THE ONGOING DIALECTIC, ONE YEAR LATER: LESSONS LEARNED
FROM THE IMPLEMENTATION OF A NEW, UNDERGRADUATE
GENERAL EDUCATION PROGRAM
Shawn Weatherford, Assistant Professor of Physics
Patricia Campion, Associate Professor of Sociology and Global Studies
Phil Hatlem, Instructor of Sport Business
AGLS 2014 – Atlanta, GA
The Yin-Yang of Higher Education
Overview





General Education at Saint Leo University (Shawn)
Student Feedback (Patricia)
Training Faculty Advisors (Phil)
Program Maintenance Mechanisms (Shawn)
Discussion
2
Location
Enrollment Fall 2014
Total Enrollment
16, 356
University College
2,290
Centers

CA,FL, GA,MS,SC,TX,VA
6,556
Evening and Weekends
320
Center for Online Learning
3,215
Graduate Programs
3,757
Online Consortium of
Independent Colleges and
Universities
176
A Catholic, liberal-arts, teaching
university of international
consequence
History of General Education at Saint Leo:
1980-Present





1980-1998: Basic Studies: Distribution model
1999-2013: LINK (Learning INterdisciplinary
Knowledge):Tiered, interdisciplinary model
2007: General Education Board of Directors created
2010: Work began on design of a new model.
2012-2013: New Model Developed: University Explorations
Fall I 2013.
History of General Education
at Saint Leo: 1980-Present
Gen Ed Courses: A Brief History
1983-2012







ENG 225: World Lit I
ENG 226: World Lit II
FAS 123: Intro to Film
MUS 123: Intro to Music
THE 121: Intro to Theatre
THY 124: Intro to New
Testament
THY 125: Into to Old
Testament
1983-2012





HTY 121: US History to
1865
PSY 121: Intro to
Psychology
SOC 121: Intro to
Sociology
COM 125: Intro to
Computers
PHE 101: Concepts of PE
Gen Ed Courses: 1983-2012







ENG 225: World Lit I
ENG 226: World Lit II
FAS 123: Intro to Film
MUS 123: Intro to Music
THE 121: Intro to
Theatre
THY 124: Intro to New
Testament
THY 125: Into to Old
Testament





HTY 121: US History to
1865
PSY 121: Intro to
Psychology
SOC 121: Intro to
Sociology
COM 125: Intro to
Computers
PHE 101: Concepts of
PE
Design Principles for New Courses




Create a topical focus.
Make the disciplines relevant to students by linking them to
issues of the 21st century.
Create a focused experience rather than a broad, sweeping
experience of the discipline (i.e., not surveys or intro courses).
Ask, how would a sociologist/artist/psychologist
/theologian/historian/scientist approach…..
Instead of….How About?
HTY 121, 122: Survey of American
History I and II

A survey of the
principal movements,
events, ideas, and
personalities in U.S.
history from…to.
History of the American Dream

What is the "American Dream"? Is the
"American Dream" simply getting as rich as one
possibly can? Is it raising a family in the
suburbs? Is it a dream of living in a society
based on democracy and equality? Or is it
simply the right to live as one chooses? This
course uses historical documents, literature,
music and film to explore Americans’ often
conflicting beliefs about their nation’s core
values. Central questions include whether or
not Americans have always envisioned their
country as a land of equality, opportunity,
democracy, and freedom, and whether their
conception of what these values meant changed
or remained the same over time. (U of
Maryland)
University Explorations
(42 credits)
Foundations (12
credits):




ENG 121: Academic
Writing 1
ENG 122: Academic
Writing 2
MAT 131: College
Mathematics
COM 140: Basic Computer
Skills
University Explorations Categories
The Human Adventure (6 credits)
 Studying the past, living in the present, and shaping the future
The Human Mosaic (3 credits)
 Learning to live in a global society
Science in a Changing World (6 credits)
 Expanding the possible
The Creative Life (6 credits)
 Expressing the human experience through the arts
The Reflective and Spiritual Life (9 credits, 3 from philosophy)
 Examining human and divine life
University Explorations Categories
• Studying the past, living in the present, and shaping the future
• Learning to live in a global society
• Expanding the possible
• Expressing the human experience through the arts
• Examining human and divine life
Orientation, Training, and Course Development




Presentations to various
constituencies including Board
of Trustees, Admissions,
enrollment counselors.
Presentation with Registrar to
three schools with focus on
advising, course equivalencies.
Faculty-led webinar series on
each of the new categories.
Faculty-led UE Road Shows to
university educational centers.






