Introductory Statement……………………………………………………...…… 1

Recommendations………….……………………………………………...……… 2

Programmatic Initiatives….……………………………………………………… 4

1. Freshman Year Experience (FYE) - First Year Experience…….....….... 4

LIFE....…………………………………………...……………….... 4

LIFE Outcomes and Assessment……...…………………… 5

LIFE Summary of Findings…...…………………………… 6

Pathways…...…..…………………………………...……………… 7

Pathways Outcomes and Assessment ...…………………… 7

Pathways Summary of Findings…………………………… 8

Other Integrated and Interdisciplinary First Year Experiences….… 8

First Year Seminar…….…………………………………… 8

University Honors Program Colloquia………..…………… 9

2. Basic Skills - Core Competencies…..…………………………………… 9

Information Technology and Literacy…………...………………… 9

Quantitative Reasoning……………………..……………………… 10

Oral and Written Communication……..…………………………… 10

3. Discovery Learning Experience (DLE)…….…………………………… 11

Undergraduate Research Program…….…………………………… 11

Study Abroad….…………………………………………………… 11

Service Learning…………………………………………………… 12

4. Capstone Experience (CE)….…………………………………………… 12

Capstone Experience Summary of Findings…..…………… 13

Other Ongoing Initiatives Related to GEI….…………………………………… 13

1. Institute for Transforming Undergraduate Education (ITUE)………..…. 13

2. Global Citizenship Certificate…………………………………………... 14

3. Inter-Institutional General Education Assessment Project……………… 14

4. General Education Grant Program…….………………………………… 15

5. Information Technology IT – The Present……………………………… 16

6. Technology-Enhanced Course Redesign Grant Program……..………… 16

7. CFIS International Projects Program….………………………………… 17

Implementation Process……..…………………………………………………… 18

1. Faculty Senate General Education Committee……..…………………… 18

2. Office of Undergraduate Studies (UGS)………………………………… 18

3. Assessment….…………………………………………………………… 19

4. Resource Support…...…………………………………………………… 19

Dissemination………...…………………………………………………………… 21

Concluding Statement……….…………………………………………………… 21

Appendix A - Assessment Summary of General Education

Appendix B - Conference Presentations and Publications

Appendix C - Participants: Administrators, Faculty, Professional, Staff, Students

Introductory Statement

In March 2000, the University of Delaware Faculty Senate approved nine resolutions covering a three-year provisional period of the General Education Program (GEP). The resolutions were a direct outcome of the 1998 report to the Faculty Senate by an ad hoc Committee on General Education chaired by Dr. Carol Hoffecker. The ad hoc committee report and the Faculty Senate resolutions are available online.

ad hoc Committee Report website.

http://www.udel.edu/facsen/reports/GenEdRpt.html

Faculty Senate Resolutions website.

http://www.udel.edu/facsen/reports/genedrpt1.htm

The ad hoc Committee on General Education 1998 Report and the Faculty Senate March 2000 Resolutions provided the foundation from which the General Education Program was developed. The Faculty Senate March 2000 Resolutions established the temporary Committee on General Education and outlined the rationale and blueprint for implementation. The past three years have been focused on utilizing the Ten Goals of Undergraduate Education to expand and strengthen the First Year Experience, Core Competencies, Globalization, Discovery Learning, and Capstone Experiences. This Faculty Senate Report of the temporary Committee on General Education (the Committee), October 20, 2003, describes the current status of faculty and student experiences, assessment results, and suggestions for the future while specifically addressing the resolutions passed by the Faculty Senate.

The University of Delaware has a long and distinguished history of General Education. The Committee recognizes there are a number of established programs and activities across campus which contribute to the overall education of undergraduate students. For example, in 1923, the Study Abroad Program was launched as the first of its kind in the country. The University created the Honors Colloquia in 1976 and in 1980 instituted the Undergraduate Research Program.

Some members of the Committee believe this report should be limited to the programs and courses established under the Faculty Senate’s March 2000 Resolutions. That would restrict the report largely to the LIFE Program and Pathways courses. As such, the GEP would be a small program with modest results. The majority of the Committee, however, believes previously existing programs and activities should be included in this report because they do not compete with the GEP, but rather help to enrich and enhance the undergraduate experience. General Education efforts since March 2000 have generated a significant number of creative instructional endeavors. As such, the majority of the Committee recognizes that General Education has become more than a specific Program and has been more accurately defined as an Initiative that encourages new and renewed approaches to General Education. Therefore, the majority of the Committee believes it is appropriate that the GEP be referred to as the General Education Initiative, GEI -- an Initiative that expands educational opportunities for all students.

