Debra Humphreys

Association of American Colleges & Universities

humphreys@aacu.org

@debrahumphreys

www.aacu.org

Communicating Effectively About the

Value(s) of General Education

(Part 1—Understanding Competing Messages and Environment)

Institute on General Education and Assessment

June, 2015

“A COLLABORATION BETWEEN EDUCATORS, STUDENTS,

POLICYMAKERS, AND EMPLOYERS”

CAMPUS ACTION, ADVOCACY, and RESEARCH

LEAP Areas of Work

• Public Advocacy/Communication—leadership through National

Leadership Council, Presidents’ Trust, and work in selected LEAP states

to make the case for liberal education and importance of Essential

Learning Outcomes—for work, life, and citizenship.

• Campus Action—technical assistance and networking to support campus

efforts to increase all students’ achievement of essential learning

outcomes and to communicate more effectively about liberal education

• Authentic Evidence—employer and economic research, high-impact

practices research, reports on student achievement, VALUE project

focused on assessment approaches that deepen student learning and can

be used to generated better data on student achievement

Public Advocacy and Communications:

Why Now?

• Intentionality and coherence of educational experience

• Lack of awareness about what really matters in college—and

connections between educational experiences and outcomes that

really matter

• Slipping public confidence in higher education—and skepticism

about “liberal education” and its “value”

Know Your Audience and Environment

• Public Opinion Data, Media Coverage, Policy Dialogues, Faculty,

Student, Alumni Surveys, etc.

• Focus groups with college-bound high school students, advanced

college students, employers (2004-06)

• Focus Groups with Business Leaders (2006)

• National surveys—business leaders (2006/2007/2009/2013/2015),

students (2015) and recent graduates (2006)

• Focus groups with policy influencers (2011)

Public Opinion

• In 2004, 93% of Americans viewed higher education institutions as

one of the most valuable resources to the US. Public ranked colleges

as high as military and churches. (Chronicle of Higher Ed)

• In 2009, 55% of Americans viewed higher education as absolutely

essential to success, up from 31% in 2000. (Public Agenda)

• In 2010, 87 percent of Hispanics agreed that a college education is

important for a person to get ahead in life. (Univision/AP)

Public Opinion

• In 2009, 60% agreed that “colleges today are like most businesses

and care more about the bottom line than about making sure

students have a good educational experience. (up from 52% in

2007). (Public Agenda)

• In 2012, 57% of Americans said that “colleges fail to provide

students with good value for money spent.” (Pew Research Center)

• In 2009, 70% said students shouldered a great deal or a lot of the

blame for low graduation rates. (AP/Stanford)

Common Misperceptions in Your

Own Environments

• How do members of your external community (media, board

members, etc.) define the value of a college degree? What is their

view of general education?

• What are some common misperceptions your current and/or

prospective students have about the value of a college degree?

• How do students’ parents define the value of a college degree?

Our Own Narratives

• Why is general education important?

• If you were forced to choose, what 2 outcomes of a

college education are most important to ensure that

every student reaches at high levels?

Know Your Environment: What are the

Competing Narratives

• “college isn’t worth the money;”

• “all that matters in increasing number of degrees”

• “general education is slowing students down”

• “general education is a luxury we can’t afford”

• “liberal arts not good preparation for success in getting a job”

• “technical skills matter more than broad learning outcomes”

• “get general education out of the way”

• “what really matters is your major; my discipline”

Competing Narrative with False Dichotomy:

The Aims of College Are…

…provide a broad, well-rounded

education that enables discovery of

interests and abilities to help

students realize their full potential

in life

…provide students with

specific career knowledge and

skills to help them realize their

full potential in the workforce

“I worry that if I go through this

great diverse education, but I can’t

go out and find a decent paying

wage at the end of it, then, while I

may be a better person for it, I’m

still basically [out of luck].”

Student, Oregon University

System

“I’m thinking that if I realize my full

potential, and discover that here, and

have a broad range of appreciating

who people are and cultures outside

my own, then I will be okay. [The]

second will come from the first.”

Student, California State

University System

The Communications Challenges

External challenge (public, prospective students, parents)

• What is a “good educational experience”?

• What are the essential elements of a good educational experience—

outcomes and practices?

