General Education Council
Summary of 1999-2000
May 16, 2000
Program Assessment
This evaluation is now in its second year and the Council
has fine tuned its approach by focusing on marketing and
faculty/student issues. This was concluded after the Council
deliberated the categorizations of how the assessment information
should be handled. The decision was made to categorize
last year’s assessment into five major groups or
themes (Appendix I):
• Teaching Issues GTAs
•
Teaching Issues Faculty
•
Marketing
•
Modifications
•
Additional Needs
For the first theme the Council recommended to Dean Black that all GTA taught General Education courses have a division evaluation prior to mid-term. The Council encouraged each division to implement an evaluation program that takes into consideration the following things: student reaction through a written in class instrument, and an opportunity for verbal feedback to an independent party. This would improve the student undergraduate experience and contribute to a better appreciation of the General Education Program. This proposal awaits Dean Black’s formal response.
For the second theme the Council has developed several strategies. First, a cover note (Appendix II) sent to all faculty teaching General Education courses speaks to the document given to all students participating in the SWARMS (Appendix III). One goal for the Council was to have faculty relate their offerings to one or more goals of the program, as well as having them see what the students know about the General Education program, and to help dispel some of the misconceptions about the program.
Another element to the faculty component focuses on new faculty orientation. The Director of SAC and General Education will spend more time with new faculty this summer speaking to these issues, and sharing appendices II and III with them.
Marketing the program is contained both in the GTA recommendation
and the faculty directions that the Council has taken.
In all, the program should develop a better reputation
with the faculty and students, since faculty can closely
align with how their course fits into the program. This
should improve student appreciation. The Council also
explored the modification theme under the marketing theme.
To that end, a call was made to divisions requesting
courses at the upper (300 and 400) level that may be
used to substitute for the division’s regular General
Education course(s). This concept approach brought forth
replies from Foreign Languages and English. The former’s
upper division literature courses (GR 365, SA 365, FR
419) were approved as substitutes for EG 207. The division
of English requested that EG 220, 221,230, 231,240 and
241) be used in lieu of EG 207. This was approved after
much deliberation over several meetings since they were
not upper division numbers.
Another marketing strategy was to ensure that test out options for General Education courses are easily available to students. The schedule of classes now has a paragraph speaking to information available on this topic at http://www.emporia.edu/regist/analyst/crexam.htm. Unfortunately it is incorrect in the Fall 2000 schedule.
Future Marketing and Modifications.
At the last meeting this year, the Council charged the
Director with bringing a proposal to the Council at the
first meeting of the 2000-2001 academic year. This proposal
will address issues of both faculty and their student’s
perceptions of the course they are teaching. Items that
the proposal will address relate to a broader unification
of the program through Faculty Senate legislation that
would impact every General Education course offered each
semester. The evaluation to be developed will ask the
faculty member to articulate or respond to a survey inquiring
how his/her course meets one or more goals of the program
or contributes to one or more guidelines of the program.
Coupled with this, the students in the same course will
be asked to evaluate which goals or guidelines they felt
the course met. This would be tied to the idea that the
Faculty Senate will be asked to legislate that each General
Education instructor speak to how the course fits into
the program through the course syllabus. Thus students
and faculty will be aware of how each course contributes
to the overall process of meeting the goals of the program.
Graduating Senior Survey
The Council suggested revisions to the Senior Survey which
the Registrar incorporated into the current document.
Specifically the revisions wanted to address a commitment
to scholarship, intellectual curiosity and lifelong learning
through tailoring questions more toward these issues.
Writing Intensive Courses
The Council’s support of using WI courses to help
meet one of the alternatives to the competency exams was
further considered. A request by the Director of Assessment
to divisions for WI courses found a disappointedly low
response. The two that were submitted are both online courses,
one in Communication and Theatre Arts and the other in
Physical Sciences. Nevertheless the Council encourages
additional WI courses to enhance this dimension of the
program and alternatives to the competency exams.
Alternatives to Competency Exams
A new version with additional options for students was
passed by the Council and approved by the Vice President.
