Pecha Kucha presentation for the 2018 "Constitute" (meeting) of the Association of General and Liberal Studies (AGLS

1. A Pedagogy of Autonomy and Care:
a manifesto for equity in
education and engaged citizenship
Bruce Umbaugh
Professor and Chair, Philosophy
Director, Global Citizenship Program
Webster University
Association of General and Liberal Studies
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
September 21, 2018

2. •High-quality learning experiences
•Transformation
•Global citizenship
•Individual excellence
We promise

3. UNDERGRADUATE EXPERIENCE
MAJOR
Gen Ed
CO-
CURRICULUM

4. “Students don’t do optional.”
Kay McClenney
Director, Center for Community College Student Engagement
EQUITY

6. We face a dilemma:
We make promises to students about learning/growth.
If we don’t force things on students, we fail on equity.
If we force things on students, they resent it.
How do we avoid inequity and resentment at one time?

7. UNDERGRADUATE EXPERIENCE
MAJOR
Gen Ed
Require more high-impact
practices
CO-
CURRICULUM
Increase demands
on students

8. Equity without resentment:
Demonstrate value
Teach exhibiting care and respect
Increase autonomy & engagement

9. High Impact Practices
• GPA
• Students’ reports of how much they learned
• General skills (writing, speaking, analyzing problems)
• Deep Learning (pursuit of learning beyond memorization to seek
underlying meanings & relationships)
• Practical competence (working with others, solving complex/real-world
problems)
• Effects greater for underserved students
• Effects cumulative
Also:
• Personal and Social Development (developing ethics, understanding
different backgrounds, understanding self, contributing to community,
voting)
• Social, emotional, mental well being and flourishing
See George D. Kuh, High-Impact Educational Practices: What they are, who has access to them, and why
they matter, 2008, Jayne Brownell and Lynn E. Swaner, Five High-Impact Practices: Research on learning
outcomes, completion, and quality, 2010, and Ashley Finley, “Examining the Effects of Engagement:
High-Impact Practices and Student Flourishing,” Webster University Global Citizenship Program
Collaboratory, 2014

10. High Impact Practices
Ashley Finley and Tia McNair, Assessing Underserved
Students’ Engagement in High-Impact Practices, 2013

11. High Impact Practices:
Why do they work?
Demand interaction with faculty
Help students think about novel challenges
Engage students in using and applying what they
know
Deepen learning and develop perspective
George Kuh, High-Impact Educational Practices:
What They Are, Who Has Access to Them,
and Why They Matter, 2008

12. High Impact Practices:
Why do they work?
Because of caring?
Teacher cares for the student,
Acts in behalf of the student,
And the student recognizes that the teacher cares
for the student.
See Nel Noddings Caring: a relational approach to ethics and moral education,
second edition, updated, 2013, Starting at Home: Caring and Social Policy,
2002, Linda Thompson, “Layers of Understanding,” Family Relations, 1995.

13. How do we avoid inequity and
resentment? Relations of care & respect.
Gallup, Great Jobs, Great Lives, 2015

14. UNDERGRADUATE EXPERIENCE
MAJOR
Gen Ed
CO-
CURRICULUM
Show respect and care/Bidirectional
Relationship
Check to see if students learned the material
before moving on
Provide timely feedback
Know about students; let them know
about you
Engage in high-quality non-classroom
interactions that influence students’ growth,
values, career aspirations, and
interest in ideas
What counts as timely feedback? See Charles Blaich,
“Research Findings for Deepening Learning,” AAC&U
General Education Institute, 2009.

15. UNDERGRADUATE EXPERIENCE
MAJOR
Gen Ed
CO-
CURRICULUM
When increasing challenge
Share enthusiasm
Have a genuine interest in teaching and
in helping students grow in more than
just academic areas
Ensure that students work hard to prepare
for class
What was a time you worked harder in a class than
you thought you could? See Michael Reder, “New
Research on Student Experiences With High-Impact
Practices,” AAC&U Annual Meeting, 2014.

16. UNDERGRADUATE EXPERIENCE
MAJOR
Gen Ed
CO-
CURRICULUM
Meaningful assignments/transparency
Help students understand the why & how
of assignments, classes, curricula
Design clear explanations of
assignment/course/program goals and
communicate them to students
Let students know how success looks
Winkelmes, Bernacki, Butler, Zochowski, Golanics, and
Harris, “A Teaching Intervention that Increases Underserved
Students’ Success,” Peer Review, 2016. Winkelmes,
Copeland, Jorgensen, Sloat, Smedley, Pizor, Johnson, and
Jalene, “Benefits (Some Unexpected) of Transparently
Designed Assignments.” National Teaching & Learning
Forum, 2015.
Transparency in Learning and Teaching Project (TILT).

17. UNDERGRADUATE EXPERIENCE
MAJOR
Gen Ed
CO-
CURRICULUM
Student choice (framed by instructor goals)
Flexible curricula
A say in readings/course design
Choice within assignments
Avoid “punitive” syllabi & other communicatio
et cetera
Ruth Kaplan and Kimberly Neill, “Teaching Required
Courses: Pedagogy Under Duress,” Pedagogy, 2018.

18. Keeping our promise to students
Gallup, Great Jobs, Great Lives, 2014. Copyright © 2014 Gallup, Inc.
All rights reserved. The content is used with permission; however,
Gallup retains all rights of republication.

19. UNDERGRADUATE EXPERIENCE
MAJOR
Gen Ed
CO-
CURRICULUM
Increase student
automony and motivation
Show respect and care
Instructor passion
Bidirectional relationship
Meaningful assignments
Transparency
Student choice
Increase student automony and
motivation; Require more high-impact
practices
How do we avoid inequity and
resentment at one time?

20. UNDERGRADUATE EXPERIENCE
MAJOR
Gen Ed
CO-
CURRICULUM
Being transparent, Showing care,
Giving choice
Student Autonomy
Increased intrinsic motivation and
engagement
Equity without resentment:
Demonstrate value
Teach exhibiting care and respect
Increase autonomy & engagement