Untitled Document
Minutes of the General Education Assessment Committee Meeting of 6/16/2008
- Drs. Chapdelaine, Thomas, Cacicedo, Falabella, Koosed, Mech, Rice, and Kalouche were present.
- The meeting started with an overview of the administrative stance on attendance of First-year seminar workshops and on compensation. Since the meetings are meant to be for faculty development as well as for program development, the $1500 stipend would be covering the compensation to attend and participate in these workshops—and not to develop a new course, which is part of the regular teaching responsibilities of faculty. The workshops not only aim at faculty development and at assisting faculty in creating appropriate seminars, but they also aim at discussing and developing structures and elements of the overall seminar program.
- A preliminary schedule for the seminars was agreed upon: preferred times of the six workshops would be Mondays before faculty meetings, from 4 to 6 pm, with 3 meetings before the February 2 deadline for final syllabi, and three after the deadline. Tentative dates chosen were: September 15, October 20, November 17, February 16, March 23, and April 6 or 13.
- The committee decided to focus on two goals: 1) preparing the first couple of workshops, and dividing responsibilities among committee members; and 2) keeping the big picture in sight and continuing to prepare the overall general education curriculum proposal to the faculty. A discussion about the IDS component, and the reliance of clusters on existing academic study programs (that require consolidation and further coordination).
- Seminar workshops’ structures:
Structurally, workshops would consist of very short presentations and information-sharing (including handouts that will become part of future information packets), to be followed by a general discussion and faculty suggestions. The best organization of each seminar would be to follow a script such as: 1) this is what we need to do and why; 2) suggestions for how to do that and how to integrate structures and elements into our seminars; and 3) could you think of other related things that need to be discussed and/or integrated? Someone from GEAC would introduce the “what” and provide an example and ideas about courses (in certain cases, supporting materials or external presentations would also follow). Then the attention would be turned to the faculty participants who will share with all participants their thoughts, reactions, and suggestions about that specific aspect of the seminar. Following an open discussion, which could be initiated and/or led by someone, it is important to conclude with guidelines and general requirements about what to integrate in all seminars related to the topic at hand.
- Committee members proceeded to consider what the first three seminar workshops would cover.
- First workshop (September 15):
- general goals;
- liberal education and general education;
- models of Fist-year seminars;
- Albright’s First year seminar and general vision;
- What are you working on (in terms of class content and structures)?
Dr. Kalouche was assigned to the responsibility of looking for reading and informational materials, to submit to the committee for review and approval.
The first meeting would be introductory. It has to consist of conversations with colleagues, with committee members participating equally in the discussion as fellow teachers. The general vision of the seminar needs to be laid out again, with the big picture in mind. And before a general discussion, some reading material about liberal arts, general education, and first-year seminars could be made available as resources.
- Second workshop (October 10):
- Learning outcomes (list in description);
- How do you know that students learned and what evidence can show that they have learned what you’d like them to;
- Teaching texts and contexts: what is a context (historical, social, and individual)
- How can students understand texts and contexts?
- What do faculty members think as good ways of teaching texts and contexts?
- What do faculty members think as good ways for students to learn the outcomes associated with texts and contexts, and what would be the means of finding evidence of their learning?
Dr. Koosed was assigned to the responsibility of looking for reading and informational materials, to submit to the committee for review and approval.
- Third workshop (November 17):
- Reading, Writing, and Oral Communication;
- What is reading intensive and why?
- What is writing intensive and why?
- What is oral communication and why?
- What do faculty members think as good ways of teaching reading, writing, and oral communication?
- What do faculty members think as good ways for students to learn the outcomes associated with reading, writing, and oral communication, and what would be the means of finding evidence of their learning?
Dr. Cacicedo could be the coordinator.
10. Fourth workshop (February 16):
- Research and Information Literacy;
- Information Technology;
- Same structure as in other workshops, but also inquire about faculty needs of support or assistance; with possible presentations by Information Technology staff and Library Staff.
Dr. Falabella could be the coordinator.
- Fifth workshop (March 23):
- Creating a learning community through integrative (and experiential) learning;
- Collaborative opportunities and/or efforts (how to organize and/or link with other courses);
- Similar structures as in other workshops, but highlighting possibilities for interaction with, and contributions from, Experience Committee, Student Affairs (Campus Activities and Multi-Ethnic Affairs, etc.), Academic Affairs (Writing and Learning Center, CELAR, etc.) as well as with other instructors.
Dr. Rice could be the coordinator (with help from Dr. Kalouche).
- Sixth workshop (April 6 or 13):
- Experiential Learning;
- Recap of advising and how to integrate that into the class (a Dean’s seminar on advising is planned in August);
- Assessment and how it fits into the first year seminar;
- Wrap up and questions and suggestions about the General Education program and the overall curriculum;
A committee member could be the coordinator (with the help of Drs. Chapdelaine and Thomas).
- Dr. Thomas reviewed upcoming professional conferences and invited GEAC members to attend:
a- Nat'l Conference on First-Year Assessment (October, San Antonio)
b- 15th Nat'l Conference on Students in Transition (November, Columbia, SC Both at www.sc.edu/fye
c- AGLS annual conference (October, Asheville) http://www.bsu.edu/web/agls/
d- AAC&U: ENGAGING SCIENCE, ADVANCING LEARNING: General Education, Majors, and the New Global Century (November, Providence)
e- AAC&U: General Education, Assessment, and the Learning Students Need (Feb. 2009, Baltimore) Both at http://www.aacu.org/meetings/index.cfm
f- Middle States 1-day conferences (Sept., Philadelphia):
9/15, Getting Started with Assessment in General Education 9/16, Understanding and Using Assessment Results http://www.msche.org/?Nav1=EVENTS&Nav2=2008.05.07
- The meeting concluded with a general discussion about the big picture, and the first-year seminar faculty vote (what it would replace: ideally E 102). The meeting started at 12 pm and was adjourned a little after 2 pm. The next committee meeting was tentatively scheduled for Monday July 14, 2008.
Fouad Kalouche 7/1/08
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