ASU’s Quality Enhancement Plan:
High Impact on
Social Responsibility
2nd Annual LEAP Texas Forum
Stephen F. Austin State University
Nacogdoches, TX
August 3, 2015
Doyle Carter & Donna Gee
Adria Battaglia & Charlene Bustos (Contributors)
Angelo State University
Presentation Overview
Abstract
Angelo State University’s Quality Enhancement Plan, aka, CONNECT!
proposes to enhance student learning by embedding high impact practices
(HIPs) into graduate and undergraduate courses. The student learning goal of
CONNECT! is Social Responsibility, which also serves as one of the objectives
of the Texas Core Curriculum. Therefore, CONNECT! pedagogies include HIPs
such as service-learning projects and internships. The presenters will: 1)
provide information regarding the infusion of LEAP principles and practices into
the CONNECT! initiative, and 2) track the development, implementation, and
assessment of high impact, CONNECT! projects conducted as components of
recent courses.
Agenda
1. ASU Profile
2. LEAP and CONNECT!
3. Examples of CONNECT! Courses
About ASU
Location: San Angelo, TX (population: 100,000)
Founded: 1928
Member: Texas Tech University System
Hispanic Serving Institution (29% Hispanic student pop.)
Degree Programs:
Bachelors: 41 (100+ majors/concentrations)
Masters: 21
Doctoral: 1
Enrollment: 6,494 from 47 states & 29 countries
Mean ACT/SAT, undergraduates: 21/980
Financial Aid: 86% of undergraduates
First Generation: 46% of undergraduates
Retention: 62% 1st to 2nd Year
Faculty/Student Ratio: 18:1
Faculty: 281 full-time; 70 part-time
Athletics: NCAA Division II
Carnegie Community Engaged Campus
Campus and Community:
ASU’s Plan to Enhance Student Learning through
Community Engagement
ASU’s QEP
Title
CONNECT! Campus and Community, aka, CONNECT!
Purpose
Connect students, faculty and staff with the local, regional, national, and global
communities to enhance student learning and better serve those communities.
Goal
Connected students will become socially responsible citizens.
Objectives
 CONNECT! will have a positive impact on student learning.
 CONNECT! will have a positive impact on ASU’s community engagement
outcomes.
Strategic Alignments
 LEAP Outcomes/Texas Core Curriculum Objectives (Social Responsibility)
 Carnegie Community Engagement Indicators
 Texas Tech University System Priorities (Outreach & Engagement)
 ASU Mission, Values, Strategic Plan & Learning Goals
Our Learning Model
The Cycle of Intentional Learning (AAC&U, 2004)
Goals/
Outcomes
Curricular
Design
Assessment
Pedagogy
Goals/Objectives
Implementation Strategies & Inputs
CONNECT! Courses…embed some type of active engagement with the
community (campus, local, regional, national, or global) that is coupled with
some form of critical reflection.
Faculty Incentive Programs
 CONNECT! Fellowships (Curricular Focus)
 CONNECT! Department Grants (Curricular and Co-curricular Focus)
Engagement Pedagogies (CONNECT! HIPs)
 Connect-2-Campus (2015 pilot in selected freshman seminars)
 Co-curricular Connections
 Learning Excursions/Study Abroad
 Service-learning
 Internships/Practica, etc.
 Community-based Research
Implementation Strategies & Inputs, (Cont.)
Resources
 Current Staff (high tech/high touch)
 .5 Director
 .5 Administrative Assistant
 Information Sharing Tools
 CONNECT! Faculty Support Hub (housed in Blackboard)
 Center for Community Engagement website (angelo.edu/connect)
 Events
 CONNECT! Student Showcase (23 student presentations in F’14)
 CONNECT! Faculty Reception
 Current Faculty
 N = 21, representing all 6 colleges
 Most teach one CONNECT! course per semester
 M&O and Faculty Incentives
 Course Inventory
 N = 27 (projected for fall 2015)
 Modes of delivery: face-2-face, blended & online
 Course types: core, major/minor, freshman to doctoral
Assessment Plan
 The direct assessment of student learning is the central component of the
CONNECT! Assessment Plan.
 Students enrolled in CONNECT! courses submit a reflection paper or
similar artifact for both course-level and program-level assessment.
 For program-level assessment, a locally-generated rubric (derived from two
of the AAC&U VALUE rubrics) is used by a panel of faculty jurors to rate
the students’ ability to demonstrate Social Responsibility.
 In applicable courses, community partners assess the students’
performance and provide programmatic feedback.