• How does “general and liberal education” fit into this definition?

Internal challenge (current students, faculty, colleagues)

• Why is general and liberal education important to a students’ future

success?

• How does general education fit into the larger goals of institution?

• How are we collectively providing an integrative quality education?

Narrow Learning is Not Enough:

Essential Learning Outcomes

Knowledge of Human Cultures and the Physical and Natural World

Focused on engagement with big questions, enduring and contemporary

Intellectual and Practical Skills

Practiced extensively across the curriculum, in the context of progressively more challenging

problems, projects, and standards for performance

Personal and Social Responsibility

Anchored through active involvement with diverse communities and real-world challenges

Integrative and Applied Learning

Demonstrated through the application of knowledge, skills, and responsibilities to new

settings and complex problems

What Employers Say

“[Employers] generally are...frustrated with their inability to find

‘360 degree people’ who have both the specific job/technical skills

and the broader skills (communication and problem-solving skills,

work ethic, and ability to work with others) necessary to promise

greater success for both the individual and the employer.”

From Peter D. Hart Research Associates, Report of

Findings Based on Focus Groups Among Business Executives

(AAC&U, 2006)

The Demands of the New Economy

• “The premium on lifelong learning just keeps going up…the

world is changing even faster. Learning how to love learning is

becoming more important – and the importance of static

knowledge is going down….Students have to have knowledge

and know how to use it—know AND do. All learning should

revolve around projects.”

David Rattray, Senior Director, Education & Workforce Development,

LA Chamber of Commerce

National Surveys of Employers on College Learning and

Graduates’ Work Readiness AAC&U commissioned Hart Research Associates (in 2006, 2007, 2009, and 2013) to interview employers (C-level suite executives and, in 2009 additional human resource professionals) whose companies report that hiring relatively large numbers of college graduates

• How Should Colleges Prepare Students to Succeed in Today’s Global Economy? (AAC&U, 2007)

• How Should Colleges Assess and Improve Student Learning? Employers’ Views on the Accountability Challenge (AAC&U, 2008)

• Raising the Bar: Employers’ Views on College Learning in the Wake of the Economic Downturn (AAC&U, 2010)

• It Takes More Than a Major: Employer Priorities for College Learning and Student Success (AAC&U, 2013)

• Falling Short? College Learning and Career Success (AAC&U, 2015; including findings from student survey as well)

See: www.aacu.org/leap/public_opinion_research

Falling Short? College Learning and Career Success

Key findings from survey among 400 employers and 613 college students

conducted in November and December 2014

For

The Association of American Colleges and Universities by

Hart Research Associates

www.aacu.org/leap/public-opinion-research

Three in five employers believe that it takes BOTH specific knowledge/skills and broad knowledge/skills to achieve long-term career success.

15%

60%

25%

Which is more important for recent college graduates to have who want to pursue advancement

and long-term career success at your company?

Knowledge and skills that apply to a

specific field or position Range of knowledge and skills that apply

to a range of fields or positions

Both field-specific and broad range

of knowledge and skills

(employers)

College students:

Specific 15%

Both 63%

Broad range 22%

18

21%

29%

33%

32%

59%

Strongly agree Somewhat agree

Employers support liberal arts, diversity, and civic learning as essential to a quality education.

Employers’ agreement with statements about college learning aims regardless of student’s chosen field of study

All college students should have educational experiences that teach them how to solve problems with people whose views are different from their own

96%

87%

78%

Every college student should take courses that build the civic knowledge, skills, and judgment essential for contributing to our democratic society

Every college student should acquire broad knowledge in the liberal arts and sciences

All college students should gain an understanding of democratic institutions and values

86%

78%

Students/

total agree

94%

85%

86%

83%

87%

All college students should gain intercultural skills and an understanding of societies and countries outside the United States

19

Learning Outcomes that at Least Four in Five Employers Rate as Very Important

80%

81%

81%

82%

83%

85% Oral communication

Working effectively with others in teams

Written communication

Ethical judgment and decision-making

Critical/analytical thinking

Applying knowledge/ skills to real world

Students: very important

for success in workplace*

78%

77%

75%

74%

79%

79%

Proportions of employers rating each skill/knowledge area

as very important for recent college graduates to have*

*8, 9, 10 ratings on zero-to-10 scale, 10 = very important

20

Employers perceive great value in students’ completing applied learning projects, but see room to improve college students’ preparedness to complete applied learning projects.

88% think that it is important for colleges to ensure that ALL students are prepared with the skills/knowledge needed to complete a significant applied learning project.

BUT just 14% of employers think that most college students are prepared with the skills/knowledge needed to complete a significant applied learning project.

80% say that it is very important for recent graduates to demonstrate the ability to apply learning in real-world settings.

BUT only 23% of employers think that recent college graduates are very well prepared to apply knowledge and skills in real-world settings.

60% believe that ALL college students should be expected to complete a significant applied learning project before graduating.

21

Employers see benefits to requiring students to complete a significant applied learning project.

28%

30%

Would improve this a lot Would improve this a fair amount

The quality of college graduates’ preparation for careers

The quality of college learning

73%

70%

In order to graduate, some colleges and many departments require students to complete a significant

project, such as a research project, collaborative project, or some other project, in which they apply

their college learning. This applied learning project takes a semester or more to complete.

If college students were required to complete a significant applied learning project like this, how much

do you think this would improve each of the following?

22

Employers say they are more likely to consider hiring recent college graduates who have completed an applied learning or project-based learning experience.

13%

22%

21%

24%

27%

39%

60%

Much more likely to consider Somewhat more likely to consider

How much more likely is your company to consider hiring recent college graduates if they have had this experience?

Internship/apprenticeship

with company/organization

Senior thesis/project

demonstrating knowledge,

research, problem-solving,

communication skills

Multiple courses involving

significant writing

Research project done

collaboratively with peers

Service-learning project with

community organization

Field project in diverse

community with people from

different background/culture

Study abroad program

94%

87%

81%

80%

69%

66%

51%

Students: more likely to be hired

95%

89%

76%

82%

85%

87%

71%

Employers give college graduates lower scores for preparedness across learning outcomes than current students give themselves.

57%

66%

65%

55%

62%

64%

62%

46%

64%

25%

26%

27%

28%

28%

29%

30%

37%

37%

Employers Students

Proportions who believe they/recent college graduates are well prepared in each area*

*8-10 ratings on zero-to-ten scale

Working effectively with others in teams

Staying current on technologies

Ethical judgment and decisionmaking

Locating, organizing, evaluating information

Oral communication

Working with numbers/ statistics

Written communication

Critical/analytical thinking

Being innovative/creative

(continued)

24

Employers give college graduates lower scores for preparedness across learning outcomes than current students give themselves.

42%

34%

43%

55%

44%

48%

59%

59%

15%

16%

18%

18%

21%

21%

23%

24%

Employers Students

Proportions who believe they/recent college graduates are well prepared in each area*

(continued)

Analyzing/solving complex problems

Applying knowledge/ skills to real world

Awareness of/experience with diverse cultures/

communities in the US

Staying current on developments in science

Working with people from different backgrounds

Staying current on global developments/trends

Proficient in other language

Awareness of/experience with diverse cultures

outside the US

*8-10 ratings on zero-to-ten scale

25

Faculty Affirm Essential Learning Outcomes

• Source: HERI Faculty Survey (2010-11)

More than 2/3 believe these outcomes/goals are “essential” or “very important”:

Critical thinking 99.5%

Information literacy 95.7%

Disciplinary knowledge 94.1%

Written communication 91.3%

Creativity 79.4%

Tolerance and respect for different beliefs 78.9%

Preparation for employment 78.3%

Preparation for graduate/prof. school 75.2%

Increasing Students’ Self Understanding 71.0%

Racial/Ethnic Diversity (knowledge/appreciation) 70.1%

Moral character development 68.8%

Appreciation of the liberal arts 66.7%

Capacity for civil discourse 66.7%

Personal values development 64.1%

Main Tested LEAP Messages • Liberal education outcomes are key to success in today’s global economy

and for responsible citizenship.

• Narrow training is not enough.

• Students must gain broad knowledge and have multiple opportunities to

hone skills over time and in real-world settings.

• General education is an essential part of providing students these

outcomes and opportunities.

• Liberal Education outcomes are important because students are likely to

change jobs multiple times

• Liberal education introduces students to multiple perspectives and develops

their own independent critical judgment.

