DETF, Office of Undergraduate Studies

<!DOCTYPE HTML>  <html> <head> <title>DETF, Office of Undergraduate Studies</title> <meta charset="utf-8" /> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1, user-scalable=no" /> <link rel="stylesheet" href="assets/css/main.css" /> </head> <body class="homepage is-preload"> <div id="page-wrapper">  <section id="header"> <div class="container">  <h1 id="logo">Diversity Education <br><br>Task Force</h1> <p style="padding-bottom: 20px">Office of Undergraduate Studies<br></p> <img src="images/deftlogo.png" class="img-responsive" alt="multiracial, cultural illustration" width="150px"> <h2 style="padding:40px">On March 1, 2022, the University Senate overwhelmingly approved <strong style="color: #33449D">meaningful changes in UMD's General Education diversity requirement.</strong><br></h2> <ul class="actions"> <li><a href="https://senate.umd.edu/system/files/resources/billDocuments/20-21-10/stage8/Presidential_Approval_20-21-10.pdf" class="button icon solid fa-landmark">University Senate document </a></li> <li><a href="#students" class="button icon solid fa-users">For Students</a></li> </ul>  <nav id="nav"> <ul> <li> <a href="documents/DETFReportSept2021updated.pdf" class="icon fa-file"><span>Full Report</span></a> </li> <li><a class="icon solid fa-video" href="detf-recs.html#video"><span>Video</span></a></li> <li><a class="icon solid fa-download" href="/documents/Diversity Gen Ed Courses.xlsx"><span>DVUP and DVCC courses</span></a></li> <li><a class="icon solid fa-cogs" href="detf-recs.html#skills"><span>Skill-Building</span></a></li> <li><a class="icon solid fa-users" href="detf-recs.html#members"><span>DETF Members</span></a></li> </ul> </nav> </div> </section> <section id="features"> <div class="container"> <header> </header> <div class="row aln-center"> <div class="col-12 col-12-medium col-12-small">  <section> <header> </header> <div class="row"> <div class="col-3"><img src="images/envelopeicon.png" alt="envelope" class="image"> <p style="text-align: center"><a href="https://today.umd.edu/umd-to-re-envision-diversity-curriculum"><strong>Letter to Campus</strong></a><br> <em> (March 30, 2022) </em></p> </div> <div class="col-9"> <p style="text-align:left; color:black;" >UMD’s Deans unanimously supported a proposal to incorporate discipline-specific <a href="https://diversity.umd.edu/odi-mission-vision" style="color:#33449d;"><strong>diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)</strong></a> learning outcomes into all undergraduate degree programs. This decision (on September 11, 2020) captured an emergent campus sentiment embodied in UMD’s <a href="https://issuu.com/umaryland/docs/strategicplan2022?fr=sNDZhNTQ2MzkxOTM"><strong>Fearlessly Forward strategic plan</strong></a>, which includes as a guiding principle that our strength is enhanced by embracing differences and pursuing equity. </p></div> </div> </section> </div> </div> </div> </section>  <section id="banner"> <div class="container"> <p style="color:#33449D">preparing students for a changing, globally interconnected world</p> </div> </section>  <section id="main"> <div class="container"> <div class="row">  <div id="content" class="col-7 col-12-medium">  <article class="box post"> <header> <h2 style="font-size:22px">An underlying rationale for this campus-wide initiative is that <strong style="color:#33449D">UMD has a responsibility to prepare students for a changing, globally interconnected world by:</strong></h2> </header> <p style="text-align:left; color:black;"> <ol><li style="text-align:left;"><strong>fostering nuanced comprehension of how social identity differences have affected the evolution of their chosen disciplines</strong>, and</li> <li style="text-align:left;"><strong>imparting skillful ways to promote inclusion and equity in the practice of those disciplines</strong>.</li> </ol> Key steps in implementing this initiative and relevant campus resources are summarized below.</p> <hr> <h2 style="padding-top:30px">DEI Learning Outcomes Initiative</h2> <p style="color:black">As a first step, all undergraduate degree programs were invited to generate and submit discipline-specific DEI learning outcomes with their AY2022 annual learning outcomes assessment reports. Nearly all degree programs submitted DEI outcomes and, as support for this work, members of the <a href="https://irpa.umd.edu/Assessment/loa_overview.html">Provost’s Commission on Learning Outcomes Assessment</a> compiled <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oJTweFI3F3IaQPOL6jYD5NI6ZCB3ejL_/edit">descriptive information</a> about these submissions and shared their observations regarding attributes that could strengthen their value.