 Indirect student learning assessment strategies include:
 The CONNECT! Student Survey (same six indicators as Social Responsibility Rubric)
 National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) administered in spring of odd # years
Outputs & Outcomes (Impacts)
Enrollments
Fall
Spring
Summer
2012-13 (Pilot)
140
98
238
2013-14
461
387
848
2014-15
524
418
2015-16 (projected)
700+
15
Total
957
Objective/Outcome 1 – Impact on Student Learning: Students are achieving
at or above target levels on the six indicators of Social Responsibility (direct
and indirect). NSSE data from spring 2015 will be available this fall.
Objective/Outcome 2 – Impact on the University: ASU achieved the
Carnegie Elective Classification for Community Engagement in January 2015.
Our Carnegie application substantiates the impact that our focus on community
engagement is having on students, faculty, staff, and the community.
EDG 6381 Multicultural Education/ED 4381 Linguistically
Diverse Learners (Study Abroad)
Dr. Donna Gee & Dr. Charlene Bustos, CONNECT! Fellows
Course Outcomes
 Demonstrate intercultural awareness and communication.
 Taylor communication strategies based on cultural norms and values.
 Demonstrate effective engagement in the community, both locally and
globally.
 Syllabus
EDG 6381/ED 4381 CONNECT! Activities
 Participation in 5 hours of community service in the local community before
leaving for the study abroad
 School supply and book drive for primary and secondary schools in Fiji
 Cultural Perspective Project consisting of:






Observations and field notes
New word log
Photographs
Reflective essay
Interview (graduate students only)
Summary presentation (graduate students only)
Expanding Social Responsibility
 One graduate student and one undergraduate student
became ambassadors for Give More HUGS, a non-profit
organization that focuses on education
 Additional school supplies and books were donated
 Permission was received from the airlines for students to bring an extra
carry-on bag of school donations
Experiencing Social Responsibility
Students participated in the school supplies and book drive and organized
donations to a village primary school and secondary school (college).
Connecting with Global Communities
EDG 6381/ED 4381 Assessments
 CONNECT! Student Survey
 Cultural Perspective Reflective Essay – Cultural Perspective Rubric
COM 2301 Public Speaking & Civic Engagement
Dr. Adria Battaglia, CONNECT! Fellow
 COM 2310 is a Core Course
 Alignment with Core Objectives: Critical Thinking, Communication Skills,
Team Work, Personal Responsibility, and *Social Responsibility
*by department choice
 CONNECT! Pedagogy: Service-learning
 CONNECT! Assignment: Community Partnership Project
 Course-level Assessment: Group- Informative Speech, Persuasive Speech,
Community-Partner Presentation: Individuals- Reflection Paper
 Program-level Assessment: Social Responsibility Rubric (Reflection Paper),
CONNECT! Student Survey, Community-Partner Evaluation of Student
Learning
 Dr. B’s Video
KIN 3333 Motor Development
Dr. Doyle Carter
 KIN 3333 is required for all kinesiology majors
 Alignment with Social Responsibility Indicators: SR3.1: Connecting Learning
and Engagement and SR3.2: Community Action and Reflection
 CONNECT! Pedagogy: Co-curricular Connections (curricular/co-curricular
integration)
 CONNECT! Assignment: CONNECTING *Social and Motor Development
*While the course focuses on motor development, social development is part of the
course content, as are cognitive and moral development.
 Course-level Assessment: Reflection Paper worth 10% of final grade;
graded using an instructor-developed rubric specific to the assignment
 Program-level (CONNECT!) Assessment: Social Responsibility Rubric and
CONNECT! Student Survey
Selected Resources
Association of American Colleges and Universities (2011). VALUE: Valid Assessment of
Learning in Undergraduate Education.
Association of American Colleges and Universities (2004). Taking responsibility for the
Quality of the baccalaureate degree. Washington, DC: Author.
Battistoni, R.M., Gelmon, S.B., Saltmarsh, J., Wergin, J. & Zlotkowski, E. (2003). The
Engaged Department Toolkit. Providence, RI: Campus Compact.
Beere, C.A., Votruba, J.C. & Wells, G.W. (2011). Becoming an Engaged Campus: A
Practical Guide for Institutionalizing Public Engagement. San Francisco, CA:
Jossey-Bass.
Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching (2013). Elective Community
Engagement Classification 2015 Documentation Reporting Form.
Kuh, G.D. (2008). High-Impact Educational Practices: What They are, Who Has Access
to Them, and Why They Matter. Washington, DC: AAC&U.
Contact Information
Dr. Doyle Carter
Professor of Kinesiology; Director, Center for Community Engagement/QEP
email: doyle.carter@angelo.edu
Dr. Donna Gee
Professor of Education
email: donna.gee@angelo.edu
Center for Community Engagement
www.angelo.edu/connect
325-942-2708