Debra HumphreysAssociation of American Colleges & Universities

humphreys@aacu.orgwww.aacu.org

Communicating Effectively About the Aims and Outcomes of Liberal Education

Modeling Equity, Engaging DifferenceOctober 2012

“A COLLABORATION BETWEEN EDUCATORS, STUDENTS, POLICYMAKERS, AND EMPLOYERS”

CAMPUS ACTION and ADVOCACY

LEAP Areas of Work• Public Advocacy/Communication—leadership through National Leadership Council, Presidents’ Trust, and work in selected LEAP states to make the case for the value of a 21st century engaged and public-

spirited liberal education and importance of essential learning outcomes

• Campus Action—technical assistance and networking to support campus efforts to increase all students’ achievement of essential learning outcomes and to communicate more effectively about liberal education

• Authentic Evidence—reports on public opinion, high-impact practices, assessment approaches that deepen student learning and national reports on student achievement

Liberal Education TodayLiberal Education is an approach to learning that empowers individuals and prepares them to deal with complexity, diversity, and change. It provides students with broad knowledge of the wider world (e.g. science, culture, and society) as well as in-depth study in a specific area of interest. A liberal education helps students develop a sense of social responsibility, as well as strong and transferable intellectual and practical skills such as communication, analytical and problem-solving skills, and a demonstrated ability to apply knowledge and skills in real-world settings.

Why Make Advocacy and Communications a Priority• Intentionality and coherence of educational experience=better learning outcomes

• Lack of awareness about what really matters in college—especially among first-generation students and their families—can lead to some students not making the most of college

• Slipping public confidence in higher education and lack of awareness of what a 21st century liberal education is all about results in ill-informed policy making

Three Questions• What do you think the majority of the general public thinks about higher education’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion?

• What do you think your students perceive as the most important learning outcomes of a quality college education?

• What do students think is the value of learning in a diverse environment or about issues of diversity?

National Context

The Education Debate: college should…

…provide a broad, well-rounded education that

enables discovery of interests and abilities to help students realize their full potential in

life

…provide students with specific career knowledge

and skills to help them realize their full potential

in the workforce

“I worry that if I go through this great diverse education, but I can’t go out and find a decent paying wage at the end of it, then, while I may be a better person for it, I’m still basically [out of luck].”

Student, Oregon University System

“I’m thinking that if I realize my full potential, and discover that here, and have a broad range of appreciating who people are and cultures outside my own, then I will be okay. [The] second will come from the first.”

Student, California State University System

Public Opinion• In 2004, 93% of Americans viewed higher education institutions as one of the most valuable resources to the US. Public ranked colleges as high as military and churches.

(Chronicle of Higher Ed)

• In 2009, 55% of Americans viewed higher education as absolutely essential to success, up from 31% in 2000. (Public Agenda)

• In 2010, 87 percent of Hispanics agreed that a college education is important for a person to get ahead in life. (Univision/AP)

Public Opinion• In 2009, 60% agreed that “colleges today are like most businesses and care more about the bottom line than about making sure students have

a good educational experience. (up from 52% in 2007). (Public Agenda)

• 52% agree that “unless colleges and universities do a better job of teaching students about the world, our children will not be prepared to compete in the global economy.” (NAFSA, 2011)

The Communications ChallengesExternal challenge (public, prospective students, parents, policy)

• What is a “good educational experience”?• What are the essential elements of a good educational experience and do people equate this definition of liberal education with quality?

Internal challenge (current students, faculty, colleagues)

• How do particular learning goals (diversity, global, civic) fit into the larger goals and mission of institution? • How are we collectively providing a quality education that includes attention to equity, diversity, and inclusion?

General Communications Tips• Communicating messages about aims of education is everyone’s responsibility

• Students receive messages from multiple sources (Web sites, syllabi, faculty, advisors, career counselors)

• Multiple messages must be consistent, repeated, and reinforced in multiple settings

• Know your audience; hone core messages; use them!

Main LEAP Messages• There is an emerging consensus about the essential learning outcomes students need for success—and an engaged liberal education provides these outcomes.

• We must raise levels of student achievement of these outcomes to meet the demands of a volatile economy and globally interdependent world.

• College is not only about professional success; the future of our democracy and our shared futures depends on colleges educating informed citizens who understand what responsible actions mean in a diverse and globally engaged democracy.

