A Beginner’sGuide to Tuning:

Starting the Discussion

withYour

ColleaguesDaniel J. McInerney

Tuning USA Advisory Board Professor & Associate Department

HeadUtah State University, Department

of History

daniel.mcinerney@usu.edu

STATE OF POST-SECONDARY

EDUCATION

debt completion

transfer

instruction

access

preparation

pedagogyemployment

meaning of a degree

PROBLEMS WITH PAST ASSESSMENT PLANS

RE-ASSESSING OUR WORK AND GOALS

 

top-down approach

isolated from the rest of the world

one size fits all

 

collecting (but not

using)data

shhh . . . be quiet; maybe assessment

will go away

REMINDERS FROM

THE AHA

-Assessments are here to stay

-Who else but historians should respond?

-Assessment and education

Assessment, accreditation, accountability

are all part of our work

as practitioners of -- and advocates for --

history

-How clearly do we define the learning that our discipline programs and degrees develop?

-How well do our students (and their parents, their employers, their policymakers) understand these goals?

-When do students understand these issues? -when they complete program of study? -when they enter program of study?

-How well do we clarify these objectives and expectations to secondary schools & other post-secondary institutions?

THE QUESTIONS

ADDRESSED BY TUNING

WHAT’S DIFFERENT ABOUT

TUNING’S APPROACH?

TUN ING

informing question

“When students complete

a program of study in history,

what should they know, understand,

and be able to do?”MAKE THE IMPLICIT EXPLICIT

TUN ING

informing question

bottom-up approach

discipline-specific

focus on learning outcomes

clarity and transparency

degree levels

work w/colleagues at different institutions

inclusive: consult a range of stakeholders

diversity and autonomy

a process, not a finished product

10 SUGGESTIONS ON STARTING

THE CONVERSATION

1. Meet people where they are, not where you want them to be

1. Meet people where they are, not where you want them to be

administrative ordersadministrative orders

2008-2009: annus horribilis2008-2009: annus horribilis

the functions of conflict & complaintthe functions of conflict & complaint

start at the endpointstart at the endpoint

a cultural changea cultural change

2. Don’t go it alone2. Don’t go it alone

borrow from colleagues around the world

borrow from colleagues around the world

EU / UK / Australian learning outcomesEU / UK / Australian learning outcomes

AHA materialsTuning Discipline Core

Tuning web siteTuning discussion groupPerspectives on History

pamphlets on teaching & learning

AHA materialsTuning Discipline Core

Tuning web siteTuning discussion groupPerspectives on History

pamphlets on teaching & learning

3. Build the project incrementally

3. Build the project incrementallyprovisional “learning

outcomes”provisional “learning

outcomes”

sample “rubrics”sample

“rubrics”single rubric for capstonesingle rubric for capstone

“inter-rater reliability”“inter-rater reliability”

revise intro survey revise intro survey

outcomes on all syllabi

outcomes on all syllabi

“pre-major”“pre-major”

4. Talk with people outside academe

4. Talk with people outside academe

students parents alumnistudents parents alumni

employersemployers policy makerspolicy makers

surveyssurveys

focus groupsfocus groups

alumni lettersalumni letters

It Takes More Than a Major:Employer Priorities for College Learning and Student Success

SEARCH: aacu more than a major

April 2013

3

Key FindingsKey FindingsInnovation is a priority

capacities that cut across majors

(more important than choice of undergraduate major

importance of a liberal education and the liberal arts

education practices that involve students in the active application of skills.

interest in e-portfolios and partnerships

9

Critical thinking/analytical reasoning

Ability to analyze/solve complex problems

Effective oral communication

Effective written communication

Apply knowledge/skills to real-world settings

Locate, organize, evaluate info from multiple sources

Innovation/creativity

Teamwork/collaboration in diverse group settings

Ability to connect choices and actions

to ethical decisions

More emphasis than they do today Less emphasisThe same emphasis

Employers want colleges to place greater emphasis on selected outcomes

Center on Education and the Workforce

RUBRICS

E-PORTFOLIOSASSIGNMENTSTIED TO LEARNING OUTCOMES

COURSE

MANAGE-

MENT

SOFTWA

RE

courseevaluation systems

5. Build a basket of metrics5. Build a basket of metrics

6. Help students build a compelling, persuasive narrative of their

education

6. Help students build a compelling, persuasive narrative of their

education“requirement

sheet”?“requirement

sheet”?checklist for graduation guide to

learningchecklist for graduation guide to

learningHistorical study develops one’s ability to

investigate problems, identify reliable sources, analyze information,

contextualize complex questions, and communicate conclusions in a clear and

thoughtful manner

Historical study develops one’s ability toinvestigate problems, identify reliable

sources, analyze information, contextualize complex questions, and

communicate conclusions in a clear and thoughtful manner

mission priorities

student profile curriculum

entry point majors

interdisciplinary evaluations

spec. resources soc/civic engagm’t

7. Embrace your distinctiveness

7. Embrace your distinctiveness

Ten Tips For

Here is a coherent set of learning goals.

Here are the ways our institution fosters that

learning in distinctive ways.

8. Meet with academic advisors, career counselors,

campus orientation directors

8. Meet with academic advisors, career counselors,

campus orientation directors

9. Let your students tell the story

9. Let your students tell the story

10. Prepare your elevator speech10. Prepare your elevator speech

The AHA’s “Tuning” project asks historians to clarify – and demystify -- the core goals and the key skills pursued in our discipline. We want to answer a basic question: when students complete a program in history, what should they know, understand, and be able to do? We ask this question to understand our own roles and responsibilities in higher education. And we want our students to understand clearly what they take from their studies into employment, further education, and civic life.

Useful materials for Tuning

AHA Tuning websitehttp://www.historians.org/teaching-and-

learning/current-projects/tuning

SEARCH page: Perspectives on History

search for “Tuning”

http://www.historians.org/publications-and-directories/perspectives-on-history/past-issues-x12547

American Historical Association membership

http://www.historians.org/about-aha-and-membership/join-the-aha

http://tuningusa.org/TuningUSA/tuningusa.publicwebsite/c5/c58681b6-801e-49e1-bf55-4ff29e1b800b.pdf

Tuning USA

www.tuningjournal.org

Tuning China 2012 - 2014

Tuning has become a global project http://www.unideusto.org/tuningeu/