 10 th in the world

Economists estimate that by 2025, the U.S. will be 16 million college-educated workers SHORT of employer demand

The potential for growth in college enrollment now comes mainly from groups historically underserved by higher education: minorities; adult learners; immigrants; low income families and individuals

Bachelors Degree Attainment by Family Income Source: U.S. Department of Education, The Condition of Education Postsecondary Education Opportunity, no. 158 (2005) 8.6%

With Demand Rising, and Supply Falling, College Access AND Completion Have Become National and State Priorities

In This Context, the Markers of Student Success Are: Enrollment Persistence Successful Transfer Degree and Certificate Completion

But a SECOND Dialogue on Student Success Is Starting to Emerge This Dialogue Addresses the Quality of Learning – or American Capability

The Emerging Dialogue on American Capability Two Locations: On Campus Employers AAC&U – Connecting Educators and Employers Lumina Foundation for Education – Engaging Policy and Educational Leaders

– Greater Expectations A National Dialogue About Goals and Effective Practices in College Learning – Liberal Education and Americas Promise (LEAP) A Ten-Year Effort to Make Excellence Inclusive AAC&Us Work on Preparing Students for Twenty-First Century Realities

Utah was an important partner in Greater Expectations – AND, is now a partner state in LEAP

The Capability Debate There is a demand for more numbers of college educated workers. There also is a demand that those educated workers have higher levels of learning and knowledge.

US Economy Defined by Greater Workplace Challenges and Dynamism Every year, more than 1/3 of the entire US labor force changes jobs. Today's Students Will Have Jobs by the Time They Are % of Workers Have Been With Their Company Less Than 5 Years. Every year, more than 30 million Americans are working in jobs that did not exist in the previous quarter. DOL-BLS

The Innovation Challenge My company lives and dies on our ability to innovate and to create the new products and processes that give us an edge in this very competitive global economy. ESCO needs people who have both a command of certain specific skills and robust problem-solving and communication skills. Steven Pratt CEO, ESCO Corp. and Chair of the Oregon Business Council

Employers Are Raising the Bar 91% of employers say that they are asking employees to take on more responsibilities and to use a broader set of skills than in the past 90% of employers say that their employees are expected to work harder to coordinate with other departments than in the past. 88% of employers say that the challenges their employees face are more complex than they were in the past. 88% of employers agree that to succeed in their companies, employees need higher levels of learning and knowledge than they did in the past Source: Raising the Bar: Employers Views on College Learning in the Wake of the Economic Downturn (Hart Research Associates for AAC&U, 2010)

Key Capabilities Open the Door for Career Success and Earnings Irrespective of college major or institutional selectivity, what matters to career success is students development of a broad set of cross- cutting capacities… Anthony Carnevale, Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce

The New Markers of American Capability Evidence that Students Can Apply the Essential Learning Outcomes to Complex, Unscripted Problems – and Real-World Settings

The National Discussion About the Quality of Learningand Whether Students Are Actually Prepared for These New RealitiesIs Just Beginning LEAP Frames That Dialogue

Narrow Learning is Not Enough! The LEAP Essential Learning Outcomes Knowledge of Human Cultures and the Physical and Natural World Focused on engagement with big questions, enduring and contemporary Intellectual and Practical Skills Practiced extensively across the curriculum, in the context of progressively more challenging problems, projects, and standards for performance Personal and Social Responsibility Anchored through active involvement with diverse communities and real- world challenges Integrative Learning Demonstrated through the application of knowledge, skills, and responsibilities to new settings and complex problems

Employers Strongly Endorse the LEAP Essential Learning Outcomes – And They Urge New Effort to Help All Students Achieve Them

Balance of Broad Knowledge and Specific Skills Preferred Which is more important for recent college graduates who want to pursue advancement and long-term career success at your company? Broad range of skills and knowledge that apply to a range of fields or positions In-depth knowledge and skills that apply to a specific field or position BOTH in-depth AND broad range of skills and knowledge Raising the Bar: Employers Views on College Learning in the Wake of the Economic Downturn (AAC&U and Hart Research Assoc. 2010)

How important is it for colleges and universities to provide the type of education described below? This particular approach to a four-year college education provides both broad knowledge in a variety of areas of study and more in-depth knowledge in a specific major or field of interest. It also helps students develop a sense of social responsibility, as well as intellectual and practical skills that span all areas of study, such as communication, analytical, and problem-solving skills, and a demonstrated ability to apply knowledge and skills in real-world settings. Source: How Should Colleges Prepare Students to Succeed in Todays Global Economy? (AAC&U, 2007)

How important is it for colleges and universities to provide this type of education? Less/not important Fairly important Very important Not sure Business Leaders 76% of employers would recommend this type of education to a young person they know. Source: How Should Colleges Prepare Students to Succeed in Todays Global Economy? (AAC&U, 2007)

