The Doane Plan and Trends in
General Education
August 2008
John M. Burney
Question 1
What do you think the Doane
Plan does best to help student
learning – what would you like to
retain about the Doane Plan?
Question 2
What is the biggest problem you
face with your students? If we were
going to make changes in the Doane
Plan to improve student learning –
what most needs to be revised or
improved?
Today’s Agenda
• Why Discuss General Education, Part I
– Accreditation
– Benefits of a well-designed general education program
• Why Discuss General Education, Part II
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Bok and the critique of distribution systems
Shifting pedagogy
AAC&U : Liberal Education and America’s Promise
Doane’s Mission
• Questions leading to integrated programs
• Some examples
• Outcomes -- Return to discussion of the mission and
achieving it through the Doane Plan
Why I–
Higher Learning Commission
Accreditation is based on
whether your college is
achieving its own mission.
Mission -- Process
Mission  Outcomes  Curriculum
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Assessment --- Pedagogy
Benefits of Focusing General Education on
the Mission for Faculty, Staff, Students
• College Identity –provides a language to help shape both
co-curricular programming and curriculum planning.
• Intentionality –puts a distinctive stamp on Doane’s
curriculum and allows us to sequence knowledge.
• Consensus/Shared Responsibility – Faculty from all
divisions can be involved in developing courses and cocurricular experiences.
• Collaboration – Faculty, student leadership staff, campus
and student organizations can collaborate.
• Student Learning –Doane students will be able to
connect the general education requirements, the mission
of the college, their major, and their own goals in
learning.
Why II:
Bok, Our Underachieving Colleges
Critique of Distribution systems:
• No choices are made -- General education
programs take on so many responsibilities that
they cannot possibly do justice to them all
• Faculty do not design courses for general
education, but simply add major courses to
distribution lists
• Students see no connections between courses
and thus forget content soon after each course
ends – treat them as something to just check-off
Active Learning
To teach is to engage students in learning; thus
teaching consists of getting students involved in the
active construction of knowledge. . .The aim of
teaching is not only to transmit information, but
also to transform students from passive recipients
of other people's knowledge into active constructors
of their own and others' knowledge. . .Teaching is
fundamentally about creating the pedagogical,
social, and ethical conditions under which students
agree to take charge of their own learning,
individually and collectively
•
Education for judgment: The artistry of discussion leadership. Edited by C. Roland
Christensen, David A. Garvin, and Ann Sweet. 1991.
Active Learning
• What I hear, I forget; what I see, I remember;
what I do, I understand.
-Chinese proverb
• Let the main object of this, our Didactic, be as
follows: To seek and find a method by which
teachers may teach less, but learners learn
more.
-John Amos Comenius
Lila M. Smith & Karl Smith
Lila M. Smith & Karl Smith
Seven Principles of Good Practice.
By Arthur W. Chickering and Zelda F. Gamson
1. Encourages Contact Between Students and Faculty
2. Develops Reciprocity and Cooperation Among
Students
3. Encourages Active Learning
4. Gives Prompt Feedback
5. Emphasizes Time on Task
6. Communicates High Expectations
7. Respects Diverse Talents and Ways of Learning
AAC&U LEAP Project:
Importance of Liberal Education
• Consensus on basic outcomes from across every field
of college study: liberal arts and professional
programs
• Engaged democratic citizenship
• Education of the whole student – the development
of individual capability
• Dynamic 21st century global economy
– Cultural knowledge
– Collaboration
Liberal Education and America’s Promise
“The LEAP National Leadership Council recommends,
in sum, an education that intentionally fosters, across
multiple fields of study, wide-ranging knowledge of
science, cultures, and society; high-level intellectual
and practical skills; an active commitment to
personal and social responsibility; and the
demonstrated ability to apply learning to complex
problems and challenges.”
