Timeline for General Education Review/Revision 2005-2007
Revised 5-10-2007
3/25/2005 – Position Paper on General Education Curriculum Review disseminated
(supported by General Education Committee and Strategic Planning Subcommittee on
General Education).
4/5/2005 - Faculty Forum on Vision/Mission is sponsored by Center for Excellence in
Teaching and Learning (CETL).
4/12/2005 – SCSU Faculty Senate motion “for the university to accept the Strategic
Planning draft document on General Education and begin conversations to look at
General Education at the St. Cloud State campus.”
6/28/2005 – Three SCSU team members (Cogdill, Rundquist, Litterst) attend the
HLC/AAHE Assessment Conference in Lisle, IL. The key area of focus for the team
during the workshop included general education redesign incorporating the Minnesota
Transfer Curriculum and development of assessable student learning outcomes for
systematic institutional assessment and program improvement.
8/8/2005 – The General Education Committee launches a new website for faculty (and
eventually students). Primary purpose is to keep faculty informed about General
Education revision efforts.
8/30/2005 – Faculty Session on “Re-Envisioning General Education at SCSU” held
during opening convocation week.
11/3/2005 – Strategic Planning Committee approves Academic Distinction performance
indicator, which includes objective to “continually improve the quality of the General
Education program through ongoing program review and assessment.”
12/20/2005 – General Education Committee approves new General Education program
mission statement.
1/24/2006 – SCSU Faculty Senate approves new General Education program mission
statement.
3/9/2006 – Three members of the General Education Committee (Litterst, Kukuleca
Hammes, Villanueva) attend the AAC&U Conference “General Education and Outcomes
That Matter in a Changing World” in Phoenix, AZ.
3/31/2006 – General Education Committee Chair attends Higher Learning Commission
Conference “The Future-Focused Organization: 2016—Ready or Not?” in Chicago, IL
particularly focusing on general education reform and assessment.
4/6/2006 – Faculty Forum on “SCSU General Education Student Learning Outcomes that
Matter in Today’s World” sponsored by CETL.
5/5/2006 – General Education Committee completes the academic year with a draft set of
goals and goal descriptions for the General Education Program. These will be refined in
the fall.
7/10/2006 – Four-day planning session held (GEC Chair Litterst, Director of Assessment
Sherohman, Interim AVP of Institutional Effectiveness Foss) on General Education
assessment. Recommendation forwarded to pilot CLA and CAAP (as a part of the
Parsing the First Year of College Study) for General Education assessment efforts.
Proposed structure for General Education Assessment drafted, and initial meetings to
determine feasibility held with Provost Spitzer. Budget projections prepared for
President Saigo. [Proposed structure document will go to University Assessment
Committee and the General Education Committee first thing in the fall.]
8/24/2006 – SCSU is accepted to the Higher Learning Commission’s Academy for
Assessment of Student Learning. GEC Chair Judy Litterst and Director of Assessment
Jim Sherohman agree to attend the optional Academy Information and Planning
Workshop October 26-27, 2006.
8/28/2006 – Faculty Session on “Change is on the Horizon: Joining Forces to Revamp
General Education at SCSU” held during opening convocation week.
8/30/2006 – Faculty Session on “Assessing General Education CORE: Successes and
Headaches” during opening convocation week. Assessments of the CORE areas 1, 2, and
a combined assessment of CORES 3, 4, and 5 were shared by respective assessment
coordinators. (See Spring 2006 Assessment Report.)
9/25/2006 – The Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) announces six
Reading Circles organized by the General Education Committee on “Outcomes to Foster
Excellence in SCSU’s General Education Program.” All monographs relate to proposed
goal areas for the program.
9/13/2006—University Assessment Committee approves General Education Assessment
Recommendations which include (1) a set of principles advocating General Education
assessment that is faculty-owned, valued by the University, comprehensive and cyclical,
and employing multiple measures; (2) a General Education program assessment structure
that centers upon key student learning outcomes from specified goal areas consistent with
the General Education Program Mission; (3) designation of a General Education
Assessment Director (50% reassignment); and, (4) adequate resources to support ongoing
and meaningful General Education program assessment.
9/26/2006—Faculty Senate approves the General Education Assessment
Recommendations.
9/28/2006—Meet and Confer agreement to form a General Education Assessment
Committee and to begin search for a General Education Assessment Director, chosen
from the faculty (50% reassignment). The FA Executive Committee agrees to appoint
two faculty members to serve with one administrator to screen applications and make a
recommendation to the Provost who will select the General Education Assessment
Director.
9/29/2006—General Education Committee approves the General Education Assessment
Recommendations with disclaimers that reinforce (1) that parallels between colleges and
the General Education program have to do with assessment structure, and not academics,
further indicating that General Education is a program and not a college; (2) connection
of the work of the goal oversight teams with curriculum and the teaching and
improvement of that curriculum; (3) that the Dean of Undergraduate Studies ultimately
has the authority to oversee the integrity of the General Education program; and, (4)
flexibility in implementation, allowing alteration of the proposed structure to fit the
design of the new General Education program.
