Redefining Quality Education

1
Re-defining Quality Education

• Developed by
• Richard H. Wells, Chancellor
• Greg Wypiszynski, Director of Graduate Admissions
• University of Wisconsin Oshkosh
• For the Board of Regents
• October 9, 2003

2
(No Transcript)
3
Quality Education Abridged Definition

• A quality education is a learning and personal
  development program characterized by processes
  wherein students are fully engaged resulting in
  value-added student outcomes.

4
Expanded Definition Processes

• Academically challenging experiences
• Active and collaborative learning/teaching
  styles
• A talented, accessible and responsive faculty
• Enriching and diverse educational experiences
• A supportive campus environment.

5
Expanded Definition Value added student
outcomes

• Subject matter mastery of major and general
  education curriculums
• Critical thinking abilities
• Written, oral and interpersonal communication
  skills
• Understanding, appreciation and tolerance of
  diverse people and ideas
• Psychological and physical well being
• Commitment to civic/public service
• Passion for life-long learning.

6
Indicators/Measures Processes

• Academically challenging experiences
• Active and collaborative Learning/teaching styles
• A talented, accessible and responsive faculty
• Enriching and diverse educational experiences
• A supportive campus environment

7
1. Academically challenging experiences

• National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE)
• Preparing for class (studying, reading, writing,
  rehearsing and other activities related to your
  academic program)
• Number of assigned textbooks, books or
  book-length packs of course readings
• Number of written papers or reports of 20 pages
  or more

8
1. Academically challenging experiences

• National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE)
• Number of written papers or reports of between 5
  and 19 pages
• Number of written papers or reports of fewer than
  5 pages
• Coursework emphasizes Analyzing the basic
  elements of an idea, experience or theory

9
1. Academically challenging experiences

• Coursework emphasizes Synthesizing and
  organizing ideas, information or experiences into
  new, more complex interpretations and
  relationships
• Coursework emphasizes Making judgments about
  the value of information, arguments or methods
• Coursework emphasizes Applying theories or
  concepts to practical problems or in new
  situations

10
Academically challenging experiences

• Worked harder than you thought you could to meet
  an instructors standards or expectations
• Campus environment emphasizes spending
  significant amounts of time studying and on
  academic work.

11
2. Active and collaborative learning/teaching
styles

• National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE)
• Asked questions in class or contributed to class
• Made a class presentation
• Worked with other students on projects during
  class
• Worked with classmates outside of class to
  prepare class assignments

12
2. Active and collaborative learning/teaching
styles

• National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE)
• Tutored or taught other students
• Participated in a community-based project as part
  of a regular course
• Discussed ideas from your readings or classes
  with others outside of class (students, family
  members, coworkers, etc.)

13
3. A talented, accessible and responsive faculty

• National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE)
• Discussed grades or assignments with an
  instructor
• Talked about career plans with a faculty member
  or advisor
• Discussed ideas from your readings or classes
  with faculty members outside of class
• Worked with faculty members on activities other
  than coursework (committees, orientation,
  student-life activities, etc.)

14
3. A talented, accessible and responsive faculty

• National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE)
• Received prompt feedback from faculty on your
  academic performance (written or oral)
• Worked or planned to work with a faculty member
  on a research project outside of course or
  program requirements.

15
4. Enriching and diverse educational experiences

• National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE)
• Participating in co-curricular activities
  (organizations, publications, student government,
  sports, etc.)
• Practicum, internship, field experience, co-op
  experience or clinical assignment
• Community service or volunteer work

16
4. Enriching and diverse educational experiences

• National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE)
• Foreign language coursework and study abroad
• Independent study or self-designed major
• Culminating senior experience (comprehensive
  exam, capstone course, thesis, project, etc.)

17
4. Enriching and diverse educational experiences

• Had serious conversations with students that have
  different religious beliefs, political opinions
  or personal values
• Had serious conversations with students of a
  different race or ethnicity
• Used electronic technology (list-serve, chat
  group, internet, etc.) to discuss or complete an
  assignment
• Campus environment encourages contact among
  students from different economic, social and
  racial or ethnic backgrounds

18
5. A supportive campus environment

• National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE)
• Campus environment provides the support you need
  to help you succeed academically
• Campus environment helps you cope with your
  non-academic responsibilities (work, family,
  etc.)
• Campus environment provides the support you need
  to thrive socially

19
5. A supportive campus environment

• National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE)
• Quality of relationships with other students
• Quality of relationships with faculty members
• Quality of relationships with administrative
  personnel and offices.

