Communicating the Value of Liberal Education

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Communicating the Value of Liberal Education The
Student as Scholar Conference April 2007Long
Beach, CA
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Important Messages and Communications Challenges

• What are the two most important things you hope
  your students learn as a result of their general
  education requirements?
• What are two common misunderstandings or
  challenges you have heard from students or their
  parents about general or liberal education?

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LEAP Public Opinion Research

• 4 focus groups each with college-bound high
  school students and advanced college students
  (2004-2005 in Indianapolis, IN, Fairfax, VA,
  Milwaukee, WI, Portland, OR)
• 3 focus groups with employers (2006 Atlanta, GA,
  Fairfax, VA, Milwaukee, WI)
• 2 national pollsbusiness leaders and recent
  graduates (late 2006)

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What Do Students Think? Selected Focus Group
Findings

• High-school students feel uninformed about the
  college curriculum and uncertain about its
  demands.
• Students focused on choice of major rather than
  important outcomes attainment.
• Student lack understanding of liberal education.
• Once informed of definition of liberal education,
  students embrace concept, but complain that
  reality not living up to ideal.

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Student Views of Liberal Education

• Broad, well-rounded education
• Freedom to choose courses
• Open-minded
• Political or liberal
• Impractical, less marketable
• Easy
• Waste of time

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Volunteered Definitions Of Liberal Education

• Its a well-rounded education that exposes you
  to a variety of ideas, disciplines, and fields.
  It encourages appreciation and awareness of a
  variety of fields. It helps create a
  well-rounded individual who is knowledgeable
  about a variety of things. Life is
  interdisciplinary, and so is a liberal education.
  Thus, this type of education is valuable both
  personally and professionally. It also allows a
  person to find and focus on what they truly love
  to study.
  --College student, Portland, OR
• It brings up both liberal arts, which to me
  means a broad education not involving the hard
  sciences. It also means a politically liberal
  education, which is the way a lot of colleges
  are. The professors teaching are often liberal,
  and I think that usually people come out of
  college more liberal than when they came in.
  --College student,
  Alexandria, VA
• The freedom to choose and learn, broad education,
  its not focused on one specific field. Its a
  privilege rather than a right, and offers an open
  door.
  --High school
  student, Alexandria, VA

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College Students Mixed Reactions To Liberal
Education

• College students embrace the goals and concepts
  of liberal education in theory.
• Benefits of liberal education
• Diversity of curriculum exposure to multiple
  disciplines, complements skills learned in major
• Preparing students for life after graduation
  ability to adapt, tools to meet challenges and
  take advantage of opportunities
• But they also identify a gap between the ideal
  and their own experience with general education
• Dissatisfied with limited options of general
  education
• No sense of connectedness or integration of major

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What Outcomes of College are Most Important to
Students?Selected Focus Group Findings

• The outcomes of college that prospective and
  current college students think are most
  important maturity, time management, work
  habits, self-discipline, teamwork.
• The outcomes students think are least important
  values, cultural diversity, science, American
  history and culture, computer skills, global
  awareness, civic engagement.
• Students dont connect these outcomes to the
  college curriculum.
• Long-term professional success named
  overwhelmingly as primary reason to go to college

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Criticism Of General Education

• General education requirements detract from,
  rather than enhance, their major.
• Timing of general education requirements less
  chance of connection to major.
• Limited options for fulfilling requirements.
• Dont connect general education to important
  broad learning outcomes.
• General education classes are sometimes
  duplicative of what is learned in high school and
  are too elementary.
• Concern expressed more by career-oriented
  students.

I went into school knowing exactly what I wanted
to do. And, Ive always been that kind of
person. Once I make a decision, thats it. And
so when I was in freshman and sophomore year,
when I had to take all the liberal arts
curriculum, I just thought it was the biggest
waste of time ever. --College
student, Alexandria, VA
?
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What Business Leaders SaySelected Findings from
National Poll

• For success in todays global economy, college
  students need a balance of a well-rounded
  education and knowledge and skills in specific
  fields.
• Employers overwhelmingly endorse key elements of
  a liberal education as essential to success in
  todays global economy.
• 63 agree that too many recent college graduates
  do not have the skills to be successful in
  todays global economy

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Employers Top Priorities For Increased Emphasis
By Colleges

• saying colleges should put more emphasis on
  each learning outcome

Science and technologydevelopments Teamwork
skills indiverse settings Applied knowledge
inreal-world settings Written/oral
communication Critical/analytical thinking Global
issues Information literacy Creativity/innovation
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Employers Other Areas In Need Of More Emphasis
By Colleges

• saying colleges should put more emphasis on
  each learning outcome

Complex problem solving U.S. role in the
world Quantitative literacy Ethics and
integrity Cultural values/traditions Civic
engagement Foreign language skill Democracy/govern
ment
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Real-World Application Of Knowledge And Skills Is
Seen As Critical

• Employers
• They students learn the book knowledge
  its all theory its not actual practice, and I
  do believe we need more practice.
  Atlanta business executive
• I think internships do an amazing job in
  terms of educating people versus your day-to-day
  everyday sitting in a class learning from a
  book. Fairfax business executive
• Recent graduates
• 60 of graduates engaged in an internship.
• 88 rate it as very (56) or fairly (32)
  important in preparing them for their
  professional and career goals.
• 51 of graduates engaged in leadership of an
  on-campus student organization.
• 79 rate it as very (42) or fairly (37)
  important in preparing them for their
  professional and career goals.

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Educational Approach Assessment
How important is it for todays colleges and
universities to provide the type of education
described below?
This particular approach to a four- year college
education provides both broad knowledge in a
variety of areas of study and more in-depth
knowledge in a specific major or field of
interest. It also helps students develop a sense
of social responsibility, as well as intellectual
and practical skills that span all areas of
study, such as communication, analytical, and
problem-solving skills, and a demonstrated
ability to apply knowledge and skills in
real-world settings.
Employers
Not sure
Less/not important
Very important
Fairly important
76 of employers would recommend this type of
education to a young person they know.
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Messages That Work

• Liberal education outcomes are key to success in
  todays global economy.
• Narrow training is not enough.
• Liberal education introduces students to multiple
  perspectives and develops their own independent
  critical judgment.
• Students must gain broad knowledge and have
  multiple opportunities to hone skills over time
  and in real-world settings.

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Liberal Education and Americas Promise

• www.aacu.org/leap
• Debra Humphreys
• humphreys_at_aacu.org