| QEP Development Activity | Timeframe | Participants | Outcome/Resultant Step or Accomplishment |
| Initial planning for QEP topic selection; QEP website developed for collecting proposed topic ideas | Fall 2016 | Academic Affairs and appointed faculty member (temporary coordinator of efforts) | Engaged campus in identifying and selecting the QEP topic by July 2017 |
| Topic selection committee formed | Spring 2017 | Academic Affairs and campus-wide QEP Topic Selection Committee | Initial topic on global citizenship identified; leadership and direction changed, as buy-in was not widespread for the selected topic |
| Encampment January 2018 - President’s presentation of Robot-Proof to the entire faculty | Spring 2018 | President M.C. Brown II, vestiges of the QEP Topic Selection Committee | Selection of Robot-Proof as the core concept for the QEP |
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| QEP Development Activity | Timeframe | Participants | Outcome/Resultant Step or Accomplishment |
| Encampment August 2018 | Fall 2018 | President
M. C. Brown II | Given faculty interest in Aoun's book, the Office of the President purchased and distributed copies of Aoun's book at the Fall 2018 Encampment to all faculty, administration and staff members |
| Formation of the new QEP Development Committee | Fall 2018 | Academic Affairs, appointed faculty leader of QEP Development Committee | Weekly meetings throughout the fall semester to develop the idea of the QEP around robot-proof, cultural agility and systems-thinking |
| Creation of new curriculum | Fall 2018 | QEP Development Committee and Faculty Senate | Three courses were developed and approved through the University's curriculum approval process by the Faculty Senate in December 2018. |
| QEP Brown Bag Launch | Fall 2018
(November) | Academic Affairs and QEP Development Committee | Faculty from across the campus attended an informational launch of the QEP proposal and during the conversation, helpful feedback was received and interest was evident in the project. |
| Development and pilot-ing of new courses with robot-proof informed curriculum | Spring 2019-Fall 2020 | QEP Development Committee and University faculty members | Curriculum development for the three new courses; professional development for faculty piloting the courses |
| Assessment of courses | Fall 2020 | Academic Affairs/Institutional Effectiveness and University faculty | Evaluation of the match between goals and outcomes as proposed and student learning; a special assessment tool will be used and focus groups held for faculty and students (separately); modifications to courses expected |
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| QEP Development Activity | Timeframe | Participants | Outcome/Resultant Step or Accomplishment |
| Full launch of course sequence | Spring 2021 | Academic Affairs, Academic Departments, University Advance-ment and Alumni Relations | As the capstone course comes on board, the community stakeholder participation will increase and participants to mentor students on the co-curricular projects will be identified and trained. |
| Annual assessment of QEP | AY 2021-2 to 2023-24 | Campus with support from Academic Affairs and Office of Institutional Effectiveness | The campus will engage in on-going focused assessment of the QEP, using the five year QEP Impact Report as a guide, to continuously improve the SLOs and PLOs associated with the project. |
The QEP Development team continues to work on considering details of the plan, particularly on logistical, budgetary and assessment concerns. Feedback will continue to be solicited from the wider University community as well. Assessment plans the new course sequence appear in Appendix A, and assessment plans for the QEP appear in section VII, below.
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### V. Focus of the QEP
## Overview
As stated in the Introduction, above, the ultimate goal of the QEP, “Learning that Works,” is to teach students skills that will aid them in career readiness and advancement. By transforming the learning climate at the University, students will acquire “robot-proof” skills in problem-solving, critical thinking, teamwork, oral and written communication, and cultural agility.
"Robot-proofing" is an umbrella term for integrating employable skills for the next century with a heightened sense of what it means to be a person and what is unique about personhood in an increasingly digital and automated age. The work of Joseph Aoun is seminal in this arena as he articulated from his perspective as the President of Northeastern University what the tension points are in the national dialog about "progress" and personhood. Kentucky State University, in adopting this QEP, will be concentrating on the conceptual framework of "humanics" tied to principles of Design Thinking, which will provide our students two solid benefits: the ability to think and act differently when faced with ethical and practical questions about what it means to be a person today, and, simultaneously, the practical skills and experiences needed to provide far-reaching, flexible, and innovative solutions and responses to global and local needs within society. As such, our QEP will be among the first in the nation to apply Aoun's concept of "humanics" to a university curriculum and will be the first among HBCUs to tackle the philosophical questions associated with how to privilege humanity and humanity within an increasingly automated global environment. Importantly, our QEP will provide public dissemination opportunities of our efforts at Kentucky State University, which will be the first in the nation to report on actual application of Aoun's ideas in an active university setting with practical learning and institutional learning goals, as well as anticipated outcomes. Faculty, student, and stakeholder research and publications will advance the literature associated with critical thinking and the broader social constructs of progress and human endeavor. We look forward to the opportunity to "ground" national conversations on the role of the liberal arts in contemporary American society, the nature of the skills and competencies associated with career readiness and career success, and the implications of systems thinking, cultural agility, and humanity in a broader sphere of influence through publications and presentations in such venues as the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U), the National Association of Student Personnel Administration (NASPA) and other venues where our story, especially as an HBCU, will be valued and have specific impact on socio-cultural dialogs.
There are two places in the University curriculum where all students are impacted sequentially with specific content. One is the KSU student transitions curriculum, a series of three courses on orientation to learning and college and professional life, which lead to students' selection of their major. The second site in the currently sequenced courses in the Liberal Studies/General Education core through the three Integrative Studies courses. These courses function in the General Education core as additional university degree requirements, which provide students with coursework on global, cultural and social themes. The creation of three new courses in Humanics, to replace these Integrative Studies courses, will introduce students to Systems Thinking, Design Thinking, cultural agility, and humanics as part of the learning experiences of all undergraduates, who are required to complete the General Education core. As all freshmen entering in Fall 2019 and beyond will be required to take the Humanics sequence, this QEP will have a wide-ranging impact on the entire student body at KSU. Under the Transfer Articulation Agreement established by the Council on Post-Secondary Education, transfer students are able to transfer their general education courses from the Kentucky community college system and other state related schools in the Commonwealth. As a program of institutional reach and impact, other sites in the curriculum will be relied upon to provide scaffolded learning of the equivalent of the Humanics core.
