CURRICULUM/
CO-CURRICULUM
ASSESSMENT
WORKSHOP
KUTZTOWN UNIVERSITY
January 24, 2013
Workshop Goals
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Understand variety of frameworks for
connecting curricular and co-curricular
Learn about existing curricular/co-curricular
connections at KU
Identify new specific opportunities to connect
curricular to co-curricular experiences to help
reinforce KU’s general education goals
Context
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UNL land grant
institution
24,593 students (total)
19,354 undergrads
Revised gen ed
program
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10 outcomes adapted
from Essential Learning
Outcomes (LEAP)
Procedure/Methodology
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Add your procedure here
Key assumptions
 Add
your assumptions here
https://docs.google.com/folder/d/0B2gc5cYmghaeEJoUzJrM1BMdFU/edit
Mission of higher education
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Role larger than training students for careers
Original purpose – educate good citizens
Prepare students as citizens in a diverse
democracy and interdependent world (Boyer)
Demands from employers (LEAP)
Connect our gen ed goals to our higher mission
General Education Goals
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Goal 1: To cultivate intellectual and
practical skills…
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Goal 2: To develop an understanding of
human cultures and the physical and
natural world…
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Goal 3: To inculcate a sense of personal
and social responsibility that is anchored
through active involvement with diverse
communities and real world challenges
Gen ed blueprint: Reinforcing the structure
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Assumption: Students don’t generally accomplish an outcome by taking one
course or having one co-curricular experience.
Goal for building gen ed programs: “Educators [should] make the essential
learning outcomes a framework for the entire educational experience,
connecting school, college, work and life”
– LEAP Principle of Excellence

Organizing question: How can we become architects building toward LEAP’s
goal of an integrated education? Reinforcing the foundation?
Three models
Linking gen ed to big questions throughout
educational experience – inside and outside
the classroom
1. Curriculum-infused
2. Parallel/distributed experiences
3. Co-curricular credit bearing experiences
Model 1: Curriculum-infused

Courses & Service-Learning Courses
Environmental Engagement in the Community
Building Environmental Technical Systems
Communities and Schools in Costa Rica
Nebraska Mosaic
Cross-cultural Mentoring
Art in the Community
Model 2: Parallel/distributed experiences
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Experiences tied to SLOs that may or may not
occur in courses
 Leadership
 Internships
 Learning
communities
 Alternative service breaks
Model 3:
Co-curricular credit-bearing experiences
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Undergraduate research
 Undergraduate
research within departments
 REUs (Research Experience for Undergraduates)
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Study abroad
Military service
Certificate in Civic Engagement
 University
of Nebraska
Nebraska’s Experience
Certificate in Civic Engagement
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Goal: Connect what students learn in and outside their
classroom to real-world issues
Solution: Certificate in Civic Engagement
Key Characteristics:
 Student Affairs & Academic Affairs collaboration
 Builds on existing resources, gen ed
Challenges:
 Create processes for approval
 Overcome prevailing prejudices
Nebraska’s Experience
Certificate in
Civic
Engagement
Nebraska’s Experience
Study Abroad
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Goal: Promote high impact practice
Solution: Clear brush from curricular path
Key Characteristics:
 Focused
on promoting global, civic outcomes
 Part of students’ education, not fun vacation
 Counts toward graduation/parental buy-in
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Challenges:
 Gain
buy-in across campus
 Keeping process simple
What are the challenges at KU?
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What are the promising high impact practices
(curricular and co-curricular) that could
reinforce your gen ed goals?
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HIPs: Capstones, Collaborative assignments & projects, common
intellectual experiences, diversity and global learning, 1st-year
seminars and experiences, internships, learning communities,
service learning, undergraduate research, writing-intensive
courses
What challenges do you expect to encounter?
How is this work implemented and sustained?
Building co-curricular/curricular collaborations
10:45 a.m.-11:30 a.m.
 Visit stations to shop for opportunities to collaborate
 Goal: Identify a collaboration that might work to
support General Education GOAL 3
11:30 a.m.-noon
 Share ideas (Learning outcome and Collaboration)
Make it happen
1:00 p.m.-2:00 p.m.
 Identify Learning Outcomes
 Identify model
 Who are the partners?
 What challenges do you anticipate?
 How will you overcome them?
 What resources do you have/need to make this
happen?
 How will these efforts be sustained?
 How will the collaboration be assessed?
 What is the timeline?
Workshop Wrap Up
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Share blueprints
Questions/comments
Nancy Mitchell
Director of Undergraduate Education Programs
nancy.mitchell@unl.edu
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©2007 The Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska. All rights reserved.