NMU Towards the 21st Century

Mitchell KlettAlan WillisRuth Watry

Laura ReissnerGary Brunswick

The Nineteenth Century College

• A Common Core CurriculumA Common Core Curriculum• All Learning is “General Education”All Learning is “General Education”

The Twentieth Century University

The Twenty-First Century Academy

Examination of Northern’s Liberal Studies Program

The last 5 years

• Assessment effort – Goal: assess current program– Lesson: existing goals and program so fragmented

they were almost impossible to assess

• Survey Data– Liberal Studies Committee surveyed the faculty– Quarried Faculty about goals and mission for the

program– Developed a draft which was presented to a

faculty forum in Winter 2006

LSC Learning Endeavors

• Members of the Committee have attended multiple conferences on General Education– Green Bay, Wisconsin– Chicago, Illinois– Phoenix, Arizona– Newport, Rhode Island

• Members of the Committee have studied a diverse range of programs at other universities

Faculty Initiative has driven the process

The Bottom Line

The administration has been supportive, not directive!

The Essential Learning Outcomes

Beginning in school and continuing at successively higher levels across their college studies, students should prepare for 21st Century Challenges by gaining– Knowledge of Human Cultures and the Physical

and Natural World– Intellectual and Practical Skills– Personal and Social Responsibility– Integrative Learning

Knowledge of Human Cultures and the Physical and Natural World

• Through study in the sciences and mathematics, social sciences, humanities, histories, languages, and the arts

Focused by engagement with big questions, both contemporary and enduring

Intellectual and Practical Skills

• Inquiry and analysis• Critical and creative thinking• Written and oral communication• Quantitative literacy• Information literacy• Teamwork and problem solvingPracticed extensively, across the curriculum, in the

context of progressively challenging problems, projects, and standards for performances

Personal and Social Responsibility

• Civic knowledge and engagement—local and global

• Intercultural knowledge and competence• Ethical reasoning and action• Foundations and skills for lifelong learningAnchored through active involvement with

diverse communities and real-world challenges

Integrative Learning

• Synthesis and advanced accomplishments across general and specialized studies

Demonstrated through the application of knowledge, skills, and responsibilities to new and complex problems

The New Goals and Mission

The faculty of Northern Michigan University emphasizes the development of the following skills in the Liberal Studies Program:

• Ability to write and communicate clearly and effectively • Ability to evaluate various forms of evidence and knowledge• Ability to engage in analytical reasoning and argumentation • Ability to engage in quantitative analysis • Ability to engage in scientific inquiry and processes • Ability to see across disciplinary boundaries

We stress the application of these abilities in the pursuit of:

• Understanding cultural diversity within the United States• Understanding the world as a diverse and interrelated

community• Understanding the relationship of the individual to society

and its culture and institutions• Understanding the role of the fine and performing arts and

the humanities in shaping and expressing a culture’s values and ideals

• Understanding natural phenomena and the physical world• Understanding multiple problem-solving perspectives