Adding "High Value" to the Maryland Experience
Greig Stewart, Executive Director August 9, 2007
I. Fifteen Years Ago | II. This Past Year | III. What's Next?
Fifteen years ago, the Cambridge Community Quadrangle presented quite a different scene than it does today: Four of its residence halls and the dining hall were boarded up; Centreville Hall -- the only open building -- was reduced to all single-room assignments. Minimal demand for campus housing and sluggish increases in incoming freshmen's measures of academic promise resulted in what the University's President, C. D. (Dan) Mote, referenced as the initiation of an "unusual . . . class of programs spanning the campus." In speaking of College Park Scholars, Dr. Mote detailed the unique nature of these new living-learning programs:
"Each program was allowed substantial leeway in creating its purpose and design."
"Each program was a partnership between staff and faculty. That was unusual. Academic programs are the province of the faculty."
"Multi-disciplinarity and service learning were embedded opportunities."
President Mote's remarks concluded with the following observation:
"History has shown that it was precisely these unusual features that led [College Park Scholars] to high value."
Fifteen years later, the words before you are being written amidst an active construction zone. Though initial renovations occurred to Cumberland, Centreville, Cambridge, Bel Air and Chestertown halls in the mid-90s -- followed by a portion of the former Cambridge Dining Hall being transformed into multi-purpose space and classrooms -- this June, The Department of Resident Facilities began executing the community's next renovation phase. In order to capture every inch of available real estate in Cumberland Hall, workmen are sawing through concrete floors to construct stairways to the lower level, upgrading utilities and installing wireless networks, creating spaces for a new study and recreation lounge plus resource rooms for the Media, Self and Society and Advocates for Children programs, and an IT support unit for all campus residents and employees of the Departments of Resident Facilities and Resident Life. This fall, modifications to the Cambridge quad will include upgrading pathways and installing new exterior seating and tables where students, staff and faculty can gather.
Though upgraded facilities will significantly enhance Scholars' ability to foster communities of learners, they are not the sole focus for change. This past year, Scholars welcomed three new directors, each introducing new approaches to learning in his program:
Business, Society and the Economy added a team analysis component to its freshman curriculum; students participated in team, decision making, planning and organizing skills assessment by the Iliad Assessment Center . The Center provided detailed analysis and feedback, providing participating students a roadmap to build valuable career skills while at Maryland .
International Studies moved its curriculum away from area studies, challenging students to focus on critical and independent thinking through the examination of themes such as international conflict, violence and terrorism. With the assistance of the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences, a team of 10 students participated in the Model UN, held in Cambridge , MA .
Recognizing the value that community brings to learning, Science, Discovery and the Universe (SDU) focused resources and energies on building community. A graduate assistant was added to its staff to plan and deliver extra- and co-curricular programs such as excursions to the Maryland Science Center followed by an Orioles Game at Camden Yards, field trips to NIST, and the Air and Space Museum. SDU also offered its first travel study opportunity during spring break, exploring the American Southwest with the Earth, Life and Time program; this excursion included exclusive telescope time at Kitt Peak National Observatory.
Other faculty addressed the following initiatives in their annual reports:
American Cultures ushered 37 sophomores to Mexico during Winterterm, providing students a cultural immersion experience to enhance their classroom readings and discussion. Travel study is an initiative that the program is committed to continuing in future years.
Both American Cultures and Advocates for Children adopted the use of undergraduate TAs -- an initiative well established by the Arts program -- to assist in curricular and co-curricular delivery.
Life Sciences is building on its Service Day partnership with Eyes of the Paint Branch, to integrate more field experiences into the curriculum throughout the academic year.
Similar to SDU's community-building efforts, Science, Technology and Society strengthened its partnership with the Department of Resident Life by sponsoring monthly gatherings in the residence halls. Emphasis was put on participation in the annual trip to New York City , enrollment in service-learning opportunities and participation in the charity softball tournament. These efforts resulted in a marked increase in participation in all of these events and a record number of students returning to Chestertown Hall for the sophomore year.
As with all departments and academic programs, Scholars faculty and staff spent the past two years developing and initiating its learning outcomes assessment plan. Our plan was noted in a report 1 issued by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education's evaluation team at the conclusion of its March campus visit. The plan was also shared with a national audience at the annual meeting on general education and assessment of the Association of American Colleges and Universities, generating follow-up interest by a number of institutions.
Several Scholars programs addressed the implementation of their learning outcomes initiatives in their annual reports. Both Advocates for Children and The Arts programs require students to generate portfolios of their Scholars assignments and experiences. For several years, Earth, Life and Time has required its students to develop individual Websites for similar use. In a collaborative project with the Center for Teaching Excellence, Life Sciences is exploring the use of The Carnegie Foundation's Keep Toolkit. These collections of assignments and reflections serve as the foundation for students' final observations about their Scholars experience. The Advocates faculty advanced learning-outcomes assessment to a new level, adopting a rubric to evaluate student portfolios.