</p> <ul class="actions"> <li><a href="/documents/DETF Implementation Proposal, v6 outline.pdf" class="button icon solid fa-file" target="_blank">Broad Implementation Plan</a></li> </ul> </article>  <a name="video" id="working"></a> <article class="box post"> <header> <h2>General Ed Diversity Implementation Working Group</h2> </header> <h3>Overview</h3> <p>On March 1, 2022, the University Senate voted to approve modifications to the General Education diversity requirement that had been proposed by the Diversity Education Task Force (DETF). Consistent with several pillars of UMD’s strategic plan (i.e., re-imagine learning; take on humanity’s grand challenges), these modifications necessitate development of a coordinated, campus-wide plan to handle shifts in the academic content of approved courses, procedures for signaling, record-keeping, and monitoring students’ progress in fulfilling the requirement, and transitioning from old to new terms.</p> <p><strong>The purpose of the General Education Diversity Implementation (GEDI) working group is to plan, coordinate, launch, monitor, and report on progress regarding approved changes to the General Education diversity requirement. </strong> </p> <p>The General Education Diversity Implementation (GEDI) working group would report to, coordinate with, and be guided by the Dean for Undergraduate Studies. It would be chaired by the Associate Dean for General Education, who oversees the entire General Education program. </p> <h3>Membership and structure</h3> <p>To fine-tune and successfully implement General Education diversity requirement changes, the combined knowledge and coordinated effort of key administrators, faculty and technical staff experts, advisors, and General Education instructors is essential. </p> <p>To keep this initiative agile and focused on task completion, an optimal size for a planning group is 6-9 people. (More than this makes it difficult to schedule meetings, share information, and reach consensus.) </p> <p>Thus, to balance broad campus participation with efficiency, the GEDI working group will be composed of a planning subgroup with members who work with (1) an administrative subgroup and (2) an academic subgroup. </p> <p>GEDI planning group members should be comprised of: <ul> <li>Campus and college administrators and leaders responsible for estimating and reaching undergraduate planning cycle targets</li> <li>Representatives from DIT, the Registrar’s office, the Diversity Education Task Force, the General Education diversity faculty board, and TLTC or ODI</li> <li>An expert in learning outcome assessment</li></ul> </p> <p>GEDI academic working group members should be nominated by their academic colleges in consultation with the Dean for Undergraduate Studies to ensure that the group as a whole: <ul> <li>is broadly representative of the academic units that currently supply the largest share of General Education diversity courses; </li> <li>includes scholarly expertise in areas related to diversity (e.g., race and racism; women’s studies, multilingual societies, etc.), and </li> <li>encompasses a wide range of the social identity attributes that are the focus of General Education diversity courses.</li> </ul> </p> <p>GEDI administrative working group members should be determined through consultation with key campus units involved in: information systems and programming of campus IT tools, registration standards, advising (including transfer advising), and relationships with local community colleges.</p> <h3>GEDI working group tasks</h3> <p>are broadly conceived as follows:<ul> <li><strong>GEDI planning group</strong><br> i. Plan and coordinate the work, decisions, and communications across subgroups. Help them find resolutions to issues and problems. <br>ii. Identify the impact on University course administration and operations and systems for modifications that reflect the approved changes and suggest approaches that ensure a smooth, low-cost transition, including transfer credit services, negotiations with community colleges, timing of the change in requirements, etc.<br> iii. Implement, and monitor the impact of proposed General Education diversity course modifications on seat availability for undergraduate students; and identify and implement recommendations for addressing any shortfalls in needed versus available seats. </li> <li><strong>GEDI academic group</strong><br> <ul>i. Finalize language used for the category labels and learning outcomes of the proposed changes to the diversity General Education requirements, in a way that: <br> 1. captures the spirit and intent of proposed changes; <br> 2. is clear and meaningful to instructors from different disciplinary backgrounds; and <br> 3. signals broad inclusion of diversity attributes. <li>ii. Develop course approval standards in each category for use by the Diversity General Education faculty board (including recommending general guidelines or content standards for required learning outcomes). These should balance inclusion of diversity courses across a broad range of disciplines with academic and substantive rigor.