Statement on Undergraduate General Education
Annotated Notes
Last updated: 2/23/2011
The draft Statement on Undergraduate General Education was written in a collaborative process by
the Doane General Education Task Force. At the request of the Doane Plan Committee, Dr. John
Burney, VPAA, established the General Education Task force and charged it to review the
purposes, learning outcomes, and structure of Doane's general education program and make
recommendations on revisions that will enhance student learning and connect the program clearly to
Doane's mission.
The task force will report its recommendations to the Doane Plan Committee so that they can be
considered by the faculty governance system.
Members of the task force include Gerry Allen, John Burney, Alec Engebretson, Kay Hegler, Adam
Hunke (student), Kim Jarvis, Linda Kalbach, Kate Marley, Carrie Petr, Jeff Stander, and Phil Weitl.
The charge included three important assumptions:
1. Changes to the general education program, if any, will intentionally address the student
learning outcomes that reflect the philosophy of general education formed from the college's
mission.
2. Changes to the general education program, if any, will allow all undergraduate students,
present and future, to graduate in four years.
3. Changes to the general education program, if any, will not affect current full-time faculty
positions.
The task force found it necessary to first address assumption #1 by developing the Statement on
Undergraduate General Education. This statement articulates the college's philosophy of general
education and the student learning outcomes which must be intentionally addressed by the general
education program. Only after this philosophy and student learning outcomes have been developed
and approved by the faculty can changes, if any, to the general education program be considered as
those changes need to specifically help achieve the learning outcomes.
A number of materials were reviewed and discussed in developing the Statement on Undergraduate
General Education including the current working draft of the Doane mission statement, the existing
Doane Plan learning outcomes, the report "College Learning for the New Global Century" from the
Liberal Education and America's Promise (LEAP) initiative of the AAC&U, responses provided by
faculty at the August 2010 workshop, and "Commission Statement on General Education"
contained in Chapter 3 of The Handbook of Accreditation by the Higher Learning
Commission, among others.
The task force worked to find the best language to capture the philosophy and student
learning outcomes. The table below provides insight and explanation on the task force's use
of language in the statement.
Language
"undergraduate
experience"
"immersive,
collaborative
environment"
Insight and/or explanation
This term conveys the idea that general education at Doane is multilayered
and multifaceted. It is of course academic but not solely so. It implies
general education is more than a series of courses that one "takes," and
opens the door that many elements are included. It also conveys action in
some way, planting a seed that each student will "contribute" to and help
create "the experience."
Immersive reflects the goal that experiences designed to intentionally
address the student learning outcomes will be ubiquitous. That is, they are
everywhere. These experiences include, but are not limited to, liberal arts
and sciences courses, major courses, minor courses, electives, experiences
outside the classroom (service-learning, travel, research, internships), all
co-curricular activities, and all extra-curricular activities. Collaborative
complements immersive in that students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends
of the college work together to create that environment.
This language honors the spirit of "experience" and stays consistent with
the belief that students are in charge of their learning. Weds nicely with
"inspires students to
the emphasis on "learning outcomes" (active) versus what one is "taught"
take responsibility"
(passive). This language invites faculty to consider not only what we
teach, but how we teach.
This is where students reflect on their experience and begin to see how the
"a defining experience experience has changed their perspectives; how they have grown and
that serves as a catalyst" recognize how that will not be the ending but a beginning for the rest of
their journey
Using this language puts an emphasis on "what students should know and
be able to do (understand) because of their learning." It puts the emphasis
on "learning" or the student versus "what is taught." When written with
care and intentionality, outcomes open the doors to a multiplicity of ways
that students can develop the knowledge, skills, attitudes etc that are
"Essential Student
reflected in the stated outcome, thus supporting the belief that outcomes
Learning Outcomes"
go beyond a prescribed list of "knowledge." Using outcomes rather than
standards avoids the potential development of "standards" (which is but a
step from "standardized,) while still allowing us to make big decisions
about what one should be able to do having "experienced" a Doane
education.
This language reflects an appreciation and an acknowledgment of the view
that students must develop a certain foundation of knowledge and skills on
"crucial intellectual
which to build and with which they make connections across disciplines,
skills"
as their college careers progress. Thus, this learning outcome appears
first, reflective of its foundational nature.
"connections of
Understanding that students will go in depth with their majors, general
knowledge across
various disciplines"
education is the place where we can intentionally provide the opportunity
to learn how to make connections across disciplines.
"adapt their liberal
education to serve and
to lead at all levels of
citizenship"
To serve and lead does not so much reflect a position or political attitude,
but rather develop the skills and insights to help groups develop a vision,
recognizing opportunities, and act upon it.
"engage in discovery"
Discovery is at the core of pursuing knowledge. It empowers the student
to push beyond what is taught in the classroom. The Doane experience
should prompt the discovery, not only in the accumulation of information,
but also the development and understanding of their personal learning
process. Engaging in discovery provides the foundation on which all other
outcomes are achieved.
"assemble and evaluate
no additional comments
facts and assumptions"
"support conclusions
no additional comments
with relevant evidence"
Practice is not simply going through the mechanics (reading, writing,
speaking, listening and nonverbal communication) but is a process of
"practice effective
developing your abilities, assessing them against intellectual standards,
communication"
and reflecting on them as part of the slow and uneven way in which all
communication improves.
Synthesis is the intentional effort to make new meaning out of existing,
"synthesize knowledge
sometimes seemingly unrelated knowledge and experiences. For example,
across foundational
in order for a student to solve complex problems, knowledge from
areas and specialized
different studies (disciplines) will need to be brought together in unique
studies"
and creative ways.
"develop creative
insights and
no additional comments
expressions"
This language reflects at least one important definition of critical thinking:
the ability to call upon diverse experiences and sources of information to
"apply and integrate
address the particular demands and problems of their chosen fields, to
knowledge
adapt to and to impact ever-changing conditions and environments, both
collaboratively to solve
professionally and socially. Put another way, Doane's general education
complex problems"
program, however constructed, should help students learn how to learn
well beyond their time on campus.
"create a refined,
Recognizing the existence of a multifaceted world gives us a definition for
empathetic
what "diversity" means and why Doane must include it as part of the
understanding of a
educational experience.
multifaceted world"
An ethical compass cannot be prescribed. At best, we can create an
"orient their own ethical
environment where students are given the opportunity to grapple with
compasses to act
ethical situations from which their own ethical compasses can be selfaccordingly"
realized.
"engage with people of Ultimately, knowledge and skills are only as valuable as the degree to
varying perspectives to which one can utilize and apply them; this almost always requires
build just societies"
diplomatic and consensus-building savvy.