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among the transfer population (at present the number of transfer students is about 100 per academic year).
The first appendix provides a detailed look at the content of three new courses in Humanics, created as a first step in introducing and disseminating the new learning approach of “Learning that Works.” These courses will provide the basis for critical thinking, inquiry and analysis, teamwork, and applied problem-solving for first time full-time students who make up the majority of each entering class at Kentucky State University. Because this sequence will be taken by all students, we will have the broadest possible sample for assessing outcomes to see what works in practical application before these concepts spread to the rest of the curriculum.
As a smaller liberal arts University (approaching 2,000 students), the institution is nimble enough to be able to measure efficiently the effect of curricular change. It is also small enough to make adjustments for improvements relatively swiftly. The "liberal studies" cited in the Mission Statement reflects the long tradition of KSU's general education program in being steeped in the traditional liberal arts. This is most evident, perhaps, in the Integrative Studies courses that almost all students must take. These courses strive to offer students a glimpse of the way traditionally separated fields can work together to offer a more complete picture of human achievement, and it will be with the intent of combining this overarching goal with Aoun's theories, above, that the current Integrative Studies (IGS) classes will be superseded by courses in Humanics (see below). The proposed QEP will build further on this already integral part of the KSU education experience by offering students a framework by which they will be able to "see the bigger picture" of any situation they encounter. Since the General Education coursework is traditionally and remaining the "hardest" curriculum to "sell" to students, the Kentucky State University faculty have elected to transparently and specifically incorporate the content of "Learning that Works" into the nine additional credits currently required for graduation located in the Liberal Studies core. The University faculty members posit by combining essential education in intellectual history, with applied learning opportunities in a team-based setting, students will experience, realize, and adopt the philosophy of liberal learning as preparation for any career, personal or professional goal. The skills sets provided in broad-based liberal learning intersect with communication, multiple literacies (cultural and knowledge-driven), and an education marked by depth and breathe across the curriculum. The innovation we are offering in "Learning that Works" is actually grounding the amorphous concept of "critical thinking" in habits of mind that promote systems thinking and intellectual agility that will encourage students to take risks, think differently, and respond confidently to the challenges of life through the lens of life-long learning.
## Institutional Capacity
A large part of the institution's capacity for successfully carrying out the QEP lies in the infrastructure that has already been put in place to help get the QEP started: the newly-instituted University College structure and the three new courses in Humanics that have been designed and approved.
University College
During the 2017-2018 Academic Year, Kentucky State University undertook the first step in revision of its general education program (Liberal Studies Core) by designing University College. This program offers first and second year students a greater sense of community and better integrate various aspects of student support. It also offers a more structured curriculum. A QEP in Design Thinking would add further to this approach by helping the University College experience the skills outlined in Auon's text, initially through a three-class sequence that is part of the students' common University College experience before they move on to advanced coursework for their majors. The Capstone course will
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serve the same function for University College that capstone classes in the individual majors serve for those majors: it will put to use skills students will work on throughout their University College experience, including problem-solving, time management, critical thinking, team building, and the acquisition of academic skills and knowledge essential to a successful college experience.
A major component of the University's capacity to successfully carry out the goals of the QEP is the design and approval of the courses in Humanics that provide a first step toward introducing the concept of Design Thinking and teaching the "soft skills" that will help the students in career preparation. These courses will provide a helpful "proof of concept" of Aoun's theories that will aid us in wider dissemination of the core concepts of the QEP.
## Humanics Sequence
As the first step toward wider implementation of the Design Thinking framework, the QEP proposal initially entails creating a three-course sequence for the general education program, through which all students would pass, ideally taking the capstone during the second semester of their second year, where the capstone project would be used to assess skills acquired in the Liberal Studies/General Education Core. In this capstone course, students will work in teams on a specific social problem, harnessing their disparate skills and acquired knowledge to offer a possible solution for the problem. The capstone course sections would be team-taught so students would have access to a variety of professional expertise while they follow the steps of Design Thinking. Groups would report their findings in a written report and an oral presentation at the end of the term. In completing the project, the students will acquire skills in ethical reasoning, civic engagement, and teamwork. They would also be making a positive impact on the larger community to which the University (and therefore each student) belongs.
The purpose of the new course sequence in the initial phase of the QEP is to lead students to an understanding of how the contemporary world developed and to lead them in a process that will culminate in a capstone project focused on a practical application for problem solving: Design Thinking. The approach will be: here's how we got to the problems of the contemporary world—and here's how to work toward a solution for one of those problems. From an access and equity standpoint, our "Learning that Works" QEP begs the question why students at Stanford and other elite institutions should be the primary groups who have the opportunity to engage in Design Thinking experiences. As completers of "Learning that Works," Kentucky State University students will live the mission of the University by bringing their best thinking to the complex problems that face and will continue to face our region. They will emerge as valued leaders in the community.
Humanics 101, 201, 301 is designed to be a sequence of three courses that introduce the development of human literacy, cultural agility, critical reasoning and creativity to support the broader goals of the QEP. Since all students will be required to take this sequence as part of their University College experience, these courses will be the first step in acquiring the employability skills that is the focus of the QEP. The courses are arranged to create an intellectual narrative beginning with close study of the industrial world and how thinkers and practitioners solved problems through the development of multiple creative literacies. The second course in the sequence analyzes the technological world and the post-technological world with an emphasis on cultural agility and critical thinking as students design and complete a project on a topic related to an aspect of our world with varied layers of history, interpretation, cultural resonances, and problem-solving opportunities. The third course is the Humanics capstone, which provides students opportunities to work in teams from across the disciplines to identify, articulate and solve a real world problem in an experiential learning setting. All three courses emphasize students' ability to direct their own learning, recognize reasoning and action patterns across time and cultures, and evaluate how the then has informed the now of human cultures and experiences.
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Additional course descriptions, as well as a listing of outcomes and assessment tools, appear in Appendix A. Appendix B has the “sample” syllabi that were constructed as part of the process of having the new courses approved by Faculty Senate.
