Common Core Requirements
CORE Curriculum Assessment and Study
Fairleigh Dickinson University
A Report on Faculty Views of Fairleigh
Dickinson's Core Curriculum
The University Core Program is entering
its tenth year as part of the curriculum
of Fairleigh Dickinson University a
comprehensive evaluation of skills development
was conducted in 1990 and 1991 which
showed that writing skills improved
over the course of the four semesters
of the Core. In 1995, the directors
of the Core undertook a second evaluation
of the program, this one devoted to
student and faculty attitudes. A report
on student attitudes was distributed
in December of 1995; what follows is
a report on faculty attitudes.
A questionnaire was constructed by
the directors in consultation with small
groups of Core faculty and under the
guidance of Dr. Jack Meacham of SUNY,
Buffalo. Recommended to us by the Association
of American Colleges and Universities,
Dr. Meacham is a professor of psychology
and has expertise in both the qualitative
and quantitative aspects of evaluating
general education. Dr. Meacham visited
the university and met with Core faculty
and university administrators. By and
large, the language of the questions
was crafted by Dr. Meacham after discussions
concerning the content areas with Core
directors and faculty.
The questionnaire was given to 80 members
of the faculty, 40 randomly selected
from those who had taught Core courses
and 40 randomly selected from those
who are not part of the Core faculty.
Fifty-three of the 80 responded, including
34 of the 40 Core faculty and 19 of
the 40 non-Core faculty.
The questionnaire consisted of 33 questions
most of which were to be answered by
selecting one of five options. The range
ran from (1) very positive (agree),
to (2) positive, (3) neutral, (4) unfavorable,
or (5) outright negative. At the end
of the survey faculty were asked to
submit comments concerning the strengths
and weaknesses of the program as a whole.
Scoring and compilation of means and
frequency distributions were guided
by Dr. Robert McGrath of FDU's psychology
department.
Our assessment of the results is primarily
based upon mean scores. We have determined
that these averages are not the distorted
results of polarized or bimodal distributions.
If, for example, 50% of respondents
gave a 1 and 50% gave a 5, the mean
would be 3, but it would falsely intimate
that most students were neutral on a
question. Dr. Meacham has assured us
that for the most part distributions
are normal. This means that they reflect
the sense of the population sampled,
and are not the results of numerically
averaging extremes.
Dr. Meacham concludes from his analysis
of the results that the University Core
is fulfilling many of its basic objectives:
"On the whole, the data seem to be supportive
of the Core Curriculum ... evaluations
are all in a positive direction." (Meacham
report, 2/16/96). The basis for this
conclusion lies in the mean scores of
significant responses considered below.
With regard to the eight questions
asking faculty whether or not they agreed
with stated goals of the program (including
developing critical thinking skills,
improving writing, helping students
understand interdisciplinary connections,
and helping students lead thoughtful
lives), means were uniformly low (1.15-2.11),
indicating that respondents agree these
should, indeed, be the goals of the
Core. There was little disagreement
between Core and non-Core faculty. Core
faculty, more than their non-Core colleagues,
clearly feel the program has been successful,
yet even the non-Core faculty evaluate
the curriculum positively (less than
3.0). With regard to the four questions
evaluating attitudes toward the degree
of success which the Core had reached
in attaining these goals, means were
all positive (2.42-2.60), indicating
an overall positive evaluation of the
program.
Written comments addressing these concerns
include the following:
- A strength of the program is the
opportunity it gives for students
to get outside their parochial interests
and viewpoints.
- The Core gives students the opportunity
to say "I think ... I believe," rather
than saying only "my teacher says"
or "the facts are."
- The fact that students ... come
together ... to explore issues of
common concern beyond their respective
disciplines is...of significance in
their development...toward becoming
educated individuals.
Regarding the seven questions concerning
issues internal to the teaching of Core
courses (appropriateness of texts, faculty
success in focusing on central issues,
degree of relatedness to other courses,
appropriateness of faculty training,
and degree of preparation required for
faculty), means were all positive (1.98-2.64).
When asked about the appropriateness
of faculty training, faculty responded
with a mean of 2.86, closely approximating
the 3.0 response which was named "about
right." When asked about the degree
of integration of Core courses with
disciplinary major courses, respondents
mildly disagreed (2.54) with the claim
that there was not sufficient integration.
Faculty agreed (1.98) that more than
the usual amount of time and effort
is required to teach Core courses. With
regard to the group of questions just
discussed, Core instructors were, in
general , more favorable to the program
than non-Core faculty; yet the responses
of non-Core faculty, as above, remained
positive.
Written comments addressing these concerns
include the following:
- The Core provides a baseline experience
for all students and enables me when
searching for a reference point in
disciplinary classes to use common
Core material as examples.
- The Core provides an experience
of rigor. It is especially important
for students to find out that we are
serious about the scope of education
at FDU. Having a tough introduction
that is common to all students is
important.
- Strong texts and strong issues genuinely
contribute to the kind of education
we should be providing our students.
With regard to the final four questions
concerning faculty perceptions both
of student involvement with Core issues
outside the classroom and of their own
involvement with such issues outside
of class, there was a substantial difference
between Core and non-Core faculty. According
to Meacham, these results indicate that
"Those faculty who teach in the Core
Curriculum program find that their professional
lives are enriched--they are likely
to have conversations with students
and with faculty about issues and themes
and content of the Core Curriculum,
and they are likely to incorporate material
from the Core into their research, scholarship,
and disciplinary courses." (Meacham
report, 2/16/96.)
Written comments addressing these concerns
include the following:
- I suspect more cross-section discussion
of books goes on among students than
is generally realized.
- Faculty teaching Core interact and
provide an intellectual experience
for one another...it gives faculty
a common intellectual endeavor...it's
an opportunity to discuss teaching.
- I wish I was so challenged as an
undergraduate. The courses...keep
me intellectually challenged....The
program has been an outstanding vehicle
for generating faculty excitement.
Finally, in considering results from
the student evaluation and faculty evaluation
taken together, it is noteworthy that
in comparing the means, both students
and faculty find that the Core is doing
its best: (1) to help students to "ask
questions, make connections, be a better
thinker"; and (2) to examine "what.....[is]
read closely and assess its usefulness
before drawing conclusions." According
to Dr. Meacham, "If one were going to
construct a new image for the Core Curriculum
program, it might be good to construct
the image around (at least) these two
dimensions that both students and faculty
agree are strengths of the program."
(Meacham report, 2/16/96)
Finally, the directors would like to
note that the data we have collected
is available to faculty or qualified
students for further exploration and
study. Faculty are welcome to consult
the printouts and written comments of
all students by visiting the University
Core office on the Teaneck Campus, Robison
37. |