LEAP Essential Learning Outcomes
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Knowledge of Human Cultures
and the Physical and Natural
World
Intellectual and Practical Skills
Personal and Social Responsibility
Integrative Learning
LEAP Principles
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Aim High – and Make Excellence Inclusive
Give Students a Compass
Teach the Arts of Inquiry and Innovation
Engage the Big Questions
Connect Knowledge with Choices and Actions
Foster Civic, Intercultural, and Ethical learning
Assess Students’ Ability to Apply Learning to
Complex Problems
LEAP:
Effective Educational Practices
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First Year Seminars and Experiences
Common Intellectual Experiences
Learning Communities
Writing-Intensive Courses
Collaborative Assignments and Projects
Undergraduate Research
Diversity/Global Learning
Service Learning, Community-Based Learning
Internships
Capstone Courses and Projects
[Reacting to the Past: Role-Playing Simulations)
Resources
• AAC&U, College Learning for the New Global Century,
2007.
• AAC&U, General Education & Liberal Learning: Principles
of Effective Practice, 2010.
• AAC&U, Greater Expectations: A New Vision for Learning
as a Nation Goes to College, 2002.
• John Tagg, The Learning Paradigm College, 2003.
• George Kuh, et al, Student Success in College: Creating
Conditions that Matter, 2005.
• Derek Bok, Our Underachieving Colleges, 2006.
Counter Opinion -- American Council
of Trustees and Alumni
Composition. A college writing class focusing on grammar, style, clarity, and argument.
These courses should be taught by instructors trained to evaluate and teach
writing. “Across-the-curriculum” and “writing intensive” courses taught in
disciplines other than English do not count
Foreign Language. Competency at the intermediate level, defined as at least three
semesters of college-level study
U.S. Government or History. A course in either American history or government with
enough breadth to give a broad sweep of American history and institutions.
Narrow, niche courses do not count
Economics. A course covering basic economic principles, preferably an introductory
micro- or macroeconomics course
Mathematics. A college-level course in mathematics. Specific topics may vary, but
must involve study beyond the level of intermediate algebra.
Natural or Physical Science. A course in biology, geology, chemistry, physics, or
environmental science, preferably with a laboratory component. Overly narrow
courses and courses with weak scientific content are not counted.
ACTA Ratings
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Appalachian State University D
Beloit College F
College of St. Benedict & St. John's University C
Doane College D
Drury University C
Grinnell College F
Kalamazoo College F
Macalester College D
Portland State University F
University of Nebraska - Lincoln B
Washington University in St. Louis F
Barnard College C
Carleton College D
Colorado College F
Drake University D
Elon University C
IUPUI C
Luther College F
Wabash College C
Doane Mission - Intentionality
Doane College, a comprehensive college in the liberal
arts tradition, offers an academic curriculum to
stimulate inquiry, enhance knowledge, and promote
examination and development of values and
perspectives through majors and the liberal arts. The
college prepares students by offering academic and
co-curricular opportunities to develop abilities and
skills needed in and out of the workplace. Doane
also provides opportunities for students, faculty and
staff to develop and practice leadership skills.
Evolving Doane Mission Discussion
DRAFT
DRAFT
DRAFT
DRAFT
DRAFT
Doane College provides a distinctive liberal arts
education grounded in the tradition of free inquiry. We
empower students to be life-long learners who possess
the knowledge and skills to pursue intellectual and
ethical inquiry, apply theories to practical problems,
and engage in a life of service and leadership in the
global community.
Mission -- Intentionality
I. To read, listen, write, and speak effectively.
II. To think critically.
III. To integrate theories with practice.
IV. To collect and process information by selecting
methods to improve understanding and solve
problems.
V. To use problem-solving skills effectively.
VI. To work with others.
VII. To act ethically and to lead responsibly.
Mission -- Intentionality
Mapping those outcomes on the
current Doane Plan how would
you answer these questions?
Do faculty have a common
understanding of the definition
of the key outcomes?
Does the Doane Plan?
1. Help students to identify their own learning
goals?
2. Develop skills that students can use to adapt
to new learning challenges?
3. Provide students with frequent opportunities
to practice skills or apply knowledge?
4. Align learning so that Jr. and Sr. courses
deliberately build on the skills and knowledge
developed in first and second year courses?
Does the Doane Plan
5. Provide students with frequent and ongoing feedback with
enough information so that they can improve their
performance?
6. Provide students with the motivation to take their learning
beyond the end of the course or semester?
7. Provide students with an understanding of the connections
between courses/categories and the mission outcomes?