## Institutional Resources
As the below budget projection indicates, the cost to the University to implement the QEP will be very modest, as the QEP will require no additional hiring, so the funding for the QEP should be well within the capacity of the University's operating budget, even if no existing or new grant funding can be found to finance the QEP. The University also has adequate physical facilities to implement the program: classrooms large enough to accommodate the largest of the classes (the Humanics Capstone classes) are available in Hathaway, Carver and Bradford halls, as well as in the Academic Services Building, and additional capacity is being added with the renovation of other buildings on campus. Additionally, the Bradford Auditorium is large enough to accommodate all sections of the Capstone class plus additional audience for the presentations of the Capstone projects. For computer and research resources, multiple computer labs exist in Hathaway, Carver and the Blazer Library. Since research teams for each Capstone project will consist of five students conducting research, there will be no need for a computer facility large enough to accommodate the entire class section. The only physical facility budget item is for renovation of an existing space to use as a "flex space" for the QEP (see Budget section), the cost for which should be modest. Blazer Library maintains subscriptions to multiple electronic data resources, which should be sufficient to allow for research and literature review for the Capstone projects. As is the case with all other General Education classes, including the Integrative Studies classes being superseded, the HUM 101 and 201 classes should be limited to 20-25 students per section and be able to use the regular classrooms and computer labs used by the other classes in the General Education core.
Our best resource for implementing the QEP is a faculty that is skilled and willing to teach these new supporting classes and to engage in further curricular revision, as detailed above. Due to the existence of the interdisciplinary courses (Integrative Studies) at the University for decades, we have a cadre of instructors with teaching experience in the kind of interdisciplinary courses like the Humanics courses. The reception for the concept of the QEP has been generally enthusiastic, so we do not anticipate any problems in recruiting the current IGS teachers and faculty from other disciplines to both teach in the Humanics sequence and to alter current pedagogy for other class offerings to eventually incorporate the kinds of skills that are at the core of the QEP.
As an example of the willingness of the University faculty to adapt instructional methodology, we can consider the changes that came about to our freshman classes in English, Reading and Mathematics as a result of the Corequisite program that has existed since 2016 and has been enthusiastically embraced by the faculty, staff and administration of the University (see the report on this program in Appendix C). Focusing on Inquiry-Based Learning and requiring each instructor to work with an Instructional Counselor in a teaching team analogous to the HUM 301 team, the program required a radical transformation to the curriculum (with the elimination of developmental classes that did not count toward graduation) and to the instructional approach, and the adaptation was made both swiftly and effectively, with the corequisite classes having student pass rates that are above those that were being seen in the "traditional" version of these classes. The success of the corequisite program speaks to the University's faculty, staff and administration possessing the will and having a willingness to commit time, effort and funding to seeing a new approach to student learning implemented.
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### VI. Expected Student Learning Outcomes
## QEP Outcomes
The aim of “Learning that Works” is to teach students skills that will aid them in career readiness and advancement. As part of teaching them the concept of Design Thinking, students will acquire skills in problem-solving, teamwork, oral and written communication, and cultural agility.
Outcome 1: Students will demonstrate effective and informed Design Thinking reasoning skills associated with career advancement.
Outcome 2: Students will understand how to organize small- and large-scale projects in teams and develop skills in team membership and team leadership.
Outcome 3: Students will refine their ability to express ideas, pose and describe solutions to problems, and make effective inquiries through enhanced oral and written communication strategies.
Outcome 4: Students will gain knowledge and skills in assessing the impact of decision-making and communicating ideas through the lens of diverse cultures.
Finally, as a result of these learning outcomes, students will exceed their own expectations of career choice, career readiness, and transform their ideas of success from the point of entry to the point of exit in the educational opportunities of Kentucky State University.
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### VII. Assessment
QEP
Outcome 1: Students will demonstrate effective and informed Design Thinking reasoning skills associated with career advancement. Assessment Goal: 75% of students will recognize and articulate the principles of design thinking as measured by tests, quizzes, and essays on the principles alone and as associated with career advancement.
Outcome 2: Students will understand how to organize small and large scale projects in teams and develop skills in team membership and team leadership. Assessment Goal: 90% of students will experience multiple team-based projects through which they can be evaluated on organization, time management, team leadership, and team followership as measured magnitude-scaled team-based projects.
Outcome 3: Students will refine their ability to express ideas, pose and describe solutions to problems, and make effective inquiries through enhanced oral and written communication strategies. Assessment Goal: To demonstrate content knowledge of design thinking and cultural agility, 80% of students will show enhanced communication skills, document design and presentation skills associated with advanced inquiry and analysis skills and competencies housed in eportfolios.
Outcome 4: Students will gain knowledge and skills in assessing the impact of decision-making and communicating ideas through the lens of diverse cultures. Assessment Goal: 75% of students will consistently demonstrate cultural awareness through comparative reasoning and evaluation of choices and decisions relative to cultural diversity as measured by examinations, essays, and employer/internship mentor evaluations.
