SENATE
AGENDA ITEM III.F.1.
25 April 2006
End-of Year Report
General Education
Review Committee
AY 2005-2006
The General Education Review Committee (GERC)
In
the fall of 2005, the Council on General Education (CGE), with the addition of
six Senate-appointed members, was charged with conducting a thorough review of
the General Education requirements at
For AY 05-06, the General Education
Review Committee was comprised of the
members of the Council on General Education, including three ex-officio members, with the addition of six Senate
appointed members: Aimee Shouse, Dale Adkins, Buzz Hoon, Steve Bennett, John
Miller, and Polly Radosh.
Election of Officers:
Election of Officers is scheduled to occur on April 20, 2006.
Charge to the General Education Review Committee:
The General Education Review Committee is charged with:
· An examination of the purpose and necessity of each individual category;
· An examination of the number of required hours within each category;
· An examination of the overall number of hours for the Gen Ed requirement;
· An examination of the purpose and effectiveness of the W requirement within General Education;
· Any relevant issues that arise from the review and discussion process; and
· A review of the recommendation for the structure of General Education assessment prepared by the Task Force on the Assessment of General Education.
Invitations to solicit feedback concerning
the review:
From its initial stages in Fall 2005, GERC
has sought the input of the university
community.
GERC extended direct invitations to Steve Rock, Senate Chair; Joe Rives,
Assistant to President for Planning and Budget; Tere North, Assessment Coordinator; President
Goldfarb and Provost Rallo (represented by Provost Rallo); Marty Kral, Associate
Director, Career Services; and Joan McEneany, Jen Mason, Sarah Jo Guy, and Paula Rhodes,
representatives from the Office of Admissions. On
the CGE website, there is also a general call for
feedback at any time from the university
community.
Evaluation
of Benchmark Universities:
In
accordance with the charge, GERC set out immediately to review Western’s ‘benchmark universities’ (the list was
solicited from multiple sources, including Joe Rives, Assistant to
President for Planning and Budget; CGE’s Provost
Representative, Judi Dallinger;
Subcommittee to evaluate current general education goals and the Strategic Plan:
A subcommittee was constructed in August to evaluate the goals of general education in relation to the university strategic plan. The subcommittee concluded that the general education goals, both broad and specific, are consistent with the strategic plan. The one possible exception is globalization, which is part of the strategic plan but not clearly part of the general education goals (it is currently part of the multicultural category, meaning students could take a course that meets the category requirement but is not related to global issues).
Bibliography of general education materials:
Kathleen O’Donnell-Brown compiled an
annotated bibliography of resource materials for the education of GERC and
others interested in current debates and trends in general education. Since O’Donnell-Brown’s term ended in
January, new materials have been distributed and discussed. Submitted with the interim report in January;
updated documents available upon request.
Articulation
of
In response to a request for recommendation by the Council on Admissions, Graduation, and
Academic Standards (CAGAS) concerning articulation of a particular course for an individual
student, GERC
initiated an evaluation of articulation issues in February. Representatives from the
Office of Admissions (Joan
McEneany, Jen Mason, Sarah Jo Guy, and Paula Rhodes) addressed the
council to clarify issues
associated with the transfer of general education courses. The Committee was
satisfied with the current
process of articulation to the degree that no recommendation for change was
submitted to the Faculty Senate.
General Education Review Survey:
The purpose of the General Education Review
Survey (see Appendix 1) was to examine faculty perceptions of the general
education curriculum and the “W” requirement.
The General Education Survey was administered from January 1 until
February 17. The data was collected by Tere North, University Assessment Coordinator, and sent to
GERC for analysis (see Appendix 2).
Qualitative responses are available on request. GERC spent subsequent meetings discussing the
results and, concurrently a subcommittee ran quantitative data analysis on
particular indicators. GERC is in the
process of compiling a general summary of the survey results for public review. This summary will be available at the forum
planned for early fall and on the GERC website which will be up and running
shortly after the end of term Spring 2006 (constructed by Annette Hamm, Faculty
Senate Secretary).
Employer perspectives:
Marty Kral, Associate Director of Career Services, addressed GERC concerning employers’
responses to
job fairs, Kral’s presentation encouraged GERC to consider methods for collecting employer
perspectives. This will be an issue addressed more carefully in early Fall 2006.
Alumni Survey:
In exploring options for an Alumni Survey, it was decided to rely on the information gleaned from the Western Illinois University Survey of Baccalaureate Recipients Five Years Out. The most recent results currently available are from 2000. Questions include “In your view, how effective were your university experiences in helping to develop your critical thinking ability,” “In your view, how effective were your university experiences in contributing to a greater understanding of people with different habits, backgrounds, appearances, and abilities,” and “How well did your undergraduate prepare you in the areas listed below?” with indicators tied to the existing categorical goals of general education. The data have been accessed and will be analyzed prior to the planned campus forum in the fall of 2006.
Student Perceptions Survey:
A subcommittee was formed to develop the Student Perceptions Survey. The survey was drafted and discussed at length by the committee. It was the general consensus that the questions might not solicit the real information we were interested in, for example, questions concerning categories or required number of hours may not be the most effective way to tap student sentiment. After consideration, and with the input of our new student member, it was decided that we would focus instead on holding a student forum on general education issues in the fall 2006.
Discussion:
GERC has spent time in deep discussion of key components of the review process: the value of General Education, what constitutes a generally educated student, and details of a general education structure that reflect these considerations. Informed by the reading assigned for each meeting, these discussions have unified the information gleaned from the visitors, constructing the survey, considering our strategic plan and the general education requirements of benchmark universities.
Reports to Faculty Senate:
Request for Extension of Charge: In March 2006, the General Education Review Committee requested an extension of the committee’s charge, originally scheduled to be completed at the end of this academic year. There were no objections to the report.
Request for Freeze of Committee Membership: In March 2006, the General Education Review Committee recommended a freeze of membership until the general education review was completed. There were no objections to the report.
As a result of these two accepted reports, GERC is to be considered an ad hoc committee as it currently stands, thereby freezing current membership on GERC only. CGE will continue with yearly rotation, and serve to assist GERC during the review period. As CGE will be ultimately responsible for carrying out the final recommendations of the General Education Review, they should be sufficiently involved in review in the coming year.
Planned
General Education Forums
GERC plans to host two forums open to the university community which will cover issues related to the review of the general education curriculum. One will be a forum where the results of the General Education Review Survey are offered and explained, as well as the results of data analysis of the alumni survey. The second will be open to the public, but will focus on student perceptions and concerns. Students, faculty, staff, and administration are encouraged to attend both forums.
Tentative goal date: October 1.
Respectfully submitted by Lori Baker-Sperry, CGE/GERC chair for AY 2005-2006.