This version (Appendix IV) is less restrictive than the
earlier one. For example, a student can earn an “A” in
EG 102 then go on and meet the math component with a “C” in
a math course beyond MA 110. This was not possible under
the previous document.
Multicultural Intensive Course Sections Assessment
The Director of the Ethnic Gender Studies program reported
on the MCI courses offered during the Fall 1999 term.
As in past reviews, students have very positive comments
about their experiences in these courses. When asked
about continuation of reviews of these sections of General
Education courses, the Council passed a motion changing
its view of assessing them. They asked that any new courses
or new faculty in the program be evaluated, and then
sufficient additional courses be evaluated so that one
quarter of all the sections be evaluated on a yearly
basis. In retrospect, this may be altered if the Council
develops a plan as describe in the earlier section of
this report under Future Marketing and Modifications.
Critical Thinking
This is another continued topic for the Council. The Director
of Assessment and General Education are working with
an L.A.& S. division chair on the continuation of
the evaluation of critical thinking by our students.
Specifically, the study which began three years ago where
800+ entering freshman were tested using the short form
of the Watson Glazer test, will be continued by asking
those same students to retake the test as graduating
seniors. It is anticipated that a report on this longitudinal
study will be forthcoming during the 2000-2001 academic
year.
Computer Literacy Survey
The Council is surveying incoming freshman in the SWARMS
as to their computer literacy. The survey was slightly
modified from last year (Appendix IV). This has been
a Council initiative for the last four years, and a final
analysis of the results is distributed at the first Council
meeting each year. The 1999 report is Appendix V.
Non-Council Activities
Grants
The Director in cooperation with the Associate Dean of
the Teachers College and the Director of Assessment submitted
two grants to procure funding for an indepth analysis of
the General Education Program. The FIPSE grant pre-proposal
did not secure a request for a detailed proposal. The grant
to the U.S. Department of Education for a three year, $767,000
project using the management team protocol was also denied.
Flint Hills Technical College
We continue to offer courses for FHTC. For example, during
the pre-enrollment for Summer and Fall 2000, ESU enrolled
17 students for 130 credit hours.
Exceptions, Waivers or Substitutions
The Director handled approximately 78 student general education
matters this past year. Each situation was evaluated
to determine if a substitution, a waiver, or no action
on the request was needed to best meet the needs of the
student, and to maintain the academic integrity of the
requirements.
Respectfully Submitted,
Rodney J. Sobieski
Director of General Education
Appendix I
Assessment Discussion Themes
Teaching Issues GTAs
•
GTAs are not knowledgeable or effective, but comments focused
on “lecture” sessions not laboratories.
•
Improvement of instruction/excellence in GE teaching.
•
The Council should develop and recommend to the Faculty
Senate an evaluation document for GTA taught courses that
is administered around midterm, then near the end of the
semester.
Teaching Issues Faculty
•
Faculty need to be interested and enthusiastic about the
course.
•
Course materials should be updated each year.
•
Instructors should be familiar with the text used in the
course.
•
Faculty need to relate individual courses to the General
Education curriculum as a whole.
Marketing
•
Goals of the program need to made clearer to students (and
faculty)
•
Better marketing to incoming students (Director generated
information sheet for SWARMs).
•
Better marketing to General Education faculty, such as
asking them to point out to their classes how the course
fits into the program.
•
Better orientation of incoming faculty to the features
of the program.
•
Emphasize test out opportunities, such as including information
in the class schedule.
Modifications
•
A wider variety of course offerings such as testing into
a higher level class in the same area, or a course for
business majors that emphasizes business related government
philosophies, like capitalism and socialism.
•
Eliminate Lifetime Fitness.
•
Are the graduation requirements necessary?
•
Drop the physical education elective, since other health-related
courses might be better, such as Women’s Health,
Men’s Health Issues, Self-Defense for Women, or Rehab.
•
A foreign language requirement was suggested, and that
sign language be an option for it.
•
Should the science requirement be increased as a minor
change to the Program?
•
A transcript entry for computer literacy should be developed.