If General Education is worth doing at the University of Delaware, it is worth doing well. Although this Faculty Senate Report of the Committee on General Education provides more extensive detail later on, in broad terms the Committee finds a wide range of experiences exist that permit very large numbers of University of Delaware students to make progress towards the Ten Goals of Undergraduate Education set forth three years ago by the Faculty Senate Resolutions. The Committee is not asking at this time for the Faculty Senate to make broad resolutions which would apply to every student at the University. The Committee urges the Faculty Senate to approve continuation of the General Education Initiative and to support the many and varied opportunities which the GEI offers to undergraduate students.

Recommendations

It is recommended that the Faculty Senate approve the continuation of the General Education Initiative as part of the comprehensive undergraduate experience at the University.

It is recommended that the temporary Faculty Senate Committee on General Education continue as an ad hoc committee of the Faculty Senate for the next three years with the responsibility to review on a regular basis the implementation of the General Education Initiative.

It is recommended that the administrative coordination of the implementation and assessment of the General Education Initiative continue to be the responsibility of the Office of Undergraduate Studies and the Center for Teaching Effectiveness in coordination with the temporary Faculty Senate Committee on General Education.

It is recommended that assessment and evaluation be continued to further document the impact and outcomes of the General Education Initiative.

It is recommended that the General Education Initiative continue to focus on the Ten Goals of Undergraduate Education.

It is recommended that colleges and departments consider the ways in which the Ten Goals of Undergraduate Education can be addressed within their academic majors.

It is recommended that the General Education Summer Institute focusing on the Ten Goals of General Education be continued with a view to expanding the Institute to include other institutions on a regional basis.

NOTE: The term General Education is currently used across the University by a number of colleges and departments to designate courses which satisfy the curricula of specific academic majors. This has lead to confusion with respect to the General Education Initiative. An effort should be made to standardize the terminology used for these curricula specific breadth requirements and distinguished from the GEI.

University of Delaware Faculty Senate Resolutions

General Education Program (GEP)

March 2000

1. RESOLVED that the Faculty Senate adopts the ten goals of undergraduate education set forth as follows:

Undergraduate Education at the University of Delaware aims to ensure that every student will:

Attain effective skills in oral and written communication, quantitative reasoning, and the use of information technology.
Learn to think critically to solve problems.
Be able to work and learn both independently and collaboratively.
Engage questions of ethics and recognize responsibilities to self, community, and society at large.
Understand the diverse ways of thinking that underlie the search for knowledge in the arts, humanities, sciences and social sciences.
Develop the intellectual curiosity, confidence, and engagement that will lead to lifelong learning.
Develop the ability to integrate academic knowledge with experiences that extend the boundaries of the classroom.
Expand understanding and appreciation of human creativity and diverse forms of aesthetic and intellectual expression.
Understand the foundations of United States society including the significance of its cultural diversity.
Develop an international perspective in order to live and work effectively in an increasingly global society.

And be it further

2. RESOLVED that the Faculty Senate endorses in principle the following major components of the GEP:

Freshman Year Experience (FYE) such as LIFE (Learning: Integrated Freshman Experience), Pathways courses, and other integrated and interdisciplinary freshman experiences.
Basic Skills in computers, math, and written and oral communications.
Discovery Learning Experience (DLE) such as directed thesis, research, creative projects, internships, study abroad, service learning, and field work.
Capstone Experience (CE) which integrates the undergraduate experience such as a senior seminar, group project or similar experience.

And be it further

3. RESOLVED that all incoming University of Delaware students be strongly encouraged to take advantage of an integrated FYE as opportunities become available,

And be it further

4. RESOLVED that each department or program responsible for administering undergraduate majors is encouraged to direct its students to acquire basic skills, avail themselves of discovery learning, and participate in a capstone experience,

Programmatic Initiatives

The following section addresses the current status of programmatic initiatives as outlined by the Faculty Senate resolutions regarding the major components of the GEI.

General Education Initiative website.

http://www.udel.edu/ugs/gened

1. Freshman Year Experience (FYE) – First Year Experience

The change in terminology to First Year Experience reflects the more commonly used reference among colleges and universities nationwide.

New programs such as LIFE and Pathways, and the already established Honors Colloquia and First Year Seminars, serve approximately 1/2 of the first-year students per year. The following section outlines the current status of the FYE.