Development of Advising FAQs
and advising info sheets.
Development of DVD for
orientation and training.
Development of courses for all
modes of delivery, including
online courses.
Development of teaching
resources, including libguides.
Access for teaching faculty to
online courses as teaching
resource.
Follow-up webinars for faculty
Course Developers

As Curriculum Experts
 Faculty

shape curriculum, not the other way around
In Faculty Development/Education
Leaving university campus

Educational Centers (VA & GA)
 Full-time
and adjunct faculty
 How do we get everyone on board?
 Course
Developer outreach
 Webinars
 Onsite visits
 Faculty visit to introduce courses
Responding to the First Year
Two additional courses added:
 Human Ecology
 The Changing Face of America
STUDENT FEEDBACK
Analysis of comments made in the open-ended
section of the student evaluations
Three modes of delivery
Fall 2013
8-week
terms on
ground
All locations
Positive vs. negative comments per course
Scale!
“It is a very good course that
covers a wide range of
humanities. I enjoyed it
considerably and feel it has
broadened my appreciation for
many things (such as art) I never
really paid as much attention to
in the past.”
Scale!
Positive vs. negative comments, all
locations
500
HUM110CL
450
PSY110HA
400
Positive comments
350
“I learned the techniques to be
stress free and what it takes to
be a carefree person and I
learned different things about
love, friendship, and marriage.
A Great class and a Great
Professor!!!!”
300
250
REL210RS
200
150
100
50
0
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
Negative comments
350
400
450
500
Positive vs. negative comments,
university campus
250
HUM110CL
200
Postivie comments
SCI115SC
150
POL110HA
100
50
0
0
50
100
150
Negative comments
200
250
Positive vs. negative comments, centers
200
SCI115SC
180
160
HUM110CL
PHI110RS
140
Postiive comments
POL110HA
120
100
MUS110CL
80
60
40
20
0
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
Negative comments
140
160
180
200
Positive vs. negative comments, online
180
PSY110HA
160
140
Positive comments
120
100
REL210RS
80
60
40
HTY110HM
20
0
0
20
40
60
80
100
Negative comments
120
140
160
180
Coding categories
Negative comments by category
Adjustments made: SOC 110HM
“There's a large amount of work for
this course level. I question the level
of "busy" work (ex. weekly questions,
PPT. group activity, individual
reading presentation, paper) for a
100 level course.”
QEP rubric
The Saint Leo QEP
Critical
thinking
Core
values
Decisionmaking
Mandated QEP assignments
The
Reflective
Life
The Human
Mosaic
Committee Scoring Versus
Instructor Scoring
Purpose
Question
Assumptions
Implications &
Consequences
Information
Consepts
Conclusions &
Interpretations
Points of
View
Core
Values
Decision
Making
Instructor
2.41
2.40
2.35
2.43
2.41
2.36
2.29
2.19
1.77
2.24
Committee
1.20
1.03
1.24
1.33
1.42
1.41
1.46
1.21
1.01
0.75
Δ
-1.21
-1.37
-1.11
-1.10
-0.99
-0.95
-0.83
-0.98
-0.76
-1.49
New Rubric Versus Committee Scores
Using Original Rubric
Old rubric
category
Purpose
Question
Assumptions
Points
of View
Concepts
Information
Implications &
Consequences
Conclusions &
Interpretations
Core
Values
Decision
Making
Committee
1.20
1.03
1.24
1.21
1.41
1.42
1.33
1.46
1.01
0.75
Core
Values
Decision
Making
New rubric
category
Purpose
Perspective
Evidence
Analysis
Average
Original
1.12
1.23
1.41
1.39
New Score
1.43
1.38
1.43
1.33
0.71
0.95
Δ
0.31
0.15
0.02
-0.06
-0.30
0.20
STUDENT ADVISING
Faculty Challenges in Understanding
Purpose of New UE Program
Resources Provided



