Grant Summary
$50,000 over 12 months. The Center of Inquiry in the Liberal Arts at Wabash College will begin a national, multi-institution, longitudinal study of liberal arts education in August, 2005, building relationships with participating institutions through the first year, and beginning the formal study in August, 2006; they are currently in the pilot phase of the project. This project aims to: (1) develop an understanding of the institutional conditions and teaching practices that promote the development of seven liberal arts outcomes: effective reasoning and problem solving, inclination to inquire and lifelong learning, intercultural effectiveness, integration of learning, leadership, moral character, and well-being; and (2) develop institutionally useful and faculty-friendly methods of measuring these outcomes. The Center will measure each outcome using both quantitative and qualitative research methods, and are working with researchers at the University of Iowa, the University of Miami (Ohio), and the University of Michigan to design and implement this study, and to develop short, inexpensive, and easy-to-administer liberal arts assessment instruments. These instruments-a "Liberal Arts Experience Survey" and a "Liberal Arts Outcomes Survey"-will together measure college experiences that lead to the seven outcomes listed above, and the levels of achievement for those outcomes been achieved. Teagle funds will be used to complete the pilot study currently being conducted, analyze the results, and then refine next steps of this work.