Higher Level Liberal Education Skills and Abilities = Higher Wages Data from Georgetown University Center for Education and the Workforce Center on Education and the Workforce

The Salary Premium for Liberal Education Outcomes From a federal database analyzing qualifications for 1,100 different jobs, there is consistent evidence that the highest salaries apply to positions that call for intensive use of liberal education capabilities, including (random order): Source: Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce Writing Inductive and Deductive Reasoning Judgment and Decision Making Problem Solving Social/Interpersonal Skills Mathematics Originality

Utahs Challenge Merging the Two Dialogues Creating a Compelling Vision that Makes the Essential Learning Outcomes the Key to Student Success Helping Students Achieve the Essential Learning Outcomes

Preparing Students to Succeed and Contribute Support for Access and Completion The Essential Learning Outcomes High Impact Practices Accountability/Assessments That Focus and Deepen Essential Learning

High Impact Practices: What They Are, Who Has Access to Them, and Why They Matter by George D. Kuh (LEAP report, October 2008,

The Crucial Role of High-Impact Educational Practices First-Year Seminars and Experiences Common Intellectual Experiences Learning Communities Writing-Intensive Courses Collaborative Assignments and Projects Science as Science Is Done/Undergraduate Research Diversity/Global Learning Service Learning, Community-Based Learning Internships Capstone Courses and Projects

Impact of Educationally Purposeful Practices on the Probability of Returning for the Second Year of College by Race **From Kuh, High Impact Practices: What They Are, Who Has Access to Them, and Why They Matter (AAC&U, 2008)

Impact of Educationally Purposeful Practices on First Academic Year GPA by Pre-College Achievement Level *From Kuh, High Impact Practices: What They Are, Who Has Access to Them, and Why They Matter (AAC&U, 2008)

Impact of Educationally Purposeful Practices on First Academic Year GPA by Race/Ethnicity **From Kuh, High Impact Practices: What They Are, Who Has Access to Them, and Why They Matter (AAC&U, 2008)

Do High-Impact Practices Foster Essential Learning Outcomes?

Outcomes of High Impact Practices for Underserved Students: A Review of the Literature Lynn Swaner and Jayne Brownell (AAC&U report, 2008, ning/DL2008/Resources) ning/DL2008/Resources

The Good News High Impact Practices Foster Gains on Essential Learning Outcomes

The Sobering News First Generation Students Often Miss Out

What Next? Refuse to Accept Narrow Programs and Blinkered Learning Make the Essential Outcomes Matter, From School Through College Make High Impact Practices Expected Rather than Optional

What Next? (Cont.) Build Portable Assessments that Show What Student Can Do With Their Learning Use Outcomes, Practices and Assessments to Focus and Deepen Student Learning – Building Capacity; Preparing for Success

Engage the Schools on Outcomes and Practices Develop Clear Frameworks for Expected Progresson All the Essential OutcomesFrom School Through College, Two-Year and Four-Year Set Quality Standards – for the Essential Outcomes – at Each Level Make Sure that Students Are Doing High Impact Work and ProjectsALL the Time Invest in Assessments that Show What Students Can Do with Their Learning –New Technologies Will Be Key

Make Outcomes Matter Across General and Major Programs Involve the Departments and Faculty General Education – Necessary but Not Sufficient Use the Outcomes to INTEGRATE General Education with Majors

The Lumina Foundation has launched a significant TUNING project to involve key disciplines in defining outcomes and quality levels for their students. Building on earlier work in the state, UTAH faculty are leaders in the TUNING project.

Build Portable Assessments That Show What Students Can DO With Their Learning Make high impact practices expected for all students – in general education and in majors Once students are engaged in high impact/high effort practices – such as research, internships, senior projects The best evidence about learning gains will be IN the portfolio

E-Portfolios Are Valued By Employers – and Can Be Sampled and Synthesized for External Accountability

Utah is uniquely poised to create a state-wide degree framework that links schools, general education AND majors to help all Utah students achieve the Essential Learning Outcomes, wherever they start their studies, and wherever they finish.

A Quality Framework for Utah Shared Learning Outcomes – That Build American Capability High Impact Practices that Support Essential Learning Outcomes Disaggregated Data – That Shine a Light on Underserved Students Progress and Achievement Students Best Work – Assessed and Synthesized For Public Reporting

National Surveys of Employers on College Learning and Graduates Work Readiness AAC&U commissioned Hart Research Associates (in 2006, 2007, and in late 2009) to interview employers (C-level suite executives and, in 2009 additional human resource professionals) whose companies report that hiring relatively large numbers of college graduates Findings are summarized in the following reports: How Should Colleges Prepare Students to Succeed in Todays Global Economy? (AAC&U, 2007) How Should Colleges Assess and Improve Student Learning? Employers Views on the Accountability Challenge (AAC&U, 2008) Raising the Bar: Employers Views on College Learning in the Wake of the Economic Downturn (AAC&U, 2010) See: