Basic: Reading

1
Basic Reading WritingAllen Sullivan, Carolyn
Thurston, Bill Woods Jr., Lila Harper, Susan
Donahoe, Teresa Sloan

• Toward Excellence
• Sufficient resources to ensure sufficient faculty
  to teach basic classes in students first year
• Cross curriculum and cross departmental
  standardized assessment for writing assignments
• Exit assessments for reading/writing skills and
  resources to provide such assessment
• Assessment of reading/writing skills for transfer
  students and students at CWU centers

• Five Outcomes
• Students will be able to demonstrate deep reading
  skills
• Early identification of students in need of
  assistance
• Students will develop the habit of critical
  thinking skills which will enable them to
  function as professionals
• Students will develop critical thinking skills
  which will assist them with stewardship
• Students will be prepared to perform in their
  specific fields

2
Basic SkillsQuantitative/Symbolic(Michael
Braunstein, Linda Beath, Bruce Palmquist, Chad
Wassell, Matt Altman, Boris Kovalerchuk, Grant
Eastman, Angela Unruh)

• Five Outcomes
• Students will be able to know and use Number
  Sense and Algebra
• Students will be able to interpret quantitiative
  information from a variety of sources
• Students will be able to represent and understand
  the representation of applied (contemporary)
  problems using such abstractions as symbols and
  graphs
• Students will be able to work with and understand
  mathematical proofs.

3
Basic SkillsQuantitative/Symbolic (cont)

• Toward Excellence
• Get students beyond the Cookbook approach to
  learning. Students must be able to synthesize.
• Operationalize the quantitative and symbolic
  reasoning goals and outcomes.
• Recognize that QSR is a valid part of a liberal
  education
• Transform the university culture to appreciate
  the importance of the Gen. Ed. program

4
Philosophies, Religions, and Languages (proposed
new title for the breadth area currently called
Philosophies and Cultures of the World)Louis
Meng, Lene Pedersen, Karen Gerrer, Cindy Coe,
Sheryl Grunden, Minerva Caples, Chenyang Li

• Brief description for catalog draft An
  introduction to fundamental philosophical,
  religious, and language understandings that
  contribute to students becoming responsible and
  thoughtful members of society and citizens of the
  world.

5
Literature and HumanitiesTerry Martin, Toni
Culjak, Judy Kleck, Lori Gray, Karen Gookin,
Chris Schedler, Corwin King

• DRAFT Description
• Introduces students to literary and other forms
  of cultural expression. Explores the human
  struggle for mutual understanding, for emotional
  and intellectual clarity within and beyond
  specific cultural contexts. Traces shared human
  concerns across cultures and continents, periods
  and ages, as expressed in various literary,
  philosophical, historical, and artistic forms.
  Provides students, in the words of scholar
  Kenneth Burke, with "equipment for living" in a
  multicultural, global human environment.
• DRAFT Outcomes
• Students will read and respond in oral and
  written forms to humanistic works from a variety
  of cultures.
• Students will examine artifacts with an awareness
  of the cultural context in which they were
  produced.
• Students will read and respond in oral and
  written forms to humanistic works from a wide
  range of historical periods.
• In accordance with the General Education Writing
  Requirement, students will submit at least seven
  pages of writing "that is assessed for content
  and mechanics (grammar, spelling, punctuation,
  and organization)."
• Students will be able to synthesize their
  understanding of past humanistic knowledge with
  their current knowledge, making connections with
  their present experience.
• BABY Steps Towards Excellence
• Become average
• Move toward good
• Imagine excellence

6
Aesthetic Experience Toward Excellence

• Include in the program goals a statement that
  acknowledges the value of aesthetic perception
  and creation.
• Include in the aesthetic experience course
  selection list opportunities for less passive
  forms of aesthetic engagement.
• Inquire into embedding within the mission
  statement the significance of the aesthetic
  experience in the fully realized life.
• Michael Chinn, Ovidio Giberga, Shari Stoddard,
  Scott Carlton, Keith Lewis, Patsy Callaghan

7
Patterns and Connections in the Natural
World(Craig Johnson, Ruth Lapsley, Jim Pappas,
Karl Lillquist, Bob Ota, Ed Gellenbeck, Terry
Schwartz)

