A Beginner’s
Guide to
Tuning:
Starting the
Discussion
with
Daniel J. McInerneyYour
Tuning USA Advisory
Board
Colleagues
Professor & Associate Department Head
Utah State University, Department of History
daniel.mcinerney@usu.edu
debt
completion
instruction
preparation
STATE OF
transfer POST-SECONDARY access
EDUCATION
employment
pedagogy
meaning of a degree
RE-ASSESSING
OUR WORK AND GOALS
PROBLEMS WITH
PAST ASSESSMENT PLANS
top-down approach
one size fits all
isolated from the rest
of the world
collecting
(but not
using)data
shhh . . . be quiet;
maybe assessment
will go away
REMINDERS
FROM
THE AHA
-Assessments are here to stay
-Who else but historians should respond?
-Assessment and education
Assessment, accreditation,
accountability
are all part of our work
as practitioners of -and advocates for -history
-How clearly do we define the learning
that our discipline programs and degrees
develop?
-How well do our students (and their
THEtheir
parents, their employers,
policymakers) understand these goals?
QUESTIONS
-When do students understand these
issues? ADDRESSED BY
-when they complete program of study?
TUNING
-when they enter
program of study?
-How well do we clarify these objectives
and expectations to secondary schools
& other post-secondary institutions?
WHAT’S
DIFFERENT ABOUT
TUNING’S
APPROACH?
informing question
T
U
N
I
N
G
“When students complete
a program of study in history,
what should they know,
understand,
and be able to do?”
MAKE THE IMPLICIT EXPLICIT
informing question
T
U
N
I
N
G
bottom-up approach
discipline-specific
focus on learning outcomes
clarity and transparency
degree levels
work w/colleagues at different institutions
inclusive: consult a range of stakeholders
diversity and autonomy
a process, not a finished product
10
SUGGESTIONS
ON STARTING
THE
CONVERSATION
1. Meet people where they are, not
where you want them to be
2008-2009: annus horribilis
administrative orders
the functions of conflict & complaint
start at the endpoint
a cultural change
2. Don’t go it alone
borrow from colleagues around the world
EU / UK / Australian learning outcomes
AHA materials
Tuning Discipline Core
Tuning web site
Tuning discussion group
Perspectives on History
pamphlets on teaching & learning
3. Build the project incrementally
provisional “learning outcomes”
outcomes on all syllabi
sample “rubrics”
single rubric for capstone
“inter-rater reliability”
revise intro survey
“pre-major”
4. Talk with people outside
academe
students
parents
alumni
policy makers
employers
alumni letters
surveys
focus groups
It Takes More Than a Major:
Employer Priorities for College
Learning and Student Success
April 2013
SEARCH: aacu more than a major
Key Findings
Innovation is a priority
capacities that cut across majors
(more important than choice of undergraduate
major
importance of a liberal education and the liberal
arts
education practices that involve students in the
active application of skills.
interest in e-portfolios and partnerships
3
Employers want colleges to place greater
emphasis on selected outcomes
More emphasis than they do today
The same emphasis
Critical thinking/
analytical reasoning
Ability to analyze/solve
complex problems
Effective oral
communication
Effective written
communication
Apply knowledge/skills
to real-world settings
Locate, organize, evaluate
info from multiple sources
Innovation/creativity
Teamwork/collaboration in
diverse group settings
Ability to connect
choices and actions
to ethical decisions
9
Less emphasis
Center on Education and the Workforce
5. Build a basket of metrics
RUBRICS
6. Help students build a compelling,
persuasive narrative of their education
“requirement sheet”?
checklist for graduation  guide to learning
Historical study develops one’s ability to
investigate problems, identify reliable
sources, analyze information, contextualize
complex questions, and communicate
conclusions in a clear and thoughtful manner
7. Embrace your
distinctiveness
mission
priorities
student profile
curriculum
entry point
majors
interdisciplinary
evaluations
spec. resources
soc/civic engagm’t
Ten Tips For
Here is a coherent set of
learning goals.
Here are the ways our
institution fosters that
learning in distinctive ways.
8. Meet with
academic advisors,
career counselors,
campus orientation
directors
9. Let your students tell
the story
10. Prepare your elevator
speech
The AHA’s “Tuning” project asks historians to
clarify – and demystify -- the core goals and
the key skills pursued in our discipline.
We want to answer a basic question: when
students complete a program in history, what
should they know, understand, and be able to
do?
We ask this question to understand our own
roles and responsibilities in higher education.
And we want our students to understand
clearly what they take from their studies into
employment, further education, and civic life.
Useful materials for Tuning
AHA Tuning website
http://www.historians.org/teaching-andlearning/current-projects/tuning
SEARCH page: Perspectives on History
search for “Tuning”
http://www.historians.org/publications-anddirectories/perspectives-on-history/past-issues-x12547
American Historical Association membership
http://www.historians.org/about-aha-andmembership/join-the-aha
http://tuningusa.org/TuningUSA/tuningusa.publicwebsite/c
5/c58681b6-801e-49e1-bf55-4ff29e1b800b.pdf
Tuning USA
www.tuningjournal.org
Tuning has become a global project
http://www.unideusto.org/tuningeu/
Tuning China
2012 - 2014