The following chart outlines the assessment plan for the QEP:
| Areas to be assessed | Goal | Outcome | Measure |
| Teamwork | Apply effective tactics in team building, communication and project management as an essential career skill and career advancement competency | Students will understand how to organize small and large scale projects in teams and develop skills in team membership and team leadership | 80% of students will experience multiple team-based projects through which they can be evaluated on organization, time management, team leadership, and team followership as measured magnitude-scaled team-based projects |
| Communication | Apply effective oral and written communication skills to design-thinking projects and activities | Students will refine their ability to express ideas, pose and describe solutions to problems, and make effective inquiries through enhanced oral and written communication strategies | To demonstrate content knowledge of design thinking and cultural agility, 80% of students will show enhanced communication skills, document design and presentation skills associated with advanced inquiry and analysis skills and competencies housed in eportfolios |
| Cultural Agility | Increase knowledge and experience in communication related to diverse cultures and increase flexible reasoning skills using design thinking principles cross-culturally and inter-culturally | Students will gain knowledge and skills in assessing the impact of decision-making and communicating ideas through the lens of diverse cultures | 75% of students will consistently demonstrate cultural awareness through comparative reasoning and evaluation of choices and decisions relative to cultural diversity as measured by examinations, essays, and employer/internship mentor evaluations |
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| Goal | Outcome | Measure |
| Recognize the principles of design thinking | Recall principles of design thinking | 80% of students will successfully complete recall based activities |
| Apply design thinking principles in inquiry and analysis | Evaluate the merit of design thinking in critical reasoning associated with enhanced learning competencies of inquiry and analysis | 80% of students will complete a simple research design proposal using design thinking strategies |
| Compare ways of knowing associated with traditional and non-traditional reasoning methods | Understand how different approaches to reasoning and problem-solving yield different results based on contexts | 80% of students will demonstrate through essay and examination comparative reasoning strategies by responding to prompts that require comparison and contrast of diverse modes of reasoning and problem-solution development |
## Teamwork
| Goal | Outcome | Measure |
| Analyze the relationship of effective critical thinking in developing an effective team and in developing a culture of belonging within the team | Understand the role of goal-based reasoning in the development of teams and how to build on strengths to create effective solutions for diverse problem solving needs while building attitudes of loyalty and belonging within the team membership | 80% of students will complete Gallup Strengths Profile and Entrepreneurship testing to determine personal behaviors and attitudes towards success and teamwork |
| Demonstrate awareness of leadership and followership boundaries | Raise awareness of the multiple roles people play when working in teams and participating in small and large projects | 90% of students will perform a range of roles in team-based projects and use of teamwork rubric from the AAC&U Value Rubrics project to measure effective and benchmarked acquisition of teamwork dispositions and skills appropriate for personal and career advancement |
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| Goal | Outcome | Measure |
| Written Communication will demonstrate organizational patterns in reasoning associated with design-thinking | Understand the roles verbal and non-verbal communication play in team formation, time management, organization, and persuasiveness of project completion activities | 90% of students will practice building teams and completing projects with various prompts linked to desired goals and outcomes across the Teamwork skill development |
| Written Communication will demonstrate career and professional audience awareness, document design, document development, and completion strategies for effective communication of ideas, analysis, and concepts | Students will understand the needs of professional readers | 75% of students will compose documents to be housed in the eportfolio that are suitable to communicate ideas and analysis on themes and topics related to learning, life-long learning, career and professional goals, etc. and measured against the AAC&U Written Communication rubric |
| Informal Oral Communication will reflect principles of effective organization and development for listeners | Students will apply strategies of audience analysis associated with written communication augmented for a listening audience | 100% of students will discover ways to enhance their routine oral communication skills (such as those associated with instructions and directions, requests and inquiries) as demonstrated by classroom based scenarios and role playing in which various levels of speaking are required |
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| Goal | Outcome | Measure |
| Use agile principles within design thinking to recognize the relationships within diverse cultures between social worldview and critical reasoning behaviors | Students will routinely consider the impact of worldviews on confidence levels, inquiry strategies as informed by such things as socio-cultural or gender-based boundaries, and interpersonal relationships on design thinking and agile reasoning | 80% of students will successfully pass a recall based examination on the relationship of culture to effective reasoning and expectations for professional and career success |
| Recognize the impact of cultural rules and biases in inquiry, analysis, and problem-solution development | Students will reflect an awareness of the roles of empathy and the need to suspend judgment when interacting with others from diverse, culturally different backgrounds and will apply agile thinking to problem solving | 80% of students through a series of staged activities will demonstrate through reflect writing and through project design their awareness of the need for cultural agility in reasoning, teamwork, and successful completion of projects |
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| Student Learning Outcome | Method of Assessment | Measurement of Assessment and Performance Target | Desired Learning Outcome(s) |
| Evaluate the role of language/ rhetoric in the expression of ideas and actions. | Reading assignments, quizzes, and short essays that explore and analyze how writings about innovation impact readers and actions, decisions and outcomes at the mico and macro levels | 75% of students will successfully complete an inquiry based argument paper on how rhetorical strategies shape social and intellectual outcomes | Students will transfer their reading, inquiry and writing skills into their coursework in ways that demonstrate curiosity about how words work in the polis. |
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| Student Learning Outcome | Method of Assessment | Measurement of Assessment and Performance Target | Desired Learning Outcome(s) |
| Explore definitions of self, society and ethical reasoning in diverse cultural contexts. | Students will complete a comparative analysis oral or written project exploring how different cultures have responded to change and innovation differently and identify the reasons for diverse responses to similar problems faced globally. | 100% of students will successfully complete a project demonstrating cultural awareness and inquiry and analysis skills associated with systems thinking and cultural agility. | Students will complete similar projects in other coursework requiring them to explore issues of diversity and factors that produce varying outcomes, especially in social science courses such as history, political science, business, etc. |
| Explain how theories of the mind/human cognition developed and illustrated how humans acquire, store and process knowledge. | Students, through the Strengths Assessment, will first understand their own learning styles and then create a reflective portfolio examination of “where I am from” as a member of particular culture, socio-economic group, region, etc. | 100% of students after completing this assignment come to understand the relationships between cognitive and non-cognitive factors in learning acquisition. | Students will transfer content to courses in the fine arts and natural sciences. |
| Analyze the relationships between intellect, creativity, and forms of reasoning. | Students will use critical readings to explore the relationships between intellectual and creative activities. | 80% of students will successfully propose and design a research project using traditional written communication and a creative tool such as an original song, work of art, etc. to explore the various ways ideas may be formed and shared. | Students will transfer this experience to courses in writing and speech, philosophy or other disciplines to experience how engaging cognitive and non-cognitive factors impacts notions of understanding and success. |
| Analyze the impact of pre-industrial technology on post-industrial technology. | Students will debate a single, seminal pre-industrial technology’s impact on post-industrial technological innovations. | 70% of students will correctly identify and argue effectively for the synthesis between past, present and future. | Students will apply strategic, relational thinking to development of broader focused topics in courses related to the social and natural sciences. |
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The Student Learning Outcomes for HUM 201 would focus on how aspects studied in HUM 101 have changed in the age of technology:
1. Analyze the role and ethical implications of social media in the 21st Century workplace, including the difference between a professional and personal social media presence.
2. Analyze the impact of technology upon such emerging areas as contemporary ethics and laws involving intellectual property, use of digital services, and privacy and data collection.
3. Analyze the ramifications of future technologies based upon current trends and examine the issues that may arise from advances in computer, medical, and agricultural technologies.
