1. Re-forming Liberal Education: Reconsidering and Remapping General Ed., the Major, and the Student Experience David C. Paris VP, Integrative Liberal Learning and the Global Commons, AAC&U AAC&U ILD Institute 2013

2. Overview: *A session at a somewhat different level *The current challenges (external/internal) to liberal/general education and the ILGC *The need for re-formation? *Content and design, curriculum and program *Big questions, integration and pathways, the student experience, structuring transparency

3. A Wider Context: Challenges to Liberal (General?) Education (And A&S)…. Declining enrollments, majors Throughput pressure, the completion agenda Questions of relevance, quality, cost The technological and curricular alternative models The policy follies, cutting majors, and the history premium

4. The AAC&U Responding to Challenges, Defending and Promoting Liberal Education A dual role: authority and support/development Professionalism and community organizing: advocacy, and the arsenal of AAC&U: LEAP/ELO, VALUE, HIPS… Support/development: networks, institutes (ILD), publications

5. ILGCs Mission? *The challenge restatedWhat is the what of liberal/general education? Can there be value without content? *The big muddy of content, design, and student experiencesrevisiting some basic issues *(New?) support/development for liberal education

6. Potential Elements of an Agenda/Charge Big Questions: wicked problems and global learning Integrative learning, curricular coherence and connection to programs (Remapping general education/major) Problem-focused curricula, programs Transparency and portfolios Whither the arts and sciences?

7. Big Questions and Wicked Problems * Perennial and contemporary issues beyond disciplines (identity, environment, justice understanding nature, culture, and society) *Whats a wicked problem? Global learning and issues in the making (e.g. human rights, Snowden)

8. Integration (A): curricular pathways * Connecting courses that touch (wicked) problems from several angles *Horizontal and vertical integration, reconsidering general ed. and the major *U. Cal. Chicopathways

9. Integration (B) within the institution, with other communities: *Co-curricular programs and learning outcomes (Kuh, experience is the best teacher--https:// chronicle.com/article/Maybe-Experience-Really- Can-Be/125433/; Guttman CC) *The growing role of internships, preparation for employment *Civic engagement, service learning building on a long tradition *E.g.: Wake Forest College to Career, BToP/A Crucible Moment

10. Transparency, assessment, and the (whole) student experience: *Portfolios as the new transcript/resume *HIPS/NSSE as surrogate measures? *VALUE rubrics assessing authentic student worka national mode of assessment? *Organizing the portfolio?

11. (At Least) Two Questions Leading to Others: *Internal: Are we organized (content, structure, experience, assessment) in ways that can (help) re-form liberal/general education? *External: How effectively is what we are doing (content, structure, experience, assessment) responding to public challenges and/or transfer to new models?

12. Rhetorical Provocations and Visions (Delusions): * Is the distinction between general ed./ major, breadth/depth still useful, helpful? *What if there were only general education? *What if one majored in an area or a problem?

13. Content? Knowledge for…? *Is transmitting disciplinary knowledge (and how it is obtained), what our students need? *How does what we teach relate to the issues and big questions students will confront in their personal, economic, and civic lives? *To what extent can/should curricular, co-curricular, and community programs be integrated as improving student experience/learning?

14. *Do our organizational structures reflect the way we want students to understand the world? *Should we replace departments with divisions as a way of organizing ourselves (gen. ed. vs. majors) and structuring students academic experience? *What if coursework were organized around student portfolio categories, statements/demonstrations of outcomes in broad categories of ways of knowing and categories of knowledge?

15. Two Strategies: Current ILGC Initiatives (Development/Support) *STIRS: evidence-based reasoning across the curriculum, framework and case studies *Integrative learning: nine/fifteen college consortium with initiatives across disciplines *Global learning: VALUE rubric, global handbook, gen. ed. as global ed. *Bridging Cultures: nine community colleges revising humanities courses around civic issues/community engagement

16. Advocacy/Authority Strategy *Do we need an updated, more prescriptive liberal learning statement? *Is there a curricular equivalent to HIPs? (the gathering problem) *Can E-portfolios establish a template for defining and demonstrating liberal learning? *Symposium 2014:

17. Help Wanted! *Please send reactions/ideas, suggestions, examples.. *How can we help you? paris@aacu.org