"The Liberal Arts Experience" Panel Discussion
Start Date
12-7-2016 8:30 AM
End Date
12-7-2016 10:00 AM
Description
High-impact teaching and learning practices are generally seen as hallmarks of liberal arts colleges. The enhanced engagement and learning outcomes associated with these practices have been objectively confirmed. What are the specific strengths of the liberal arts experience? Are there some unfounded assumptions about the advantages of liberal arts colleges over other academic models, and are there opportunities to strengthen all of our institutions by building upon the most successful models among our peer campuses?
Speaker Bio
Charlie Blaich
Dr. Charles Blaich directs the Center of Inquiry at Wabash College and the Higher Education Data Sharing Consortium (HEDS). Blaich and his colleagues at the Center of Inquiry work with faculty, staff, and students at hundreds of colleges and universities to use evidence to improve student learning. Blaich also led the Wabash National Study of Liberal Arts Education. Blaich’s publications include From Gathering to Using Assessment Results: Lessons from the Wabash National Study; Effects of Diversity Experiences on Critical Thinking Skills Over Four Years of College; and Knowing About vs. Knowing How.
Kathy Wise
Ms. Kathy Wise is the associate director of the Center of Inquiry at Wabash College and the Higher Education Data Sharing Consortium (HEDS). Wise received her undergraduate degree from Yale University and her MBA from the University of Chicago. Wise joined the Center of Inquiry in 2004 and organized the implementation and institutional assessment components of the Wabash National Study of Liberal Arts Education. Wise also leads the Teagle Assessment Scholar Program. Her most recent publications are From Gathering to Using Assessment Results: Lessons from the Wabash National Study and Knowing About vs. Knowing How. 
Alexander C. McCormick
Dr. Alexander C. McCormick is an associate professor of educational leadership and policy studies at Indiana University Bloomington, where he teaches in the Higher Education and Student Affairs program. He also directs the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), housed at IU's Center for Postsecondary Research. Since its inception in 2000, more than 1,500 bachelor's-granting colleges and universities in the US and Canada have used NSSE to assess the extent to which undergraduates engage in and are exposed to effective educational practices. Through this work, McCormick aims to enrich the national discourse about quality and accountability in higher education, while also providing institutions with tools to diagnose and improve undergraduate teaching and learning. His research interests center around assessment, accountability, and evidence-based improvement in higher education. Before coming to Indiana, McCormick was a senior scholar at the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, an educational research and policy center. In that role, he led a major overhaul of the Foundation's widely-used classification of U.S. colleges and universities. He holds a bachelor's degree in French from Dartmouth College, and a Ph.D. in education and sociology from Stanford University.
Susan Whealler Johnston
Dr. Susan Whealler Johnston is executive vice president and chief operating officer of the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges (AGB). Prior to joining AGB, she was professor of English and dean of Academic Development at Rockford University. She serves on the boards of Rollins College and Radford University, and she chairs the board of the Southern Education Foundation. She is a member of the advisory committees of the National Institute on Learning Outcomes Assessment and the National Survey of Student Engagement. Johnston earned her Ph.D. and M.A. from Purdue University and her B.A. summa cum laude from Rollins College.
"The Liberal Arts Experience" Panel Discussion
High-impact teaching and learning practices are generally seen as hallmarks of liberal arts colleges. The enhanced engagement and learning outcomes associated with these practices have been objectively confirmed. What are the specific strengths of the liberal arts experience? Are there some unfounded assumptions about the advantages of liberal arts colleges over other academic models, and are there opportunities to strengthen all of our institutions by building upon the most successful models among our peer campuses?
Comments
Moderated by Dr. Susan Whealler Johnston, Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges (AGB).