Using Best Practices, Accreditor's Standards, input through conferences and workshops, ideas from hundreds of educators, and experDepartment of Education, the American Association of Colleges and Universities has prepared the core components of liberal arts education in their report. In reviewing this document the reader will note the close alignment of their elements and those at UNT.
The Overarching Objectives of the UNT Core and How They Align With National Standards
As a result of their experience with the core curriculum, UNT graduates will:
· They will explore English, the arts and humanities, math, the natural sciences, and social and behavioral sciences
· They will make connections between different areas of knowledge and different ways of knowing
Gain the skills required to explore and test ideas
· They will develop problem solving skills that incorporate multiple viewpoints *4 and differing contexts in their analysis
Have the ability to read intelligently, write clearly and speak well
· They will engage with a variety of others in thoughtful and well crafted communication *6
· They will broaden and refine their thinking as a part of the give and take of ideas, seeking to better understand other’s perspectives as well as their own
Value different ideas, perspectives, cultures and viewpoints
· They will deepen their understanding of the variety of human experience *7 and gain the capacity to see situations from another’s viewpoint
· They will be able to express ways that exposure to different ideas, perspectives, cultures and viewpoints have enriched their thinking
Demonstrate personal and social responsibility
· They will be able to articulate the values *8 that undergird their lives, the UNT community and the larger society
· They will learn decision making strategies that include an ethical *9 analysis
· They will cultivate self-awareness, *12 balance and an openness to change
*1 AAC&U link that in part says "Through study in the sciences and mathematics, social sciences, humanities, histories, languages, and the arts"
*2 AAC&U link that defines and explains the assessment of information literacy and its ties to ethical decision making relating ACRL, AAC&U and Middle States' Sandards to this element that includes the ability to evaluate information content and sources and incorporate selected information into one's knowledge base (discovery & problem solving)
*3 A quote from this AAC&U document on page 10 reminds us of how critical this is ETS Academic Profile data show only 6% of seniors at proficient level in critical thinking, 77% not proficient. ACT CAAP data shows less than one standard deviation gain in critical thinking from freshman to senior year.
*4 As part of the AAC&U Statement on Academic Freedom and Educational Responsibilility (2006) expresses the need to provide multiple viewpoint to students and help them develop "...beyond differing viewpoints to a critical evaluation of the relative claims of different positions. Within this context, diversity of perspectives is a means to an end in higher education, not an end in itself."
*5 In Peer Review (Summer 2006, 8:3) UIPUI is highlighted as developing programs that address this ACC&U stated objective
*6 At the AAC&U General Education & Assessment Conference there was a workshop on Assessing Oral Communication: Measuring Cognitive, Behavioral & Affective Competencies (by Timothy C. Ball, Gretchen Hazard, & Steve Wise, James Madison University) that explains in great detail much of what the AAC&U has emphasized.
*7 Diversity is not single dimensional as it is discussed in the AAC&U document American Pluralism and College Curriculum. This work shows the complexity of designing curriculum around this topic that more than 84% of universities agree is an important component to the core. AAC&U recommends approaching diversity at 4 levels studies founded on inherited traditions, exploration of the American experience from diverse viewpoints in search of opportunity, how inequality in manifested through systemic constraints and ways to redress injustice, and a concerted effort to deal with relational pluralism in majors and various academic programs to help promote communities of practice that can avoid future problems.
*8 Personal responsibility is a major point of discussion with accreditors and the AAC&U. This 10 page document discusses the findings of the initial administration of the Personal and Social Responsibility Institutional Inventory (PSRII) "that assessed the campus environment along five dimensions of personal and social responsibility: (1) striving for excellence; (2) cultivating personal and academic integrity; (3) contributing to a larger community; (4) taking seriously the perspectives of others; and (5) developing competence in ethical and moral reasoning."
*9 The Association for Practical and Professional Ethics is a reference suggested by AAC&U
*10 Swaner article in Liberal Education, Winter 2007 with a good review of literature and outline of the primary issues associatd with mental health and wellbeing as it is associated with civic engagment.
*11 How to translate these course objectives into a meaningful service learning program
*12 This link emphasizes global engagement, and social responsibility
*13 An upcoming conference demonstrating AAC&U's commitment to the issues of personal responsibilty. The focus The central premise of the conference is that personal integrity and ethics cannot be developed in isolation from a commitment to and engagement with others, and that students’ ethical, civic, and moral development must be addressed as part of their basic responsibilities as learners.
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