Living Our Liberal Arts MissionWorkshop for Advisors

Cara Meade SmithJulia MetzkerJuly 30th, 2015

Break the IceCompare your teaching goals inventory in your group.

Similarities?Differences?

Is it accurate?

http://fm.iowa.uiowa.edu/fmi/xsl/tgi/data_entry.xsl

Classroom Assessment Techniques: A Handbook for College Teachers by Angelo & Cross

Georgia’s Public Liberal Arts University

• “Public” – making the experience of a private liberal arts college affordable (and accessible)

• “Liberal” – bad or misunderstood?

– Liberal Arts: Specific disciplines (i.e., the humanities, sciences, and social sciences).

– Liberal Arts College: A particular type of institution—often small, often residential—that facilitates close interaction between faculty and students, and whose curriculum is grounded in the liberal arts disciplines.

– Artes Liberales: The historical basis for the modern liberal arts, consisting of the trivium (grammar, logic, and rhetoric) and the quadrivium (arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, and music).

What’s in a name?

• Liberal Education: An approach to college learning that empowers individuals and prepares them to deal with complexity, diversity, and change. This approach emphasizes broad knowledge of the wider world (e.g., science, culture, and society) as well as in-depth achievement in a specific field of interest. It helps students develop a sense of social responsibility; strong intellectual and practical skills that span all major fields of study, such as communication, analytical, and problem-solving skills; and the demonstrated ability to apply knowledge and skills in real-world settings.

• General Education: That part of a liberal education curriculum that is shared by all students. It provides broad exposure to multiple disciplines and forms the basis for developing essential intellectual, civic, and practical capacities. General education can take many forms, and increasingly includes introductory, advanced, and integrative forms of learning.

What does AAC&U say?

AAC&U = American Association of Colleges & University (aacu.org)“the leading national association concerned with the quality, vitality, and

public standing of undergraduate liberal education.”

to thrive as productive citizens of a globally engaged democracy

intellectual encounters with both enduring and contemporary questions

evidence-based, innovative teaching, high-impact pedagogies

collaboration with community partners to address mutually identified needs and to promote public well-being

informed citizen leaders ready to serve the public good, locally and globally

responsible leaders capable of affecting positive social change

greater understanding of self, promotion of reasoned and respectful discourse

development of engaged citizenship

intensive study in the major, and capstone experiences that integrate and apply learning

meaningful student-faculty interaction

What we say …

Georgia College Mission & Values (http://www.gcsu.edu/about)

What we want …

http://www.aacu.org/leap/essential-learning-outcomes

What employers want …

Hart Research Associates – “Optimistic About the Future, But How Well Prepared? College Students' Views on College Learning and Career Success” (https://www.aacu.org/leap/public-opinion-research/2015-students)

T-Shaped Learner

How we get there …

Where we end up…

Intentional, integrated, meaningful

TRANSFORMATIONAL

So, what’s the problem?

SCATTERSHOT

Some potential ideas?(will be examined in the discussion series)

Thematic PathwaysSanta Clara University’s “pathways”

http://www.scu.edu/provost/ugst/core/pathways/

Badging SystemsOklahoma Central University’s Student

Transformative Learning Recordhttp://www.uco.edu/central/tl/stlr/

We can fix this one!(with your help)

An introduction to liberal education -and why it is important to all

college students

• Talking about the liberal arts …

• Weekly conversations

• Class activities

• Reflection assignments

• Common readings

• Sharing AAC&U resources

• Exploring our mission and values (www.gcsu.edu/about)

Complete the Grid

What makes Georgia College distinct from UGA?

Gallery Walk

1. In your group, come up with a response to the scenario and write it on the sheet

2. Walk around and look at the other groups scenarios and responses – What do you notice?

What’s next• Use the pamphlet to start a conversation with your

freshman advisees (or all of them!)

• Try incorporating one or more of the activities into your seminar – we are happy to bounce ideas!

• Join the Liberal Arts Renewal Project Discussions this year (details will be posted through Frontpage)

• Let us know how it goes – we will offer a debriefing session early spring semester

• Complete a quick survey about today