Bringing Faculty into the Conversation about the Future of

Liberal Education

• Cost-saving

• Global learning and technology

• Online/blended courses for traditional undergraduates

• Digital literacy

• Competency-based learning

• Promoting experimentation

Technology-Related Issues

• MOOCs

• ePortfolios

• Learning analytics (particularly for flipped and blended classrooms)

• Game-based learning

• Open educational resources

• Technology supporting flipped classrooms

Education-Related Technologies

Write down 1-3 issues/technologies being

discussed on your campus.

What groups are (and are not) participating in these conversations?

• Board of Trustees?• Senior administrators? (e.g. president, vice-

presidents, …)• Deans?• Early adopters?• All faculty?• Instructional technology? • Those charged with overseeing curriculum? (e.g.

course or program directors, chairs, …)

Problem: Need for faculty involvement decision-making related to new technologies and related issues

Frames: Current Discussions• Selingo, Jeffrey L. 2013. “Attitudes on

Innovation: How College Leaders and Faculty See the Key Issues Facing Higher Education.” Chronicle of Higher Education.

• The Changing Nature of Faculty Roles: Peer Review 15:3, Summer 2013. Especially David Paris’s piece, “The Last Artisans? Traditional and Future Faculty Roles.”

A Complex Problem• Appearance of ongoing dialogue/conversation,

BUT…

• Faculty are not always “at the table”

• Issues often are not framed in terms of their relation to liberal arts pedagogy and goals

Discussion: The Table

Questions1. How do we ensure the right people (those who

work in liberal education and pedagogy) are at the table?

2. How do we frame our approach to change in terms of liberal education values and pedagogy?

Mission (and Mission-Derived ELOs)

• Critical thinking

• Problem solving

• Communication

• Moral reasoning

• Civic engagement

• Global perspective

Mission-Derived ELOs

• Survey of undergraduates regarding their educational experiences

• Provides a detailed perspective on campus culture

• Whatever tool you use, know your institutional strengths and weaknesses

5 NSSE Benchmarks of Effective Educational Practice

• High level of academic challenge

• Active and collaborative learning

• Student/faculty interaction

• Supportive campus environment

• Enriching educational experiences

What are your strengths and weaknesses?

• A strength: Supportive Campus Environment

• Room for growth: Active and Collaborative Learning at the senior level– Class presentations, group projects, discussing class

topics outside classroom, participating in community projects, participate in class…

AAC&U High-Impact Practices

• First‐Year Seminars and Experiences

• Common Intellectual Experiences

• Learning Communities

• Writing‐Intensive Courses

• Collaborative Assignments and Projects

• Undergraduate Research

• Diversity/Global Learning

• Service Learning

• Community‐Based Learning

• Internships

• Capstone Courses

AAC&U Resources

• 12 LEAP (Liberal Education and America’s Promise) Essential Learning Outcomes

• 16 VALUE rubrics (Valid Assessment of Learning in Undergraduate Education)

• Inquiry and analysis• Critical thinking• Creative thinking• Written

communication• Oral communication• Reading• Quantitative literacy• Information literacy• Teamwork• Problem solving

• Civic knowledge and engagement

• Intercultural knowledge and competence

• Ethical reasoning• Foundations and

skills for lifelong learning

• Global learning• Integrative and

applied learning

Framing questions for new technology, pedagogy, or structure: • Does it facilitate students’ acquisition of mission-

derived learning outcomes?

• Does it facilitate implementation of high-impact practices?

• Does it move students towards “Capstone-level” mastery of ELOs? (“deep learning”)

Contact Information• Cory Lock, Interim Dean of University Programs,

julial@stedwards.edu

• Julie Sievers, Director of the Center for Teaching Excellence, julies@stedwards.edu

• https://think.stedwards.edu/cte/blog/post/bringing-faculty-conversation-about-future-liberal-education