• Students needn’t choose either a liberal education or preparation for

professional success—both forms of education can be pursued together in

mutually reinforcing ways.

Debra Humphreys

Association of American Colleges & Universities

humphreys@aacu.org

www.aacu.org

@debrahumphreys

Communicating Effectively About the

Value(s) of General Education

(Part 2—Crafting a Communications Plan)

Institute on General Education and Assessment

June, 2015

From “my course,” “my discipline,” “my major,” to “our

curriculum” leading to students’ long-term success

More than 90 percent of employers surveyed

agree that “to achieve success at my company or

organization, a candidate’s demonstrated

capacity to think critically, communicate clearly

and solve complex problems is more important

than his or her undergraduate major (91 totally

agree; 57% strongly agree).

General Communications Tips • Communicating messages about aims of education—everyone’s

responsibility

• Students receive messages from multiple sources (Web sites,

syllabi, faculty, advisors, career counselors)

• Messages are more effective if tailored to one’s audience

• Multiple messages must be consistent, repeated, and reinforced in

multiple settings

• Communicating messages that just aren’t true rarely succeeds!

Students are hearing some of the LEAP messages

“When articulating their education goals for college, students tend to

focus on courses and requirements…rather than on the skills and

knowledge they hope to get out of their college experience.”

Students do have “clear ideas of the types of skills and knowledge that

employers value and they recognize the importance of acquiring a

range of skills and knowledge that cut across fields.”

“Key Findings from Focus Groups with College Students”

Hart Research Associates, 2015

Other Student Views:

Top Attributes for Desired Employment

1. Opportunity for personal development

2. Job security

3. Good insurance benefits

4. Friendly co-workers

5. High-starting salary

6. Chance to improve the community

7. Recognition for performance

8. Location close to home

9. Opportunity for advancement

10. Diversity Source: NACE 2011 Student Survey; 50,000 college students; 20,000 graduating seniors

Other Student Views:

What 2010 high school graduates say

What is most important to you in a job or career?

1. Work that I find interesting or care about (59%)

2. Work that helps other people (28%)

3. Job that pays bills while I have fun outside work (28%)

4. Job security (19%)

5. Making a lot of money (18%)

6. Being able to work with my hands (9%)

7. Being my own boss (6%)

Source: “One Year Out” Hart Research Associates for College Board (Summer 2011)

What Students Say

“I think that it’s a better thing to have a broad range of the skills and

different knowledge so that…in a changing company or a changing,

evolving world, you can adapt and change very quickly to new skill

sets, and you have all these things that you can offer to employers.”

(private 4-year college student, Boston area)

“Working on my senior thesis this year, I’m literally applying

everything I know to a field that I haven’t learned before. So, that’s

just the best example”

(public 4-year college students, Dallas area)

Source: “Key Findings from Focus Groups with College Students,” AAC&U and Hart

Research Associates, 2015

What Students Say

“It’s very important to understanding what’s going, what’s happening

around the world is very important to understand how our economy is

going to grow, how business is going to change, how technologies will

improve. … we’re not, I mean, the US is not everything, and

understanding what’s happening outside of our country is very, very

important to what’s going to happen in the future.”

(community college student, Dallas area)

Source: “Key Findings from Focus Groups with College Students, AAC&U and Hart

Research Associates, 2015

What Students say

“I took a Spanish class, and it was in an auditorium setting, and it was

just 100 people in there, and it was absolutely terrible. And there’s so

many people, because it’s a requirement, there so many people going

to this class just trying to get through it that you’re not comprehending

any of the things that you’re supposed to be learning.”

(public 4-year college student, Dallas area)

Source: “Key Findings from Focus Groups with College Students, AAC&U and Hart

Research Associates, 2015

What Students Say

“You have to take two sciences to add to your core credits…And I’m

like, oh…me, because I’m not good with math or science….And so I

had to take a chemistry class, and the teacher that I was assigned to, I

didn’t go to class, because I didn’t have to, because his tests were

verbatim from the book, and like 30 questions each time. So I didn’t

even learn anything in my chemistry class, but I made an A. So how

is that beneficial to me?”

