Download Liberal Education Revision

Pressures
 Considerations
 Charge
 Progress & Thinking So Far
 Feedback
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Costs
› Reduce...reduce…reduce
› Allocation model
 Student tuition
 Universities
› Question value of degree from BSU
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Improving access
› Providing technology-based delivery?
› Admitting all students who want to attend, even
those who are less prepared? (Conditional admits at
BSU hover around 20%)
› Increasing diversity of student body
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Increased scrutiny
› From parents
› Accrediting bodies
› Legislatures
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Minnesota Transfer Curriculum
› Liberal education program needs to be transfer compliant
› Excludes disciplines deemed more vocational in their
orientation (Exclusion is unevenly applied)
› Problems
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No inherent unity or integration to courses
Lacks cohesive educational philosophy
Fragmented/disconnected
Students do not get why these courses are important
Students lack sense of how connects to major
Faculty often have little desire to teach
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Employers pressures toward “workforce
development”
› Recent AAC&U survey of employers findings
 Critical thinking, communication, problem-solving skills.
These are more important than the major
 Need more emphasis on essential learning outcomes so
that are promotable beyond entry level
• Essential learning outcomes:
 Knowledge of human cultures and the physical and natural
world
 Personal and social responsibility
 Intellectual and practical skills including
 Integrative and applied learning
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Key programmatic features (AAC&U)
› Orientation to intellectual expectations, curricular
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rationale, institutional learning resources
Critical thinking and writing found across the curriculum
Learn about another culture and diversity within own
culture
Integrate ideas from across disciplines (e.g., themes)
Study some subjects (GenEd) at advanced levels
Opportunity to pull learning together
Coherent course of study; more than sum of parts
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The BSU Faculty Senate charges the Liberal Education
Committee with developing a distinctive, integrative Liberal
Education Program based upon the principles of the American
Association of Colleges and Universities’ (AAC&U) LEAP (Liberal
Education and America’s Promise) initiative and High Impact
Practices, and making a formal recommendation to the BSU
Faculty Senate by February 2014.
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Understandings:
› Monthly updates will be shared with the BSU Faculty Senate and
broadly disseminated for faculty input.
› The new program will meet the needs of students transferring into
and out of Bemidji State University and will be compliant with the
Minnesota Transfer Curriculum.
› An assessment plan will be a part of the formal recommendation.
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To provide a foundation that cultivates intentional
learners empowered through intellectual and
practical skills, informed by knowledge and prepared
to meet the personal, civic, and professional
challenges of a rapidly changing world.
OR
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To provide intentional learning environments that
empower students with the knowledge, skills and
habits necessary for continued personal enrichment
and a life of individual, professional and civic
engagement in an ever-changing world.