Mapping the Entire Undergraduate Curriculum of a Research University to New

General Education Objectives

Kevin R. Guidry, Associate Director for Educational AssessmentKathleen Langan Pusecker, Director

Center for Teaching & Assessment of Learning

Objectives

Attendees will:

• Learn how a teaching and assessment unit worked with faculty to map the entire undergraduate curriculum to new GenEd objectives

• Receive the technical documents, guides, and tools (Excel macros and report templates) that were used throughout this process

• Identify opportunities and strategies for assessment professionals to leverage informal leadership to change the curriculum by working with faculty leadership

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Hands-on Part 1

1. Review the UD General Education objectives on page 1

2. On page 3 of the provided worksheet, rank order the Gen Ed objectives for Elementary Teaching Education students

3. After ranking the objectives, plot them in the scatter plot at the bottom of the worksheet.

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Timeline of Events

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OEA added to GenEd Committee

2007

New GenEd Objectives

2014

First Round of Mapping

2016

First Round of Reporting

Second Round of Mapping

2017

Integration into Course Catalog

Second Round of Reporting

2018

General Education Requirements

• English 110• First Year Seminar• Multicultural Course• Discovery Learning Experience• Capstone• Breadth requirements - at least 4 courses - are not included in GenEd

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May 2015 Faculty Senate ChargeEach department with undergraduate majors must ensure that degree programs, fully support student development in all Objectives of General Education.

The Gen Ed committee must provide rubrics against which degree programs will be assessed, based on the AAC&U VALUE Rubrics, for each Objective of General Education or component of Objectives to all programs and departments by May 1, 2016.

Provide clear guidelines for review of student learning in all degree programs, with regard to the Objectives of General Education, to all programs and departments by May 1, 2016.

Provide clear examples and templates to all departments including curricular maps to aid in their internal reviews of how students are achieving the Objectives of General Education by May 1, 2016.

Provide timely and detailed feedback and guidance on the review of student learning within each degree program.

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October 2017 Faculty Senate ResolutionWHEREAS, the Faculty Senate previously directed each department or program responsible for administering undergraduate majors toparticipate in a curricular mapping process to ensure that their degree programs, inclusive of major, college, and university requirements fully support student development in all Objectives of General Education

WHEREAS, the curricular mapping data would be useful for faculty, students, and advisors particularly in planning academic programs and course selections, be it therefore

RESOLVED, that the Faculty Senate Committee on General Education in partnership with the Faculty Senate Committee on Undergraduate

Studies work with departments and programs to update and finalize the General Education curricular mapping data no later than December 31, 2017, and be it further

RESOLVED, that the Faculty Senate directs each department or program responsible for administering undergraduate majors to participate in the General Education curricular mapping process administered by the Faculty Senate Committee on General Education, and be it further

RESOLVED, that the Faculty Senate Committee on General Education in partnership with the Faculty Senate Committee on Undergraduate Studies work with the Registrar to incorporate the General Education curricular mapping data into the course catalog, including the online course search webpage(s), and be it further

RESOLVED, that the Faculty Senate Committee on Undergraduate Studies work with the Registrar to incorporate the General Education objectives in all relevant forms and processes to allow departments and programs to add or revise General Education objective data for courses.

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Available Reports and Data

Reports• One for each program that had a graduating undergraduate in spring 2015 (pdf)*• Sample report (pdf)• Technical details document (Google doc)• Curricular Mapping Guide (Google doc)

Data• Complete course mapping (Excel spreadsheet)*

All available at http://udel.edu/gened (Review of Undergraduate Degree Programs -> Curricular Mapping)

* University of Delaware faculty/staff only 7

Hands-on Part 2

Compare your GenEd rankings with the actual outcomes for Elementary Teacher Education alumni (spring 2015).

If you were faculty in this department:

1. What changes, if any, would you need to make? How?

2. Are there any shortcomings or holes in your curriculum? If so, should they be addressed by making changes to courses in your department? If not, the entire list of mapped courses is available.

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How did we do all of this?

1. Over a decade laying groundwork and building faculty trust2. We worked for the faculty

a. Explicit charges from Faculty Senate committeesb. Done for faculty, not administration or external audiencesc. Not always the most efficient or quickest way to work

3. Internal expertise in data collection and reporting e.g., NSSE-style reporting process built on Excel template and macros

4. Cross-unit collaboration e.g., Registrar's Office

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Garbage Can Model

"[Universities are] collections of choices looking for problems, issues and feelings looking for decision situations in which they might be aired, solutions looking for issues to which they might be an answer, and decision makers looking for work."

Organizations are a collection of:• Problems• Solutions• Participants• Choice opportunities

Cohen, M. D., March, J. G., & Olsen, J. P. (1972). A garbage can model of organizational choice. Administrative Science Quarterly, 17(1). 1-25. 10

Working with Faculty Leadership

1. Who has influence on your campus?a. Formal leadership: Faculty governance, administrators, departmental leaders

(e.g., chairs, curriculum committees, course coordinators)b. Informal leadership: Former and potential leaders, academic advisors

2. What can you do for them?a. Who goes through external accreditation e.g.,

http://www1.udel.edu/IR/fnf/concl-b-accreditors.pdf?3. Can you work with them?

a. Can they follow through?b. Are they available?

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Working with Faculty Leadership

Think long term!

• Build relationships and try and make their professional lives easier• Even new faculty can lead from behind when armed with the right questions:

– What are the program’s goals?– What has the unit assessed recently?

• Help faculty obtain grants or get promoted e.g., Assessment Fellows, letters for dossiers, suggestions to colleagues looking for leaders.

• Work with faculty on their research e.g., SoTL/DBER, program evaluation.

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Worksheet: Create Your Serendipity

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Solutions

Problems

Opportunities

Participants

Where is your sweet spot?

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Objectives

Attendees have:

• Learned how a teaching and assessment unit worked with faculty to map the entire undergraduate curriculum to new GenEd objectives

• Received the technical documents, guides, and tools (Excel macros and report templates) that were used throughout this process: http://udel.edu/gened (Review of Undergraduate Degree Programs -> Curricular Mapping)

• Identified opportunities and strategies for assessment professionals to leverage informal leadership to change the curriculum by working with faculty leadership

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Conclusion

Questions? Feedback?

Contact us:• Kathleen Pusecker: klp@udel.edu• Kevin R. Guidry: krguidry@udel.edu

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