LIFE (Learning: Integrated Freshman Experience)

LIFE is an academic living-learning experience for first-year college students. LIFE freshman students form a small learning community organized around several of their academic courses (in which, typically, sixteen students are co-enrolled), an academic theme, and out-of-class experiences integrating the courses and themes. The sixteen students are a cohort within the existing structure and total enrollment of the academic courses. Some LIFE clusters are targeted to specific majors or careers while other LIFE clusters have more broadly organized academic themes.

Most clusters have the LIFE students living together, although there are a few LIFE clusters organized without the residential component. Groups of first-year students enrolled in each cluster are assigned to the same residence hall community and these students are also co-enrolled in two academic courses, as well as a co-curricular course, University 101/102: First-Year Experience (a one-credit, P/F seminar). In Fall 2003, LIFE cluster variations were piloted to include Honors, University Studies, Parallel Program, off campus residence students, and thematic ENGL 110 courses. The academic courses that comprise LIFE clusters are regular University courses, containing both LIFE and non-LIFE students. In general, the courses are taught as they would be if they were not part of LIFE.

Each cluster has a Peer Mentor, an advanced undergraduate student, who helps students make the adjustment to the academic life of the University, facilitates the activities in UNIV 101/102, and, in general, ensures seriousness of purpose and academic quality in the co-curricular experiences of the LIFE students. The Peer Mentors are enrolled in the seminar course UNIV 301/302: Peer Mentor Practicum.

Each cluster also has a Faculty Contact, typically the instructor for one of the two academic courses of the LIFE cluster. The Faculty Contact provides counsel for the cluster and helps the Peer Mentor and students in the cluster explore academic issues related to the cluster theme. LIFE students meet a minimum of once per semester with the Faculty Contact.

Each LIFE cluster develops a project related to the LIFE cluster theme. LIFE Fest is the public forum presenting each LIFE cluster project at the end of the semester.

LIFE Program website.

http://www.udel.edu/life

LIFE Outcomes and Assessment

Since the inception of the LIFE program in the Fall 2000, 938 first-year students have participated in the Program. This includes Fall and Spring enrollment on campus and Winter Session Study Abroad. The program has grown each year.

Semester	LIFE Clusters		First Year Students		Total Enrolled (% Increase or Decrease)
Fall 2000	11	123
Spring 2001	10	51		174
Fall 2001	17	178
Winter 2002	1	10
Spring 2002	7	49		237 (37%)
Fall 2002	22	207
Winter 2003	1	17
Spring 2003	3	21		245 (3%)
Fall 2003	36	372
Winter 2004	1	20		392 (60%)

Spring numbers include students continuing from fall.
Winter numbers are unique students.

Data collected over the past three years have shown that students are overwhelmingly positive about the LIFE program, citing the positive impact of LIFE on both their academic and social experience. Students cited an improved ability to collaborate with others and ability to make connections between their courses and the world. Academic data tend to support the hypothesis that LIFE students perform better than their non-LIFE peers (excluding Honors), as shown by the statistically significant findings for the LIFE cohort of 2002.

Faculty Contacts involved in the LIFE program felt rewarded by their interaction with students. They noted that both the Peer Mentors and the first-year students gained important interdisciplinary skills through completing hands-on assignments, demonstrating leadership skills, and having the opportunity to build trust and teamwork among peers.

The following concerns have, however, been noted in our discussions:

· lack of instructional coordination among faculty who teach the largely independent courses that comprise the cluster

· generally low levels of faculty involvement in their roles as Contact Faculty

· limits on potential instructional innovation due to the mixed audiences in the classes, with some students enrolled in a LIFE cluster and others not

· lack of an academic ethics component within UNIV 101

More information on the assessment of the LIFE program, including student and faculty perceptions, and demographic and academic characteristics of the participants, is located in the Appendix A (pages ii-ix) and the online evaluation reports.

General Education Initiative Evaluation Reports website. http://www.udel.edu/ugs/pdfs/reports.html

LIFE Summary of Findings

· Group work and peer support are key aspects of the First Year Experience.

· The living/learning environment is important.

· The thematic organization of LIFE clusters is effective.

· The discovery learning component ties the cluster together in important ways.

· LIFE plays a significant role in reducing the perceived size of the institution for the incoming first year students.

· Some Faculty Contacts have relatively little interaction with first-year students through the LIFE clusters.

