The Question is Transfer The Answer is Intentionality

The Question is TransferThe Answer is Intentionality

Orono, MaineApril 19, 2012

Can the DQP help?Degree Qualifications Profile

What is it?What are the contexts for it?

What prompted it? What is it meant to accomplish?

How is it being used?

Orono, MaineApril 19, 2012

How we’ll use our 180 minutes

12:00 – 12:30 Enjoy lunch at your discussion table12:10 – 1:20 Contexts for discussion

• Recent changes in the higher ed environment • Recent developments in higher ed• The DQP

1:20 – 1:50 Each table will agree on one DQP outcome statement and discuss how that outcome is achieved now and how it might be achieved more fully in a context of greater intentionality.

1:50 – 2:15 Common threads in the table discussions? Each table will share the emphases of its discussion: might the DQP support discussions leading to improved educational effectiveness?

Changing contexts in higher education

Our StudentsYESTERDAY

• College populations: men (and a few “coeds”) from well-to-do families

• Traditional age: 18-22• Residential predominantly• Usually a commitment to a

single institution• Very limited diversity

Our StudentsYESTERDAY

• College populations: men (and a few “coeds”) from well-to-do families

• Traditional age: 18-22• Residential predominantly• Usually a commitment to a

single institution• Very limited diversity

TODAY• More women than men• Many non-traditional

students– Older– More responsibilities– Often part-time– Usually commuting– Often highly mobile

• Increasing diversity

Our Students TOMORROW

• Even fewer traditional (18-22) students• More students of color (by 2020, 46%)• More low income students• More first-generation college students• More nonnative students for whom English is a

second language• More mobile students, with less institutional

loyalty• More part-time students• More students studying through distance education

Our Competition

• Continued growth in for-profit academic competitors

• Expansion of (narrowly) career-focused competitors

• Mission expansion in community colleges• Sustained increase in online learning

– Students choosing online learning instead of– Students choosing online learning in addition to

• Introduction of surrogate credentials

And now, MOOCs . . .

Perhaps the most rapidly developing and far reaching change in the higher education landscape is the emergence of online courses, open (so far) to all, without (so far) tuition charges or credit. They are usually taught by a world-renowned expert in a field to tens of thousands of students of all ages and nationalities.

–W. Robert Connor, November 27, 2012

And the prospect of “hybridization”No longer restricted to plants and automobiles, hybridization is now moving into higher education, as MOOCs are combined with face-to-face instruction and advising. This may be an opportunity to inject liberal education goals into the content-driven pattern of MOOC instruction and a chance for the small private college to maximize its historic advantages in a new setting.

–W. Robert Connor, November 27, 2012•

Perhaps worth keeping in mind . . . .

Higher Employer Expectations

• 91% are “asking employees to take on more responsibilities and to use a broader set of skills than in the past”

• 90% say that their “employees are expected to work harder to coordinate with other departments than in the past.”

• 88% say that “the challenges their employees face are more complex than they were in the past.”

• 88% agree that “to succeed in their companies, employees need higher levels of learning and knowledge than they did in the past”

“Raising the Bar: Employers’ Views on College Learning in the Wake of the Economic Downturn”

(AAC&U and Hart Research Associates, 2010)

Higher Employee RewardsFrom a federal database analyzing qualifications for 1,100 different jobs comes evidence that the highest salaries apply to positions that call for intensive use of liberal education capabilities, including--Writing Inductive and Deductive Reasoning Judgment and Decision Making Problem Solving Social/Interpersonal Skills Mathematics

--Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce

YOUR TURN

Are there other important “environmental” factors that are influencing the direction of higher education in Maine?

E.g.Better (or worse) preparedness of entering students?Better (or worse) student motivation?More (or less) narrow pragmatism?

Changing contexts for curricular discussions

The Curriculum

19th Century college: common core curriculum

The Curriculum

19th Century college: common core curriculum 20th Century university: breadth (general

education) + depth (the major)

The Curriculum

19th Century college: common core curriculum 20th Century university: breadth (general

education) + depth (the major) 21st Century colleges and universities:

connecting liberal and professional learning

Same Coin, Two Sides

Applied Curricula Should Be More Liberal

“I hear frequently from technical schools . . . that their students need a broader and more multi-faceted education.”

• Carol Geary SchneiderPresident, AAC&U, November 28, 2012

Liberal Curricula Should Be More Applied

“The drumbeat to bring applied learning into the liberal arts degrees grows ever louder.”

• Carol Geary SchneiderPresident, AAC&U, November 28, 2012

YOUR TURN

What factors are influencing considerations of the curriculum in Maine?

E.g.New uses of technology? MOOCs? Determination to link general education to the major?Increasingly mobile students?Legislative mandates?Accreditation?

The thread of intentionality:connecting answers to

the question of TRANSFER?