Course Assessment: at a minimum, the instructor will complete and upload to each student's e-portfolio the AACU's VALUE rubrics for Global Learning, Integrative Learning, and Intercultural Knowledge and Competence. The instructor can also complete other pertinent VALUE rubrics that address the skills taught in the class.
| Student Learning Outcome | Method of Assessment | Measurement of Assessment and Performance Target | Desired Learning Outcome(s) |
| Examine how globalization and increased interaction among world cultures leads to a re-definition of self, society and ethical reasoning in diverse cultural contexts. | Reading assignments, discussion boards and short essays that explore the impact and implications of increased awareness of other world cultures | 75% of students will complete discussion board assignments that demonstrate a grasp of the wide-ranging effects of globalization and multiculturalism | Students will understand the impacts of globalization and multiculturalism and will be able to use that knowledge to inform their work in other classes and, ultimately, in their careers. |
| Articulate the effects of industrialization and technology on the contemporary world and environment. | Reading assignments, discussion boards and short essays that focus on the present and future impacts of industrialization and technology. | 75% of students will complete discussion board assignments that successfully trace how industrialization and technology have shaped the contemporary world. | Students will transfer this knowledge to other classes and be able to analyze the broad impact of these forces. |
| Analyze the role and ethical implications of social media in the 21st Century workplace, including the difference between a professional and personal social media presence. | Reading assignments, discussion boards that demonstrate the student's grasp of the impact of social media; students will be required to build a professional social media presence. | 100% of students will use technology to successfully build a professional social media site. | Students will critically evaluate various forms of social media and maintain a life-long professional web presence that will aid them in acquiring and changing jobs. |
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The Student Learning Outcomes for HUM 301 are:
Working in a team setting, students enrolled in HUM 301 will:
1. Identify a problem for the focus of the group project.
2. Demonstrate awareness of diverging ways of reasoning on approaches to problem and solution identification.
3. Demonstrate problem solving skills in a team environment, including:
• Discussing potential solutions to the problem and choosing a solution.
• Organizing and managing individual work and the work of others to implement the solution.
• Designing a group project, demonstrating facility with team-based learning using agile principles.
4. Complete a comprehensive project plan using an appropriate project management software program.
5. Use effective communication skills to report on and reflect upon the results of the project in a public forum.
Course Assessment: at a minimum, the instructor who is responsible for mentoring the student project, in consultation with the teaching assistant for the project, will complete and upload to each student's e-portfolio the AACU's VALUE rubrics for Ethical Reasoning, Civic Engagement, and Teamwork. The instructor can also complete other pertinent VALUE rubrics that address the skills taught in the class.
| Student Learning Outcome | Method of Assessment | Measurement of Assessment and Performance Target | Desired Learning Outcome(s) |
| Students will be able to analyze a contemporary problem and propose a potential solution | Students will complete a short essay that identifies a problem and potential solution | 100% of students will submit the essay that lays the foundation for the project | Students will transfer this skill to their classwork and employ it to brainstorm potential solutions to problems that arise in their career fields. |
| Students will work effectively as a member of a team to conduct research, record the problem-solving process and arrive at a potential solution that successfully synthesizes individual concepts. | In a team environment, students will research, analyze and propose a potential solution to a contemporary problem | 100% of students will participate in the group sessions and contribute to the project and use technology to map the problem-solving process. | Students will use their experience in team-based problem solving to more effectively work with colleagues in their career fields. |
| Students will employ public speaking skills to disseminate project results. | Each team will have a public presentation of their project process and results. | 100% of students will demonstrate the ability to articulate project process and results in a public forum. | Students will use their public speaking skills at appropriate situations in their careers. |
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## Humanics Sequence Student Learning Objectives
In addition to the University's Student Learning Outcomes for Written & Oral Communication that have been established for the general education program, the three-course sequence in Humanics that supports the QEP also has its own Student Learning Objectives based upon the ones listed above and in the sample syllabi for each class (Appendix A). The overall learning goal of the Humanics sequence is to enable students to move from lower-level skills on Bloom's taxonomy to the highest-level skill and be able to create innovative solutions to the problems that they will eventually encounter in the workforce while working in both an individual and team environment. Students who complete the three-course sequence in Humanics will:
1. Explain the development of theories of cognition, intellect and creativity and their application to design thinking.
2. Explain how agile and design thinking principles have impacted the contemporary world.
3. Analyze the development of technology from the pre-industrial era to the contemporary world.
4. Analyze the roles that industrialization, globalization, multiculturalism, social media, and technology have played in forming the contemporary world and how they might impact the future of humanity.
5. Create, analyze and evaluate a potential solution to a contemporary problem, using agile and design thinking principles, while working in both an individual and team environment.
Upon completion of the HUM 301: Capstone class, the QEP Steering Committee will examine the VALUE assessment rubrics from each individual class that will be a part of the student's e-portfolio (see below) to assess to what degree these skills have been acquired through the completion of the three-course sequence in Humanics.
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# KENTUCKY STATE UNIVERSITY Humanics 101: Pre-Industrialism, Creativity, and Formative Mindsets (3 credit hours) Sample syllabus
## Prerequisite: ENG 101 Cross-listed with IGS 200
### I. MISSION STATEMENT:
The Objectives and Learning Outcomes of this course directly support the University's mission: Kentucky State University is a public, comprehensive, historically black land-grant university committed to advancing the Commonwealth of Kentucky, enhancing society, and impacting individuals by providing quality teaching with a foundation in liberal studies, scholarly research, and public service to enable productive lives within the diverse global economy.
### II. NOTICE TO STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES:
Any student who requires an accommodation due to a documented disability may contact the Disability Resource Center (DRC) at (502) 597-5076, or visit the DRC office, to arrange for reasonable accommodations. The student is required to obtain verification from the DRC and deliver the signed DRC document to the instructor specifying the accommodations. The student is encouraged to complete this process at the beginning of the semester since an approval for accommodations is not retroactive. The accommodations become effective upon receipt of the DRC approval by the faculty member from the student.
### III. COURSE DESCRIPTION – COURSE RATIONALE:
This class will take make connections between innovations that worked in concert or built on each other to result in the foundation of our contemporary industrialized, technology-driven, “westernized” culture that even cultures that developed apart from Western influence now resemble (including the world’s two most populous non-western nations: China and India). This course will examine design and systems thinking as they were used in the past to create the pre-technological world that ultimately created contemporary culture. Topics such as inventions, mathematical and scientific reasoning, artistic products, forms of literacy and developing worldviews will be discussed. Skills incorporated will be conversations, networking, and thought experiments.