•
A required computer class
•
A capstone course for General Education which covers issues
like interviewing, the first year on the job, buying a
house and basically living life after college.
Additional needs
•
Ongoing critical thinking survey needs to be finalized.
•
Graduating Senior Survey and the Alumni Survey need General
Education specific questions tailored to the Lifelong Learning
Goal.
Appendix II
Faculty Advisors &/Or Faculty Teaching
General Education Courses
The attached document was given to all entering freshman during last year's SWARMs. The General Education Council's assessment of the program has surfaced various issues regarding items contained in this document and issues about faculty teaching in General Education courses. Please consider the items on this document, and help your students understand the goals of the General Education curriculum as they relate to your course.
Students noted that it is apparent when course materials are updated each year since student-history-files exist on our courses. They also expressed an appreciation for professors who have an enthusiasm for the content, since students recognize it is an introductory experience they are having in each of the disciplines of the General Education program.
Thank you.
Appendix III
Why General Education?
• General Education courses are approximately 40% of your degree requirements, and are among the most significant experiences in developing the perspective and the intellectual background for becoming an educated individual.
• General Education provides the intellectual background to communicate to other educated people.
• General Education experiences provide a means to explore potential majors.
• General Education provides you with skills employers require: to think critically and analytically, to communicate effectively, to work well with colleagues, and to appreciate cultural diversity.
• General Education helps you think about problems
and challenges in different ways, thus providing you with
a set of skills to be a better decision maker and problem
solver.
.
•
General Education skills are “transferable skills” that
improve your performance and often provide the basis for
career changes that occur long after graduation.
• General Education provides a foundation and a perspective for your major and your future.
• Your experiences in General Education courses will help you mature intellectually. These courses should be completed throughout your entire academic career, and should augment your major. They should not be perceived as classes to get “out of the way.”
Goals of Emporia State University General Education
1. Develop proficiency in written and oral communication,
mathematical computation, reasoning, and problem solving.
Graduates of ESU must achieve proficiency in basic skills.
Our goal is to significantly raise the basic skills of
Emporia State University students.
2. Learn the basic concepts and principles, the history, and the mode of inquiry of the various general education disciplines: the fine arts, history, literature, philosophy, social sciences, behavioral sciences, and the biological and physical sciences.
3. Learn how to make connections between the disciplines within the general education curriculum. Apply knowledge from the perspective of these disciplines by thinking critically, as well as analytically.
4. Understand cultural diversity in the contemporary world. Increase awareness and acceptance of similarities as well as differences in people of other cultures, nationalities, religions, races, and genders.
5. Develop a commitment to scholarship, intellectual curiosity,
and lifelong learning.
Appendix IV
2000 Computer Literacy Survey
Emporia State University General Education Council
The General Education Council thanks you for your help with this survey!
1) How many years have you been using a computer? 1) None,
never use them; 2) Less than two years; 3) Three-four
years; 4) Five-eight years; 5) More than eight years.
2) Have you taken a formal course in computers or the use of computers? 1)Yes; 2) No. If you answer “No,” please skip to question number 5.
3) Was this course or courses taken at: 1) Your High School;
2) Computer Store;
3) Vocational/Technical School; 4) College/University;
5) Other.
4) Which of the following topics was most beneficial to you in the course? 1) Word Processing; 2) Spreadsheets; 3) Databases; 4) Hardware; 5) Internet.
5) Do you have a computer at home that you can use? 1) Yes; 2) No.
6) Which operating system do you use most? 1)Linux; 2)
Windows 3.1; 3) Windows 95/98/00;
4) Macintosh; 5) Other or not sure.
7) How do your rate your computer literacy? 1) Beginning;
2) Intermediate; 3) Advanced;
4) None, I do not consider myself computer literate.
8) Do you want to take a formal course(s) in computing while a student at Emporia State University? 1) Yes; 2) No; 3) Take more than one course.
9) Should University students be required to purchase their own computers? 1) Yes; 2) No.
10) If the university made computers available for students
to purchase at a reasonable cost, and made one available
as part of your fee package, would like to buy one? 1)
Yes; 2) No;
3) I have one to use and do not need another.
