GENERAL EDUCATION COMMITTEE MINUTES, 10/1/14
CALL TO ORDER / ROLL CALL
Members present: S. Bradford, L. Calderon S. Caro, M Cracolice, R. Fanning, N. McCrady,
J. Randall, T. Shearer, T. Squires, S. Bradford, L. Calderon, N. Lindsay, K. Reiser, G. Weix
Ex-officio Members present: B. Howard, N. Lindsay
Members Absent/ Excused: K. Huthaily, N. McCrady
Guest: A. Ware
Minutes: The minutes from 9/17/14 were approved after communication with Andrew
Ware. Associate Provost Lindsay wished he would have been at the meeting to address
some of the concerns about assessment.
COMMUNICATION ITEM:

Andrew Ware was welcomed to the meeting. He has a half time appointment as a
Leadership Fellow to head up the Academic Alignment and Innovation Program. The
AAIP Taskforce has begun meeting weekly on Mondays and is still in the process of
organizing its work. The charge from the President has five components. It will
review all academic programs in terms of opportunities for growth as well as
challenges that may require some attention in order for the programs to be
reinvigorated. The Taskforce will review existing program review materials,
enrollment data from the Office of Planning, Budgeting and Analysis, and will ask
chairs and directors to provide input. The Taskforce will also look externally to what
employers identify as priorities for the workforce.
An important piece of the program will be to define how a Liberal Arts education is
important for the 21st century. At some point general education may need to be
framed in a way that identifies skills related learning outcomes, such as global
awareness, analytical thinking and good communication – the qualities that
employers want. He does not see the Taskforce looking specifically at General
Education. If any items overlap with general education he will consult the
Committee. Associate Provost Lindsay is also on the Taskforce and indicated it may
identify some broader university issues and make some recommendations that
could include the general education framework in terms of messages to students,
connection to majors, and relevance to students’ future lives.
The Taskforce is starting with a survey of the programs that currently exist. It will
identify those that are challenged, and those that are thriving. The goal is not to cut
programs, but to look for opportunities to strengthen and enhance.
It was suggested that programs be encouraged to describe their relationship to
general education. There is not a separate line item on the budget, so we do not
know the ultimate cost of our general education program. Departments teach
general education courses to boost enrollment. These courses should also be
considered in relation to retention given the lack of engagement opportunity in large
sections. Many of the appeals considered by Graduation Appeals Committee have
to do with general education requirements and transfer students. Most of them are
resolved by using the MUS transfer core in some way.
Any dialog with regard to what it means to be a Liberal Arts University should
include general education. The general education program should contribute to
students’ broad grasp of knowledge, citizenship, and the freedom to make good
decisions. Departments should reflect on the connection with regard to general
education learning outcomes as they provide a foundation for the majors learning
outcomes.
The University needs to do a better job of articulating the value of a Liberal Arts
education. The Taskforce will look at studies regarding students’ selection criteria
and what they want from their university. And collaborate with Enrollment Services
and the Office for Integrated Communication to find out why students decide to
come to UM and why they don’t.

Chair Caro attended the OCHE Learning Outcomes Assessment Workshop. The first
complaints about general education date back to 1862. Assessment is happening
campus-wide. She is concerned that faculty may experience assessment burnout, so
the pilot group will need to make quick work of convincing faculty that assessment
benefit students, and is not just arbitrary or a matter of providing data to the
accrediting agency.
Associate Provost Lindsay indicated that universities in general do not have strong
evidence of how students accomplish the learning outcomes identified for general
education programs. It would be helpful for the University to know students
strengths and weaknesses, and to identify patterns across courses. This can create
opportunity for change. Northwest Accreditation is no longer going to give UM a
pass on General Education assessment. Staring the pilot in Math and Sciences is a
good idea. Faculty will need to be convinced that embedded assessment is
beneficial. They will be encouraged to use existing papers and exams. These efforts
can also bolster departments’ assessment reports (required since 2004). The
process involves connecting the learning goals to student work.
The Committee was curious whether there has been assessment on whether
assessment benefits the students. Accreditation agencies are still in the process of
defining how to assess assessment.
BUSINESS ITEMS

ASCRC appointed a Dual Credit Workgroup to develop guidelines. ASCRC Chair
DeBoer suggested that a member of the General Education Committee be included
considering many of the Dual Credit courses are also general education courses.
Beth Howard agreed to consult with the Workgroup. Associate Provost Lindsay is
also on the Workgroup and can serve as a liaison with the General Education
Committee.
The guidelines will clarify how UM/MC implements OCHE standards. It must be
clear to high school instructors that the courses must be taught in a similar
framework to the college course. There have been a number of issues related to
communication with the instructor and students that need to be addressed. There
should be continued collaboration and oversight of the course. There have also been
issues with advising due to the credits missing from Banner at the time the student
registers. High School instructors have been given incentives to become eligible to
teach the courses, so the number of courses will increase. There are concerns that
some courses are not appropriate for the program, such as courses that require
students to have a diverse audience.

Professor Reiser was approved as chair –elect.

The language drafted by Beth Howard has been posted to the website to direct
students to the appropriate resources for general education study abroad questions.

A Committee is being formed to promote the statement of Ethical Principles. It
would like to have a member from the Ethics Review Subcommittee. However, the
subcommittee is not constituted unless there are proposals to review. Professor
Weix nominated Stewart Justman.

The Assessment Pilot Workgroup met after the meeting.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting adjourned at 5:10p.m.