1. GENERAL EDUCATION: WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH ME?
STUDENT SUCCESS SEMINAR
AUGUST 5, 2015
TERINA R. LATHE LEAD, GENERAL EDUCATION
GENERAL EDUCATION AND CORE4 ALIGNMENT TEAM

2. WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH ME?

3. BLAHBLAHBLAH
How many of you have checked your phone in the last 10 minutes?
How many of you have thought about the 10 things you need to have done by the end of the day?
How many of you are wondering why you have to sit through this, because obviously, you have more important and pressing things to do? You know...stuff that MATTERS?
How many of you are wondering, what does that have to do with ME?
And how many of you have had the fleeting thought that this is all a waste of time, just something that I had to do, because someone said I had to do it?

4. WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF ALL THIS?
EDUCATION
PRICE/COST
Here is the thing...we, as faculty and staff, and NOT that different from our students.
They too have other things to do, they don't their time wasted, and they often feel like they are just doing what they have to do because someone told them to do it...
Once upon a time, I had a student...we were discussing in class, the purpose and function of higher education. I asked several questions...why were they in college? What did they want from this experience? Why were they taking my class? What was the purpose of MY class?
One student, a young man who I knew traveled each day from Gaston County, to take classes a CPCC, a smart young man, but not particularly a "good" or engaged student, raised his hand...and this is what he had to say:
"When I am in class, I think about the money I could be making...every hour I am in a class, I am not making money. And it pisses me off when I have to take classes that don't have anything to do with what I want to do...I enjoy your class, don't get me wrong, but coming to this class comes at a price."

5. THE “COSTS” OF EDUCATION
FAMILY
MONEY
JOBS
I listened and I heard. I learned after class, when he came to speak with me about the class discussion, that he was one of several kids in his single-parent family, and that his income was important to the well being of the family. When he said that for all the fun-and-games of college, and all the "transformation" possible at college, that this came with a price...I understood.
I have heard this many times from many students. Going to college is not a luxury for much of our student population. Taking time out to go to class means time away from work, from money, from family. Paying for college means money not going to other things. They have a life outside our classrooms...children, family, jobs...all kinds of things that REALLY MATTER.
We, as faculty and staff, at CPCC obviously love what we do...we love our disciplines, our responsibilities, and our students. And yet we too, can wonder, when doing something...what does this have to do with me? How is this important?
Again, we are not much different from our students. Just as they have a life, and just as they don't want to expend time, energy, and money on something that is NOT relevant to their lives...so do we.

6. ALIGNMENT OF GENERAL EDUCATION AND CORE4
ASSESSMENT
GENERAL EDUCATION
JUSTIFY, ARTICULATE, AND DOCUMENT WHAT WE ALREADY KNOW IS GOOD, AND VALUABLE AND IMPORTANT ABOUT EDUCATION
IN A WAY THAT CONNECTS TO A STUDENT’S LIFE, EDUCATIONAL GOALS, AND CAREER ASPIRATIONS
What IS different is that we can change this...and that is what this Alignment of General Education and Core4 really is all about.
It is about being able to articulate a truly good and ethical reason for why students should take this class or that class...why they need this particular class...and what they should get from a class.
We have to do a better job of justifying what we already know is true...that being exposed to a variety of disciplines (via the General Education program) is a GOOD and WORTHY thing...and that this "thing" can be defined, taught, and assessed.
We have to do a better job of helping our students recognize and appreciate skills (like Communication and Critical Thinking, via Core4) as important to THEIR goals...not just ours.
We owe our students a reason for why they are in our classrooms. We owe them a reason why taking a class is worth the time, money, energy, and effort. In short, we owe them a reason why they "pay the price" they do to be in our classroom.
And we can't forget others who are "invested" in higher education...everyone of you is a taxpayer, and like all other taxpayers, and stewards of the public fund, we are duty-bound to be able to justify the significance and importance of what we are doing...
It isn't that our work ISN'T significant, nor important...we know that, we've always known that...we just haven't necessarily been great about being able to explain that to others, particularly our students.

7. General Education Purpose Statement
This core education may be attained through a variety of courses and disciplines, which in summation, challenge students to attain a specified competency in critical thinking, written communication, and oral communication.
The purpose of General Education, as a program within all other programs, is to provide students a core education required for continued success in higher education and/or the workforce.
FIRST, SOME BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON WHAT I MEAN BY “GENERAL EDUCATION”

8. All studies of programs require a "set" of General Education courses.
Going forth, this set of General Education courses, will be identified as the General Education Program.