• Outcomes
• Connections and Linkage
• Students will show ability to understand linkages
  among various types of biophysical systems
• Field application
• applied concepts to real world problems
• Have goals for students to combine two or more
  breadth areas
• Instead of UNIV 101, have broad topic area
• Students should show their abilities to integrate
  knowledge from diverse perspectives
• Address cross-disciplinary issues

• Moving towards COE
• Lower student to teacher ratios
• Devote more student TA to gen ed grading
• Remove department designations to create
  interdisciplinary program
• Create several learning communities that are
  interdisciplinary

8
Perspectives on World Cultures(Greg Cant,
Kathleen Barlow, Tony Abbott, Dorothy Chase,
Penglin Wang, Quenby Delgado, Elisabeth Weinbaum,
Carlos Oncina)

• Outcomes
• Students will engage different cultural contexts
  and perspectives through a broad range of
  interactive experiences.
• Students will be familiar with the environmental
  contexts in which societies and cultures develop
  and change.
• Students will understand processes of
  globalization and the interrelatedness of the
  world community.
• Students will be able to recognize cultural bias
  within themselves and others.
• Students will develop international competencies
  to function in the global economy and
  multi-cultural context

• Toward Excellence
• Technology to integrate cultural understanding
• Cross-cultural sophistication

9
Foundations of Human Adaptations and Behavior

• Libby Street, Kim Jones, Pat Lubinsky, Roger
  Fouts, Phil Backlund, Joe Bradley, Dale Wilson

Five Outcomes 1. Students will be able to explain
a variety of foundations of human diversity 2.
Students will describe the influence of habits of
human thought and behavior on other species and
the natural environment. 3. Students will
describe the influence of habits of human thought
and behavior on other humans and social groups 4.
Students will adopt an objective perspective
about the causes of human thought, behavior, and
society. 5. Students will describe the
interconnections between historical events and
current affairs
Toward Excellence 1. Establish faculty discussion
groups for each general ed area. 2. 3.
10
Fundamental Disciplines in Physical and
Biological Sciences

• Outcomes Content
• Speak a common language
• Common vocabulary (inc. mapping)
• Reduction in jargon
• Describe and analyze system interrelatedness.
• Accurately describe human impacts on these
  systems and their implications.
• Outcomes Process
• Describe and apply the scientific method
• Formulate scientific question and a solution
  process.
• Relate knowledge to everyday experiences.
• Engage in systematic critical thinking.
• Analysis, inference, evaluation, induction,
  deduction.

Lixing Sun, Ian Quitadamo, Marla Wyatt, Bob Hickey
11
Fundamental Disciplines in Physical and
Biological Sciences (cont) Toward Excellence

• Expose students to integrated content and process
  in General Education courses.
• Develop interest in subject and recruitment of
  students.
• Expand student horizons to include subject
  matter.
• Sharing Gen Ed course ownership.

12
Applications of Natural Science
Joan Amby, Jim Schwing, Martha Kurtz, Holly
Pinkart, Kris Ernest, Nancy Hultquist, Daniel
CannCasciato, Walt Kaminski

• Apply scientific process to solve problems
• Be able to articulate the scientific or
  technological basis of specific societal issues
• Become active informed participants in
  discussions
• Evaluate alternative approaches
• Form opinions based on scientific evidence
• Use science to predict consequences of human
  actions

13
Toward Excellence Applications of Natural
Science (cont)

• Develop the web site
• Have thematic elements addressed across the
  Breadth Requirement areas (e.g., global warming)
• Balance needs/status of GEP courses and the
  departmental major courses
• Have breadth area faculty meet and discuss and
  coordinate courses
• Strengthen use of tenure track faculty in the GEP
  courses
• Recognize the use of non-tenure track faculty in
  the GEP courses
• CoE should be used for recruitment

14
Barge 412 Gen Ed Discussion Toward
Interdisciplinarity
Examples Ideas
Suggestions

• Cohort of students in similar experience
• Global Issues and Study Abroad
• Assessment of stated outcomes
• AIDS
• Research
• Advising that integrates
• Faculty meet to establish themes in GEP
• 10 credits/quarter
• Curriculum integration requires load credit
• Wildcat Welcome Weekend vehicle for introducing
  gen ed options

• Interdisciplinary themes cutting across gen ed
  curriculum
• Proposals with stated outcomes
• Students perspective and experience
• Structural change to connect courses
• Resources made available for team planning
• Look at models for structure of course/load
• Interdisciplinary focus for capstone courses
• Gen Ed courses offered through a Gen Ed
  Department