Association of American Colleges and Universities
“In an economy fueled by innovation, thecapabilities developed through a liberaleducation have become America’s mostvaluable economic asset.”
Narrow Learning is Not Enough—The Essential Learning Outcomes
Knowledge of Human Cultures and thePhysical and Natural World
Intellectual and Practical Skills
Personal and Social Responsibility
Integrative Learning
A New Framework for Excellence
Principle OneAim High—and Make Excellence Inclusive
Principle TwoGive Students a Compass
Principle ThreeTeach the Arts of Inquiry and Innovation
Principle FourEngage the Big Questions
Principle FiveConnect Knowledge withChoices and Action
Principle SixFoster Civic, Intercultural, andEthical Learning
Principle SevenAssess Students’ Ability to ApplyLearning to Complex Problems
How Should CollegesPrepare Students To Succeed InToday’s Global Economy?How Should CollegesPrepare Students To Succeed InToday’s Global Economy?
Key findings from survey among 305 business leadersand 510 recent college graduates conductedNovember 2 – December 5, 2006for
The Association of American Colleges and Universities
HARTHART
RESEARCHRESEARCH
P e t e r DP e t e r D
AA
SS
SS
OO
TT
EE
SS
CC
II
AA
Balance of Broad KnowledgeAnd Specific Skills Preferred
Which of the following should be the main objective for our nation’s colleges and universities?
Focusing primarily onproviding well-roundededucation
Focusing primarily onproviding knowledge andskills in a specific field
Focusing on providing abalance of both
Depends/not sure
Employers On ImportanceOf College EducationTo Business And The Country
% who say colleges play a very important role
Ensuring U.S. abilityto compete in theglobal economy
Ensuring my company’sability to competesuccessfully
Ensuring U.S. companies’ability to develop innovativenew products and services
* 76% believe innovation is a very important factor in the growth and strength of the U.S. economy.
63% of employers agree that “toomany recent college graduates donot have the skills to be successfulin today’s global economy.”
Employers Express Concern AboutSkill Level of College Graduates
Most Important SkillsEmployers Look For In New Hires
Teamwork skills
Critical thinking/reasoning
Oral/writtencommunication
Ability to assemble/organize information
Innovative/thinkingcreatively
Able to work withnumbers/statistics
Foreign languageproficiency
RecentGrads*
38%
37%
37%
10%
21%
4%
6%
* Skills/abilities recent graduates think are the two most important to employers
Employers Endorse KeyElements Of Liberal Education
% saying colleges should putmore emphasis on each learning outcome
Concepts and new developments in science & technology
Teamwork skills and the ability to collaborate with others in diversegroup settings
The ability to apply knowledge and skills to real-world settings throughinternships or other hands-on experiences
The ability to effectively communicate orally and in writing
Critical thinking and analytical reasoning skills
Global issues and developments and their implications for the future
The ability to locate, organize, and evaluate information from multiplesources
The ability to be innovative and think creatively
82%
76%
73%
72%
73%
73%
70%
70%
How important is it forcolleges and universities to providethe type of education described below?
This particular approach to a four-year collegeeducation provides both broad knowledge in a varietyof areas of study and more in-depth knowledge in aspecific major or field of interest. It also helpsstudents develop a sense of social responsibility, aswell as intellectual and practical skills that span allareas of study, such as communication, analytical, andproblem-solving skills, and a demonstrated ability toapply knowledge and skills in real-world settings.
Notsure
Less/notimportant
Fairlyimportant
Veryimportant
* 76% of employers would recommend this type of education toa young person they know.
How important is it for collegesand universities to provide this typeof education (see previous slide)?
Business Leaders
Notsure
Less/notimportant
Fairlyimportant
Veryimportant
How important is it for collegesand universities to provide this typeof education (see previous slide)?
Recent Graduates
How Should CollegesPrepare Students To Succeed InToday’s Global Economy?How Should CollegesPrepare Students To Succeed InToday’s Global Economy?
Key findings from survey among 305 business leadersand 510 recent college graduates conductedNovember 2 – December 5, 2006for
The Association of American Colleges and Universities
HARTHART
RESEARCHRESEARCH
P e t e r DP e t e r D
AA
SS
SS
OO
TT
EE
SS
CC
II
AA
Effective Educational Practices
First-Year Seminars and Experiences
Common Intellectual Experiences
Learning Communities
Writing-Intensive Courses
Collaborative Assignments and Projects
“Science as Science Is Done”/Undergraduate Research
Diversity/Global Learning
Service Learning, Community-Based Learning
Internships
Capstone Courses and Projects
Impact of Educationally Purposeful Activities on FirstAcademic Year GPA by Pre-College Achievement Level
Impact of Educationally Purposeful Activities on FirstAcademic Year GPA by Race/Ethnicity
Impact of Educationally Purposeful Activities on the Probabilityof Returning for the Second Year of College by Race
We value what we measureWe value what we measure
Wise decisions are needed about whatto measure in the context of campusmission, values, and desired outcomes.Wise decisions are needed about whatto measure in the context of campusmission, values, and desired outcomes.
“If you don’t measure it, you can’tmanage it…” “If you don’t measure it, you can’tmanage it…”
Association of American Colleges and Universities