### IV. COURSE OBJECTIVES:
The objectives of this course are intended to indicate the general level of achievement to be attained by the average student. Through progress of the course, the student will:
1. Compare and contrast how language is used to express ideas through critical reading of primary texts from several disciplines of learning;
2. demonstrate an ability to conceptualize and formulate major issues as they are proposed by a close reading of a text;
3. sharpen verbal expression by participating in seminar discussions;
4. increase writing skills through discussion board postings or other written assignments;
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5. demonstrate critical and analytic insights in assignments stressing Design Thinking;
6. cultivate the art of acquiring, interpreting, and communicating knowledge;
7. experience ways of integrating various bodies of knowledge from across cultures and of expanding the number of perspectives from which questions of value may be viewed.
The student will demonstrate his or her progress toward these objectives through written examinations, written projects, class participation and contribution, and other participation as required.
### V. STUDENT LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
Students enrolled in HUM 101 will:
1. Evaluate the role of language/rhetoric in the expression of ideas and actions.
2. Explore definitions of self, society and ethical reasoning in diverse cultural contexts.
3. Explain how theories of the mind/human cognition developed and illustrated how humans acquire, store and process knowledge.
4. Analyze the relationships between intellect, creativity, and forms of reasoning.
5. Analyze the impact of pre-industrial technology on post-industrial technology.
### VI. REQUIRED TEXTS:
For the pilot classes, the required texts will be determined by the individual instructor in consultation with the QEP Steering Committee; some possible required texts are: Edward O. Wilson, The Origins of Creativity; Stephen Greenblatt, The Swerve; Joseph Aoun, Robot-Proof: Higher Education in the Age of Artificial Intelligence. After the pilot, a list of texts required for all sections will be a part of the standard syllabus for the class.
### VII. BLACKBOARD:
All sections will be expected to make regular use of Blackboard for class assignments
### VIII. COURSE SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS, EXPECTATIONS, POLICIES:
Course policies will be determined by individual instructors.
### IX. GRADING:
The standard KSU grading scale (A,B,C,D,F,I) will be used to record final grades.
### X. COURSE CALENDAR/SCHEDULE:
For the pilot classes, the schedule will be determined in consultation with the QEP Steering Committee. After the pilot classes, the schedule will be determined by individual instructors; readings, viewings and discussions will focus on the pre-industrial world (through the Enlightenment/Age of Reason) and will involve cross-cultural study.
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# KENTUCKY STATE UNIVERSITY Humanics 201: Critical Thinking, Cultural Agility and the Technological World (3 credit hours) Sample syllabus
## Prerequisite: HUM 101 Cross-listed with IGS 201
### I. MISSION STATEMENT:
The Objectives and Learning Outcomes of this course directly support the University's mission: Kentucky State University is a public, comprehensive, historically black land-grant university committed to advancing the Commonwealth of Kentucky, enhancing society, and impacting individuals by providing quality teaching with a foundation in liberal studies, scholarly research, and public service to enable productive lives within the diverse global economy.
### II. NOTICE TO STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES:
Any student who requires an accommodation due to a documented disability may contact the Disability Resource Center (DRC) at (502) 597-5076, or visit the DRC office, to arrange for reasonable accommodations. The student is required to obtain verification from the DRC and deliver the signed DRC document to the instructor specifying the accommodations. The student is encouraged to complete this process at the beginning of the semester since an approval for accommodations is not retroactive. The accommodations become effective upon receipt of the DRC approval by the faculty member from the student.
### III. COURSE DESCRIPTION – COURSE RATIONALE:
This class focuses on how the world changed from the pre-technological world to the technology-dominated world of the 21st Century. This course will examine design and systems thinking in the technological and post-technological world. Teamwork, macro- and micro-level reasoning, and creative problem solving strategies will be evaluated within a global context.
### IV. COURSE OBJECTIVES:
The objectives of this course are intended to indicate the general level of achievement to be attained by the average student. Through progress of the course, the student will:
1. Compare and contrast how language is used to express ideas through critical reading of primary texts from several disciplines of learning;
2. demonstrate an ability to conceptualize and formulate major issues as they are proposed by a close reading of the text;
3. sharpen verbal expression by participating in seminar discussions;
4. increase writing skills through discussion board postings or other written assignments;
5. demonstrate critical and analytic insights in assignments stressing Design Thinking;
6. cultivate the art of acquiring, interpreting, and communicating knowledge;
7. experience ways of integrating various bodies of knowledge from across cultures and of expanding the number of perspectives from which questions of value may be viewed.
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The student will demonstrate his or her progress toward these objectives through written examinations, written projects, class participation and contribution, and other participation as required.
### V. STUDENT LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
Students enrolled in HUM 201 will:
1. Design and complete a focused project in a team-based approach, applying agile principles.
2. Examine how globalization and increased interaction among world cultures leads to a re-definition of self, society and ethical reasoning in diverse cultural contexts.
3. Analyze the role and ethical implications of social media in the 21st Century workplace, including the difference between a professional and personal social media presence.
4. Articulate the effects of industrialization and technology on the contemporary world and environment.
5. Analyze the impact of technology upon such emerging areas as contemporary ethics and laws involving intellectual property, use of digital services, and privacy and data collection.
6. Analyze the ramifications of future technologies based upon current trends and examine the issues that may arise from advances in computer, medical, and agricultural technologies.
### VI. REQUIRED TEXTS:
For the pilot classes, the required texts will be determined by the individual instructor in consultation with the QEP Steering Committee; some possible required texts are: Jonathan Taplin, Move Fast and Break Things; Amy Webb, The Signals are Talking; Cathy O'Neil, Weapons of Math Destruction. After the pilot, a list of texts required for all sections will be a part of the standard syllabus for the class.
### VII. BLACKBOARD:
All sections will be expected to make regular use of Blackboard for class assignments
### VIII. COURSE SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS, EXPECTATIONS, POLICIES:
Course policies will be determined by individual instructors.
### IX. GRADING:
The standard KSU grading scale (A,B,C,D,F,I) will be used to record final grades.