Narrow Learning is Not EnoughThe LEAP Essential Learning

OutcomesKnowledge of Human Cultures and the Physical and Natural World

Focused on engagement with big questions, enduring and contemporary

Intellectual and Practical SkillsPracticed extensively across the curriculum, in the context of progressively more challenging problems, projects, and standards for performance

Personal and Social ResponsibilityAnchored through active involvement with diverse communities and real-world challenges

Integrative LearningDemonstrated through the application of knowledge, skills, and responsibilities to new settings and complex problems

Why are these outcomes “essential?”• In an economy where every industry…is challenged to innovate or be displaced, all students need the kind of intellectual skills and capacities that enable them to get things done in the world…

(creative and practical intelligence)

• In a democracy that is diverse, globally engaged, and dependent on citizen responsibility, all students need an informed concern for the larger good…(responsibility)

• In a world of daunting complexity, all students need practices that require them to practice skills and integrate and apply their learning to challenging questions and real-world problems ( real-world application)

Know Your Audience: LEAP/AAC&U Research• Focus groups with college-bound high school students, advanced college students, employers (2004-06)

• National surveys—business leaders (2006/2007/2009) and recent graduates (2006)

• National survey—AAC&U member CAOs (2009)

• National survey—AAC&U member presidents (2011; co-sponsored by Gates Fdn; unpublished)

• Focus groups with policy influencers (2011)

LEAP Student Focus GroupsTop Tier reasons for going to college:

• Preparation for long-term career success

• Increased employment opportunities

LEAP Student Focus GroupsBottom-Tier reasons for going to college:

• A college degree will help to ensure a higher paying job;• Attending college will give me an opportunity to learn about and from people and cultures different from my own;• A college education will prepare me for a life of civic responsibility and leadership

Reasons Students Give for Pursuing a College Degree:

It Isn’t Only One Thing• Get a better job (85.9%)• Learn more about things of interest (82.9%)• Train for a specific career (77.6%)• Gain a general education and appreciation of ideas (72.4%)

Source: Chronicle of Higher Education Almanac 2012-13

Other Student Views: What 2010 high school graduates say

What is most important to you in a job or career?

1.Work that I find interesting or care about (59%)2.Work that helps other people (28%)3.Job that pays bills while I have fun outside work (28%)4.Job security (19%)5.Making a lot of money (18%)6.Being able to work with my hands (9%)7.Being my own boss (6%)

Source: “One Year Out” Hart Research Associates for College Board (summer 2011)

What Do Students Think? Selected Focus Group Findings

• High-school students feel uninformed about the college curriculum and uncertain of its demands.

• Students are focused on choice of major rather than what they will learn; long-term professional success is paramount goal.

• Students lack understanding of liberal education.

• Once informed of definition of liberal education, student embrace the concept, but complain that reality not living up to ideal.

Outcomes of College: Student Views

• The outcomes of college that HS and college students think are most important:

maturity, time management, work habits, self-discipline, teamwork.

• The outcomes students think are least important:

values, cultural diversity, science, American history and culture, computer skills, global awareness, civic engagement.

• Students don’t connect outcomes to the curriculum.• Long-term professional success overwhelmingly primary

reason to go to college

What Employers SayAt IBM, our vision is that both individuals and institutions are on a journey of increasing capabilities. The key is to

find college graduates who are interdisciplinary, team-oriented, real-world problem solvers, and who are also informed global citizens.”

Jim Sphorer, IBM University Programs World-Wide

What Employers SayWe’re always looking for students who are able to understand the total global environment…The students we see who

don’t live up to what we’re looking for—they really miss the critical thinking skills. They don’t understand the broad-based world they live in. They are not prepared to work in a team environment.

Wayne Johnson, former VP, Hewlett Packard (2008); now VP, Cal Tech

What Employers Say

In a 2012 Forbes survey, 85% of respondents said diversity is crucial for their businesses, and approximately 75% indicated that their companies will put more focus in the next 3 years on leveraging diversity to achieve business goals.

What Recent Graduates Say“People with a liberal education are able to think about and view the world from several perspectives. This results in a

better understanding of how things are the way that they are, an in an ability to reasonably decide if and how things need to change to make a situation better. This ability to understand and adapt is very valuable in today’s workplace.

John Starbuck, 2005 Anthropology graduate

National Surveys of Employers on College Learning and Graduates’ Work ReadinessAAC&U commissioned Hart Research Associates (in 2006, 2007, and in late

2009) to interview employers (C-level suite executives and, in 2009 additional human resource professionals) whose companies report that hiring relatively large numbers of college graduates

Findings are summarized in the following reports:How Should Colleges Prepare Students to Succeed in Today’s

Global Economy? (AAC&U, 2007)How Should Colleges Assess and Improve Student Learning?

Employers’ Views on the Accountability Challenge (AAC&U, 2008)

Raising the Bar: Employers’ Views on College Learning in the Wake of the Economic Downturn (AAC&U, 2010)

See: www.aacu.org/leap/public_opinion_research

HARTRESEARCH

P e t e r D

A S S O T E SC I A

Raising The BarEmployers’ Views On College Learning In The Wake Of The Economic Downturn

Key findings from survey among 302 employersConducted October 27 – November 17, 2009

for

2009 AAC&U Survey Methodology

Survey among 302 executives at private sector and non-profit organizations that have 25 or more employees

Each reports that 25% or more of their new hires hold an associate’s degree from a two-year college or a bachelor’s degree from a four-year college.

