Liberal Education and America’s Promise: Changing the Conversation about Student Success and Institutional Accountability SHEEO—Denver, CO August 2009

What is LEAP? (LEAP) is an initiative that champions the value of a liberal education and focuses campus practice on fostering essential learning outcomes for all students. LEAP seeks to engage the public with core questions about what really matters in college, to give students a compass to guide their learning, and to make a set of essential learning outcomes the preferred framework for educational excellence and accountability, assessment of learning, and new alignments between school and college.

LEAP Goals  Change national and state conversations about higher education—focus on learning students need to contribute to economic success and civic vitality  Focus campus change efforts on broad learning outcomes important for all students and teaching practices that lead to outcomes  Build capacity to speak more clearly about learning outcomes to the public  Deepen public understanding of what really matters in college—a new vision for 21 st century learning

Association of American Colleges and Universities

Narrow Learning is Not Enough— The Essential Learning Outcomes  Knowledge of Human Cultures and the Physical and Natural World Focused by engagement with enduring and contemporary big questions  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 and Applied Learning Demonstrated through the application of knowledge, skills, and responsibilities to new settings and complex problems

Emerging Consensus on Essential Outcomes  Educators  Accreditors  Civic and Philanthropic Leaders  Business Leaders Note—students and their parents don’t know about this consensus—we need to communicate this clearly to them.

Key Capabilities Open the Door to Career Success “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 7

The Salary Premium for Essential Learning 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):  Writing  Inductive and Deductive Reasoning  Judgment and Decision Making  Problem Solving  Social/Interpersonal Skills  Mathematics  Originality Source: Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce 8

How Should Colleges Prepare Students To Succeed In Today’s Global Economy? Key findings from survey among 305 business leaders and 510 recent college graduates conducted November 2 – December 5, 2006 for The Association of American Colleges and Universities ASSOTESCIA

Employers’ Views: Percentage of Employers Who Want Colleges to “Place more Emphasis” on Essential Learning Outcomes Knowledge of Human Cultures and the Physical and Natural World –Science and Technology82% –Global Issues72% –The role of the US in the world60% –Cultural values and traditions (U.S./global)53% Intellectual and Practical Skills –Teamwork skills in diverse groups76% –Critical thinking and analytic reasoning73% –Written and oral communication73% –Information literacy70% –Creativity and innovation70% –Complex problem solving64% –Quantitative reasoning60%

Employers’ Views: Percentage of Employers Who Want Colleges to “Place more Emphasis” on Essential Learning Outcomes Personal and Social Responsibility –Intercultural competence (teamwork in diverse groups)76% –Intercultural knowledge72% –Ethics and values56% –Cultural values and traditions (U.S./global)53% Integrative and Applied Learning –Applied knowledge in real-world settings73% Note: These findings are taken from a survey of employers commissioned by AAC&U and conducted by Peter D. Hart Associates in November and December For a full report on the survey and its complete findings, see

How Should Colleges Assess and Improve Student Learning? Key findings from survey among 305 business leaders and 510 recent college graduates conducted November 8 – December 12, 2007 for The Association of American Colleges and Universities

Employers Evaluate College Graduates’ Preparedness 13 Teamwork Ethical judgment Intercultural skills Social responsibility Quantitative reasoning Oral communication Self-knowledge Adaptability Critical thinking Writing Self-direction Global knowledge Mean rating* * ratings on 10-point scale: 10 = recent college graduates are extremely well prepared on each quality (How Should Colleges Assess and Improve Student Learning? AAC&U/Peter D. Hart, 2008) Very well prepared (8-10 ratings)* 39% 38% 35% 32% 30% 28% 24% 22% 26% 23% 18% Not well prepared (1-5 ratings)* 17% 19% 21% 23% 26% 30% 31% 37% 42% 46%

LEAP WI  Launched in March 2005; Linked to Growth Agenda for WI  Shared Learning Goals (passed 2008)  Statewide mtgs/campus-community forums/faculty retreats; Wingspread  Statewide student essay contest  Syllabus project  Media Outreach—op-eds, radio programs

LEAP OR  Launched in 2007  Focus on learning outcomes, curricular change, assessment, K-16 articulation  Provost’s Council  Give Students a Compass  Regional Meetings  Interinstitutional Learning Outcome and Assessment Task Force (2008 Progress Report)

For full LEAP Report and poll data: