Meeting of the Faculty Senate
General Education Committee
325 Main Hall
1 November 2010
Meeting convened at 3:33pm, Galbraith presiding
Attending: Michael Current, Anne Galbraith, Tom Gendreau,
Jean Hindson, Maria Ly, Michele Pettit, James Pierce, Tom Pribek,
David Riley
Guests & Consultants: Chris Bakkum, Patrick Barlow, Amelia Dittman,
Damien Parks, Tim Walls
Excused: Rafique Ahmed
M/S/P, approved minutes of Oct. 18, 2010; voice voice,
one abstaining
Student appeal, to count a course from International Study as GE credit;
M/S/P, to table decision; voice vote, unanimous
Presentation/Discussion of "Shapshot Report, Outcome Category II:
Critical and Creative Thinking" by Patrick Barlow, ass. co-ordinator
- two year data very similar, showing "strong student performance"
- comparable CLA indicates "value added ... improving ability to
critique arguments ... at a rate higher than all other schools"
(freshmen come in lower than we might expect from SAT scores,
but seniors score much higher)
- NSSE: students rate themselves as having skills equivalent to
other schools & as the institution contributing to their improvement,
though as seniors they do not strongly connect that improvement to
class activities
- students could have more explicit awareness (communication from us)
of skills practiced
Next review of two-year assessment data: Aesthetic category
Meeting adjourned at 4:50pm
Notes compiled by T. Pribek