SoCTL

The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning at CTL

Core Student Outcomes for a Dynamic Global Century

The pressures of an interdependent global economy and the nature of our technological society have institutions reevaluating the ways we teach and assess learning. Employers are calling for graduates with both subject matter knowledge as well as experience putting skills to use in “real-world” settings. In the classroom, students frequently wonder aloud, “What’s the point of learning theory? How is this going to help me get a better job or advance my career?”

In January, the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) published a report titled “College Learning for the New Global Century” in which they praised several institutions for their interdisciplinary learning, experiences outside the classroom, and assessment of student outcomes. In the report, AAC&U identified four core outcomes they believe are essential for a twenty-first century education:

• Knowledge of Human Cultures and the Physical and Natural World
  Through study in the sciences and mathematics, social sciences, humanities, histories, languages, and the arts.

• Intellectual and Practical Skills
  Such as, critical and creative thinking, written and oral communication, quantitative and information literacy, and teamwork.

• Personal and Social Responsibility
  Such as, civic and intercultural knowledge, ethical reasoning

• Integrative Learning
  The synthesis and advanced accomplishment across general and specialized studies

American students understand the importance of a college degree and are enrolling in record numbers. The AAC&U report notes that the challenge now is to help students “become highly intentional about the forms of learning and accomplishment that the degree should represent” and that the outcomes identified “provide a new framework to guide students’ cumulative progress from school though college.”

The concept of “core outcomes,” “core abilities” or “essential skills” is not new. Almost 20 years ago, Moraine Park Technical College, for example, participated in a study that explored the findings from an AACJC (currently the American Association of Community Colleges) report on the Future of Community Colleges. Their Curriculum Study Group defined core abilities as “transferable skills essential to an individual’s success regardless of occupation or community setting.” Still a critical need, as studies show that Americans change jobs at least ten times during the two decades after turning eighteen.

As CTL gathers information about core outcomes among the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, we have become interested in how student outcomes have been defined at institutions nationwide. (Please see some examples at our study’s Website http://www.coreoutcomes.project.mnscu.edu.) While guidelines like those defined in the AAC&U report are important frameworks, each institution will find it valuable to identify core outcomes that reflect their own requirements and philosophies about essential, transferable skills.

-Julia Curtiss & Stacy Wells

RESOURCES

“College Learning for a New Global Century.” A report from the National Leadership Council for Liberal Education & America’s Promise (LEAP). Association of American Colleges and Universities. http://www.aacu.org/advocacy/leap/documents/
GlobalCentury_final.pdf

“How Should Colleges Prepare Students to Succeed in Today’s Global Economy?” Conducted on behalf of the AAC&U by Peter D. Hart Research Associates, Inc.
http://www.aacu.org/advocacy/leap/documents/
Re8097abcombined.pdf

Moraine Park Technical College Core Abilities Report. http://www.morainepark.edu/PDFFiles/academics/
academicaffairs/CoreAbilities.pdf

 

Would You like to Meet with Your Discipline or Program? Apply for CTL Workshop Funds!

CTL Workshop funds are still available for summer and fall, 2007. ALL system faculty, both full-time and part-time, are eligible to apply. Application information is available online at http://www.ctl.mnscu.edu/programs/discipline_work/index.html

Workshops provide time for discussion of systemwide issues, such as credit transfer. Workshops may also be designed to be interdisciplinary, allowing faculty from more than one discipline or program to meet and discuss common issues.

The content and format of CTL Workshops are designed by the planners, who may include campus administration and staff. Faculty planners provide expertise in the discipline or program area to ensure appropriate professional development of their discipline or program colleagues.

Planning teams of faculty are expected to include faculty from our system’s universities and community and technical colleges. Planning and follow-through is the primary responsibility of the planners, with assistance from CTL staff. If you’d like help in finding possible partners at other institutions, let us know. Contact CTL Faculty Coordinator, Martin Springborg at (651) 649-5981 or martin.springborg@csu.mnscu.edu for more information.

CTL Resources for Faculty

Hordes of Info: The ITeach Center

Have you ever looked for a resource but were just unsure of where to find it? CTL’s ITeach Professional Development Center can probably help. This online resource is CTL’s virtual guide to teaching and learning—and it’s all free! Here are the resources that we’ve included in ITeach:

RESOURCES AND TOOLS. This section has links to our CTL library of books and publications, a guide to teaching-and learning resources on the Internet, and links to faculty development centers throughout the country. There is also a grants opportunities database and an online conference finder.

EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES. Here you’ll find information about online courses and CTL’s wonderful online teaching and learning tutorials. Information about CTL-sponsored conferences is also here.

INTERACTIVE COMMUNITY. Visit our virtual faculty lounge. You can also join a listserv, visit CTL’s “Clippings” blog, and learn more about professional organizations and groups.

Spend a little time in the ITeach Center and on CTL’s Web page. You might be surprised at some of the great resources we have for you!

 

-Thomas Wortman