### X. COURSE CALENDAR/SCHEDULE:
For the pilot classes, the schedule will be determined in consultation with the QEP Steering Committee. After the pilot classes, the schedule will be determined by individual instructors; readings, viewings and discussions will focus on the post-industrial world, including study of the contemporary world, and will involve cross-cultural study.
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# KENTUCKY STATE UNIVERSITY Humanics 301: Humanics Capstone (3 credit hours) Sample syllabus
## Prerequisite: HUM 201 Cross-listed with IGS 300
### I. MISSION STATEMENT:
The Objectives and Learning Outcomes of this course directly support the University's mission: Kentucky State University is a public, comprehensive, historically black land-grant university committed to advancing the Commonwealth of Kentucky, enhancing society, and impacting individuals by providing quality teaching with a foundation in liberal studies, scholarly research, and public service to enable productive lives within the diverse global economy.
### II. NOTICE TO STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES:
Any student who requires an accommodation due to a documented disability may contact the Disability Resource Center (DRC) at (502) 597-5076, or visit the DRC office, to arrange for reasonable accommodations. The student is required to obtain verification from the DRC and deliver the signed DRC document to the instructor specifying the accommodations. The student is encouraged to complete this process at the beginning of the semester since an approval for accommodations is not retroactive. The accommodations become effective upon receipt of the DRC approval by the faculty member from the student.
### III. COURSE DESCRIPTION – COURSE RATIONALE:
I his is a team-taught, project-based class that will synthesize prior learning in HUM 101 and 201 to create new knowledge, so leadership is a core skill. This course will group students from different majors to work on specific social problems. This course will create a multidisciplinary atmosphere that will encourage each student to step forward and share his or her skills for the benefit of the group and the benefit of the community or business associated with the problem.
### IV. COURSE OBJECTIVES:
The objectives of this course are intended to indicate the general level of achievement to be attained by the average student. Through progress of the course, the student will:
1. design and complete a group project in a team-based approach, applying agile principles.
2. apply knowledge from HUM 101 and HUM 201 to address issues in the team project.
3. read texts that focus on principles of Design Thinking;
4. sharpen verbal expression and oral communication by participating in discussions of project design and reporting on project results;
5. increase writing skills through written descriptions of the project and results of the project;
6. demonstrate critical and analytic insights in using agile thinking for the project;
7. cultivate the art of acquiring, interpreting, and communicating knowledge in a group setting;
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8. experience ways of integrating various bodies of knowledge from across disciplines through working cooperatively with team members with diverse knowledge bases.
9. experience team-based, cooperative learning to produce results with a real-world impact.
The student will demonstrate his or her progress toward these objectives through written assignments, verbal reports, project design and project completion.
### V. STUDENT LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
Working in a team setting, students enrolled in HUM 301 will:
1. Identify a problem for the focus of the group project.
2. Demonstrate awareness of diverging ways of reasoning on approaches to problem and solution identification.
3. Demonstrate problem solving skills in a team environment, including:
·Discussing potential solutions to the problem and choosing a solution.
·Organizing and managing individual work and the work of others to implement the solution.
·Designing a group project, demonstrating facility with team-based learning using agile principles.
4. Complete a comprehensive project plan using an appropriate project management software program.
5. Use effective communication skills to report on and reflect upon the results of the project in a public forum.
### VI. REQUIRED TEXTS:
For the pilot classes, the required texts will be determined by the instructors on the teaching team in consultation with the QEP Steering Committee; some possible required texts are: Osterwalder and Pigneur, Business Model Generation; Carl G. Herndl, editor, Sustainability: A Reader for Writers; subscription to project management software (e.g. Live Plan); After the pilot, a list of texts required for all sections will be a part of the standard syllabus for the class that will be generated by the teaching team prior to the beginning of the semester in which the class is offered.
### VII. BLACKBOARD:
All sections will be expected to make regular use of Blackboard for class assignments
### VIII. COURSE SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS, EXPECTATIONS, POLICIES:
Course policies will be determined by the teaching team.
### IX. GRADING:
The group project will be group-graded by the teaching team using the appropriate VALUE rubrics from the Association of American Colleges and Universities. The standard KSU grading scale (A,B,C,D,F,I) will be used to record final grades.
### X. COURSE CALENDAR/SCHEDULE:*
For the pilot classes, the schedule will be determined by the teaching team in consultation with the QEP Steering Committee. After the pilot classes, the schedule will be determined by the instructors on the teaching team, each of whom will teach a segment of the class. Readings, viewings and discussions will focus on the principles of agile thinking. The primary focus of the course calendar will be on students working in groups to design and implement a group project that has a real-world impact on a community (University, local, or even further-reaching).
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## Appendix C
## Corequisite leads for each content area: English, mathematics, and/or reading
KSU Corequisite lead for mathematics are Fariba Bigdeli-Jahed and Karen Heavin
### 1. Program Model for Mathematics
The Accelerated Mathematics Model for both MAT115A and MAT111 is a blend of Inquiry Based Learning (IBL) as defined by the Academy of Inquiry Based Learning at http://www.inquirybasedlearning.org/about/#/what-is-ibl/ and Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT). “Inquiry-based learning (IBL) is a method of instruction that places the student, the subject matter, and their interaction at the center of the learning experience. At the same time it transforms the role of the teacher from that of dispensing knowledge to that of facilitating learning. It repositions him or her, physically, from the front and center of the classroom to someplace in the middle or back of it, as it subtly yet significantly increases his or her in involvement in the thought-processes of the students.” A culturally responsive teacher recognizes the importance of student perspective and background and participates in reflective first person learning with the students while they work together to build a safe, productive and community based learning environment. The blended accelerated model focuses on developing strong conceptual mathematical understanding instead of algorithmic memorization through the use of group work, student presentations, guided questioning and mathematical conversations, while creating a safe learning environment which encourages productive struggle, risk taking, collaboration, persistence and other 21st century skills. MAT115A has 5 hours of student contact while MAT 111 provides 4 contact hours. Both courses are co-taught by a lead faculty member and Instructional counselor (IC). The IC attends all classes and provides additional tutoring and assistance outside of class.
