Instructor Survey Responses Spring 2008 Office of Academic Planning and Assessment

Open-ended responses: Challenges to Facilitating Student Learning in Gen Ed Course 31%Various Pedagogical Challenges (e.g., Getting students to learn/practice course learning goals, 10%; Difficulty in addressing broad range of skills, perspectives, etc., in class, 7%) 24%Large Class Size 23%Students’ attitudes, behaviors, lack of motivation 11%Students’ lack of preparation, skills 6%Lack of various resources (class space, technology, funding for course support, time) 5%Lack of TAs, Poor TA Preparation Office of Academic Planning and Assessment (OAPA) September 2008

“What has been your greatest challenge in facilitating student learning/development in the General Education course you referenced above?” (Sample quotes) “Trying to make it so that my lectures are not just one-way information transfer events, but discussions of ideas that give students the chance to air their views. It's challenging to do this when the class is so large, especially in how it's very difficult to build the personal connections between instructor and students that facilitate in-class communication. One also needs these connections to get students to trust your motivations if you want to break them up into smaller discussion groups.” (codes: Pedagogical issues and class size) “The size of the class, without a doubt. Since I've taught it, class size has varied between students, with the least successful experience being the larger size. Students don't expect to learn and are typically resentful of the large lecture format; increasingly, it appears they resent Gen Eds. I find it a great challenge to truly engage more than approx 5% of the students in the class.” (codes: Class size and attitude) “One of the greatest challenges is to develop ways of teaching that enhance critical thinking and minimize "rote, traditional" ways of learning. Many students expect me to "teach to the test" and find it difficult to broaden this perspective. Since I teach mainly freshman, part of the challenge is to help them establish appropriate routines and practices that support learning and take advantage of the opportunities at the university. I try to help them develop experiences that enhance their view of themselves as competent "learners." Some of the challenge is to help them organize and balance their lives as they make the transition to the university community.” (code: Pedagogical issues) Office of Academic Planning and Assessment (OAPA) September 2008

Gen Ed Instructor Survey (2008) (open-ended responses): Recommendations for Improving Gen Ed 24%More support for instructional needs (Instructor development opportunities, 6%; More TAs, 7%; Better classroom set-ups, 5%) 19%Smaller class size, more discussion sections 10%Recommendations for specific pedagogical approaches 9%Better academic support & information for students 9%Encourage/Reward faculty participation 9%Change requirements/program 8%Ensure/Maintain Gen Ed Program Integrity 6%Various policy changes <5%Improve Gen Ed Reputation (5%); Improve students’ attitudes (3%) Office of Academic Planning and Assessment (OAPA) September 2008