Overview
• Tuning Defined
• Tuning in the US
• The Tuning Process
• Benefits of Tuning
• Why Tuning is Different
What is Tuning?
A collaborative, faculty-driven process that “harmonizes”
curricula around defining what a student should know and
be able to do in a chosen discipline at the completion of a
degree by:
• Defining areas of competency
Master’s
Bachelor’s
• Identifying learning outcomes
Associate’s
• Scaling competencies and outcomes to degree level
Tuning’s Key Premises
• Curricula should not be standardized
• Faculty control the discipline
• Academic autonomy and flexibility are essential
Harmonized Distinctiveness
Given these premises, Tuning:
• Does not align curricula
• Preserves distinctiveness of
curricula
• Harmonizes curricula around
shared ideas of appropriate
student learning
Harmonized Distinctiveness
Tuning as Sculpture:
• Discipline competencies & outcomes
provide armature
• Programs determine the sculpture’s
shape through:
• Distinct curricular approaches
• Unique sets of resources
• Institutionally-specific missions
Harmonized Distinctiveness
Tuning Educational Structures in the US
Lumina Foundation initiated Tuning to address the
foundation’s Goal 2025:
Increase the percentage of Americans with
high-quality degrees and credentials
from 39 percent to 60 percent by the year 2025
Tuning in the US
Researched and imported by Lumina Foundation to
address the foundation’s Goal 2025:
Quality = Student Learning
Tuning’s Contribution to Quality
• Makes discipline experts (faculty) the drivers
• Emphasizes student learning (what a student knows and
is able to do)
• Creates space for innovative approaches to education
(curriculum design, transfer, etc.)
• Synergizes with other educational priorities
• Underrepresented / ‘At-Risk’ populations
• Student preparation and success
• NGA’s Common Core State Standards
Tuning in the US
• Biology
• Elementary Education
• Physics
• Physics Education
• Chemistry
• History Education
• Mathematics
• Marketing
• Civil Engineering
• Nursing
• Electrical Engineering
• Social Work
• Industrial Engineering
• History
• Mechanical Engineering
• Psychology
• Chemical Engineering
• Business
• Biomedical Engineering
• Graphic Design
Tuning in the US
• Indiana
• Minnesota
• Utah
• Texas
• Kentucky
• Midwest Higher Education Compact
• American Historical Association
• Accrediting Commission for Community &
Junior Colleges
THE PROCESS
Tuning: A Brief Introduction
The Tuning
Process
Five
Components
Define
Discipline
Core
• Identify core competencies
• Write core outcomes
Map Career
Pathways
• Identify education pathways
• Identify career fields
Consult
Stakeholders
Hone
Discipline
Core
Implement
Locally
• Identify stakeholders
• Devise consultations tools
• Gather input
• Review input
• Revise discipline core
• Identify departmental assets, priorities,&
mission
• Map discipline core to program
• Write degree specifications
• Builds on existing learning outcome work
The Tuning
Process
Define the
discipline core
(by institutions, national groups, and
professional associations, etc.) to set
reference points for curricula
• Emerges from three elements
• Discipline profile
• Core competencies
• Demonstrable learning outcomes
• Scales expectations higher as students
progress
• Identifies who employs graduates
and in what occupations
The Tuning
Process
Map career
pathways
• Informs faculty about ‘consumers’
of degree holders
• Identifies targets of consultations
The Tuning
Process
Consult
stakeholders
Seeking feedback/input from:
• Colleagues
• Students
• Alumni
• Potential employers
• Campus advising personnel
Using:
• Focus groups
• Surveys
• Focused interviews
Consult Stakeholders
Consultation and conversation
with stakeholders should be
regular and ongoing
The Tuning
Process
Hone the
discipline core
Revise with thought given to:
• Stakeholder input on competencies
• Faculty input on discipline core
• Differentiation among degree-levels
Faculty
Students
Alumni
Employers
Revisions
The Tuning
Process
Implement
Locally
Institution Name and Department
Degree Name
Purpose
Characteristics
Career Pathways
Education Style
Program
Competencies &
Outcomes
Implement Locally
Planning for local-level
support & activity yields
greater effectiveness
1. Discipline Core
Tuning’s
Products
Tuning yields
three final
documents:
• Explanation of the discipline
• Competencies & learning outcomes scaled
to degree level
2. Career Pathways
• List of occupations and fields, perhaps with
explanations & recent examples
• May include charts for informing students
about possibilities
3. Degree Specifications
• Unique to each institution
• One specification for each degree offered
1. Discipline Core
Tuning’s
Products
Tuning yields
three final
documents:
• Explanation of the discipline
• Competencies & learning outcomes scaled
to degree level
2. Career Pathways
• List of occupations and fields, perhaps with
explanations & recent examples
• May include charts for informing students
about possibilities
3. Degree Specifications
• Unique to each institution
• One specification for each degree offered
1. Discipline Core
Tuning’s
Products
Tuning yields
three final
documents:
• Explanation of the discipline
• Competencies & learning outcomes scaled
to degree level
2. Career Pathways
• List of occupations and fields, perhaps with
explanations & recent examples
• May include charts for informing students
about possibilities
3. Degree Specifications
• Unique to each institution
• One specification for each degree offered
THE BENEFITS
Tuning: A Brief Introduction
Benefits of Tuning
1. Puts faculty on the leading edge of defining academic
quality
2. Builds trust among institutions through faculty
collaboration
3. Encourages comparability among institutions
4. Defines student success in terms of student learning
5. Emphasizes student proficiency as part of transfer
6. Encourages INTENTIONALITY in educating students
Benefits of Tuning
From the student perspective:
• Clear pathways to degree
• Explicit expectations for success
• Early support for career identification
• Tools for communicating these to students
WHY TUNING IS DIFFERENT
Tuning: A Brief Introduction
Why Tuning Is Different
Not just writing outcomes
Student-progress-oriented
Not isolated within programs
Shared core facilitates transfer
Not insulated from practicalities
Supports students’ career aspirations
Not just navel-gazing
Integrates general & specific learning
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Shelly Valdez
svaldez@iebcnow.org
David W. Marshall
dmarshall@iebcnow.org