Research Summary

Cole Team June 10, 2009

Secondary Research Summary Client Research *Answers the question, “For whom is the program being prepared?” The Client is the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) lead by Brock S. Allen, Director, SDSU Center for Teaching & Learning and Professor of Educational Technology and Kathy Williams, Associate Professor, Department of Biology. The CTL, a division of the Department of Undergraduate Studies, was introduced to San Diego State University 10 years ago. Some of CTL's responsibilities include: carrying out the recommendations of the University Senate as proposed by the General Education Program Committee and its subcommittee, the General Education Essential Capacities Subcommittee, and the Student Learning Outcome Committee (Williams & Allen, 2009). “The CTL creates programs and services to enhance department, faculty, and lecturer awareness and development. The CTL also serves as a campus clearinghouse for information about teaching and learning resources and represents SDSU on the California State University Faculty Development Council (Center for Teaching and Learning, SDSU).

Problem Research *Answers the question, “What is the problem that accounts for the program at this time?” In 2006, the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities, (WASC), completed its accreditation review of SDSU and made several recommendations to the University for improvement. In particular it was recommended that SDSU give emphasis to General Education reform. In an action letter from WASC, SDSU was charged with “identifying an achievable set of outcomes for their General Education program that represent those competencies, skills, and qualities desired of a college-educated person of the 21”(Preparatory Review Report).

As a result of WASC’s recommendation, in 2008 the Academic Senate approved new statements of what students will be expected to learn in the General Education Courses. These new statements are called the seven essential capacities. These capacities were added to the 2008 faculty curriculum guide along with scheduled implementation and oversight, and they were added to SDSU’s 2008/2009 General Catalog. In spring 2009, CTL launched a lunch series entitled “Architecture of the Curriculum” to continue to raise awareness of the changes to the General Education program. Those who attended the lunch were asked to complete an evaluation questionnaire. The data from those questionnaires suggested that faculty were very pleased with the overall presentation, were likely to discuss what they had learned with colleagues or students, and were likely to use the information in other ways that would benefit SDSU (Center

Cole Team June 10, 2009

Secondary Research Summary for Teaching and Learning, 2008). The problem is that only 40 faculty, out of 1600, attended these lunches.

The core of the campaign is that most students, faculty, and parents don’t know about the changes to the General Education program. Of the faculty that are aware, most don’t know exactly how they are going to incorporate the seven essential capacities into their coursework. The University’s expectation is that faculty integrates at least three of these capabilities into each General Education course they teach. “This expectation needs to be made explicit to faculty - who are developing and teaching the courses - so that students clearly understand what they are supposed to be learning and how they will be empowered by that knowledge, and so that parents know what their child should get out of their coursework”(Williams & Allen, 2009).

Public Research *Answers the question, “What audiences should be targeted for communication?” The three publics that are most involved, most influential, and most likely to be affected by the changes to the general education requirements are faculty and lecturers who teach General Education courses, students enrolling in General Education courses, and the parents of those students. The public that is of most concern to the CTL is the faculty and lecturers who teach General Education at SDSU because they have the largest degree of influence in this matter and their collaboration is essential to the program's success.

Media Research *Answers the question, “What are the trends in the message content?” After researching through the Lexis/Nexis Academic Database, it was remarkable to see the shift in prioritization of undergraduate learning outcomes, not just at San Diego State, but also at other universities within the UC and CSU systems. For example, UC Santa Cruz just amended their undergraduate program. Their linguistics professor, Jaye Padgett, described the change as, “We're taking an intellectual stand and giving our students the skills necessary for today's world” (University of California, 2009). At Washington State University, they are undergoing similar reform. Carol Ivory, chair of fine arts at WSU, says, "The committee will have the opportunity to re-envision the ideal WSU graduate and how the university prepares our graduates to take their place in the world,” she continues, “Students in general education engage with broad fields of inquiry and develop essential skills - such as communication and critical thinking - over the course of their degrees” (University of California, 2009). These are some examples of other universities that are determined to implement a new method to undergraduate learning.

Cole Team June 10, 2009

Secondary Research Summary References Center for Teaching and Learning, SDSU. (n.d.). Retrieved June 4, 2009, from Center for Teaching and Learning: http://ctl.sdsu.edu/mission.html. Preparatory Review Report. (n.d.). Retrieved June 4, 2009, from SDSU WASC Reaccredidation: http://wasc.sdsu.edu/actionletter2.htm. University of California. (2009, March 30). NEW GENERAL EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS EMPHASIZE BOLD INTERDISCIPLINARY THEMES, GLOBAL ENGAGEMENT. Santa Cruz, California, USA. University of California. (2009, March 7). WSU TO FOCUS ON GENERAL EDUCATION PROGRAM. Pullman, Washington, USA. Williams, P. K., & Allen, P. B. (2009, June 5). Interview with CTL. (S. Sands, Interviewer) Center for Teaching and Learning. (2008). 08-09 Evaluation. Excel.