A Beginner

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• A Beginners
• Guide to Tuning
• Starting the
• Discussion with
• Your Colleagues

Daniel J. McInerney Tuning USA Advisory Board
Professor Associate Department Head Utah State
University, Department of History daniel.mcinerne
y_at_usu.edu
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STATE OF POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION
debt
completion
preparation
instruction
transfer
access
pedagogy
employment
meaning of a degree
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RE-ASSESSING OUR WORK AND GOALS

• PROBLEMS WITH
• PAST ASSESSMENT PLANS

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top-down approach
one size fits all
isolated from the rest of the world
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collecting (but not using)data
shhh . . . be quiet maybe assessment will go away
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REMINDERS FROM THE AHA
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-Assessments are here to stay -Who else but
historians should respond? -Assessment and
education
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Assessment, accreditation, accountability are all
part of our work as practitioners of -- and
advocates for -- history
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-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
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WHATS DIFFERENT ABOUT TUNINGS APPROACH?
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T U N I N G

• 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
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T U N I N G

• 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
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10 SUGGESTIONS ON STARTING THE CONVERSATION
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1. Meet people where they are, not where you want
them to be
2008-2009 annus horribilis
administrative orders
the functions of conflict complaint
start at the endpoint
a cultural change
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2. Dont go it alone
borrow from colleagues around the world
EU / UK / Australian learning outcomes
AHA materials Tuning Discipline Core Tuning web
site Tuning discussion group Perspectives on
History pamphlets on teaching learning
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3. Build the project incrementally
provisional learning outcomes
outcomes on all syllabi
sample rubrics
single rubric for capstone
inter-rater reliability
revise intro survey
pre-major
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4. Talk with people outside academe
students parents alumni
policy makers
employers
alumni letters
surveys
focus groups
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It Takes More Than a Major Employer Priorities
for College Learning and Student Success
April 2013
SEARCH aacu more than a major
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Key Findings

• Innovation 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

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Employers want colleges to place greater
emphasis on selected outcomes
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
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Center on Education and the Workforce
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5. Build a basket of metrics
RUBRICS
course evaluation systems
COURSE MANAGE-MENT SOFTWARE
ASSIGNMENTS TIED TO LEARNING OUTCOMES
E-PORTFOLIOS
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6. Help students build a compelling, persuasive
narrative of their education
requirement sheet?
checklist for graduation ? guide to learning
Historical study develops ones ability
to investigate problems, identify reliable
sources, analyze information, contextualize
complex questions, and communicate conclusions in
a clear and thoughtful manner
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7. Embrace your distinctiveness

priorities
mission
curriculum
student profile
majors
entry point
evaluations
interdisciplinary
spec. resources
soc/civic engagmt
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Ten Tips For

Here is a coherent set of learning goals.
Here are the ways our institution fosters that
learning in distinctive ways.
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8. Meet with academic advisors, career
counselors, campus orientation directors
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9. Let your students tell the story
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10. Prepare your elevator speech
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The AHAs 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.
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Useful materials for Tuning
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AHA Tuning websitehttp//www.historians.org/teach
ing-and-learning/current-projects/tuning
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SEARCH page Perspectives on Historysearch
for Tuninghttp//www.historians.org/publicatio
ns-and-directories/perspectives-on-history/past-is
sues-x12547
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American Historical Association
membershiphttp//www.historians.org/about-aha-an
d-membership/join-the-aha
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http//tuningusa.org/TuningUSA/tuningusa.publicweb
site/c5/c58681b6-801e-49e1-bf55-4ff29e1b800b.pdf
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Tuning USA
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www.tuningjournal.org
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• Tuning has become a global project

http//www.unideusto.org/tuningeu/
Tuning China 2012 - 2014