Informational meetings throughout process
Focus groups
Prior to implementation, Dean of Arts and Sciences
and Registrar presented the program and advising
issued at School meetings
Challenges in Transitioning Students
Between Programs
Resources Provided



Again, informational
meetings throughout
DVD and printed
FAQs provided to all
advisors
Registrar created
“basic grid” bridging
old and new
PROGRAM MAINTENANCE
MECHANISMS
Program Maintenance Mechanisms

Hiring/Recruiting New Instructors
 New



faculty, existing faculty
Iterative Feedback from Instructors
Culture of Data-Driven Curriculum Tweaks
Resurfacing “potholes”
Ongoing Training for New Instructors



Resources for UE Instructors
Messaging about role of General Education
Recruiting UE Instructors from current faculty
Iterative Feedback from Instructors

Differences in life experiences between Online and
Campus students
 “Bringing

discipline into the students’ lives”
Difficulty level of course resources.
Revolution Now! Democracy in Troubled
Times



“No Crick or Tocqueville! Don't expect entry level
101 class to be experts!”
“The text book for this course was bad. When
reading it some of it would stick but most of it I and
several of my class mates would be lost. If it wasn't
for the instructors knowledge on the subject I don't
think I would have done a book report on the text.”
“Find a different textbook that is more easy for
students to understand. The textbooks assigned
pushed the course off track.”
Evaluating the Predictions of Global
Warming



“There is no need for using two textbooks on this course.
The first science book, Integrated Science second
edition, is too much to take in all at once. Stick to one
book that contains more on global warming.”
“The secondary book is hard to read - print too small
and too wide to average reading scan comfort; text
does not define several key terms; and clear definition
not found in other sources. Caused more confusion than
gave information.”
“Better books; the books were not understandable for a
beginner.”
Iterative Feedback from instructors
Summer Webinars





Faculty Responses from The Human Adventure Category:
“…this class shows them that they have a role to play in the way the
world works around them.” (Democracy in Troubled Times)
“Much of the course assignments have the students apply what they
have learned to their own experiences.” (How to Be Sane in an
Insane World)
“They seem to enjoy digging into the issues that have been around
for ages and now seem to make more sense to them...as they review
the current events.” (Democracy in Troubled Times)
“The positive psychology and stress and coping are particularly
practical for the students” (How to Be Sane in an Insane World)
“Agreed, no matter the major, when they figure out that there is
something in this class (econ) for them, then they put more into it.”
(Economics for Life)
Culture of Data-Driven Course-level
Curriculum Tweaks

Assessment of progress on UE Student Learning
Outcomes
 Eight
existing Student Learning Outcomes
 Faculty defined criteria for evidence to evaluate
student progress.
 Course developers selected the criteria appearing in
UE courses and created rubrics
Culture of Data-Driven Course-level
Curriculum Tweaks
Culture of Data-Driven Course-level
Curriculum Tweaks

Evaluation Cycle:
 Phase
I – Collect Data; Phase II – Discuss, Revision
 Sampling of courses from each UE student learning
outcome.
Understanding how living things operate
and the relationship among them.
Demonstrate quantitative reasoning skills.
Course
Course
Academic Year
1
2
SCI110SC
SCI115SC
SCI120SC
SCI210SC
SCI215SC
I
I
3
4
I
II
5
SCI110SC
II
Academic Year
1
2
I
II
I
II
3
SCI115SC
II
SCI120SC
I
II
I
SCI210SC
II
SCI215SC
I
II
4
5
Resurfacing Potholes

Call for new course proposals
 Replace
low enrollment courses (students have choice!)
 Targeted towards weak/missing criteria for expected

Evaluate Assessment Process
 Provide
valid evaluation of student learning
 Drive targeted curriculum revision
 Identify weaknesses in course offerings
 Compare student learning across modalities and
populations.
Shawn Weatherford
Mary Spoto
Patricia Campion
Phil Hatlem
shawn.weatherford@saintleo.edu
mary.spoto@saintleo.edu
patricia.campion@saintleo.edu
philip.hatlem@saintleo.edu