Results of 2005 Faculty General Education Survey

1
Results of 2005 Faculty General Education Survey

• Paper version data collection 14 March 2005
• Online version data collection 28 March - 8
  April 2005
• Total participants 120
• See http//www.cwu.edu/gen_ed/s02ge_assess.html
  for results of similar survey in 2002.

2
Survey goals

• Assess faculty perceptions of student preparation
  for work in their major with respect to current
  GE goals
• Assess faculty perceptions of student motivation
  in choosing GE courses
• Survey faculty expectations of revised GE program

3
GE breadth course distribution, by credits
4
Survey responses by college and participation in
GE teaching
5
Section 1
Based on your work with typical CWU students in
the non-GE courses you teach, what is your
assessment of student preparation in the
following areas?
6
Writing
7
Faculty comments writing

• Lacking in fundamentals spelling, grammar and
  organization.
• Too many students write at about the JR High
  level.
• I see many grammatical errors
• English Instructors need to be qualified 1) MA
  in composition, 2) Teaching experience
• Not outstanding
• Highly variable
• ABYSMAL Spelling Grammar skills
• Seriously lacking
• Most do not know how to write for their level of
  college
• Perhaps 25 have writing skills appropriate to
  college level
• Like most areas, some of the students can and
  some can't (in this case, write). In general, our
  students are not good writers, but passable.
• All work in my class is writing in a
  non-alphabetic and very narrow abstract sense

8
Oral communication
9
Faculty comments re oral communication

• Minimal teaching
• Students get no education here
• Interpersonal group communication problems
• Need organizational and presentation skills
• Students must be forced to speak
• Most cannot speak well or are still very
  uncomfortable
• Not outstanding
• With narrow ability some even dont understand
  British English
• Not sure this is the job of Gen. Ed.
• Most students do well in this area
• Generally adequate, though perhaps 20 are very
  poor
• Only if they know what they're talking about

10
QSL/Numeracy
11
Faculty comments re Numeracy/QSL

• Students lack basic algebra
• This is spotty where some are very good and some
  need improvement
• Students see numbers as separate from thinking
• K 12 clearly gaining here
• Math skills have plummeted!!!
• Advanced chemistry students need advanced
  mathematics
• Very poor
• I think math and writing needs to be forced
  upon students early
• Perhaps there should be some N Gen Ed courses
  similar to W courses
• Woefully inadequate training.  I have students
  who have trouble figuring percentages, not to
  mention doing basic algebra.
• Since we work exclusively with abstract ...
  concepts, this is not relevant

12
Appreciation for diversity
13
Faculty comments re diversity

• This is an incredibly large weakness that must be
  addressed
• I have not met so many blatantly racist sexist
  students in my career as there are here.
• The students need to be prepared to face the
  diversity of the real world classroom.
  ABSOLUTELY A GROWTH AREA!!
• This should be integrated into every major or
  related to group dynamics works together
• There is absolutely NO appreciation for
  diversity, especially race, ethnicity, culture
• I have overheard at least two racist
  conversations in the past year
• Diversity is not color. Good decisions require
  diverse inputs

14
More diversity comments

• Highly variable conglomerate of sensitive
  students and rural rednecks
• Most have appreciation few dont, especially
  regarding women minorities
• Students much better than even 5 years ago
• Many students scoff at the idea of diversity and
  the problems/opportunities related to diverse
  groups
• In many aspects, I think that the students are
  ahead of much of the official diversity
  infrastructure devoted to diversifying attitudes
  and perceptions.
• Diversity is not an issue that comes up in my
  very focused field
• Especially race, ethnicity culture
• Begin developing cultural cross cultural
  competence
• Beyond white hegemonic thought

15
Critical thinking
16
Faculty comments re critical thinking

• Need concerted efforts in this area
• Very variable
• Tendency to preserve folk wisdom in the face of
  evidence internal contradiction
• More of a major issue
• This is a major area stressed in several of my
  courses. I get senior level students who say they
  have never taken essay exams before. This
  indicates to me that they only have to
  regurgitate information way too often
• Mass media has so sotted the minds of so many for
  so long, I despair of ever seeing a day when a
  majority of young people are able to think
  critically.  Every time I see idiotic face
  jewelry - studs, pins, wires, goads, hog rings,
  and 16 penny nails - along with assorted tattoos
  of hideous configuration on what would otherwise
  be one of God's marvelous configurations - the
  human form - I despair all over.
• Logic in my very focused field is so different
  from verbal logic!

17
Ability to use information technology
18
Faculty comments reInformation technology

• All students seem to possess technology skills
• Most do well here
• Better than ever before
• Most students are better at it than am I
• Students can handle this fairly well.   Though,
  they are way to dependent on the web for finding
  information and don't understand the difference
  between using the web and library sources
• Since we work exclusively with abstract ...
  concepts, this is not relevant

19
Sense of the interconnectedness of knowledge
20
Faculty comments reInterconnectedness of
knowledge

• Very poor here
• Students are unaware of basic knowledge as well
  as relations
• Students fail completely in this regard
• Some have problems transferring
• Tend to see classes as separate hurdles not
  necessary pieces in their education
• More of this needed in the sciences
• Students need a lot of hand holding here but this
  skill is close to the surface of their thinking
• Integration not stressed in our curriculum
• Better in general then in our major

21
More interconnectedness comments

• Lack of interconnectedness everywhere Ive taught
• Students have difficulty applying English skills
  to written work in major
• The proposed interdisciplinary courses should
  help students with this in the future.
• What exactly is this?
• Rarely do students see connections
• I think we are as much to blame for this as
  anyone
• Since we work exclusively with abstract ...
  concepts, this is not relevant

22
Intellectual curiosity
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Faculty comments reIntellectual curiosity

• Students lack awareness
• Most all students want and expect to be spoon
  fed. Far too few will explore things
  independently they are all minimalists!!
• Many are focused mainly on graduation
  requirements and employment
• Students are basically curious and willing to
  learn
• We have not encouraged people to think
  independently, primarily because we hold their
  hands, rescue and bail out our students an
  excessive amount here
• Variable, but often impressive
• How does one get "prepared for intellectual
  curiosity?"
• Generation Y doesn't seem to come with curiosity.
• Intellectual curiosity seems irrelevant to
  today's average student

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Section 2
Faculty comments re current GE program, and
perceptions of student engagement in GE courses
25
Faculty comments re Current GE program

• Instructors need to be qualified to teach the
  subject matter, not just a body to fill the
  course empty spot on the schedule
• How about topical areas of General Ed, cross
  discipline development to general ed between, for
  example history health, art recreation,
  music econ development, biology aging,
  chemistry mechanics or thematic history etc.
• Gen Ed tries to do too much. Any refocus should
  not add the credit load
• Students are lacking basic skills and need better
  advising help the first two years
• Help students choose a major that will get them a
  job!
• I have often included critical thinking in class
  but none of these students were able to
  contribute their ideas to share.  I had to guide
  them, remind them, them to develop research
  skills in order to share important theories
  instead of redundant discussion.  It would be
  nice if there's a class teaching students how to
  have a bit of self-confidence enough to share to
  the rest of the class.
• I think our Gen Ed program does a great job of
  preparing students for our majors.  I have been
  in other universities, and CWU is the best so far
  at giving me students in the major that are
  prepared by their first two years.

26
GE faculty perception student GE course
selection motivation (1primarily interest in
subject 4primarily to fulfill requirement)
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Section 3
Faculty views of possible roles of a revised GE
program
28
Faculty Views on Possible GE Goals
Relative scale