</li> <li>iii. Develop protocols for converting currently approved General Education diversity courses to the proposed new categories and establish procedures to streamline the review process for currently approved courses.</li> <li>iv. Identify content and process recommendations for instructor workshops and consultations that could be offered by the Office of Undergraduate Studies, the Teaching and Learning Transformation Center, and/or the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.</li> </ul> </li> <li><strong>GEDI administrative group</strong><br> i. Provide estimates of the scope, time, and costs associated with implementing changes in various campus information systems. <br> ii. Identify potential roadblocks or problems and recommend possible solutions as well as what units would undertake making needed changes.<br> iii. Implement IT and policy changes and monitor progress.<br> </li></ul> </p> <h3>Suggested decision-making principles:</h3> <p><ul><li>The GEDI working group should ensure broad representation and/or transparency in making decisions.</li> <li>Where possible, the GEDI working group and any subgroups should strive for resolutions and decisions that incorporate minority viewpoints. Where unanimity cannot be reached, its decisions should be guided by a plurality of members.</li> </ul> </p> <h3>Deliverables of the GEDI working group include the following:</h3> <p><ul> <li>Provide the Dean for Undergraduate Studies and the Senate Educational Affairs Committee with a preliminary report on the proposed implementation plan, including an estimated timetable for implementing changes, language and rationale for final category names and learning outcomes, and summary of the impact associated with completing the proposed changes.</li> <li>Provide the Dean for Undergraduate Studies with interim progress reports on the timetable, anticipated challenges, and suggested resolutions for identified challenges.</li> <li>Present to the University Senate regular reports on implementation of General Education diversity changes including data on the conversion of previously approved courses, new approved courses, and any assessment data pertaining to course quality.</li> </ul></p> </article>    </div>  <div id="sidebar" class="col-5 col-12-medium" style="padding-left: 80px"> <section> <ul class="divided"> <article class="box-post" style="background-color:aliceblue; padding:25px"> <a name="students" id="students"></a> <header> <center> <h2><a class="icon solid fa-school"> </a><strong style="color: #33449D">For Students</strong></h2></center> </header> <p style="color:black">Full implementation of these changes is expected to take several years. The Office of Undergraduate Studies will post periodic updates on the <a href="https://gened.umd.edu/students/requirements/diversity">Gen Ed website. </a>Forthcoming changes include: <ul style="text-align:left"> <li> <strong> New course categories:</strong> Understanding Plural Societies (DVUP) courses will become Understanding Structures of Racism and Inequality (DVUS), and Cultural Competence (DVCC) courses will become Navigating Diverse Social Environments (DVSE).</li> <li><strong>New content:</strong> DVUS courses will include fact-based, nuanced discussions of systemic and structural racism throughout history and across the world, whereas DVSE courses will offer instruction in communication, conflict resolution, teamwork, and coalition-building skills essential for constructive civic engagement.</li> <li><strong>Broader learning opportunities</strong>: when these changes are fully implemented, students will take ONE (1) DVUS AND ONE (1) DVSE course.</li> </ul> </p> </article> <br> <article class="box post" style="background-color:lightgoldenrodyellow; padding:25px"> <center><h2 style="padding-top:25px"><a class="icon solid fa-map-marked"> </a>What lies ahead for undergrad majors</h2></center> <p style="color:black">For AY2023 learning outcomes assessment reports, faculty in the undergraduate degree programs will begin incorporating DEI learning outcomes into updated <a href="https://irpa.umd.edu/Assessment/LOA_Resources/learningoutcomesguide.pdf">curriculum maps</a>. This entails determining specific courses, workshops, or other activities in which discipline-specific DEI outcomes can be met. Faculty members may experiment with approaches such as dedicated workshops, infusion of DEI content into one or more existing courses, or the addition of new courses to their degree programs.</p><p> As they embark on this step, program faculty will want to consider how they plan to measure student achievement vis-a-vis their DEI learning outcomes. In other words, what types of assignments, reflections, or observations offer useful insight into what and how well students learned? Time spent now planning the types of assignments that will be assessed and specific indicators of student mastery of DEI content will pay dividends later in the form of useful, valid data for decision making.