(public 4-year college student, Dallas area)

Source: “Key Findings from Focus Groups with College Students, AAC&U and Hart

Research Associates, 2015

What Students Say

“I don’t think you can put that [senior project] on your resume, can

you?”

“You’re not supposed to.”

(private 4-year college students, Boston area)

Source: “Key Findings from Focus Groups with College Students, AAC&U and Hart

Research Associates, 2015

Selected AAC&U Student Focus Group Findings

• High-school students feel uninformed about the curriculum and

uncertain of its demands.

• Students are focused on choice of major rather than what they will

learn; long-term professional success is paramount goal.

• Students lack understanding of liberal education.

• Once informed of definition of liberal education, student embrace the

concept, but complain that reality not living up to ideal.

• Students understand that broad cross-cutting capacities are what

really matter—but don’t understand connection between curricula

and their own development of those capacities

Seeking Long-Term Success and Well-Being

Common elements of “well-being” measured by Gallup in

international surveys

Career well-being; Social well-being; Financial well-being; Physical

well-being; Community well-being

Career well-being (“liking what you do every day”) most important

predictor of well-being across the board

Source: “Is College Worth It,” by Brandon Busteed, Business Journal (August

2013)

What do Graduates Say

Great Jobs, Great Lives: The 2014 Gallup-Purdue

Index Report

• Study based on 30,000 graduates with BA degrees released May

2014

• Workplace engagement: intellectual and emotional connection with

organizations and work teams; self-efficacy at work; enjoyment of

work; good employee relations

• Well-being: purpose well-being, social well-being, financial well-

being, community well-being, physical well-being

Gallup-Purdue Index 2014 Findings

Odds of being “engaged at work” are 2.4 times higher if college graduates:

• Had an internship or job that allowed him/her to apply what he/she was

learning in the classroom;

• Was very active in co-curricular activities;

• Worked on a project that took a semester or more to complete.

Only 6% reported doing all three of these things.

Gallup-Purdue Index 2014 Findings

Odds of thriving in all areas of well-being are 1.3X higher if graduates:

• Had an internship or job that allowed him/her to apply what he/she was

learning in the classroom;

• Was active in co-curricular activities;

• Worked on a project that took a semester or more to complete.

Only 6% reported doing all three of these things.

Criticisms of General Education

• Timing of general education requirements = less chance of connection to major.

• Limited options for fulfilling requirements.

• Advising not helpful in understanding how various requirements fit together—and with long-term goals

• Don’t connect general education to important broad learning outcomes.

• General education classes are duplicative of what is learned in high school and are too elementary.

• Concern expressed more by career-oriented students.

Crafting Messages, Exploring Strategies

• Group A—messages and strategies directed toward

students

• Group B—messages and strategies directed toward

colleagues

Strategies to Make the Case

• Focus on the outcomes of a good liberal education and their value

in the knowledge-based, global economy;

• Focus students’ professional goals on long-term workplace

engagement and well-being—not just earnings; connect explicit

educational experiences to demonstration of outcomes;

• Use data (employers; alumni; field trends) that demonstrate that

employers want broadly educated, responsible graduates;

• Note the common set of skills and knowledge needed for work and

citizenship;

• Real-world experience matters: provide students with real-

world applied learning, but also help them translate those

experiences into skills and capacities employers can understand.

Ways to Get the Message Out • Wisconsin Student Essay Contest

• Student Focus Groups

• Op-Eds, blogs, speeches

• Orientation and advising

• Alumni magazines and events

• Use LEAP tools—campus tool kit; speeches, surveys; student

brochures

• Web sites—more direct linkages between job skill requirements,

broader economic trends and general education

• Advising—consider linking academic and career advising,

including advising for undeclared majors (see: University of

Missouri—Kansas City example)

AAC&U LEAP Resources Why Do I Have To Take This Course? A Student Guide to making Smart

Educational Choices

What Will I Learn in College? What You Need to Know Now to Get Ready

for College Success

(available in print; bulk prices available)

What is a Liberal Education? and Why is it Important to My Future?

(available in bulk; 500 minimum order)

General Education Maps and Markers: Designing Meaningful Pathways

to Student Achievement (January 2015)

General Education Transformed: How We Can, Why We Must

(forthcoming)

Questions?

• humphreys@aacu.org

• www.aacu.org