Evolving Undergraduate Education - President’s Annual Report 2018

Once reserved for business and high-tech fields, the data revolution has expanded to all sectors of human endeavor. Data literacy is no longer optional for success in our democracy and our economy; It is imperative. For that reason, the University is developing a proposal to ensure data literacy is a cornerstone of undergraduate education by fall 2019.

The world awaiting…

Recommendations of the Task Force on Student Learning and Success included:

Elevate writing and data literacy across the curriculum.
Transform classrooms and courses to expand active learning.
Enhance support for first-year students, transfer students, and students from rural areas.
Engage students more deeply in the grand challenges of our time.
Promote team-based learning to foster collaboration and problem-solving skills.
Build a faculty mentoring program around best practices in teaching and learning.

… today’s college graduates is changing rapidly. It is becoming more data and information driven, propelled by an endless groundswell of new technologies. Its challenges are growing in number, scale, and complexity, demanding new partnerships and approaches that span academic disciplines and skill sets. To prepare UGA students to be successful in this evolving world, the University must evolve along with it, and—thanks to the President’s Task Force on Student Learning and Success—it is.

In February 2017, President Morehead charged the task force with identifying opportunities to strengthen the rigorous educational experiences of our students, inside and outside the classroom. Ten months later, after intensive study, the group delivered its response: a series of strategic recommendations to align undergraduate education more closely with the changing realities of the world around us. The University community quickly endorsed these recommendations and began mobilizing to implement them.

Students listening to a peer standing and talking

A growing body of research points to the effectiveness of active learning techniques in the classroom. These techniques effectively engage students in their education and have been shown to deepen understanding and improve academic performance. UGA is renovating classrooms and revamping courses to expand active learning across campus.

All Georgia Program

Following the recomendations of the task force, the University launched the All Georgia Program, a cohort-based initiative for students from rural areas of the state. It combines financial and academic resources with mentorship and leadership opportunities to provide a tailored network of support.

The All Georgia Program is one of many steps the institution is taking to ensure that every student at UGA—regardless of background—is set up to be successful in the classroom and in life after graduation.