Pathways

“Pathways to Discovery” courses are thematic, integrative courses for first-year students, designed to introduce students to the academic resources of the university and to teach basic intellectual skills required for a successful undergraduate experience. Pathways courses are intended to offer students opportunities to approach topics of general interest from cross-, inter-, or multi-disciplinary perspectives. These courses are often collaboratively designed by teams of faculty from different disciplines. Pathways courses employ various pedagogies, including discussion groups, problem-based learning, peer mentoring, and other collaborative teaching methods.

Pathways website.

http://www.udel.edu/pathways

Pathways Outcomes and Assessment

Twenty-two Pathways courses have been developed during the past three years, some courses have been offered more than once, bringing the total number of Pathways course offerings to 39. The total enrollment in these 39 courses has been 2200 students. It is important to note that 53% (1168) of the students enrolled in Pathways courses were not first-year students.

Semester	Pathways Courses	First Year Students	Upper Level Students	% First Year Students
Spring 2000	3	108	164	40%
Fall 2000	3	48	136	26%
Spring 2001	3	68	174	28%
Fall 2001	10	267	598	31%
Spring 2002	3	96	137	41%
Fall 2002	8	225	490	31%
Spring 2003	5	113	239	32%
Fall 2003	4	107	262	29%

The majority of students (both first-year and advanced) commented that Pathways courses helped them strengthen communication skills. They were extremely positive about the group work focus of Pathways courses, citing the benefits of different perspectives offered by their peers. The students said they became better skilled at expressing ideas, solving problems, and enhancing their time management.

Pathways courses have been developed by faculty representing various departments, yet the program has not expanded as anticipated. Departments have been slow to develop Pathways courses. The intention of the 1998 Faculty Senate first ad hoc Committee on General Education that a broad array of Pathways courses be developed to meet Goals 1, 2, 3 and 6, has not been achieved.

Pathways courses are conceived as interdisciplinary courses that integrate material in ways that regular disciplinary courses do not. However, owing to pressures on departments to do more with fewer resources, Pathway courses have become increasingly indistinguishable from regular disciplinary courses. Pathways courses have increasingly become courses which allow students to satisfy their major requirements.

More information on the assessment of Pathways courses and student and faculty perceptions are located in the Appendix A (pages ix-xii) and the online evaluation reports.

General Education Initiative Evaluation Reports website. http://www.udel.edu/ugs/pdfs/reports.html

Pathways Summary of Findings

· Most Pathways courses include a significant amount of group work.

· Pathways courses encourage expression and integration of ideas; reinforce problem solving and time management skills; and establish out-of-class activities.

· Available seats in Pathways courses are often not filled with first-year students but more advanced students.

· Approximately 40 faculty have developed Pathways courses. Many courses, however, were taught only once.

· Faculty and departments lack either incentives or the motivation to develop and sustain Pathways courses

Other Integrated and Interdisciplinary First Year Experiences

The following are established aspects of the first year experience and are complementary to the GEI.

First Year Seminar

A number of departments have a first year seminar course in which some of the goals of the GEI are addressed. It is important to note that these seminars could play a significant role in the future by providing an established avenue for important aspects of the GEI to be disseminated within established department or college curricula. An initial survey compiled current first year seminar offerings by college and department. Various course titling terms include seminar, colloquium, topics, foundations, and experience. Five colleges are represented with courses in 11 departments. One college offers a college-wide course.

In addition, the LIFE Program offers UNIV 101 and the University Honors Program offers first year Colloquia courses. First year seminar courses range from 0 credit to 3 credits as well as P/F to graded. The majority of courses are offered in fall semester with a few departments offering fall and spring courses. Enrollment of freshmen students in first year seminar courses during Fall 2002 was 994 and Spring 2003 was 230.

General Education Initiative Evaluation Reports website. http://www.udel.edu/ugs/pdfs/reports.html

University Honors Program Colloquia

Honors Colloquia are three-credit, writing-intensive interdisciplinary first-year seminars. They are broadly conceived and generally beyond conventional disciplinary boundaries. Colloquia are intended to be intellectually rigorous, not in the sense of preparing students for further study in a discipline, but rather preparing them for further skilled reflection on issues and ideas of interest. First-year students enrolled in colloquia are required to engage in intensive reading, thoughtful analysis, and several writing assignments.

All first-year Honors students, regardless of their college or major, are required to take one Honors colloquium. At least twelve colloquia are offered each semester with topics frequently changing from one semester to the next. The Honors Program, through its administration of these colloquia, provides a First Year Experience for about 500 students in the Honors Program during the course of the academic year.