MAT 101, Algebraic Concepts is a three credit-hour course which is designed for students on college algebra pathway with MATH ACT sub-score of less than 19. This course meets 5 days a week and has the same structure as accelerated college algebra. Based on 2016-2017 data students who passed MAT 101 had a better success rate in MAT 115A than the overall success rate.
MAI 200, Introduction to Statistical Analysis, is newly developed. The course meets four days a week and offers an alternative to college algebra for programs such as agriculture, nursing and business. The MATH ACT requirement for the course is same as accelerated college algebra (19 or higher or completion of MAT 101). We offered a section of the course as dual credit in spring 2017. An on campus and two dual credit sections are offered in spring 2018.
### 2. Professional Development Activities and Resources
"Professional development provided for faculty and staff teaching or providing services for students in the corequisite courses. Staff include advising, administrative, tutoring, mentoring, etc."
Fall 2017: Most of the professional development has been focused on designing, developing, and implementing the accelerated program. Therefore, scaling the professional development on a more extensive level will take place in the next grant cycle. The accelerated program coordinator, working for student support services, has been part of the planning and implementation cycle. This person functions as the liaison between the accelerated program and the student support services which includes advising, mentoring and tutoring. Furthermore this person also provides professional development for faculty and instructional counselors.
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The group developed professional learning resources in 2016-2017, which included National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment (NILOA) http://learningoutcomeassessment.org/, Inquiry Based Learning (IBL) http://www.inquirybasedlearning.org, Project based learning (PBL) https://app.mysummitps.org/guest/courses, and Cultural competence and ACE (Academic Center for Excellence) resources.
IBL was piloted in 2016-2017 and the results were assessed in December of 2016. Adjustments were made in spring 2017. Then the faculty and instructional counselors had a retreat from August 7 to August 9, 2017. Worksheets were developed during the 2016-2017 academic year were compiled into a workbook for both MAT 101 Algebraic Concepts and MAT 115A Accelerated College Algebra. They were reviewed and edited during the August retreat. In addition, faculty discussed and shared their experience with IBL and growth mindset training which resulted in informal modifications and changes in pedagogy.
Two new instructional counselors participated and were trained in the teaching methodology used in the accelerated classes as well as productive struggle pedagogy.
Karen Heavin submitted an abstract to the Joint meeting of the AMS/MAA detailing the results of combining inquiry based learning, culturally responsive teaching, and growth mindset training. The abstract was accepted but due to financial constraints, the presentation was withdrawn. This presentation was going to include the research results from 2016-2017.
Spring 2018: A faculty member assumed the duties of corequisite coordinator for the spring 2018 semester and facilitated the weekly meetings to assist both faculty and Cl's in content management. A majority of the professional development continued to focus on course design and pedagogy. Contact hours for college algebra were changed from 50 minute sessions M-F to 100 minute MW and 50 minute on Friday. It became obvious it was it was essential to meet weekly and continually modify the curriculum calendar during the spring semester since the curriculum was designed for delivery in individual 50 minute sessions. Support and PD in IBL pedagogy was also discussed during the meetings.
On April 21, 2018, Hope Street Group facilitated a training workshop for IBL at the KY State Chamber of Commerce. In attendance were KSU math and science faculty, EKU and Owensboro math faculty, secondary faculty from our partner high schools and Hope Street Group Fellows. The workshop lasted from 10 – 3:30 and featured cultural competence/relationship based classroom training by Vince Mattox, Introduction to the Sandford Inspire on demand modules and IBL curriculum demonstrations and workgroup opportunities.
May 29 – 30 the math department conducted a 2-day retreat to begin the restructuring of the curriculum for MAT 101 and MAT 115A. In attendance were all math faculty, Chris Russey, Ethan Coats and Jordan Robinson. Discussions included the following:
MAT 101
• Determine the course goals and important topics
• Embed mindset training throughout the curriculum
• Create a pacing calendar
• Curriculum structure and delivery which included adding a flipped classroom component for review topics and a formative assessment.
• Modifying the syllabi
• Reworking the evaluation/grading policy and adding employability skills as part of the course grade.
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• Create an instructor version of the workbook as well as a student version
• Restructure the exams
## MAT 115
• All of the above
• Increase the depth of content by reducing the number of core topics. Topics were labeled as core, optional or review.
• Scaffold selected content throughout the curriculum.
Based on the MAA recommendations, some topics will be introduced through real world problems followed by the development of necessary mathematics.
• Create module folders for each exam cycle with calendar, instructor guide, projects and other curriculum support for the module in each folder.
The content was divided into 5 modules and each module was assigned to 1 or 2 math faculty/instructors for development over the summer.
### 3. Communication process to create awareness of the corequisite model for faculty and staff, students, and administrators
“Communication processes and materials developed and implemented for use by your faculty and staff, students, and administrators. Were they effective in creating the awareness needed to support your corequisite program and coursework?”
In a fall 2017 faculty senate meeting which included many faculty, staff and the new University leadership, a brief explanation of the structure, importance and impact of the accelerated program was presented. The president verbally gave his support of the program. A follow up report was submitted to the President and the Provost.
During the spring faculty institute, the keynote speaker discussed the need for training students in persistence and developing growth mindset. This provided an opportunity to publicly highlight the accelerated program emphasis on developing 21st century skills along with mathematical fluency. The question of scaling was brought up. Various venues including brown bag lunch sessions were brought up and discussed.
The student support services which includes tutoring and advising continues to work directly with the math and English faculty and instructional counselors.
Accelerated college algebra continues to be offered as dual credit through the Access to Algebra Program. The program is well-established among the P-12 community.
The advising guide sheet for the accelerated program continues to be modified and disseminated to faculty and advisors throughout the University.
### 4. Academic support systems used for students in corequisite coursework and advising processes used for students in corequisite courses
We continue to use instructional counselors as co-teachers. The ICs attend all the classes they co-teach and provide additional tutoring and mentorship outside of class.
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EdReady program is integrated into the classes to provide further academic support.
Attendance is closely monitored. Students with poor attendance or who are struggling in the class are contacted by the professors and ICs. A learning contract was developed to increase student accountability and provide a clear plan of action. Student's advisor is kept informed.
### 5. A brief Description of Student Impacts by Course and Content Areas
"Overall student impacts of your corequisite coursework. What were the success rates in corequisite courses compared to students meeting benchmarks of readiness through other state or institutional measures?"