Reforming and Refining General Education Insights for Leadership, Coordination, and Governance

Forward – Lynn Pasquerella

1. The Critical Juncture: Challenges and Critiques of General Education in the 21st Century – Caleb J. Keith & C. Edward Watson
2. Opportunities for Innovation in General Education Reform – C. Edward Watson & Caleb J. Keith
3. General Education in the 20th Century and Beyond – Terrel L. Rhodes
4. What’s in a Name? Perhaps the Future of “General” Education - Paul L. Gaston
5. Reframing Career Relevance Within the Liberal Arts: Three Case Studies on the Adoption of Workforce Outcomes in General Education Curriculum - Angela Bauer, Catherine Haras, Molly Kerby, & Michelle Hawley
6. Messaging General Education Through a Strategic Communication Approach - Stephen Biscotte, Jennifer Gallagher, Najla Mouchrek, & Bridget Trogden
7. Hearts and Minds: Case Studies of Theories of Change in General Education Reform - Chapman Greer, Erik Peterson, Laura Cruz, & Margaret J. Slattery   
8. Recharging the Core: Scaling Change Management for Meaningful Curricular Change - Adam N. Wear       , Melinda Turner, Greg Wilson, Tiffany Seeley-Case    , Martin L. Gibbs, Jennifer Whiles Lillig, Heidi Estrem, Karen Appleby, & Candyce Reynolds
9. Re-Conceptualizing General Education Administration: A Solidarity Approach to Support Teaching and Learning – Amy M. Johnson & Ellen Moll
10. General Education Reform at Diverse Institution Types: Communication and Change Management Strategies for Implementing a Student-Centered Curriculum - McKenzie J. Huber, Malia Spofford Xavier, Kristin Nagy Catz, Lori J. Kayes, & Bradley J. Fuster
11. Different Missions, Same Goals: Two Case Studies of General Education Reform – Abigail Crew & Angela S. Lindner
12. Navigating Change: LSU's Blueprint for Enhanced General Education Excellence – Tara A. Rose, William E. Kelso, & Matthew R. Lee
13. Redesign of a General Education Curriculum: Creating an Inclusive and Participatory Process - Cara Gomez    , Jennifer Billman, Katherine Brackett, Heather Burns, Jessica Jordan, Susan Myers-Shirk, Heather Rice, & Megan Rothermel
14. Forging Connections: Shifting Faculty Mindsets and Practices to Foster a Culture of Integrative Learning - Heather Bastian, Pamela Bedore, Mitchel Cottenoir, Eva Erber, Jamie Kleinman, Laina Lockett, Lauren Schlesselman, Diego Valente, Pilar Zuber, & Coral Wayland
15. Integrating Writing, Information Literacy, and Information Science: A Comprehensive Model for General Education – Charles Hepler, Erik Christiansen, & Elizabeth Carroll
16. An Exploration of the Use of Open Educational Resources in General Education – Andrea Scott, David Hubert, Lisa Petrides, & Bethany Mickel
17. AI Literacy as Essential Learning: AI as Assistant to Curricular Reform - C. Edward Watson, José Antonio Bowen, Guy McHendry, Martina Saltamacchia, & Amy Ellefson
18. Developing a Culture of Engaged Assessment Processes Across Institutional Roles – Jovan Groen, Jason Michael Leggett, & Ambreen Hasan
19. Andragogy and General Education: Leveraging Resources to Serve Adult Learners – Kenny Purcell, Alesha Seroczynski, & Catherine M. Wehlburg
20. Crosscutting Themes and Perspectives in General Education Reform – Caleb J. Keith & C. Edward Watson

Biography

C. Edward Watson is the Vice President for Digital Innovation at the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U).

Caleb J. Keith is the Assistant Vice President for Digital Initiatives at the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U).

Kate Drezek McConnell is the Vice President for Curricular and Pedagogical Innovation at the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) and Executive Director of VALUE (Valid Assessment of Learning in Undergraduate Education).

"Higher education, and particularly general education, stands at a moment that calls for thoughtful reflection and meaningful action, and this volume meets that challenge with clarity and purpose. It brings together practical insights and diverse perspectives that encourage institutions to think intentionally about how they redesign and sustain general education. The contributors offer approaches that are grounded in collaboration and real-world application. This is an important resource for leaders committed to strengthening student learning and advancing institutional mission through purposeful general education reform."

Richard L. Dunsworth, President, University of the Ozarks

"General Education courses and programs play a vital role in equipping students with the knowledge, skills, perspectives, and dispositions to thrive in a variety of post degree roles and contexts. Through this timely and informative volume, contributors to Reforming and Reframing General Education: Insights for Leadership, Coordination, and Governance offer strategic directions, practical recommendations, and adaptable practices to those charged with overseeing and championing these important educational offerings. Institutions across the higher education landscape will benefit from this wisdom.

Stephen P. Hundley, Chair, Assessment Institute in Indianapolis, and Professor of Organizational Leadership, Indiana University Indianapolis

 

"This new volume from the American Association of Colleges & Universities provides a comprehensive resource for colleges and universities seeking to review and reform general education for the needs of the 21^st Century.  Rather than suggesting a one-size-fits-all approach, the authors use case studies from a wide array of institutional types to demonstrate how general education can be shaped to meet different missions and contexts.  The examples and recommendations cover all aspects of general education reform including process, prioritization, goals, themes, content, skills development, design, and assessment.  Every chapter includes useful and succinct summaries of main points, lessons learned, and questions for reader reflection.  This resource will be indispensable for administrators and faculty members who seek to ensure that general education programs can meet rapidly evolving circumstances and survive leadership transitions as well as budgetary and political challenges in a tumultuous era for higher education."

Jonathan Alger, America 250 Fellow for the American Council on Education and the American Association for Colleges & Universities, former President of American University and James Madison University

 

"University leaders have thought of the general education core as being a static and reliable source of student enrollment, and have thus approached general education “reform” with the same excitement as taxes, dental work, and oil changes. However, this volume demonstrates that our foundational bachelor’s curriculum should be dynamic and responsive, with regular updates that maintain a focus on breadth of learning and student learning outcomes while being responsive to each institution’s context and the changing needs of our students, faculty, and communities. The contributing authors offer intellectual and scholarly approaches combined with practical approaches that will allow administrators, general education committee members, and faculty to understand general education (re)design, and even see it as fun and intellectually engaging!"

Bethany M. Usher, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, Radford University

"General education forms the bedrock of a college education. Despite the movement towards higher education as career preparation, general education still serves an incredibly important part of the experience of students. We owe our students the opportunity to develop a breadth of knowledge to prepare them to be thinkers. This volume frames the important work of creating effective general education programs by leaning into context and iterative processes crucial for real general education reform. Each chapter tackles a different topic on strategies for refining and reforming general education and provides insight that is crucial for leaders of institutions of higher education. Anyone who care about the mission of higher ed would do well to read this book as they examine how they deliver on the promise of higher education to create a citizenry of thinkers."

Chris Hakala, Executive Director, Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning, and Scholarship, and Professor of Psychology, Springfield College

"The future of undergraduate education will be shaped not by isolated innovations, but by institutions willing to rethink how students experience learning across the entirety of their academic journey. Reforming and Refining General Education offers thoughtful, practical insights drawn from institutions that have successfully navigated the complex work of curricular transformation. Grounded in collaboration, evidence, and student success, this volume belongs on the shelf of every provost, dean, and faculty leader charged with preparing students for meaningful lives and careers."

T. Chase Hagood, Vice Provost for Student Success, The University of Utah 

 

"The future of general education will require thoughtful redesign, collaborative leadership, and a willingness to reimagine what undergraduate education can become. This collection offers exactly the kind of ideas and perspectives our field needs. By bringing together an outstanding group of contributors, they editors have created a resource that will benefit both experienced leaders and those beginning their work in general education."
Virginia Wrap Totaro, Associate Professor and Assessment Coordinator, College of Humanities and Sciences, Virginia Commonwealth University