Showing papers in "The Journal of General Education in 2009"
TL;DR: In this paper, a general definition of civility as a virtue is offered as a foundation for developing a Code of Academic Civility for use in first-year classes, and the case for general education assuming a leadership role in explicitly introducing academic civility education in the first year classroom is presented.
Abstract: This article presents the case for general education assuming a leadership role in explicitly introducing academic civility education in the first-year classroom. A general definition of civility as a virtue is offered as a foundation for developing a Code of Academic Civility for use in first-year classes.
65 citations
TL;DR: The authors found that general education courses place greater emphasis on developing intellectual skills, personal and social responsibility, deep approaches to learning, and diverse interactions, while other courses emphasize practical skills and are linked with greater levels of student-faculty interaction.
Abstract: Based on data from eleven thousand faculty members, this study shows that general education courses place greater emphasis on developing intellectual skills, personal and social responsibility, deep approaches to learning, and diverse interactions. In contrast, other courses emphasize practical skills and are linked with greater levels of student–faculty interaction.
47 citations
TL;DR: The authors found that higher-ranked schools tended to provide more course options designed to broaden perspectives, while lower-ranked ones tended to prescribe specific courses to improve basic academic skills, depending upon both type of institution attended and U.S. News and World Report ranking.
Abstract: This study of seventy-two general education programs identified differences in requirements dependent upon both type of institution attended and U.S. News and World Report ranking. Higher-ranked schools tended to provide more course options designed to broaden perspectives, while lower-ranked schools tended to prescribe specific courses to improve basic academic skills.
45 citations
TL;DR: The authors found mixed support for a four-credit first-year seminar's positive impact on student engagement and academic performance but none for retention or intellectual growth, supporting the importance of shifting focus away from retention, increasing clarity about types of seminars, and using multiple measures and alternative indicators of impact.
Abstract: We found mixed support for a four-credit first-year seminar's positive impact on student engagement and academic performance but none for retention or intellectual growth. Our findings support the importance of shifting focus away from retention, increasing clarity about types of seminars, and using multiple measures and alternative indicators of impact.
44 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, examinee effort distorts low-stakes general education assessment results and thereby diminishes the validity of score-based inferences regarding what students know and can do.
Abstract: Low examinee effort distorts low-stakes general education assessment results and thereby diminishes the validity of score-based inferences regarding what students know and can do. Several issues concerning examinee effort are noted, the research literature on examinee motivation is reviewed, and several approaches proposed for effectively managing this threat are discussed.
43 citations
TL;DR: This paper propose a protocol for administering general education tests under low-stakes conditions and describe simple proctor strategies that engender effort and inhibit inattention, which may not motivate students to perform optimally if they know the test results will not represent them personally.
Abstract: General education program assessment involves low-stakes testing, but students may not be motivated to perform optimally if they know the test results will not represent them personally. We propose a protocol for administering general education tests under low-stakes conditions and describe simple proctor strategies that engender effort and inhibit inattention.
37 citations
TL;DR: The authors provide an exploratory analysis of the current context of general education at top liberal arts and doctoral-granting institutions in the United States, highlighting the changes to general education as they fall into two camps: core curricula and distribution requirements.
Abstract: The purpose of this article is to provide an exploratory analysis of the current context of general education at top liberal arts and doctoral-granting institutions in the United States. Through this analysis, we highlight the changes to general education as they fall into two camps: core curricula and distribution requirements.
34 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors report the results of a series of site visits examining modifications to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (stem ) teaching and learning based on reform on three differing campuses.
Abstract: This article reports the results of a series of site visits examining modifications to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (stem ) teaching and learning based on reform on three differing campuses. Innovations in stem classrooms included collaborative approaches to learning; incorporation of active learning, authentic contexts, peer teaching; and interdisciplinary connections.
33 citations
TL;DR: This paper studied the scores of students who avoided low-stakes testing and those who attended required testing and found that avoiders who did exert effort on makeup tests scored similarly to students who initially attended testing.
Abstract: We studied the scores of students who avoided low-stakes testing and those who attended required testing. "Avoiders" who did exert effort on makeup tests scored similarly to students who initially attended testing. Practitioners should consider effort and include scores from avoiders to ensure that results reflect the entire student population.
26 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, an ethnographic case study of an interdisciplinary course at a research university is presented, which examines the relationship among interdisciplinary curriculum, institutional context, and student outcomes.
Abstract: Interdisciplinary courses have become a standard component in general education programs. The assumption is that they improve student outcomes. This article is an ethnographic case study of an interdisciplinary course at a research university. It examines the relationship among interdisciplinary curriculum, institutional context, and student outcomes.
23 citations
TL;DR: The Responsible Intellectual Discussion (Rid) project as discussed by the authors was designed to take the dread out of discus sion in a first-year interdisciplinary humanities course at Sewanee University, a private liberal arts college in Tennessee.
