Transcript Curricular Change - Homepage | LeMoyne

CURRICULAR CHANGE
Lessons from Alverno’s Journey
Mimi Czarnik, Professor of English, Assoc. Dean of Humanities
Becky Burton, Assoc. Professor of Biology
Many Roads to Success
The Impetus for Change
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1887: St. Joseph's Normal School founded to
educate the School Sisters of St. Francis.
1953: Alverno College moved to the present
campus as a 4-year liberal arts college for women.
1964-1969: Changes in society led to questioning
of the relevance of traditional education.
Questions about the viability of women’s colleges.
Alverno, circa 1953
Exploring Change
College president declared that change was
inevitable, but that faculty and students would
determine the nature of the change.
 1969: 3-day workshop with faculty and
students led to an academic planning
committee.
 All faculty expected to contribute to the
design.
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Guiding Questions
“We just kept asking ourselves two questions:
1) What should a student be able to do when she
leaves Alverno College? and
2) What can we do to make those outcomes happen?”
S. Austin Doherty
“What does your discipline offer that is essential to all
students?”
S. Joel Read, President
Assumptions about Teaching and Learning
Mimi’s Example: Worldview
Becky’s Example:
What does this tell us?
Breakfast and Biology Performance
(after Phillips 2005)
350
Breakfast
Number of Students
300
No Breakfast
250
200
150
100
50
0
A
B
C
Grade
D
F
Assumptions about Teaching and
Learning
Share your “best practice”: something
that always works for you in the
classroom.
 Choose one and reflect on what that
example of “best practice” says about
student learning.
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The Implementation of Change:
Competence Based Learning
In 1973, the new curriculum was implemented
 Diagnostic assessment at entrance
 Graduates must demonstrate 8 competencies
 Assessment-as-learning
 Faculty
teams design assessments
 Faculty, alumnae, and professionals assess performance
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Experiential learning (internships) required
Why Diagnostic Assessments?
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To identify areas of strength and areas that need
development
To direct students to specific resources and
developmental courses
To allow the student to track her own development
Why Competencies?
Learning goes beyond knowing to
doing something with what you know
Learning in the context of managing one’s life
 Make Decisions
 Develop initiative
 Acquire confidence and responsibility for
implementing these abilities
The Current Abilities
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Communication
Analysis
Problem Solving
Valuing in Decision-Making
Social Interaction
Developing a Global Perspective
Effective Citizenship
Aesthetic Engagement
Why Assessment-As-Learning?
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Authentic, preparing students for success beyond the
classroom
Integrates knowledge and abilities
Allows students to demonstrate what they can do
Promotes learning, rather than just measuring it
Why Experiential Learning?
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Teaches professional skills in a structured setting
Allows students to use state-of-the art facilities
Provides external feedback on performance
1976: Recognized as one of the best professional
training programs in the country… “helping bridge
the gap between business and education…
providing graduates who do not need as much
employer time and investment to do their job.”
Logistics of the “New” Curriculum
Validations for levels of the competencies
 Outcomes for programs and courses
 Criteria for assignments/assessments
 Self assessment
 Criteria-based feedback
 Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory progress
codes
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Logistics of the “New” Curriculum
(cont.)
Communication Placement Assessment
 Cross-disciplinary courses (Communication,
Global Effective Citizenship, etc.)
 Internship Seminars
 External Assessments
 Competency Departments
 Faculty reflection and collaboration time
built into schedule
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Partners in Change
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Early to mid 1970’s: Collaboration with AT&T to
research assessment instruments, such as the use of
simulations for evaluating managerial candidates.
1988-Present: Collaborations with other colleges
1989-Present: Collaborations with K-12 schools
1990-Present: International collaborations
Resources for Change
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1976: Kellogg grant funded development of a
communication technology center with recording
studio, staff, and equipment to support education
and assessment.
Assessment Center provides staff to handle the
logistics of assessment and portfolio development,
which now includes the Diagnostic Digital Portfolio.
Time is reserved for work on curriculum and the
abilities
Benefits of Change
Effectiveness of curriculum is increased
(integrated, developmental, applied)
 Students are more confident,
independent, reflective, and work-ready
 Efficiency is increased with shared
language and criteria
 Expectations of students, faculty, and
administration are more consistent
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Alverno Today
What have we learned?
Many Triggers for Change
Alverno—Purpose and Viability
 WPI—Student Ability
 School for New Learning at DePaul—
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Adult Education
Accreditation Requirements
 Student Performance Concerns
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What Made Change Happen?
Perceived need for change
 Commitment to “perpetual” change
 Tolerance for risk
 Administrative mandate
 Involvement of stakeholders
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Making Changes: Getting Started
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Identify measurable goals of institution
 Measure
present performance
 Plan for measuring future performance
Research and adapt curricula
 Use the skills and knowledge available
locally, on-campus and off
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Making Changes: Big Picture
Remain flexible
 Keep focus on change
 Ask what will benefit students most
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Traps to Avoid
Perfection
 Mutation
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 Unintended
consequences
Optimality
 Origination
 Unlearning
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(ciconline.org/threshold, Spring 2007)
Making Changes: Specifics
Make graduation contingent on
demonstrating competencies
 Don’t stack new responsibilities on top
of older ones
 Recognize pedagogical activity as
scholarship
 Engage students, faculty, and
administrators across campus in
discussion & planning
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Resources
Student Learning: A Central Focus for
Institutions of Higher Education
 From Traditional Approaches Toward
Innovation, Soc. Coll. Sci. Teachers
 NSSE: http://nsse.iub.edu/
 http://www.iuk.edu/~kolibry/docs/CTLA
ProfDevCollBibl.pdf
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