FAYETTEVILLE -- Faculty at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville will consider on Wednesday adopting a new set of learning objectives for undergraduate students that include an emphasis on diversity and ethical reasoning.
Eleven learning outcomes would give students a better understanding of why they must take core curriculum courses, according to the proposal. The new learning outcomes would take effect in fall 2020 if approved by the university's faculty senate.
A goal with the new outcomes is "to be able to say what we think University of Arkansas undergraduate students ought to know, and know how to do, when they graduate," David Jolliffe, a UA English professor and chairman of the university's General Education Core Curriculum Committee, told faculty senators last month.
The learning outcomes would fall under six learning goals. One proposed goal is for students to "demonstrate critical thinking and ethical reasoning," for example; another is that students "expand diversity awareness, intercultural competency, and global learning."
[DOCUMENT: Read the full proposal]
Under each goal are outcomes, such as students developing "familiarity with concept of diversity in the United States."
Other goals are related to strengthening the communication abilities of students, building skills in quantitative literacy and understanding "how scholars and artists think and act."
Remaining unchanged would be core course requirements at UA.
To earn a bachelor's degree, students attending any public university in Arkansas must complete a 35-semester-hour core fulfilling requirements in five areas: English/communication, mathematics, science, fine arts/humanities and social science. Students at UA need at least 120 hours to earn a degree.
State lawmakers established the minimum core for state-supported universities.
Jolliffe said existing courses would be revamped if necessary or that new courses could be established to meet the new learning goals.
Natasha Jankowski, director of the National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment, said more than 80 percent of colleges and universities have some set of learning outcomes for all students. She referred to a January report by the institute based on a survey of 811 schools.
"It's really to help with the value proposition: What are you getting out of your time spent here?" Jankowski said about learning outcomes.
Accrediting agencies also scrutinize schools, and Jolliffe said faculty began considering learning outcomes in part because of feedback from accrediting agency the Higher Learning Commission. He said the current proposal has come after about three years of work.
Another learning goal that's part of the UA proposal involves having students "gain the ability to synthesize, integrate, and apply knowledge developed throughout the undergraduate years." The proposal states that UA would "initiate a campus-wide discussion about student e-portfolios."
The use of electronic portfolios is "getting increasingly common" at colleges and universities, Jankowski said, but so far has not become widespread. She said such portfolios allow students to "talk about what you learned to various audiences," including employers.
Linda Suskie, an assessment and accreditation consultant to colleges and universities, said learning outcomes have been a focus for accrediting agencies for about 20 years.
She said learning outcomes help ensure that courses are "not just focused on content and knowledge, but on those thinking skills that employers are looking for."
Metro on 05/01/2018