University Honors Program website.

http://www.udel.edu/honors

2. Basic Skills – Core Competencies

The following are both established and new initiatives, and are complementary to the GEI. The change in terminology to Core Competencies reflects the more commonly used reference among colleges and universities nationwide.

Information Technology and Literacy

The University of Delaware is considered to be a leader in the integration of technology into the learning environment, yet additional effort needs be directed toward information literacy. Information Literacy has been defined by The University of Delaware Library’s instructional and educational services as the ability to locate, evaluate, manage, and use information from a range of sources, print and electronic, for problem solving, decision making and research. It is important, from the GEI perspective, to focus future efforts on both Information Literacy and ethical issues surrounding the appropriate use of information garnered from and using electronic sources.

The University of Delaware Library website.

http://www2.lib.udel.edu/usered/infolit/index.htm

Quantitative Reasoning

The univeristy-wide discussion about promoting Quantitative Reasoning is gaining momentum. The recent General Education Institute, June 2003, featured an invited speaker whose presentation and follow up implementation session provided an understanding of Quantitative Reasoning in the context of various disciplines across the curriculum. The working definition conveyed included the abilities necessary to understand and to communicate quantitative information and the relationship to numeracy, quantitative literacy, mathematics and statistics.

As preparation prior to the freshman year, the University offers college-level mathematics courses to selected high schools (e.g., Wilmington Charter High School and Academic Challenge Program – Sussex County). Online math testing has been instituted at the University for incoming freshman students. The test results are posted in advance of DelaWorld and scheduling fall semester courses.

Oral and Written Communication

A Task Force on Oral and Written Communication was created by Vice Provost Bobby Gempesaw and Dean Mark Huddleston in Spring 2002. The basic purpose of this Task Force was to focus on the communication component of General Education goal #1. The mission of the Task Force on Oral and Written Communication Skills was to formulate a plan with specific action steps to ensure that undergraduates at UD obtain and improve upon critical communication skills during their courses of study. In October 2002, the Task Force set forth specific objectives.

Develop a broad statement of the desired level of communication skills UD hopes to see in all graduates, with action steps toward achieving those skill levels. Set goals, milestones, and guidance.

Recommend an approach to assessment that will ensure that UD graduates have the skills they need.

Develop a plan for assessing whether required courses in communication (introductory and advanced) are fulfilling their purposes.

Review and make recommendations for providing sufficient resources to support the teaching of written and oral communication.

In conjunction with the Task Force on Oral and Written Communication, university-wide efforts have been initiated since 2000. A few sections of English 110: Critical Reading and Writing (required of all freshman students) are offered in state high schools, during summer session for incoming freshmen, and during winter session. E110 instruction across the curriculum has been piloted during fall and spring semesters (sections offered as discipline-based in departments outside of the Department of English). Six theme based E110 sections will be introduced in the upcoming fall and spring semesters (two sections paired with LIFE cluster courses). An integrated oral and written communication course (four credits) will be co-taught by English and Communication faculty in Fall 2003. Two colleges are undertaking activities to assess communication skills.

Task Force on Oral and Written Communication Skills website.

http://www.udel.edu/it-us/woctf/charge.html

3. Discovery Learning Experience (DLE)

The following are both already established and new initiatives, and are complementary to the GEI.

The University of Delaware is a national leader in Discovery Learning, particularly in Undergraduate Research and Study Abroad. These two programs, along with the new initiative on Service-Based Learning, provide a solid foundation from which to grow and provide a larger number of students with unique DLE opportunities.

Undergraduate Research Program

Research apprenticeships with faculty mentors give talented, motivated University of Delaware undergraduates a chance to see and take part in what is happening on the front lines of discovery at UD today. Every UD college, department and research center provides opportunities for interested students to get their hands on the source of learning. About 600 students participate each year and explore the many challenging options for bridging learning to practice.

Undergraduate Research Program website.

http://www.udel.edu/UR/

Study Abroad

Study abroad is more popular than ever before on campuses throughout the United States and at the institution that created

This report is submitted to the Faculty Senate satisfying the stipulation of Resolution #9

of the University of Delaware Faculty Senate Resolutions, General Education Program (GEP), March 2000.

Table of Contents

Introductory Statement……………………………………………………...…… 1

Recommendations………….……………………………………………...……… 2

Implementation Process……..…………………………………………………… 18

Concluding Statement……….…………………………………………………… 21

Appendix A - Assessment Summary of General Education

March 2000

Information Technology and Literacy