The thread of intentionality,reflecting three premises:

The thread of intentionality,reflecting three premises:

1 Learning becomes more effective when what is to be learned is clearly understood

The thread of intentionality,reflecting three premises:

1 Learning becomes more effective when what is to be learned is clearly understood

2 Colleges and universities can become far more effective in articulating and communicating intended learning outcomes

The thread of intentionality,reflecting three premises:

1 Learning becomes more effective when what is to be learned is clearly understood

2 Colleges and universities can become far more effective in articulating and communicating intended learning outcomes

3 There should be clearly understood outcomes for every degree program

The thread of intentionality,reflecting three premises:

1 Learning becomes more effective when what is to be learned is clearly understood

2 Colleges and universities can become far more effective in articulating and communicating intended learning outcomes

3 There should be clearly understood outcomes for every degree program, every major,

The thread of intentionality,reflecting three premises:

1 Learning becomes more effective when what is to be learned is clearly understood

2 Colleges and universities can become far more effective in articulating and communicating intended learning outcomes

3 There should be clearly understood outcomes for every degree program, every major, every course,

The thread of intentionality,reflecting three premises:

1 Learning becomes more effective when what is to be learned is clearly understood

2 Colleges and universities can become far more effective in articulating and communicating intended learning outcomes

3 There should be clearly understood outcomes for every degree program, every major, every course, and every class

The thread of intentionality

Four Linked Approaches

DQP

ELO’s

Assessment

Tuning

Four Linked Approaches

DQP

ELO’s

Assessment

Tuning

Faculty led, discipline specific initiatives to frame incremental learning outcomes within majors, stage by stage.

Four Linked Approaches

DQP

ELO’s

Assessment

TuningDocumentation of learning relative to explicit outcomes for purposes of course improvement and

Four Linked Approaches

DQP

ELO’s

Assessment

Tuning

Essential Learning Outcomes of AAC&U provide a framework to guide students’ cumulative progress through college

The Essential Learning OutcomesAre intended to •Provide the academy with a conceptual, aspirational frame for a cumulative liberal education•Guide student and faculty understanding of essential outcomes for learning•Create the base for a consensus on cross-curricular priorities

The Essential Learning OutcomesAre intended to •Provide the academy with a conceptual, aspirational frame for a cumulative liberal education•Guide student and faculty understanding of essential outcomes for learning•Create the base for a consensus on cross-curricular priorities

Were not meant to•Define in detail what degrees (associate, bachelor’s, master’s) mean•Offer an explicitly operational basis for assessing student performance•Articulate the expectation that undergraduate education be incremental and cumulative

So . . .

The DQP?

It’s not

A Dairy Queen Parfait

It’s not

A Dan Quayle Potatoe

It’s not

A Daily Quorum Protocol

The Degree Qualifications Profile

What is it?An effort to define in explicit terms what degrees should mean, irrespective of discipline, independent of institutionWho’s responsible?(1) Higher education(2) Four drafters(3) Lumina Foundation for Education

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Assumptions behind the Profile

• The Profile should “describe concretely what is meant by each of the degrees addressed.”

• The Profile should “illustrate how students should be expected to perform at progressively more challenging levels.”

• The outcomes expressed in the Profile should be summative—and should be approachable by multiple paths

• The outcomes should be illustrative, as no profile can be comprehensive

• The outcomes defined for one degree level assume the outcomes defined for the preceding level(s)

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Organization of the Profile

Five areas of learning• Integrative Knowledge• Specialized Knowledge• Intellectual Skills• Applied Learning• Civic Learningshown as interrelated, not discrete

Example 1

Communication Skills

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•Associate’s Level: The student presents substantially error-free prose in both argumentative and narrative forms to general and specialized audiences

•Bachelor’s Level: The student constructs sustained, coherent arguments and/or narratives and/or explications of technical issues and processes, in two media, to general and specialized audiences

•Master’s Level: The student creates sustained, coherent arguments or explanations and reflections on his or her work or that of collaborators (if applicable) in two or more media or languages, to both general and specialized audiences

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Example 2

Engaging Diverse Perspectives

At the associate level,

the student describes how knowledge from different cultural perspectives would affect his or her interpretations of prominent problems in politics, society, the arts and/or global relations.

✔A basic informed application

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At the bachelor’s level,

the student constructs a cultural, political, or technological alternative vision of either the natural or human world,embodied in a written project, laboratory report, exhibit, performance, or community service design;

defines the distinct patterns in this alternative vision;

and explains how they differ from current realities.

✔A creative undergraduate project

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At the master’s level,

the student addresses a core issue in his/her field of study from the perspective of a different point in time or a different culture, language, political order, or technological context,

and explains how the alternative perspective contributes to results that depart from current norms, dominant cultural assumptions, or technologies—

demonstrated through a project, paper, or performance.

✔A focused professional application

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So much for the theory.

Why is there a DQP?