9. AS A PROGRAM, within all programs, the General Education Program:
Provides discipline specific knowledge and skill sets, which expand understanding of and ability to interact in a diverse and global society.
Provides an articulated and integrated understanding of how the course, as representative of the General Education Program, supports educational and/or career goals
Provides appropriate assignments and assessments that clearly articulate a General Education goal (critical thinking, written communication, or oral communication)

10. BACK TO THE STUDENT WHY DO I HAVE TO TAKE THIS CLASS?
WHAT DOES THIS CLASS HAVE TO DO WITH ME?
HOW IS THIS CLASS GOOD FOR ME?
We have to do a better job of justifying what we already know is true...that being exposed to a variety of disciplines (via the General Education program) is a GOOD and WORTHY thing...and that this "thing" can be defined, taught, and assessed.
We have to do a better job of helping our students recognize and appreciate skills (like Communication and Critical Thinking, via Core4) as important to THEIR goals...not just ours.
We owe our students a reason for why they are in our classrooms. We owe them a reason why taking a class is worth the time, money, energy, and effort. In short, we owe them a reason why they "pay the price" they do to be in our classroom.
And we can't forget others who are "invested" in higher education...everyone of you is a taxpayer, and like all other taxpayers, and stewards of the public fund, we are duty-bound to be able to justify the significance and importance of what we are doing...
It isn't that our work ISN'T significant, nor important...we know that, we've always known that...we just haven't necessarily been great about being able to explain that to others, particularly our students.
So, here we go...coming at it from the perspective of the student

11. WHY DO I HAVE TO TAKE THIS CLASS?
The General Education program includes classes from a variety of disciplines, and of course, each course within a discipline offers specific and amazing information and skill.
What we have to do for our students is to be able to articulate the following:

12. SIGNIFICANCE of this class
PURPOSE of this class
SIGNIFICANCE of this class
HOW this is taught?
HOW this is learned?
THIS is evidence of having attained said learning
THIS is how I will collect (and how you may collect and show) said learning

13. WHAT DOES THIS CLASS HAVE TO DO WITH ME?
Courses in the General Education Program can often seem disassociated with one another.
What we have to do for our students is to articulate the following:

14. Written Communication, Oral Communication or Critical Thinking
This class, in addition to discipline-specific knowledge and skills, provides a GENERAL EDUCATION Learning Outcome
Written Communication, Oral Communication or Critical Thinking
The General Education Learning Outcome will be taught this way (x), learned this way (y), and assessed this way (z).

15. HOW IS THIS CLASS GOOD FOR ME?
Think about it...what does a sociology course offer someone working in a computer science, healthcare, or automotive field? SOC 210 (Introduction to Sociology) is a course in the General Education Program. Sociology happens to be what I teach, and love, and live, and breathe, but if I can't explain how this is beneficial in any field, than I am not doing right by my students.
What we have to do for our students is to articulate the following:

16. How it is important for any college/career goal.
How the General Education Learning Outcome aligned with this course is beneficial.
How it is important for any college/career goal.

17. PLACEMENT IN CURRICULUM
GENERAL EDUCATION
CORE4
ALL PROGRAMS
CORE4
GEN-ED
ALL PROGRAMS
How the two are different, and how they are similar
WITHIN ALL PROGRAMS
ACROSS ALL PROGRAMS

18. RELATIONSHIP
GENERAL EDUCATION GOALS TAKE THE STUDENT FROM POINT A TO POINT B
CORE4 TAKES THE STUDENT FROM POINT B TO POINT C
GEN-ED
CRITICAL THINKING
CORE4

19. GOING FORTH COMING YEAR... SELECTION OF COURSES
ATTACHMENT OF GOAL TO COURSE
DISCUSSION OF KEY INDICATORS
POLICY/PROCEDURES
ASSESSMENT
ALIGNMENT WITH CORE4
GOING FORTH

20. WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH YOU?
EVERYTHING...AND NOTHING
IT HAS EVERYTHING TO DO WITH HOW WE PROVIDE AN ETHICAL AND WORTHY EDUCATION TO OUR STUDENTS
IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH YOU, BECAUSE IT ISN’T ABOUT US...IT IS ABOUT OUR STUDENTS