8. Provide students with an understanding of the connections
between general education courses/experiences and their
major fields of study?
9. Provide students with a stable community of practice within
which to develop (as opposed to moving through the
curriculum as an isolated individual)?
Best Practices in Curriculum
Design: Paul Gaston
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Coherence
Continuity
Common learning
Competence development
Community consciousness
Coherence
• Does the general education curriculum
reflect—and influence—the institution’s
mission? Are its goals clear? Well understood?
• Does the curriculum embody genuine
choices?
• Does the curriculum express a conscious
emphasis on learning?
• Are the objectives of courses clearly stated?
• Is there a recognizable logic to the
curriculum?
Continuity
• Are there clear links between general
education and education in the chosen field?
• Are values of general education expressed in
chosen field study? Vice-versa ?
• Are there opportunities for students and
faculty to build (and cross) bridges between
general education and education in the
chosen field?
Common Learning
• What are the odds that two students, meeting at
random on campus, will have read the same book?
Considered similar intellectual issues? Explored
analogous questions?
• Does the curriculum embody an overall
understanding that effective common learning
(what is learned) requires a deliberate focus on
learning (how it is learned)?
Competence Development
Can students who complete the institution’s foreign
language requirement order a croissant in Paris or a
latte in Florence?
 Are students who complete the quantitative
reasoning requirement “numerate”?
Are all students effective epistemologists? I.e.,
“computer fluent”?
I.e., if you say that your graduates can write, speak,
pilot a Missouri river Boat, or howl at the moon – can
they demonstrate that competence after 4 years?
Community Consciousness
• Do students have the opportunity to
celebrate campus and community
diversity?
• Do students confront competing notions
of the common good?
• Are issues of citizenship raised?
Explored? Tested? Enacted?
Examples from Other Institutions
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Drury University
Beloit College
Kalamazoo College
Wagner College
Elon University
Portland State
Example 1:
Drury mission outcomes
“Education at Drury seeks
· To cultivate spiritual sensibilities and
imaginative faculties, as well as ethical insight
and critical thought
· To foster the integration of theoretical and
practical knowledge
· To liberate persons to participate responsibly
in and contribute to life in a global
community.”
Drury – connection to curriculum
• Global Perspectives 21 curriculum, “students
gain an integrated understanding of how to
live a life of meaning and success in a rapidly
shrinking global community “
• Students develop competency in a second
language and an understanding of distinctive
cultures
• Global Futures course
• Global Studies minor
Example 2 – Beloit College:
Emphasis on Engaged Learning
• International Education: 2 units involving study or experience of
a language and/or culture not their own and of their relations between
nations or other entities in a global context.
• Experiential Learning - required
• Interdisciplinary Learning: 1 unit of interdisciplinary studies
courses or 2 units of paired courses designated by faculty as a cluster.
• Writing Across the Curriculum: Students must complete at
least 3 courses designated as Learning to Write (LW), Writing to Learn
(WL), or both.
• Breadth of Learning: 2 courses each in “Natural Sciences and
Math,” “Social Sciences,” “Arts and Humanities”
Beloit: Initiatives
• First Year Initiative: seminars of 15-17 students on a
range of topics
• Sophomore Year Initiative:
– Venture grants – for intellectually challenging projects
– Welcome-Back Activities and Sophomore Dinners
– Sophomore Retreat (2 days each November)
– SOAR Week (Sophomores’ Opportunities, Activities,
and Resources)
– My Academic Plan
Example 3 - Kalamazoo
“Kalamazoo College’s unique K-Plan encourages students to
become “At Home in the World” by providing a curriculum
that allows them to:
• develop life-long learning and communication skills;
• explore disciplinary and interdisciplinary fields;
• identify and pursue an intellectual passion, personal aspiration, or
career path; and
forge a customized, coherent education by integrating classroom
and experiential learning, study abroad, and co-curricular activities into a
unified whole.”
Kalamazoo –
K-Plan continued
• Career Development Internships –
80%
• Study Abroad – 85%
• 3 Shared Passages Seminars
• Senior Individualized Project
• Unique calendar
K-Plan
• First-year seminars, prepare students for further work at the
College by focusing on foundational skills, such as writing, oral
expression, information literacy, and critical thinking; introducing
global or intercultural ideas; and encouraging students to reflect on
and integrate their high school experiences and transition to college
• Sophomore (or sophomore/junior) seminars delve more deeply into
cultural issues and intercultural understanding, preparing students
for study abroad and living in a global world.
