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A Degree is More than a Major: Explaining USU’s Degree Profile

A Degree is More than a Major: Explaining USU’s Degree Profile. Norm Jones, Director of General Education and Curricular Integration Norm.jones@usu.edu. USU Citizen Scholar Degree Profile A USU Grad will. understand processes of acquiring knowledge and information;

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A Degree is More than a Major: Explaining USU’s Degree Profile

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  1. A Degree is More than a Major: Explaining USU’s Degree Profile Norm Jones, Director of General Education and Curricular Integration Norm.jones@usu.edu

  2. USU Citizen Scholar Degree ProfileA USU Grad will • understand processes of acquiring knowledge and information; • reason logically, critically, creatively, and independently, and be able to address problems in a broad context; • recognize different ways of thinking, creating, expressing, and communicating through a variety of media; • understand diversity in value systems and cultures in an interdependent world; and • develop a capacity for self-assessment and lifelong learning.

  3. Grads Have These Competencies • reading, listening, and viewing for comprehension; • communicating effectively for various purposes and audiences; • .

  4. Grads Have These Competencies • understanding and applying mathematics and other quantitative reasoning techniques; • using various technologies competently; and • working effectively, both collaboratively and individually

  5. Why do we have the goals listed in our profile? Isn’t the major what gets you the job?

  6. HART RESEARCH A S S O C I A T E S It Takes More Than A Major: Employer Priorities for College Learning and Student Success Key findings from survey among 318 employersConducted January 9 – 13, 2013for

  7. Strongly agree with this statement about employees/future hires Somewhat agree Innovation, critical thinking, and a broad skill set are key for meeting complex challenges in the workplace. Our company puts a priority on hiring people with the intellectual and inter-personal skills that will help them contribute to innovation in the workplace Candidates’ demonstrated capacity to think critically, communicate clearly, & solve complex problems is more important than their undergraduate major Our company is asking employees to take on more responsibilities and to use a broader set of skills than in the past Innovation is essential to our company/organization’s continued success The challenges employees face within our company are more complex today than they were in the past 95% 93% 93% 92% 91%

  8. Quality = A Both/And VisionLong-term career success requires broad knowledge and specific skills Which is more important for recent college graduates who want to pursue advancement and long-term career success at your company? Having both field-specific knowledge and skills AND a broad range of skills and knowledge Having a range of skills and knowledge that apply to a range of fields or positions Having knowledge and skills that apply to a specific field or position

  9. How do we prepare them to succeed in their majors?How do we provide the competencies employers want in our graduates?

  10. There are levels of competence Two Year: What should a student know, understand and be able to do before entering upper division courses?

  11. There are levels of competence Four Year: What should a student know, understand and be able to do upon degree completion?

  12. Mapping the Degree

  13. General Education • Core Competencies in Communications and Quantitative Reasoning • Breadth of knowledge • Understanding of how knowledge is created • Understanding of how knowledge is assessed • Understanding of how knowledge is accessed

  14. University Studies • Continues development of competencies in fields outside the major • Ensures that students use knowledge from General Education

  15. The Major • Provides many of the competencies, and reinforces others • Provides in depth disciplinary training

  16. Electives and Extracurricular Experiences • Serendipitous Depth • Exploration • Passions • Experience • Community engagement

  17. But isn’t a degree 120 hours? Yes. But what does an hour mean?

  18. Is a Credit A Competence? • Is passing the class the same as being competent? • Is old learning still useable learning? • What if a student has all the hours, but is incompetent? • (Will the student need to be competent eternally?)

  19. Is the Credit about to Disappear as a Measure of Learning? • It is under consideration by the Carnegie Foundation that created it. • Credits do not measure learning, they measure seat time. • All of us need to be talking about learning as the measure we will use, not credits or time before a teacher.

  20. What to tell our advisees • What do they need to know, understand and be able to do if you want to succeed? • What skills and competencies their proposed major expects. And when? • What are the competencies associated with their majors and their degree upon completion.

  21. We and they should talk about their competencies, not their major, as the outcomes of their degrees. The major is significant, but it is not a degree.

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