Overall margin of error = +5.7 percentage points

Source: Raising the Bar (AAC&U, 2010)

Employers’ Expectations of Employees Have Increased

88%

88%

90%

91%

% who agree with each statement

Our company is asking employees to take on more responsibilities and to use a broader set of skills than in the past

Employees are expected to work harder to coordinate with other departments than in the past

The challenges employees face within our company are more complex today than they were in the past

To succeed in our company, employees need higher levels of learning and knowledge today than they did in the past

Broad Skills/Knowledge AND Specific Skills/ Knowledge Are Needed for

Career Success

20%

20%

59%

Which is more important for recent college graduates who want to pursue advancement and long-term

career success at your company?

BOTH in-depth AND broad range of skills and knowledge

Broad range of skills and knowledge that apply to a range of fields or positions

In-depth knowledge and skills that apply to a specific field or position

70%

70%

71%

75%

75%

79%

81%

89%

Employers’ Top Priorities For Student Learning Outcomes In

College% saying two- and four-year colleges should place MORE emphasis on helping students develop these skills, qualities, capabilities, knowledge

Effective oral/written communication

Critical thinking/ analytical reasoning

Knowledge/skills applied to real world settings

Analyze/solve complex problems

Connect choices and actions to ethical

decisionsTeamwork skills/ ability

to collaborateAbility to innovate and

be creativeConcepts/developments

in science/technology

52%

57%

57%

63%

65%

67%

68%

Other Areas of Learning Needing Increased Emphasis

% saying two- and four-year colleges should place MORE emphasis on helping students develop these skills, qualities, capabilities, knowledge

Understand role of U.S. in the world

Knowledge of cultural diversity in US/world

Civic knowledge, community engagement

Source: “Raising the Bar: Employers’  Views on College Learning in the Wake of the Economic Downturn” (AAC&U and Hart Research Assoc. 2010)

Locate/organize/evaluate information

Understand global context of situations/decisions

Global issues

Understand & work with numbers/statistics

Message Challenges• Bridging gap between student understandings and employer needs;• Translating curricular requirements and educational opportunities into actual demonstration of accomplishment• Exploiting concerns about economic success and global competitiveness without sacrificing larger diversity and

global learning goals related to responsible citizenship

Diversity and Economic Messages Can Be Effective Together

• Colleges and universities are uniquely positioned to model and teach respectful democratic dialogue and problem solving in diverse settings.

• There is a civic dimension to every field of study, including career and technical fields, as well as to every workplace. Industries and services have ethical and social responsibilities of their own.

Civic and Economic Messages Can Be Effective Together

• A flourishing economy requires the same skills that support citizenship in a diverse democracy. Civic and democratic learning opportunities (e.g. service learning, community-based research, courses on US history, diversity, and global issues) provide broad skills and knowledge that are useful both for success in the workplace and to prepare students to be active and engaged citizens.

Messages That Work• Liberal education outcomes are key to success in today’s global economy and for responsible citizenship in a diverse society.• Narrow training is not enough.• Students must gain broad knowledge and have multiple opportunities to hone skills over time and in real-world settings.• General education is an essential part of providing students these outcomes and opportunities.

Messages That Work• Liberal Education outcomes are important because students are likely to change jobs multiple times

• Liberal education introduces students to multiple perspectives and develops their own independent critical judgment.

• Students needn’t choose either a liberal education or preparation for professional success—both forms of education can be pursued together in mutually reinforcing ways.

Strategies for Making the Case• Focus on the outcomes of a good liberal education and their value in the knowledge-based, global economy• Use data (employers; alumni; field trends) that demonstrate that employers want broadly educated, responsible graduates with intercultural skills and global knowledge• Use research on positive impact of diverse learning environments.• Note the common set of skills and knowledge needed for work and citizenship—the both/and argument• Real-world experience matters: provide students with real-world applied learning, but also help them translate those experiences into skills and capacities employers can

understand

Ways to Get the Message Out• Wisconsin Student Essay Contest• Student Focus Groups • Op-Eds, blogs, speeches• Orientation and advising• Alumni magazines and events• Use LEAP tools—campus tool kit; speeches, surveys; student brochures• Web sites--www.stolaf.edu/offices/ir-e/generaled/requirements

AAC&U ResourcesWhy Do I Have To Take This Course? A Student Guide to making Smart Educational Choices (see section on “Becoming a Citizen of the World”)

What Will I Learn in College? What You Need to Know Now to Get Ready for College Success(available in print; bulk prices available)

What is a Liberal Education? and Why is it Important to My Future?(available in bulk; 500 minimum order)

www.aacu.org/leap/students

The Civic and Economic Case for Liberal Educationhttp://www.aacu.org/leap/presidentstrust/index.cfm

www.aacu.org/leap

humphreys@aacu.org