1 / 15

Presentation to the Faculty Senate on General Education

This presentation outlines the current state of General Education at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) and advocates for necessary reforms. It emphasizes the critical importance of effective communication and critical thinking skills as identified by employers and academic institutions. The history of UNLV's General Education requirements is reviewed, alongside recent developments and evaluations aimed at aligning the curriculum with national standards. Faculty involvement is crucial for implementing a robust General Education program that meets the educational needs of students for their future careers.

cameron-rush
Télécharger la présentation

Presentation to the Faculty Senate on General Education

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Presentation to the Faculty Senate on General Education March 27, 2007 • Beth Rosenberg, Dir. of Gen. Ed.beth.rosenberg@unlv.edu – 895-3633 • Jeff Jablonski, Asst. Dir. of Gen. Ed.jablonsk@unlv.nevada.edu – 895-0947 • Dave James, Assoc. Vice Provost for Academic Programsdave.james@unlv.edu - 895-5804

  2. Purpose • To present current status of General Education at UNLV • To request that you take the lead in changing UNLV General Education

  3. Why Change Gen. Ed. Some More? Research-extensive universities have strong general education programs! Employers and graduate/professional schools see major needs to improve communications and critical thinking abilities in university graduates

  4. UNLV General Education History • 1995 ─ Boyer Commission on Educating Undergraduates in the Research University • Created under auspices of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching • 2000 ─ Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities’ accreditation review • No coherent rationale, goals, or philosophy for Gen Ed core • Substitutions serve the needs of department majors and not students’ liberal education. • 2000 ─ Assoc. of American Colleges and Universities publishes Greater Expectations: The Commitment to Quality as a Nation Goes to College • 2001 ─ Faculty Senate affirms General Education Rationale and Philosophy

  5. UNLV General Education History • 2002 ─ National context for Gen Ed reform • AAC&U Greater Expectations National Panel Report • Harvard University begins comprehensive review of its undergraduate core curriculum • U.S. News & World Report begins “Academic Programs to Look For” list • 2003 ─NWCCU Interim Report requests more progress on assessment and General Education • Gen Ed Ad Hoc Task Force appointed by Carol Harter • Gen Ed Task Force, chaired by Chris Hudgins, revises rationale and develops “interim core” for 2004-2006 catalog deadline • Lowers Gen Ed credits from 44-45 to 34-35 • Recommends new position: Gen Ed Director

  6. UNLV Gen. Ed. 2004 History • Beth Rosenberg appointed Dir. of General Education • Develops Mission Statement • Develops a “Roles and Responsibilities” document to clarify the charge of the Director, her General Education Advisory Committee, and FS Gen Ed Committee • Rosenberg et al apply for NEH grant for Gen Ed pilot project; proposal rejected • Rosenberg and Gen Ed Advisory begin assessment of the “non-distribution” courses: Constitution, ENG 101/102, ENG 231/232, math • Harvard University faculty publish white papers on General Education

  7. UNLV Gen. Ed. History • 2005 ─Rosenberg appoints Writing Across the Curriculum Committee • 2006 ─Assessment and Strategic Planning • Rosenberg sends out requests for assessment plans for one distribution area (unnamed), August deadline • Jeff Jablonski appointed Assistant Director of Gen Ed (WAC) • Bea Babbitt and Rosenberg visit College Executive Committees requesting assessment plans by December 18 • Rosenberg submits Strategic Plan to Provost’s Office requesting approximately $140,000 for faculty development and Writing Across the Curriculum • Benchmark comparison of Gen Ed programs

  8. UNLV: Gen. Ed. 2007 Events • Dave James appointed Associate Vice Provost for Academic Programs • Babbitt, James, and Rosenberg send out letter requesting assessment plans by March 10 • James, Babbitt, Jablonski, and Rosenberg apply to send five-person team to AAC&U General Education Institute: application rejected • Rosenberg steps down from Dir. of General Education, June 30 • Harvard University publishes Report of the Task Force on General Education • Future milestones • 2007 Fall ─ NWCCU Focused Interim visit • 2010 ─ NWCCU full review

  9. Progress in Last 3 Years • Approved Gen Ed rationale and mission statement • Developed learning outcomes • Produced Strategic Plan and budget request • Began Gen Ed Assessment • Started Writing Across Curriculum initiative

  10. Common Features of WAC • More discipline-specific and “informal” writing - writing “in context” of major • Faculty development • Student support (writing center, tutors) • Curricular requirements • Knowledgeable leadership • Administrative support ─ funding and faculty rewards

  11. Results from Study of UNLV Undergraduate Writing • First-Year Composition Program - Freshman writing comparable to other schools that use ACT Collegiate Assessment of Academic Proficiency (CAAP) exam • Fall 2005 Assessment Reports - Practically all 87 undergraduate programs reported meeting their own expectations regarding learning outcomes, including communication skills • Career Services ‘05-’06 On-Campus Recruiting Survey: • “Students’ written communication and interpersonal skills continue to be the lowest ranked qualities for our students year after year” • Only 10 of 266 students who took GMAT exam in 2005 scored above 80th percentile, 70% scored below mean • Suggests drop-off of writing ability compared to freshman composition data

  12. Faculty Survey • 216 responses from faculty, PTIs, GAs (8% response rate) • 94% reported requiring writing • 57% rated student writing “poor,” 19% “very weak,” 6% “extremely poor,” 17% “good,” 1% “very good.” No one rated it “excellent” • Support for writing requirements • 76% supported more writing requirements in undergraduate major • 72% supported more writing requirements as electives • 82% supported more writing requirements in general education • 55% supported requiring students to pass a writing proficiency exam after sophomore year

  13. Proposed Actions for WAC • See proposed mission and program objectives • Goal, to improve retention of writing skills in upper division • Options: • Within major: One upper-division WI course taught in major • Expand to include more WI courses, other curricular arrangements, e.g., gen. ed. writing “links” and writing“labs” attached to upper division major classes • Study results of implementing options • Suggest further exploring writing proficiency requirement

  14. Gen. Ed. - Looking to the Future at UNLV • Vision and Leadership • Who at UNLV will engage in national and campus dialogues on Gen Ed? • Who will engage with “customers” for UNLV graduates (employers, graduate/professional schools) • Who will implement changes? • Operational • Budget? • Course/faculty/staff development? • Assessment?

  15. Questions?Ideas and Suggestions?Thank you! Now, We’d Like Your Input!

More Related