</p><p> As part of the curriculum map, faculty will determine when DEI assessments will be added to the regular learning outcomes assessment process and the frequency with which they will be measured. Bear in mind that learning outcomes assessment is more about continuous improvement of program curricula and delivery than it is about “demonstrating” that the program curriculum is “good” or “perfect.” </p> </article><br> <a name="summary" id="summary"></a> <article class="box post" style="background-color:aliceblue; padding:25px"> <center><h2 style="padding-top:25px"><a class="icon solid fa-users"></a> GEDI Working Group Summary</h2> </center> <h3>Planning Subgroup</h3> <p><em>Campus & college administrators ; Representatives from DIT, Registrar, DETF, TLTC ; Learning outcome expert </em> </p> <p>Core tasks<br> ● Plan for and coordinate work of subgroups<br> ● Facilitate communication between subgroups<br> ● Identify impact of changes & propose resolutions to any problems<br> ● Implement & monitor impact of changes <br> </p> <h3>Academic Subgroup</h3> <p><em>Experts in areas of diversity ; Representatives from colleges with most General Education diversity courses (ARHU, BSOS, EDUC, SPHL) </em> </p> <p>Core tasks<br>● Finalize & justify language <br> ● Develop course approval standards<br> ● Identify content & process recommendations for workshops<br> ● Propose protocols for converting existing approved courses to those approved for new categories </p> <h3>Administrative Subgroup</h3> <p><em>Current or former GenEd faculty board members;  Advisors ; Representatives from Registrar & DIT;  Outreach to community colleges </em> </p> <p>Core tasks<br>● Review protocols for converting current to new categories to identify problems or anomalies<br> ● Determine impact on course administration, operations & systems for modifications<br> ● Estimate, implement & monitor impact of proposed modifications<br> </p> <ul class="actions"> <li><a href="documents/Proposal for General Education Diversity Implementation Working Group.doc" class="button icon solid fa-document">view as Word Doc</a></li> </ul> </article> <br> <br> <section> <hr> <h2 style="padding-top:30px">Additional Resources</h2> <p><a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oJTweFI3F3IaQPOL6jYD5NI6ZCB3ejL_/edit">Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Learning Outcomes Initiative: Descriptions and Considerations</a></p> <ul class="actions"> <li><a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oJTweFI3F3IaQPOL6jYD5NI6ZCB3ejL_/edit" class="button icon solid fa-file">Google Doc</a></li> </ul> <ul class="actions"> <li><a href="mailto:deanugst@umd.edu" class="button icon solid fa-envelope">Email us</a></li> </ul>  </section> <br>    </section> </div> </section>  <section id="banner"> <div class="container"> </div> </section>    <script src="assets/js/jquery.min.js"></script> <script src="assets/js/jquery.dropotron.min.js"></script> <script src="assets/js/browser.min.js"></script> <script src="assets/js/breakpoints.min.js"></script> <script src="assets/js/util.js"></script> <script src="assets/js/main.js"></script> <footer style="padding-left:100px; padding-right: 100px"> <div class="row row-pb-md"> <div class="col-md-6 ugst-widget"> <p style="color:#000"> <br> <a href="http://www.ugst.umd.edu/" style="text-decoration: underline; color: #000;">Office of Undergraduate Studies</a><br> 2110 Marie Mount Hall, University of Maryland, College Park, MD<br> email: <a href="mailto:ugst@umd.edu?subject=Question%20for%20UGST" style="text-decoration: underline; color: #000;">ugst@umd.edu</a> | phone: <a href="tel:301-405-9363" style="text-decoration: underline; color: #000;">301-405-9363</a> | fax: 301.314.9896<br><br> <a href="https://twitter.com/ugstumd" style="color: #000;"><i class="icon-twitter2" aria-hidden="true"></i> Twitter</a><br> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ugstumd/" style="color: #000;"><i class="icon-facebook2" aria-hidden="true"></i> Facebook</a> </p> </div> <div class="col-md-6 col-sm-10 col-xs-10 col-md-push-1 ugst-widget"> <br> <img src="img/ugst logo black.png" class="img-responsive" alt="University of Maryland, Office of Undergraduate Studies"> <p><a href="https://www.umd.edu/privacy-notice" style="text-decoration: underline; color: #000;">Privacy Notice</a><br> <a href="https://www.umd.edu/web-accessibility" style="text-decoration: underline; color: #000;">Web Accessibility</a></p> </footer> </div>  <script src="https://umd-header.umd.edu/build/bundle.js?search=1&search_domain=ugst&events=0&news=0&schools=0&admissions=0&support=1&support_url=http%253A%252F%252Fgiving.umd.edu%252Fgiving%252FshowSchool.php%253Fname%253Dundergraduate-studies&wrapper=&sticky=0"></script> </body> </html>

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DETF, Office of Undergraduate Studies