WCET Annual Meeting Presentation

1. Cynthia Davis, PhD
University of Maryland University College
Kara VanDam, PhD, MBA
Kaplan University

2.  Enrollment patterns
◦ Stop in and out
◦ Variable loads
◦ No cohorts
 Multiple institutions
◦ Transfer credit
◦ Not optimal sequences
 Variable backgrounds
◦ Ages
◦ Educational background
◦ Developmental stage
◦ Related experience

4.  State institution
◦ Distribution requirements
◦ Transferability from other Maryland colleges
 Open access
◦ Flexible degrees
◦ Many options for requirements
◦ Recommendations in degree plans
 Cross-curricular hallmarks
◦ Embedded across curriculum
◦ Apply to all degrees

6.  Hallmark and Gen Ed learning outcomes
 Recommended Gen Ed courses
 Common theme: “technological
transformations”
 Criteria for designing Gen Ed courses
 Faculty development and support

7.  Effectively communicate ideas, information, arguments, and
messages to achieve a specific goal.
 Access, analyze, interpret and evaluate information to foster
learning and to guide decisionmaking.
 Make choices based on awareness of global, social, and ethical
contexts.
 Apply understanding of roles, responsibilities, and relationships
in order to advance the goals of a community or organization.
 Evaluate, select, and integrate technology to enhance
communication, learning, and decisionmaking.

8.  Proprietary institution with a professionally-
focused mission
◦ Adult learners, 20% military, 74% female
 Flexible degree programs accommodate prior
learning (transfer, CLEP, experiential)
 Kaplan Commitment ensures right fit
 Strong focus on core skill proficiency
◦ ETS Proficiency Profile: 10.4 point increase vs. 7.9
point national average
◦ Core and distributed General Education
◦ Academic Support Centers (Writing, Math, Science)

9.  The Goal: Ensure that students understand and can apply
the skills associated with ethics, critical thinking, research,
technology, arts and humanities, communication,
mathematics, science, and social science professionally
and personally
 The Core: Six courses within the bachelor’s degree
programs in communication/composition, mathematics,
science, social science, and arts and humanities
 The Connections: Each required or elective course
includes:
◦ A writing assignment and the use of technology, reinforcing the
communications and technology literacies.
◦ An assignment based on one of the remaining seven literacies, addressing
practical issues and engaging students.
9

10.  Social Science GEL: Accounting students evaluate the
cultural impact of scandals like Enron
 Communication GEL: Criminal Justice students create a
crisis negotiations training used to introduce police
officers to the types of situations requiring a crisis
negotiator, common negotiating tactics, and the
indicators of negotiation progress
 Science GEL: Legal Studies students write a policy
analysis on whether the U.S. should conduct offshore
drilling on the east and west coasts and what effects
offshore drilling may have on the environment, marine
life, and the public health
10

11.  Helping all schools and programs
understand and implement the General
Education Program
 Ensuring proper integration across all
programs
 Continuous training
 Improving data reporting and analysis to
drive continuous curricular improvement

12. AVERAGE GENERAL EDUCATION LITERACY SCORES BY SCHOOL AND COURSE LEVEL
4.5
4.3
4.1
Arts & Sciences
Business & Management
3.9
Average GEL Score
Criminal Justice
General Education
3.7
Health Sciences
Information Systems & Technology
3.5 Legal Studies
Nursing
3.3
3.1
2.9
100--200 300--400
Course Level
Key Finding:
COURSE LEVEL
SCHOOL 100--200 300--400 Difference
Arts & Sciences 2.97 3.60 +.63
Business & Management
Criminal Justice
3.77
3.78
3.87
3.99
+.09
+.21
Increased GEL scores
General Education 3.61 3.63 +.02 from lower-level to
Health Sciences
Information Systems & Technology
3.71
4.11
4.16
4.33
+.45
+.23
upper-level courses
Legal Studies 3.98 3.94 -.03 across most schools.
Nursing 2.93 3.83 +.90
Note. GEL scores represent the three-year moving average (2009--2011)

13. “I enjoyed this course primarily because
it opened my eyes up to the strategies
involved with making conclusions and
diagnoses in a clinical setting. Most
disorders and issues that need attention
can be properly assessed by following
ethical guidelines while administering
specific assessments. Great course.”

14.  Longitudinal design to assess learning across
specific GEL outcomes
 Cohort design to assess learning outcomes at
specified time intervals
 Compare specific GEL areas at various
course-level subgroups to assess learning
outcomes

15.  Embed throughout full curriculum
 Support individual courses with cross-
curricular approaches
 Curriculum design
◦ Outcomes definition
◦ Assessment
◦ Integration of experience
◦ Supporting tools and resources

16. Cynthia Davis: cynthia.davis@umuc.edu
Kara VanDam: kvandam@kaplan.edu