Uncovering General Learning: Presenting Findings of General Education within a Bottom-line Business World

Marilee J. Bresciani, Ph.D.Associate Professor, Postsecondary Education and

Co-Director of the Center for Educational Leadership, Innovation, and PolicySan Diego State University3590 Camino Del Rio North

San Diego, California, U.S.A.619-594-8318

Marilee.Bresciani@mail.sdsu.edu

Session Overview

Context of accountability – building bridges for comparability

Overview of a business lens on product development and quality

Application to general learning Questions to stimulate further

thought

Expectation

“If the constituents of higher education expect that we, in higher education, are providing education for the future economic growth and intellectual development of regions within the U.S.; what does this mean for how we design, deliver, and evaluate general learning?”

- Alleged Higher Education Act draft

Framing Questions

How do those in the business world evaluate success and quality of their products of their companies?

How does that compare to the manner in which higher education evaluates success and quality?

Given our answers, how do we present success and quality in general education?

The Context for Business Planning

The purpose of the product is very clear

How the product fits in with the larger picture is also discussed

The Context, Cont.

Before the product is created, certain steps are takenmarket analysis

Is the product needed/desired?Who are the consumers? Is it a regional market or a broader

market?What price point can the consumers

afford?

The Context, Cont.A development plan identifying the resources

that will be needed and their costs is determined.Who will be involved in development as well as production and how will they be involved?

Development and production costs are compared to potential revenue generated.

Determine what can be outsourced to save money without jeopardizing quality

The Context, Cont.

• Net revenue projections are stated with a timeframe

• Investors secured; partnerships formed

• Detailed plans madeCreate plan to determine quality of the product and compare quality of the product with competitors’ similar products

The Context, Cont.

Devise marketing planRefer back to market analysis

Create instruction booklets or guidelines

Identify warranty, guarantees, and insurance recommended for purchase, if applicable

How does this context apply to how we design, deliver, and evaluate general learning?

How could we explain quality of general learning in a business context?

Questions to Consider

Is our institution clear on the purpose of general education ?SkillsKnowledgeDispositionsA combination of the

aforementionedEnhance the discipline

Questions to Consider, Cont.

How widely shared is the purpose of general education?

How widely adopted is the commitment to practice that purpose across the institution?

Questions to Consider, Cont.

How does the purpose of general education fit into the larger focus of expected learning within the discipline?

The institution? The region? The world?

Questions to Consider, Cont.

Do we want general learning to contribute to economic growth?

Do we want general learning to contribute to intellectual development?

Questions to Consider, Cont.Do we understand the purpose of

general learning in the context of a market analysis?What kind of learning is needed?

Now and in the futureWhat kind of learning is desired?

Now and in the future

Questions to Consider, Cont.

Who are the consumers of the general learning?The students?Their employers? Their graduate schools?The faculty within the

disciplines?

Questions to Consider, Cont.

Are your consumers local? Or international?

What price point can the consumer afford?

How can you make the learning more affordable?

Questions to Consider, Cont.

What is the plan to develop the general learning curriculum?

Who is involved in development?

With whom can we partner?What are the intended end

results?

Questions to Consider, Cont.

What resources are needed to design the curriculum and what is the cost?

What is needed to deliver the curriculum and what are the costs?

What is the cost to get the student to be able to receive and apply the curriculum?

Questions to Consider, Cont.

What could be out-sourced to make the learning more affordable without sacrificing quality?

Can quality be sacrificed to make learning more affordable? Or more accessible?

Questions to Consider, Cont.

What are the net learning gains projected and by when?

Who are the potential investors in general learning?

When can they expect to see a return on their investment?

Questions to Consider, Cont.How will we determine the

quality of the general learning?Situational within subjectTransferable to disciplineComparison

Within subject across discipline within institution

Within subject across institutionsWithin subject across discipline across

institutions

Questions to Consider, Cont.

How will we compare that quality of learning with our competitors?

How do we determine who the competitors are?

How will we use consumer ratings in our comparison reporting?

Questions to Consider, Cont.How will we use experts’ ratings

of our general learning in comparison reporting?What internal and external influences on quality will we take into account?

Do we stay within our regional market when comparing?

Or is our market broader than our region?

Questions to Consider, Cont.What is the plan for marketing

the general learning?To whom are we marketing?How and what will we market?

Description of what general learning is

What you have to do to participateWhat you will get from participatingThe overall benefits of having the

learning

Some products are virtually worthless without their networks on which they run

Networks

What type of networks are needed to ensure the general learning keeps working?On-going facilitation of learning?On-going stimulation of learning?

On-going support?

Product WarrantyHow long is the learning

guaranteed for?Can they return for a full refund if

their learning isn’t applicable?Or a “merchandise” certificate?Will there be varying return policies

for various types of learning?

Returns, Cont.Or will the return policies be determined by institution and without regard to type of learning?

What are the limitations on the return?See “product disclaimers”

Upgrade Announcements

When are you warned that your learning will most likely be “out-dated” or in need of replacement?

Are you told how to get systematic upgrades of your learning?

Insurance

What kind of insurance policy does obtaining general learning require?

What set of instructions and guidelines should go along with the application of general learning?

Product Disclaimers

Student inputsStudent investment in learningStudent learning challengesFaculty dis-engagementTransferability to a new

discipline or region may be questionable

The Bottom Line

Provide clarity around purpose of and costs of delivering and evaluating general learning

Provide clarity about benefits of general learning

Allow consumers to determine the value of their net revenue/benefits generated

Tips from Good Practice Institutions

They clearly define their product through learning outcomes

They align the process for creating the product with the manner in which they evaluate the product

They advertise the variances in their processes

They advertise the “success” of their product

Tips, Cont.

They invite peer critiques, internal to their organization and external to their organization

They use testimonials Some articulate expectations of

“investments” to students and faculty Some are mindful of their ”inputs”

Questions or Thoughts?

Marilee.Bresciani@mail.sdsu.edu

Citation for this Presentation

Bresciani, M.J. (Under Review). Uncovering General Learning: Presenting Findings of General Education within a Bottom-line Business World. About Campus. Washington D.C.: ACPA and Wiley Publications.

References, Cont.

Bresciani, M. J. (October 10, 2007). Accountability in higher education: Driven by business or social responsibility (Part I). Net Results: NASPA’s E-Zine for Student Affairs Professionals. http://www.naspa.org/membership/mem/nr/article.cfm?id=1606

Bresciani, M. J. (October 24, 2007). Accountability in higher education: Driven by business or social responsibility (Part II). Net Results: NASPA’s E-Zine for Student Affairs Professionals. http://www.naspa.org/membership/mem/nr/article.cfm?id=1609

References, Cont.

Bresciani, M. J. (Ed.). (2007). Good practice case studies for assessing student learning in general education. San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass.

Higher Education Act Drafts and Amendments

Jaschik, S. (November 20, 2007). Another Call for Assessment. insidehighered.com