Prompts for the Profile 1

• An increased emphasis on accountability – Declining state support, rising tuition– Student loan defaults

• A corresponding emphasis on assessment– An increasing priority on the part of accreditors– Rise of “performance funding”

Prompts for the Profile 2

• Europe’s “Bologna Process”– A coordinated effort to secure European

ascendency through higher education reform– An “accountability loop” assuming European and

national learning outcomes frameworks• Strong examples of learning outcomes

frameworks (UK, Scandinavia, Australia)

Prompts for the Profile 3

• Degree completion goals in the US– President Obama’s declared intent to restore US

leadership in the percentage of citizens with college degrees

– Lumina Foundations 20/25 goal: to increase the percentage of Americans with high-quality degrees and credentials to 60 percent by the year 2025

• The recognition that such goals are meaningless unless there is a shared understanding of what “degrees and credentials” mean

Prompts for the Profile 4

– Arum/Roksa: Academically Adrift– Derek Bok, Our Underachieving Colleges– Employer reports of graduates’

inadequacies– Faculty members’ impressions

concerning student skills

Prompts for the Profile 5

• Policy makers increasingly critical of higher education—and inclined to intrude– Spellings Commission recommendations– Department of Education concerns about

accreditation– NACIQI recommendations

• Approaching debate regarding reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (2013-14)

Behind the DQP, 3 Principles

1 Higher education must tell its story more effectively—or others may write our story for us

2 Increasing the number of degrees awarded is meaningless unless there is a guarantee of quality

3 A degree qualifications profile should address these concerns in ways that institutions, faculty members, students, and many others can USE

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What a Profile Is Intended To Do Offer reference points for students, faculty,

advisors, accreditation Create expectation for a curriculum that is

clearly intentional, coherent, cumulative Encourage assessment Support institutional alignment with accreditors’

expectations

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Provide a baseline for institutions seeking to clarify their distinctiveness, e.g.

Expectations beyond shared reference points Innovative curriculums and curricular paths Alternate strategies for confirming learning Exceptional student services

Clarify the incremental nature of degree levels, thereby encouraging progression

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What a Profile Is NOT Intended To Do

Standardize degrees Define what should be taught Prescribe pedagogy Encourage rankings, internally or externally

Since then

• Regional accreditation initiatives (WASC, HLC, SACS)

• Sector association pilots (AASCU)• Innovative implementations (CIC)• Institutional adaptations• Further announcements pending

Some uses of the DQP under way—possible future directions?

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1

The Profile is being used as a rubric for identifying gaps in outcomes statements

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2

The Profile is being used as a standard for measuring specificity and measurability of outcomes—for both internal use and external reporting.

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3The Profile is being used as a platform for discussions with high schools to improve preparation of students for college – thereby reducing the remedial burden.

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4The Profile may give high school students a way to evaluate the promotional materials of colleges and universities with respect to a clear understanding of essential competencies.

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5Maine students might use the Profile as a CPS (curricular positioning system) for under-standing and navigating their degree paths

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6When learning objectives are clear and the curriculum is coherent and cumulative, students, faculty, other stakeholders (including employers) may at last grasp the alignment between curricular requirements and such objectives.

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7

Students studying at the associate level may understand more clearly the incremental learning offered by the baccalaureate and be able to make a more fully informed decision about further study.

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8

Students pursuing a bachelor’s degree may understand more clearly the incremental learning represented by the master’s and make a more fully informed decision about further study.

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9

Degree recipients will be better able to interpret their credentials to potential employers and graduate programs—and to offer assurance of their readiness.

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10

Institutions could share a common platform for interpreting accreditation results to their publics.

Now, it’s your turn.

How we’ll use our 180 minutes12:00 – 12:30 Enjoy lunch at your discussion table12:10 – 1:20 Contexts for discussion

• Recent changes in the higher ed environment • Recent developments in higher ed• The DQP

1:20 – 1:50 Each table will agree on one DQP outcome statement and discuss how that outcome is achieved now and how it might be achieved more fully in a context of greater intentionality.

1:50 – 2:15 Common threads in the table discussions? Each table will share the emphases of its discussion: might the DQP support discussions leading to improved educational effectiveness?

Table Discussions

Each table will agree on one DQP outcome statement and discuss how that outcome is achieved now and how it might be achieved more fully in a context of greater intentionality.

Table Discussions

Each table will agree on one DQP outcome statement and discuss how that outcome is achieved now and how it might be achieved more fully in a context of greater intentionality.

An envelope at your table contains more detailed information.

15Minutes Remaining

10Minutes Remaining

5Minutes Remaining

Table Reports• What outcome statement did your table select?• Where is the primary responsibility for achieving this

outcome usually located? • By what obvious additional curricular paths should this

competence should be (at least) sustained and (perhaps) extended?

• Would a closer alignment between general education and the major contribute to improved achievement?

• By what less obvious additional curricular paths might this competence be sustained and (perhaps) extended?

• How might Hypothetical University ensure that its degree recipients meet more fully and more consistently the expectations you have defined?

New Slogan

and Higher Education∧

Thank You