THE CIVIC ARTS EDUCATION PROGRAM

STRUCTURE:
1. Freshman students entering in the first block of the Fall semester are placed in the appropriate Rhetoric/Composition course(s) and Math course(s) on the basis of pretest results.

2. Transfer students will be required to take those Commons courses that the College Registrar determines are not represented by equivalent course work from other institutions. Transfer students should be scheduled for required lower-division Commons courses as early in their academic schedule as possible.

3. (a) Writing will be the designated competency for the Rhetoric/Composition courses; Analytical Reading is assigned to HUMA 101 (Our Lives in Community) and to HIST 125 (The People Shall Judge 1); Critical Analysis skills will be integrated into EVSC 111 (Environmental Science) and HIST 225 ( The People Shall Judge 2); and MATH 101/102 and CISC 100 will continue to focus on their respective competency areas of math and computer literacy.

(b). The Public Speaking Competency will be taught and evaluated in a mini-course program organized by the Learning Center in coordination with the HUMA 101 faculty.

(c). A passing grade in a lower-division Commons course indicates minimum proficiency in the academic skill that is taught and assessed in that course.

4. Preparatory-level competency instruction and assessment become the responsibility of the lower-division Commons courses supported by the Learning Center. Instructors and Learning Center staff will form Competency Mentoring Teams to provide additional support to students who cannot consistently meet the competency expectations of class assignments. Each course syllabus will specify the instructor's terms for student participation in the remediation process.

5. A student must pass HUMA 101 or HIST 125, EVSC 111 or HIST 225, ENGL 110 or ENG 111, MATH 101 or MATH 102 and CISC 100 before registering for upper-division (300 and 400 level) courses.

6. (a). Students will continue to develop their Analytical Reading, Writing, Critical Analysis, and Public Speaking skills in upper-division courses identified by program reviews. Competencies in upper-division Commons courses and courses in the Major Programs of Study are assessed through assignments designated in syllabi.

(b). Practices of Virtue will no longer be assessed. Respect for the ideals associated with the Civic-Republican and Judeo-Christian traditions will be cultivated in upper level Commons courses and courses in the Major Programs of study. Program reviews will establish the means for addressing the concerns of the virtue ideals.

7. The Learning Center will also work with upper-division students and their instructors in Competency Mentoring Teams.

8. During the Senior Seminar, a competency post-test approved by the faculty will be administered.

9. (a). The results of the post-tests will be compared to scores from the pre-tests to determine the relative progress of the students and as a means for evaluating the level of competency support in the programs of study.

(b}. Academic programs will adjust course content and grading standards for the following year based on feedback from post-tests.

RATIONALE:
1. The Freshman Commons courses will now satisfy the SACS requirement that the College offer instruction in any academic proficiency expected of graduates.

2. Students will better understand their probability of academic success.

3. Students will no longer be held accountable to a double standard of GPA and Competency - standards. Course grades demonstrate the College's commitment to a civic arts education.

4. This proposal will eliminate time lines for competency fulfillment. The opportunity to register for upper-division courses becomes the incentive for competency attainment.

5. Students will have multiple opportunities to satisfy their Competency/Course requirements.

6. This proposal will strengthen the core curriculum expectations for transfer students.

7. Remediation of competency weaknesses will be enhanced by mentoring teams consisting of instructors and Learning Center staff.

8. The post-test scores will meet the SACS requirement that the College assess the outcomes of all academic programs.

9. Feedback from pre- and post-test data will serve as an internal audit of our Civic Arts Education Program and will provide data that could be used for comparison with assessment results from other academic institutions.

10. The Registrar's Office can implement the proposal.

IMPLEMENTATION:
This Civic Arts Education Program could be in effect for the class of 2001-2002. The College should declare a moratorium on competency probations and suspensions. Documentation of competency validations would be suspended immediately. The College should continue however, to honor its commitment to help students develop the skills and virtues of citizenship. All students, regardless of the date of their enrollment, should understand that success at Tusculum College depends, to a large extent, on acquiring the academic skills of the foundation competencies and the habits of character represented by the virtue competencies. Competency criteria should be reviewed by the faculty and a revised Competency Handbook issued which outlines the structure, policies and standards of the new Competency program.