Environmental Studies (ES), Media, Self and Society and Public Leadership expanded already-existing capstone assignments, challenging students to reflect on their learning in Scholars. Faculty shared select observations as evidence of how students use classroom discussion and active learning to develop their critical thinking and analytical skills:
From Environmental Studies:
"Being an ES Scholar has shaped the way I treat the environment."
"The most important thing I learned was that in almost every environmental situation, there are multiple viewpoints. . . . situations aren't as simple as good environmentalists versus polluters."
From Media, Self and Society:
"While I knew that advertisers, filmmakers, and journalists had a certain power over how information is presented to audiences, I didn't fully comprehend the scope of that power."
[Class] "discussions ultimately emphasized the need to be a competent and inquisitive media consumer . . . essentially to be more aware of the impact of the media."
"I enjoyed learning about. . . all the moral and gray areas faced by the media . . . I had never thought about these concepts in depth before and had never engaged in intelligent, lengthy discussions about them. This was one of the most enriching experiences of my college career to date, because this is where the real thinking happened."
From Public Leadership:
"It was not until I took on leadership roles outside the classroom that I began to understand leadership."
In a multi-year and multi-campus study funded by the Boyer Center, outcomes of student affairs and academic affairs partnerships 2 were researched. College Park Scholars was one of the 18 partnerships studied. The reported findings observed that students participating in College Park Scholars were "more aware of knowledge and learning for its own sake than for other motives." As Scholars programs advance their learning outcomes initiatives, each will contribute to the growing culture of evidence that underscores the added value of the Scholars experience to one's undergraduate education.
The Boyer study also cited College Park Scholars as a program that contributes to "persistence in college." Scholars retention and graduation data continue to demonstrate rates above those of all Maryland undergraduates. Some may argue that Scholars is a select subset of each freshman class, comprising students who are predetermined to persist and complete their degrees. We would agree with the first part of that argument.
Since 2004, the Scholars central staff has dedicated a significant portion of the winter holidays plus the entire month of January to the full-file review of students who have been admitted to Maryland . Using 20 variables identified by the Scholars faculty that cluster into three categories: Academic Success; Commitment to One's Community; and an Appreciation of the Contribution of Diversity to One's Education, on average over 8,000 applications receive full-file reviews to select those students who will be invited to College Park Scholars. Yet to be researched is whether these particular criteria directly contribute to persistence in college. What we do hear from the Scholars faculty is that recent first-year student cohorts have been more engaged in their learning and more dedicated to their fellow students.
What's next? It's been over five years since the University updated its Strategic Plan. As with the campus-wide initiative on learning outcomes, all campus departments and programs will review their plans, update their goals and articulate strategies to meet those goals. Scholars is in a solid position to begin this task. Under the leadership of Distinguished Professor Ira Berlin, the College Park Scholars Faculty Advisory Council designed and implemented a multi-year assessment process that resulted in identifying Scholars "Best Practices." Having documented what we do best, we are well positioned to identify the challenges that we can accomplish.
In addition to updating our strategic plan, one matter requires particular focus this coming year. With the turnover of five program directors and the departure of our coordinator for undergraduate research, an opportune moment presents itself for the faculty and staff to examine how best to integrate research into the Scholars experience.
Maryland is the only major research university inside the capital beltway. The nation's capital is where science, research, commerce -- even the arts -- converge with public policy. Some of our students will go on to become scientists or educators, leaders in the private sector or policy analysts; others will pursue different paths. Opportunities on campus and in the greater metropolitan area abound for all our students to develop their research skills and sharpen their analytical abilities to evaluate the ever-expanding accumulation of knowledge. Scholars has a unique opportunity -- and obligation -- to enrich our students' capacity to be knowledgeable information consumers.
Fourteen years after welcoming its first class of 400 students into Cumberland Hall, evidence is growing that College Park Scholars adds "high value" to the Maryland experience. Faculty directors and program staff foster robust communities in which unique and challenging learning takes place, both in -- and beyond -- the classroom. None of this could happen without the interminable curiosity of our students, the unique dedication of our faculty and staff, the emerging organization and commitment of over 6,000 alumni, the vision of our Faculty Advisory Council and Founder's Circle, and the steadfast support of the colleges' deans and campus leadership. Stay tuned.
2 Nesheim, B., et al. (2007) Outcomes for Students of Student Affairs -- Academic Affairs Partnership Programs. Journal of College Student Development, 48 (1), 435-454.
Image Credits
Entrance path to the Cambridge Community, University of Maryland, January 2007.
Students and Faculty in Advocates for Children, the winning program at the 10th Annual "Step to Bat for Kids" Charity Softball Tournament, May 2007.
Officers of College Park Scholars Alumni Association, Inc. at CPSAA Annual Meeting, February 2007.