20
Indicators/Measures Value-added outcomes

• Subject matter mastery of major and general
  education curriculums
• Critical thinking abilities
• Written, oral and interpersonal communication
  skills
• Understanding, appreciation and tolerance for
  diverse people and ideas
• Psychological and physical well being
• Commitment to civic/public service
• Passion for life-long learning

21
1. Subject matter mastery of major and general
education curriculums

• National association discipline/general
  knowledge/skills exams such as the Med CAPS, GRE,
  LSAT, etc.
• National professional association tests and
  licensure exams such as the CPA exam, nursing
  board exam, etc.
• College/department designed exit interviews,
  reviews, exams, critiques (such as senior thesis,
  performance reviews) and comprehensive exit exams
• State teacher licensing tests

22
2. Critical thinking abilities

• Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal, ETS
  Tasks in Critical Thinking Assessment, SAT,
  California Critical Thinking Test (CCTST),
  Collegiate Assessment of Academic Proficiency
• Portfolio development, capstone experiences,
  internships/field experiences, research projects
• Others To Be Identified

23
3. Written, oral and interpersonal communication
skills

• Communication Anxiety Inventory, Interpersonal
  Communication Satisfaction Inventory, Nonverbal
  Immediacy Behaviors Instrument, Communicator
  Competence Questionnaire, Classroom Communication
  Skills Inventory Listening and Speaking
  Checklist
• Performance testing Speeches, drama
  presentations
• Journaling, writing

24
4. Understanding, appreciation and tolerance for
diverse people and ideas

• Diversity Awareness Profile
• Student participation in service-learning based
  in diverse organizations, blend of diversity
  within student population
• Others To Be Identified

25
5. Psychological and physical well being

• Noel-Levitz College Student Inventory, Arthur
  Chickerings Seven Vectors Assessment, American
  College Health Association Survey, MMPI
• Athletic performances, motor-skills performance
  tests
• Physical examinations, assessments of
  participation in intra-mural and collegiate
  athletics

26
6. Commitment to civic/public service

• World of Work Inventory, others to be identified
• Surveys of participation in local, state and
  federal elections, compilations of volunteer
  hours completed by students
• Measurement instruments available though National
  Service-Learning Clearinghouse

27
7. Passion for life-long learning

• Oddi Continuing Learning Inventory, Livnehs
  Adjective Checklist
• Skill assessment of Internet searching and
  researching abilities, surveys of undergraduate
  to graduate or post-baccalaureate studies (or
  similar incremental completions), surveys of
  alumni participation in post-undergraduate/graduat
  e education
• Exit individual educational plans (IEPs) for
  lifelong learning

28
Summary Comments

• Defining quality education is critical for the
  University of Wisconsin System to benchmark
  educational quality for the future. Across the
  System, attempts to define quality education will
  touch-off myriad philosophical and practical
  debates. The debates are welcome. To facilitate
  the debates and ultimately come to a shared
  understanding and achievement of quality
  education across UWS, the following guiding
  principles and steps are offered to help frame an
  institutions processes that lead to quality
  education.

29
Guiding Principles for Defining and Achieving
Quality Education

• Use diverse processes to achieve outcomes
• Use diverse methods to assess outcomes and select
  processes
• Couple the processes yields value-added outcomes
  model with current input---throughput--output
  measures to maximize the benefit of these two
  approaches

30
Guiding Principles for Defining and Achieving
Quality Education

• Engage the whole institution to debate, refine
  and internalize its model of quality education
• Respect each institutions autonomy and mission
  to determine quality education within the
  boundaries of a larger interpretation, and allow
  institutions the freedom to achieve their
  value-added outcomes with the processes best
  suited for their institution.

31
Guiding Steps around which to Implement the
Quality Education Model

• Conceptualize and Define Quality Education
• Identify Learning Processes that Achieve Quality
  Education
• Identify Value-Added Outcomes of a Quality
  Education
• Achieve Value-Added Outcomes from the Learning
  Processes
• Assess Value-Added Outcomes with Diverse
  Indicators/Measures
• Communicate Value-Added Outcomes and Learning
  Processes to the Broader Public.