10/9/2006—CETL Reading Circle on Greater Expectations: A New Vision for Learning
as a Nation Goes to College
10/11/2006—Met with College of Science and Engineering Assessment Committee on
General Education update
10/20/2006—Call for nominations for General Education Assessment Director
10/26/2006—Higher Learning Commission Assessment Academy Planning Workshop
(Proposed student learning project on General Education is drafted: “As a result of
completing the Academy, SCSU will have a distinctive, mission-based and assessable
General Education program that integrates a rich liberal education with a variety of
academic/professional programs and that reinforces key learning outcomes across each
student’s total college experience.”)
11/10/2006—General Education Committee approves the Institutional Self Review of the
Minnesota Transfer Curriculum. (The institution’s self-review must be completed and a
report on the review, including any changes in the institution’s MnTC, submitted by
1/30/2008.)
11/28/2006—Met with Electrical & Computer Engineering and Mechanical &
Manufacturing Engineering Curriculum Committees on General Education update
Fall Semester 2006—Small volunteer groups of faculty clarify the wording of goal
descriptions and draft student learning outcomes (SLOs) for each goal area. (We consult
MnTC competencies in this process, adding additional SLOs to enrich/personalize the
SCSU program.)
1/16-17/2007—CETL January Workshop Days General Education Sessions: (1) Exhibit
Room on Proposed General Education Goals and Outcomes; (2) Presentation on “Draft
Goals and Student Learning Outcomes for General Education at SCSU”; (3) “Reflect on
the Past and Embrace Greater Expectations in the Future” (PowerPoint on the history of
General Education followed by Reading Circle on Circle on Greater Expectations: A
New Vision for Learning as a Nation Goes to College); (4) Reading Circle on “Integrated
Learning”
2/12/2007—CETL Reading Circle on (R)Evolution of the New Globally Engaged
Academy (co-facilitated with Lindah Mhando, SOC, member of GEC)
2/15/2007—Compilation of feedback from General Education questionnaire on
goals/structure and beginnings of discussion of structure
2/19/2007—Materials on Upper Division Writing housed temporarily on the General
Education web site (will be moved to the Assessment web site at a later point in time)
2/23/2007—Submission sent to Indianapolis Assessment Institute on new SCSU General
Education Assessment Plan
2/26/2007—CETL Reading Circle on Science and Engaged Learning (co-facilitated with
Pat Hauslein, BIOL)
2/28/2007—Completion of materials for HLC Academy Project on General Education
3/2/2007-- We invite individuals or groups to send architectural plans for a new General
Education Program
3/16/2007—New General Education Assessment Director, Joe Melcher, is introduced to
the General Education Committee
3/20/2007—CETL Reading Circle on Quantitative Literacy (co-facilitated with Sandy
Johnson, MATH, Assessment Coordinator for COSE)
4/3/2007—Senate approves pilot use of new assessment templates, including forms for
General Education assessment reporting and reporting of assessment of Upper-Division
Writing
4/4/2007—Spring Faculty Forum Day sessions held on (1) “Help Design Architecture for
the New SCSU General Education Program”; (2) “All You Wanted to Know About the
Upper-Division Writing Requirement” (showcasing 4 departmental plans); and, (3)
“Completing an Assessment Plan and Report”
4/21/2007—GEC sends Faculty Senate feedback on the Strategic Planning SubCommittee Recommendations on Global Initiative
4/24/2007—CETL Reading Circle on Educating for Personal and Social Responsibility (to be
co-facilitated with Scott Wells, CMST)
5/2/2007—Draft Gen Ed Goals and Student Learning Outcomes forwarded to Assessment
Steering Committee with request to provide feedback from an assessment perspective [See
Process for the Development of Student Learning Outcomes for the General Education
Program in the proposed General Education Program Assessment Recommendations.]
Yet to Accomplish:
To be accomplished Fall Semester 2007:
Compare proposed SLOs to competencies within the MnTC.
Draft suggested policies for courses meeting General Education goals (e.g., percentage of
SLOs a course must meet) and other recommendations for a new General Education
program.
Finalize the revised General Education goals and accompanying set of student learning
outcomes. This document will be submitted to UCC and to other bodies for review and
input. Ultimately this will then be sent to Faculty Senate for approval.
Consolidate and refine sample draft General Education Program designs submitted in
March/April. This document will be forwarded to the 2007-08 General Education
Committee to demonstrate possible ways for meeting all goals proposed and will be
archived on the General Education website.
Establish General Education Teams for Goal Oversight (GETGOs) for General Education
Program assessment. (Detailed timeline is included in the HLC Academy Student
Learning Project on General Education.)
To be accomplished Spring Semester 2008 (or before):
Approve a new structure for the new General Education Program.