Abstract: Classroom discussion, with its focus on active learning, critical thinking, and cooperative inquiry, is attractive in theory but often disappointing in practice. The following scenario, described by professor Mark Edmundson (1997), may sound familiar: "Teaching Wordsworth's 'Tintern Abbey,' you ask for comments. No one responds. So you call on Stephen. Stephen: 'The sound, this poem really flows.' You: 'Stephen seems interested in the music of the poem. We might extend his comment to ask if the poem's music coheres with its argument. Are they consistent? Or is there an emotional pain submerged here that's contrary to the poem's appealing melody?'" (p. 43). Edmundson suggests that this scenario might be a bit of an exaggeration, but it is not far off the mark. Despite our high hopes, discussions often flounder, marked by awkward silences, blank stares, and superficial comments. Is it any wonder that this pedagogical approach has earned the moniker "The Dreaded Discussion" (Frederick, 1981)? In this article, I describe a project designed to take the dread out of discus sion in a first-year interdisciplinary humanities course at Sewanee: The Univer sity of the South, a private liberal arts college in Tennessee. The Responsible Intellectual Discussion project, known as rid, was created in conjunction with the college's Eloquence Initiative, a speaking-across-the-curriculum effort in which I served as a consultant.1 By virtue of its association with the speak ing initiative, rid was informed not only by familiar literature on discussion methods (e.g., Brookfield & Preskill, 1999; Neff & Weimer, 1989; Rosmarin,
TL;DR: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as mentioned in this paper reformulated its undergraduate curriculum to create connections across disciplines and advance efforts to internationalize its campus, and as a result, global issues, experiential learning, study abroad, and international course clusters have become an integral part of a curriculum that emphasizes making connections.
Abstract: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has reformed its undergraduate curriculum to create connections across disciplines and advance efforts to internationalize its campus. As a result, global issues, experiential learning, study abroad, and international course clusters have become an integral part of a curriculum that emphasizes “Making Connections.”
TL;DR: The University of Idaho model of general education as discussed by the authors, which all undergraduate colleges have responsibility for teaching the humanities to first-year students in cross-disciplinary "Core Discovery" courses, addresses concerns about relevance and results in a substantive humanities experience.
Abstract: We present the University of Idaho model of general education, in which all undergraduate colleges have responsibility for teaching the humanities to first-year students in cross-disciplinary "Core Discovery" courses. While this approach may threaten to weaken these disciplines, it addresses concerns about relevance and results in a substantive humanities experience.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors focus on the assumption that the completion of courses subsumed within a college major results in a heightened knowledge base of information and ultimately increases the likelihood of successful employment within that field.
Abstract: The research focuses on the assumption that the completion of courses subsumed within a college major results in a heightened knowledge base of information and ultimately increases the likelihood of successful employment within that field. Results support the primary principle underlying the college major model currently espoused by higher education.
TL;DR: Wehlburg as discussed by the authors is a good resource for educators across the spectrum of academic departments, student aff airs, and other units that are dedicated to fulfilling the promise of higher education.
Abstract: assessment to continually describe, improve, predict, and ultimately explain the complex construct of student learning and development. Overall, this book is an excellent resource for educators across the spectrum of academic departments, student aff airs, and other units that are dedicated to fulfi lling the promise of higher education. Assessment remains a complex and often misunderstood process that deserves further attention. Wehlburg’s book is a helpful addition to an educator’s library, off ering both purposeful and practical ways to match the ideals of assessment with the reality of its implementation.
TL;DR: Wehlburg as discussed by the authors describes a strategic approach to assessment that advances important characteristics, including being appropriate, meaningful, sustainable, fl exible, and ongoing, which distinguish transformative from traditional assessment plans, which tend to satisfy shortterm and periodic accountability demands.
Abstract: Mark Twain observed: “As to the adjective: When in doubt, strike it out.” I, too, am weary of adjectives, especially when they attempt to distinguish book titles. Catherine Wehlburg’s publication, Promoting Integrated and Transformative Assessment: A Deeper Focus on Student Learning , is an exception. She makes the case that assessment suggests many things, most of which renders educators into a defensive stance. Qualifying assessment as both integrative and transformative drives home an important message: Articulating learning outcomes, collecting data, and interpreting results to make informed curricular decisions are not auxiliary functions of higher education but essential practices that should be bent on improving students’ learning and development. An integrated and transformative assessment process implies unity and change. Her book describes how and why higher education institutions should adopt these characteristics. Wehlburg relies on her fi rm grasp of the literature to explain how educators can collaborate and design assessment strategies to capture meaningful information, setting the stage for transparent actions to alter the curriculum for the benefi t of students. Th e book is not structured to describe assessment strategies with specifi city. Instead, the purpose of the book is to describe a strategic approach to assessment that advances important characteristics, including being appropriate, meaningful, sustainable, fl exible, and ongoing. Th ese qualities distinguish transformative from traditional assessment plans, which tend to satisfy short-term and periodic accountability demands. Th e book is organized to explain fi rst the defi nition and benefi ts of “transformative” assessment plans. Wehlburg also off ers a rich historical perspective, which is particularly useful for educators who are not familiar with the