• Senior seminars, whether disciplinary or interdisciplinary, focus on
integrating students’ Kalamazoo College experiences and preparing
them for future lives beyond “K.” Disciplinary seminars integrate
students’ experiences inside and outside a particular major, while
interdisciplinary seminars allow students from a variety of majors to
apply diverse aspects of their Kalamazoo education to an
interesting topic or problem.
Example 4:
The Wagner (College) Plan
Emphasis on location, experiential learning, and
learning communities
The First Year Program
• integrate 3 courses to help students discover connections
between subjects
• link all 3 courses to field work to connect ideas and real world
problems
• 3 hours per week in field linked to one of the courses--a
Reflective Tutorial
• faculty member for the Reflective Tutorial is the student’s
advisor
The Wagner Plan
Intermediate Learning Community
• taken anytime between first year and senior learning
community
• can be used to fulfill CORE requirements
• addresses interdisciplinary topics (e.g. Economics and the
Environment, Asian History, Politics and Film)
Senior Capstone
• learning community linked to the major
• synthesizes knowledge with 100 hours of fieldwork in chosen
area of study
• senior capstone seminar is in the major
Example 5: Elon University
Interdisciplinary Initiatives:
• The Global Experience (first year core
course)
• Team-taught Honors Seminars (sophomore
year)
• Study Abroad Courses
• General Studies Interdisciplinary Capstone
Seminars
The Global Experience
This first-year seminar examines public responsibility
in a global context. It explores some of the
implications created by cultural and natural diversity
and the possibilities for human communication and
cooperation within this diversity. The course
emphasizes student and faculty creativity through
active and collaborative learning; the seminar is
writing intensive.
 Faculty are recruited from all departments and
schools of the University and meet every Monday for
lunch discussions and workshops.
General Studies Interdisciplinary
Capstone Seminars
• Proposed by individual faculty from across campus
• Approved by the General Studies Council
• Recent offerings:
 The Five Freedoms: First Amendment Under Attack
 Counter-Terrorism: Are We Headed for Another 9/11?
 Gender Issues in Education
 Identifying a Nation: Viva la Opera!
 At Death’s Door
 Perspectives on Women’s Health
 Math Origami
 The Economics, Politics, and Science of Cigarettes
 Wealth and Poverty
 The Media and the Middle East
Example 6: Portland State:
University Studies
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Freshman Inquiry - 15 credits
Sophomore Inquiry - 12 credits
Thematic Cluster - 12 credits
Senior Capstone - 6 credits
Portland State – sequence of
seminars
Freshman Inquiry
• A year-long 15 credit experience developed by
a team of faculty from different disciplines
• Maximum class size of 40
• Features peer mentored sessions led by
upper-division students
Portland State
Sophomore Inquiry:
• Students select 3 courses, each one representing one
of 27 themes.
• Each course is a “gateway” into the upper division
cluster courses
Thematic Cluster:
• students select the sophomore theme that they
found most interesting, and continue a more in
depth study of that theme
Portland State: Senior Capstone
• A community-based learning project that
provides an interdisciplinary group of
students the opportunity to apply their
knowledge base in a real world situation
• The team produces a summation project
under the supervision of a faculty
member
Returning to Outcomes
Look at the Doane and the LEAP goals then
write down the 2-3 key learning outcomes
that you think are the most important for
students to intentionally pursue in their
general education courses.
Question 3: What are the most important
skills, knowledge, dispositions, or learning
experiences for Doane students to get out of
the general education program?
Returning to Outcomes
Question 4:
What are the biggest obstacles to
achieving those outcomes?
Distinctive Identity
Question 5:
In developing a sequence of
courses, co-curricular and extracurricular experiences to achieve
those outcomes what might put a
distinct stamp on Doane’s general
education model?
Final thoughts
What final thoughts do you have on
this discussion? Elements that excite
you, interest you, concern you?
Questions? Comments?