INVESTING IN QUALITY

Aligning Resources with

Learning Outcomes

Is there a Higher Education “bubble?”

Overpriced Overvalued Intensely believed in Higher and higher student debt Campus assets down and liabilities up Conclusion: Unsustainable in its current

form—what about quality?

Current Financial Environment of Higher Education Tuition at public institutions has doubled in the last 10 years State subsidies continue to decline, 17% in Virginia and 3.4% average

in US for 2009-2010 46% of undergrads attend 2 year institutions ½ of undergrads come from families making less than $40,000 a year More than 1/3 of undergrads attend part time Average debt a student graduates with is now over $24,000 College freshmen report record lows levels of emotional health and

need additional support services (51.9 report good or above average) 1/3 of 4 year colleges experienced a declining graduation rate since

2003; average for US is now 27.2% Only 26% of faculty are tenured or in tenure track positions Investments in facilities (fitness centers, theaters, and other amenities)

rising faster than investments in instruction

Findings on Current Students

1/3 of HS graduates do not have basic knowledge of civics (NCES, 2007) 1/2 of HS graduates do not have basic knowledge of history Generational disengagement from social and political issues 36% of college students did not demonstrate improvement in learning

after 4 years (Arum and Roksa, 2011) Only 41% of graduate students rated as proficient readers (Romano,

2005) 10% of teenagers could not identify the Speaker of the House yet 64%

knew the latest American Idol (Bauerlein, 2008) 94% of US high school and college students have Facebook profiles and

average 11.4 hours per week logged on to the website (Coates, 2010) 1/3 of students from privileged backgrounds fail to graduate from college

(Carnes, 2011) 30% of 2006-2010 graduates did not find work within 6 months

Where were the inefficiencies?

Scheduling by faculty interests and not student needs

Under enrolled courses Too many electives Overly specialized courses Lack of flexibility in faculty assignments Rigid transfer requirements Year-at-a-time planning

Make change through substitution.

What drives up learning productivity?

High expectations and regular feedback Time on task, focus, intensity Activities for different learning styles Practice and reinforcement Teamwork and group problem solving Relating new learning to experience Faculty interest to motivate students Integration of in-class with out-of-class Encourage faculty to try new ideas.

What does it mean to “rethink the nature of our work?” Give up credits in favor of competencies Shorten the time to degree Redesign academic processes to teach more

students at lower cost Substitute technology for labor Reduce “mission creep” and meet public needs Define quality in terms of results Reconceptualize higher education as an

industry subject to the market and competitionPay attention to the potential of revolutionary ideas.

Can both effectiveness and efficiency be achieved? Manage offerings to match demand Plan proactively to anticipate new needs Find ideal class size and pedagogy Use cross-disciplinary and cross-institution

offerings to enrich programs Develop and retrain faculty to use peer learning

and technology Use data to evaluate how much students are

learning not how hard faculty are working

Asking the Right Questions:What if the institution….

reduced the first year attrition rate? increased success in “killer courses”? reduced the failure rate in upper-level courses? capped enrollment in expensive programs? invested in technology-mediated teaching? increased the number of credit hours through

guided study? gave credit by assessment for prior learning?

Look at the evidence.

Investments in Quality of Learning and Student Success First year orientation that continues Intrusive advising by faculty mentors Supplemental instruction for “high risk” courses Learning support services linked to course requirements Setting expectations for 100, 200, 300, 400 level courses Redesign of course sequences so taken at the right time Mapping the curriculum for coherence and reinforcement Integrating basic skills enhancement into every course Proactive faculty development for all instructors Use of more varied techniques to assess learning

Small changes can make a big difference.

Greater Expectations: A New Vision for Learning as a Nation Goes to College (2002)

Rethink education needed for the 21st century Ensure not just access but completion Understand all aspects of diversity Bring coherence to credit accumulation Collaborate with secondary schools Define meaning of a “quality college education” Make liberal education more practical Build a culture of evidence

Be proactive, not just reactive.

Essential Learning Outcomes (AAC&U, 2007)

Knowledge of Human Cultures and the Physical and Natural World: through study in science, mathematics, social sciences, humanities, histories, languages and the arts.

Intellectual and Practical Skills: inquiry and analysis; critical and creative thinking; written and oral communication; quantitative literacy; information literacy; teamwork and problem solving.

Personal and Social Responsibility: civic knowledge and engagement—local and global; intercultural knowledge and competence; ethical reasoning and action; foundations and skills for lifelong learning

Integrative and Applied Learning: synthesis and advanced accomplishment across general and specialized studies

Accept the challenge and learn from others.

Intentionality in the Undergraduate Experience First Year: orientation, seminars, living learning

programs, service learning, connection to community—transition, retention, and strong start

Middle Years: connections with the major, second year seminars, clusters, community experiences—reinforcement, extension, and development

Capstone Experience: seminars, theses, senior projects, portfolios, internships—mastery, mentoring, culmination, and transition to workplace

Curricula, faculty, and students must be intentional.

Applying the Principles

Make change through substitution Encourage faculty to try new ideas Pay attention to the potential of revolutionary ideas Look at the evidence Small changes can make a big difference Be proactive, not just reactive Accept the challenge and learn from others Curricula, faculty, and students must be intentional

1. First Year Seminars

Redesign under-enrolled electives as seminars and help faculty recalibrate the course to student level

Use the first semester English course and add a content focus such as on “big questions”

Train TAs who lead discussion sections of large classes to help students do self assessment and set personal standards for performance—introduce portfolios

Use cohort enrollment linking advising with a small first year course

Use same resources but in a new way—

change through substitution.

2. Undergraduate Research

Information literacy integrated into several GE courses, and offered continuously on-line and in classes

GE courses emphasize modes of inquiry and basic research and writing skills, use common rubrics

Major courses selected to use mid-level research and oral/written skills, use rubrics

Capstone courses expect mastery level appropriate to the discipline—business plans, chemistry research, history thesis, etc., use rubrics and mentoring

Research Conference to present work from many levels and stages to underscore importance of individual workIntegrate resources—change through shared responsibility

for the outcome. Small changes make a big difference.

3. Experiential Learning

Map General Education courses to include hands-on and community experience

Map Major courses to understand where students encounter experiential components

Identify high impact culminating experiential components already in programs (e.g., student teaching, nursing practicum, business projects, study abroad, internships, etc.) and create more for other programs

Define both academic and co-curricular components for inclusion—with reflection, in a portfolio, based on common rubrics, (e.g., service, leadership, etc.)

Make what is already happening more intentional—

be proactive, learn from others.

4. Global LearningGlobal Learning Outcome: Analyze similarities and differences between your own and other cultures and how they affect perceptions, beliefs and behavior.Required course in General EducationGlobal/international perspectives integrated into many GE courses Outcomes mapped from GE into major courses with development toward higher order thinkingOne semester of study abroad (counts for GE)Short summer study tour Volunteer in community/Spring Break projectAttend designated number of on-campus international awareness activities

Look at the evidence to support choices. Different costs—different levels of learning.

Use Evidence to Improve Results Input measures: course enrollments, reading and writing

assignments, rigor of rubrics, syllabi review

Process measures: student evaluations of teaching, student engagement in and out of the classroom, transcript analysis, reflective portfolios

Outcomes measures: student success in next level course, demonstration of skills and knowledge in major, retention and graduation, job placement

Read the research, select the best assessment approaches, involve the institutional research office, and use the results.

Embrace Change: Innovate—Adapt

“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.”

Charles Darwin