Pedagogy & Professional Development Subcommittee

1. Pedagogy & Professional Development Subcommittee February 24, 2012 Jennifer McDade Marilyn Moore Jennifer Sharkey Jeff Wood

2. Two-Part Charge • Instructional needs/practices • Are current practices adequate to meet revised general education outcomes and goals? • What resources are needed to support revised instructional needs/practices?

3. Two-Part Charge 2. Professional Development • What exists to support general education faculty in meeting student needs? • What exists to support general education faculty in meeting instructional needs of general education? • What additional resources are needed for professional development for general education faculty?

4. Instructional needs Practices Utilizing teaching and learning strategies to promote outcomes and goals Aligning courses with program outcomes and goals Assessing outcomes and providing feedback • Meeting evolving needs of students • Providing significant learning experiences • Connecting information and technology to support learning

5. Recommendation 1 General education pedagogy should utilize active learning strategies to provide learner opportunities in an information and technology-rich environment that requires incorporation of new approaches to teaching and learning.

6. Considerations • Identifying specific pedagogical approaches that are clearly articulated in materials adopted by administration and well aligned with an assessment strategy. • Providing various supports for units, schools, departments, and individual faculty to align courses with adopted outcomes and goals. • Suggesting syllabus statements for general education courses to align individual courses with goals and outcomes and assist faculty in understanding the role of individual courses. • Supporting integration of course-level assessment to promote integration with programmatic assessment.

7. Recommendation 2 We recommend designating responsibility for coordination and dissemination of resources to a university-supported unit that will fully support the needs of faculty and students involved in the general education program.

8. Considerations • Establishing and maintaining a strong professional development culture designed to promote pedagogy that supports goals and objectives • Providing outreach among all units to build awareness of opportunities for partnerships, develop programming and services, and leverage resources • Deploying of state-of-the-art technology that supports a flexible technological environment to facilitate implementation of instructional practices (e.g., social learning, mobile learning, ebooks, applications, learning management, etc.) • Aligning with Educating Illinois to provide individualized attention by utilizing blended learning to facilitate small classroom environments • Providing illustrations of and resources for instructional strategies related to outcomes and goals.

9. Recommendation 3 Develop, implement, and designate resources to support a comprehensive and rich professional development program that aligns with general education goals and outcomes and promotes, elevates, and recognizes the role of general education faculty.

10. Considerations • Development of a “General Education FacultyDistinction” that recognizes and supports faculty teaching in the program • Development of a “General Education Faculty Fellowship” designation that provides coordination, support, and visibility for the program university-wide • Participation in a campus-wide project to increase awareness of general education among all faculty, staff, and students • Integration of existing resources and development of new ones • Coordination of an annual, regional General Education Conference

11. General Education Faculty Distinction could mean: • Teaching assignment in general education program • Opportunities to work collaboratively provide guidance and support for program • Serve as liaison to non-general education faculty and staff • Participate in professional development opportunities • Support for these individuals could include: • Opportunity for targeted course release for course review and revision • Opportunity for funding to attend conferences, workshops • Opportunity for grants available for SoTL related to general education • Opportunity for recognition through tenure and promotion process; other types of recognition and support for NTT and staff with teaching responsibilities • Opportunity for other types of institutional support

12. General Education Faculty Fellowship could mean: • Oversight and assistance for General Education Faculty in college • Guidance for professional development • Serve as liaison to curriculum committees • Serve as liaison to non-general education faculty and staff • Support for these individuals could include: • Opportunity for funding of course-release and/or additional pay to facilitate involvement in program (Consider making a named fellowship a university funding priority/private endowment) • Opportunity for funding to attend conferences, workshops • Opportunity for grants available for SoTL related to general education • Opportunity for recognition through tenure and promotion process • Opportunity for other types of institutional support • Liaison/ex-officio to Council on General Education

13. Recommendation 4 Recognize teaching General Education in ASPT process

14. Thank you! Discussion and Questions

15. Thanks for Your Work! Future Meetings; Spring, 2012 • March 2, 2012: Reports from Writing Across the Curriculum and Co-Curriculum • OPEN FORUMS (March 27 and 28; 401 STV; 3:00-4:30) • March 30, 2012: Report from Assessment • April 13, 2012: Review of complete draft of Report to Provost • April 27, 2012: Delivery of Report to Provost Unless Otherwise Noted, All Meetings Held 9 -10:50 a.m. State Farm Hall of Business (SFHB), room 412