February 2009
Contents
Special Announcement
Welcome
In 2008-09, assessment coordination in Office of Undergraduate Studies (OUS) has primarily focused on planning for UNL's new general education program, Achievement-Centered Education (ACE). The list of ACE certified courses has grown significantly since last summer and numerous departments have thoughtfully considered and documented how their courses will provide students the opportunity to learn and opportunity to demonstrate the ACE learning outcomes. You can view documents for ACE certified courses at http://ace.unl.edu/certifiedcourses.shtml. The Interim ACE committee has also been very thoughtful in their consideration and certification of these proposals. To continue that commitment the University-Wide Assessment Committee (UWAC) began its charge to provide timelines, guidelines and forms for ACE assessment process.
UWAC has been meeting monthly since October to address its charge. UWAC committee members can be found at http://www.unl.edu/ous/faculty_resources/assessment/members.shtml. The committee has approved two planning documents. The first planning document is a cycle for assessing all 10 ACE Learning Outcomes over a 5-year period starting in 2010-2011. The second planning document approved by UWAC is a timeline of when ACE assessment reports from each level (course, department, college, and institution) would be due each year. The committee carefully considered the reasonableness of these plans for faculty and units before approving these documents. Details about the 5-year cycle and reporting timeline can be found at http://ace.unl.edu/assessmentplanning.shtml. The committee is now discussing reporting templates and reporting infrastructures to support the collection and submission of the assessment information. Members of OUS are also meeting with each college to discuss the specific considerations and needs as the institution moves into a new mode for collecting and consider the work of our students from the general education program. We expect that the planning of the ACE assessment process will be much like the ACE certification process, that is, a developmental process from which we all will learn much from over time. Therefore, if you have questions about ACE assessment specifically or assessment at UNL generally please feel free to contact me at jjonson2@unl.edu.
Jessica Jonson, Ph.D.
Director of Institutional Assessment
Announcements and Events
UCARE
The application deadline is approaching for the UCARE program. This year the deadline is Friday, February 13.
Over 400 undergraduates at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln are currently working one-on-one with faculty mentors in over 60 disciplines through UCARE (or Undergraduate Creative Activities and Research Experiences). This innovative program enriches the academic experience of undergraduate students at UNL by allowing them to explore a field of particular interest and learn alongside faculty mentors in a creative activity or research area. Students are paid through payroll; funds are generated by the Pepsi Endowment, created by the contract between the University and the Pepsi-Cola Company, or by the University Program of Excellence. (To learn more about the UCARE program, please visit the UCARE website or visit with Laura Damuth, Director of Undergraduate Research, ucare@unlnotes.unl.edu or 472-5024.)
Peer Review Article
Congratulations to Rita Kean, Nancy Mitchell, and David Wilson for their article in Peer Review! Please read the article titled "Toward Intentionality and Transparency: Analysis and Reflection on the Process of General Education Reform."
W.E.B. Du Bois Induction
On January 25th, 2009 the University of Nebraska-Lincoln inducted its inaugural class into the W.E.B. Du Bois Honor Society. After a few remarks from Dr. Timothy Alvarez and Aundria Duncan-Wagner, the audience was given a notable keynote, "The Audacity to Achieve" from Dr. M. Colleen Jones on the responsibilities befitting an inductee into such a prestigious honor society. The society was created in 1991 at Florida State University to honor the memory of Dr. William Edward Burghardt Du Bois by promoting the pursuit of academic excellence in all fields of higher education, to engage in service to others, and to recognize the outstanding achievements of the Society's members. The inductees were Mary Banks, Cassi Baumgardner, Keegan Bordeaux, Austin Brooks, Jasmine Douglas-Reese, Ashley Easter, Monique Lemon, Seth Lyons, Jacqueline Martinez, Brittany Mason, Sherman McCain, Courtney Robinson, Jeanette Samuels, Sarah Tenorio, Marlenia Thornton, and Molly Young. We are proud and honored to have our own chapter of the W.E.B Du Bois Honor Society here at the University of Nebraska.
Nu Connections
Namarig Soumit, a second year NuConnections student, was accepted into the Summer Medical and Dental Education Program (SMDEP) at Yale University. It's a six week intensive educational program that helps students be more prepared for the medical and dental field. She applied to the program at three schools: Yale University, University of Nebraska Medical Center, and Howard University. "When I first received that email stating that I was accepted into the Yale summer program, I was so excited. I felt like I was that much closer to reaching my dream. I think the hardest thing that I will encounter in the program is just being away from home and going to an unfamiliar environment where I do not know anyone. At the same time, I know that this is a growing experience. I will be able to gain so much knowledge by participating in this program that I know I would not be able to get from anywhere else. I cannot wait for summer to get here! I know that this is an experience that I will never forget."
Office of Undergraduate Studies |
(402) 472-1185 |
Dr. Rita Kean, Dean of Undergraduate Studies and Professor of Textiles, Clothing and Design
Dr. Tim Alvarez, Interim Director of OASIS
Dr. Patrice Berger, Director of NU Honors Program and Professor of History
Dr. Laura Damuth, Director of Undergraduate Research and Fellowship Adviser
Kelly Dick, Undergraduate Curriculum Associate
Dr. Donald Gregory, Director of General Studies and Associate Professor of English
Gail Hackwith, Administrative Assistant
Dr. Jessica Jonson, Director of Institutional Assessment
Sara Mattson, Administrative Technician
Dr. Nancy Mitchell, Interim Director for General Education
JoAnn Moseman, Academic Transfer Coordinator
Dr. Jeremy Penn, Assessment Associate for PEARL
Marcia White, E.N. Thompson Coordinator and Political Science Adviser
AnnMarie Williams, Academic Learning Communities Coordinator
