General Education Reform E-mail Update

If you are having problems viewing this message, view the online version here.

General Education Reform in Progress

Gratitude

We are grateful for the time invested in collaborative conversation by departments, programs, and individual members of the UW Oshkosh academic community.
As a result of this multi-disciplinary, campus-wide process, the draft General Education Reform Proposal in Progress continues to develop.
We are encouraged by our awareness that other campuses of our size and type have reformed their General Education programs.

Continued Development

As we work together to create an intentional, cohesive program based on national best practices for General Education and our UW Oshkosh Essential Learning Outcomes, we are discovering that most of the questions and comments that arise are related to the logistics of implementing the Common Experience or "Question" component of the new program. Of particular interest are the "paired" classes that provide students with a learning community in their first and second semesters on campus.
Check the Proposal in Progress area of the General Education Reform website to see the latest developments.

Input: We Need Your Feedback during the Provost's Teaching and Learning Summit

The Provost's Teaching and Learning Summit: Collaborating…For a Change (October 24-28) will include several sessions designed to contribute to the final stages of drafting the proposal.
Though there are many other sessions of interest to the teaching community during the Summit week, all programs and departments are invited and urged to have a representative at the following sessions:

Monday, October 24
Opening Reception
Opening Reception with UW Oshkosh Honorees and Keynote Speaker Ken O'Donnell, California State University, Collaborating...For a Change
4 to 7 p.m., Reeve Union Ballroom (227)
Exemplary teachers, teaching scholars and collaborators will be honored at this hors d'oeuvres reception. Keynote speaker Ken O'Donnell will address the Summit theme: Collaborating...For a Change. As a professor of film and state university system administrator, O'Donnell has a unique, inspirational, entertaining, and challenging perspective of collaboration, campus change, and student-learning driven General Education. Note that models of collaboration will be available for browsing during the first hour of the reception, as food is served.

Tuesday, October 25
Luncheon with Speaker Robert Zemsky
11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Reeve Union Wisconsin Room (306)
Zemsky's presentation will include the preliminary research report Findings to Fuel Collaboration: An Investigation of Student Course Choices at UW Oshkosh. His analysis of recent STAR reports should provide fascinating material to further fuel collaborative discussions about our students' experiences, and how we together can improve those experiences.

General Education Reform Proposal: Presentation and Discussion
3 to 4:30 p.m., Reeve Union Ballroom (227A)
This session will focus on recommendations compiled and structured by the summer and fall teams that have been facilitating the reform conversations about General Education. A draft proposal will be presented for discussion. The collaborative Portland State General Education Reform and Implementation Team will join the conversation via Skype.

Wednesday, October 26
UW Oshkosh General Education Reform and Transfer Students: Collaborative Conversation with Two-Year College Representatives, Students, Faculty, Staff, and Administrators
3 to 4:30 p.m., Reeve Union Room 202
As we work together on the complex, intertwined issues affecting General Education at UW Oshkosh, multiple constituents need to connect. This panel discussion will include traditional and transfer students, secondary school curriculum directors, technical and two-year college representatives, faculty, staff, and administrators.

Thursday, October 27
Challenges to Collaboration in Academia: Interactive Panel Presentation
3 to 5 p.m., Reeve Union Room 221
This interactive, multi-disciplinary panel comprised of members of the UW Oshkosh academic community is designed to inspire vigorous dialogue and offer practical suggestions. Laurence Carlin (Philosophy), Norlisha Crawford (African American Studies & English), Steve Dunn (COB), and Emmet Sandberg (Art) contribute their thinking to launch the conversation.

Stay Up to Date with General Education Reform at: uwosh.edu/usp

Participate in the General Education Reform Discussion

Schedule a Visit from a Member of the General Education Reform Team

Questions or Comments?
Please send them to Lori Carrell, CETL Director and General Education Reform Facilitator, at carrell@uwosh.edu.

Watch for General Education Reform each Tuesday of the Fall 2011 Semester!

This e-mail was sent by the UW Oshkosh Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning
800 Algoma Boulevard, Oshkosh, WI 54901.