11) There are computer labs across campus that are available to students, and students can have electronic mail accounts. Would you like to have an ESU E-mail account while attending Emporia State University? 1) Yes; 2) No; 3) I have an E-mail account.
12) In general I find computers (check only one) 1) Mysterious;
2) Threatening;
3) Empowering; 4) Exciting; 5) Routine.
Appendix IV cont.
13) How much do you think you will need to use a computer
in your future job or career?
1) Not at all; 2) Infrequently; 3) Frequently; 4) Constantly.
14) Your gender is: 1) Female; 2) Male.
15) In a typical week how often do you use a computer
for fun or relaxation such as playing games, or surfing
the Internet? 1) Two hours or less; 2) Two-six hours; 3)
More than six
hours each week.
16) Do you have a computer that you are bringing to campus? 1) Yes; 2) No.
17) Have you done research on the Internet? 1) Yes; 2) No.
18) If you have a program on your hard drive and find
that it is unable to run because there is not
enough memory, which of the following is most likely to
solve your problem?
1) A bigger hard drive; 2) More RAM; 3) Adding a CD ROM;
4) A larger monitor.
19) Would you use the Internet instead of going to the library? 1) Yes; 2) No.
20) If you were given a computer as a gift, would you feel comfortable with the task of setting up your new system? 1) Yes; 2) No.
21) Have you ever installed a new program onto a computer? 1) Yes; 2) No.
22) Legal residence status is: (1) Kansas Resident; (2) Nonresident.
23) If you were given an option of taking a course in a subject that required the use of a computer or one in the same subject that did not, which would you choose? 1) The one that required the computer; 2) The one that did not require the use of a computer.
24) Have you used a computer to access library information? 1) Yes; 2) No.
25) If Yes, was this access via a remote connection such as from your home computer? 1) Yes; 2) No.
26) Have you designed or had designed your own personal web page? 1) Yes; 2) No.
27) If given a choice, would you do your homework on a computer? 1) Yes; 2) No.
Appendix V
1999 General Education Summer
Computer Survey Report
A total of 787 responses from the 1999 survey are summarized and found below
(‘98 data in parenthesis is based on n=580).
Student self reporting finds that 92% (89.5%) of the entering class had more than 3 years of computer experience, and of those, 44% (58.9%) had more than 5 years experience and 25% (19%) have more than 8 years.
85% (82%) have had a formal computer course, and 74% (73%) had this course in a high school setting.
81% (75%) of respondents have a home computer.
14% (17.2%) stated they had beginning skills while 69% (73%) stated their level as intermediate, 15% (8.8%) indicating they were advanced. Only 1% (0.9%) self judged their skills as not possessing computer literacy.
60% (64%) plan to enroll in a formal course as a student at ESU.
85% (85%) stated that they should not be required to purchase a computer, yet 59% (57%) stated they would purchase one if the university made one available at reasonable cost.
28% (11% (4% in ‘97)) have e mail accounts and 61% (72%) want a student account.
85% (86%) believe that they will frequently or constantly use a computer in their future job.
60% (62%) were female in the survey.
12% (7%) use a computer more than 6 hours each week for fun, while 29% (26%) use it between 2 to 6 hours, with 54% (64%) using it less than 2 hours each week.
39% (30%) are bringing a computer to campus with them.
75% (79%) would choose to do their homework on a computer
59% (60%) knew that a program on the hard drive that would not run because of insufficient memory could be corrected by adding more RAM, 27% (29%) however, stated that a bigger hard drive is needed! Another 6% (5.7%) said adding a CD ROM, or a larger monitor 2% (1.7%) would solve the problem.
Appendix V cont.
18% (11%) have a personal web page.
43% (36%) said they would feel comfortable setting up a new computer system.
50% (39%) said they have installed a new program on a computer.
91% (97%) are Kansas residents.
60% (64%) stated they would take a course that required the use of a computer vs. one that did not.
83% (26%) also stated that they have accessed library information via a computer, yet only 21% (6%) of those said it was done via a remote connection from a home computer.
Last Updated April 17, 2007