{"id":398,"date":"2014-12-05T23:42:22","date_gmt":"2014-12-05T23:42:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.wou.edu\/westernjournal\/?p=398"},"modified":"2014-12-05T23:42:22","modified_gmt":"2014-12-05T23:42:22","slug":"faculty-senate-approves-implementation-of-leap-framework","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/faculty-senate-approves-implementation-of-leap-framework\/","title":{"rendered":"Faculty Senate approves implementation of LEAP framework"},"content":{"rendered":"
Laura Knudson\r\n Editor-In-Chief<\/pre>\n
The Faculty Senate approved a proposal Nov. 25 to replace Western\u2019s existing institutional aspirations with undergraduate learning outcomes modeled after the \u201cLiberal Education, America\u2019s Promise\u201d (LEAP) framework.<\/p>\n
Started by the Association of American Colleges and Universities, LEAP provides \u201cessential learning outcomes\u201d and \u201cprinciples of excellence\u201d for liberal education. This creates a format to guide students\u2019 progress through college.<\/p>\n
\u201cLEAP is a really clear statement of what Western students can expect to learn by the time they graduate,\u201d said Dr. Sue Monahan, ex officio of the ad-hoc LEAP committee and dean of liberal arts and sciences.<\/p>\n
It helps Western \u201ccommunicate with students about purposes of their education,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Before LEAP, similar content called \u201cInstitutional Aspirations for Learning\u201d was found on page five of the university course catalog and applied to major, minor and general education requirements.<\/p>\n
Aspirations included critical thinking skills, development of advanced research abilities, ability to work effectively in teams, etc.<\/p>\n
Students might see these learning outcomes displayed in a course syllabus. Often, professors list course objectives on a syllabus that are in line with the institutional aspirations, Monahan said.<\/p>\n
In the LEAP proposal submitted to the faculty senate by the ad-hoc LEAP committee, it said while the current institutional aspirations reflect university values and goals, they are \u201cdifficult to assess meaningfully.\u201d<\/p>\n
New language in the modified LEAP outcomes will make academic aims of the university clearer.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis just helps us communicate it better,\u201d Monahan said. \u201cStudents learn best if they know what it is they\u2019re aiming for.\u201d<\/p>\n
Modifications to language in the essential learning outcomes include student use of technology, \u2018embodied\u2019 education, inclusion of signing as a form of communication and creativity as an essential outcome.<\/p>\n
Under Intellectual and Practical Skills, \u201cusing appropriate technology\u201d will be added to the \u201cpracticed extensively\u201d statement.<\/p>\n
\u201cHealthy course life decisions\u201d will be added to the \u201canchored through\u201d statement under Personal and Social Responsibility.<\/p>\n
The written and oral communication outcome will include signed communication and the word \u201clisteners\u201d will replace \u201caudience\u201d in its definition.<\/p>\n
The \u201ccritical and creative thinking\u201d outcome will be separated into two outcomes and \u201cand practice\u201d will be added to the new \u201ccreative thinking\u201d outcome.<\/p>\n
The outcomes may be adapted in the future, Monahan said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe LEAP framework provides a clear and concise way to communicate these goals to our students,\u201d university President Mark Weiss said in an all faculty\/staff email Dec. 1. \u201cIt provides resources so that we can more effectively assess our work and continuously improve our curricular and co-curricular programs.\u201d<\/p>\n
Academic assessment, a requirement of all accredited universities, will be made easier with the implementation of LEAP rubrics.<\/p>\n
These step-by-step guidelines will aid departments and divisions in assessing student work at the end of the year to determine if institutional goals are being met.<\/p>\n
This will also create better understanding of Western\u2019s assessment for outside groups working with the university, Monahan said.<\/p>\n
Aside from clarifying learning outcomes and improving assessment, LEAP can also be used by students later in life.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not just for the sake of academics,\u201d said Paul Disney, ad-hoc LEAP committee member and business and economics professor. \u201cIt\u2019s what employers are looking for.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cStudents will have to make a case for themselves,\u201d Monahan said of future postgraduates. They will need to be able to communicate what they have learned, she said.<\/p>\n
With the move to independent governance through the board of trustees and the ongoing search for a new university president, the implementation of LEAP is \u201cperfect timing,\u201d Disney said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s really important in a time of change to know where you\u2019re going,\u201d Monahan said.<\/p>\n
LEAP is something that has been \u201cadopted and adapted by universities across the country,\u201d she said. \u201cWe should not reinvent this; we should use these good resources that are already there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe it\u2019s important for our university to remain relevant,\u201d Disney said. \u201cIt aligns us with a national standard.\u201d<\/p>\n
Monahan\u2019s hope is that LEAP is institutionalized and made part of the university\u2019s practice.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe committee wants it to be more than just words on a page in a catalog,\u201d she said. \u201cWe really want it to be a living thing for students to connect with.\u201d<\/p>\n
Though LEAP will be implemented in next year\u2019s catalog, Monahan said they will begin using it for assessment before then.<\/p>\n
MORE INFO:
\nVisit wou.edu\/president\/facultysenate\/committees\/leap
\nContact Dr. Sue Monahan at 503-838-8226 or smonahan@wou.edu<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
LEAP essential learning outcomes to replace institutional aspirations<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":367,"featured_media":190,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-398","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"modified_by":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/398","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/367"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=398"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/398\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/190"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=398"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=398"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=398"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}