Each semester, the Director of General Education works with instructors on assessing one subsection of Gen Ed courses.
This spring, we will collect assessment data from these Fundamental Literacy courses: Oral Communication, Quantitative Reasoning, Critical Thinking, plus Information Literacy.
Assessment includes three steps:
First step: Syllabus collection. This is for all General Education courses, whether or not they are being assessed. If you are teaching a course meeting a Gen Ed requirement this spring, the Director will contact you to ask for a syllabus. Please keep in mind:
- There are specific Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) for each course taught as part of General Education. Every syllabus for a course counting for General Education must include the relevant SLOs.
- For instance, if you are teaching a Natural World course within the Common Core, your syllabus must include the SLOs developed for the Natural World courses. In that way, every Natural World course includes the same Gen Ed SLOs.
- SLOs and Essential Characteristics for each component can be found at the following URL: Essential Characteristics and Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs).
Second step: Course-specific discussions. The Director will invite instructors to join a component-specific discussion during the spring; this is for instructors for courses assessed in fall 2024. (In other words, if a component is assessed one semester, then we will have a discussion the following semester.)
Thus, for spring 2025, we will have discussions for all instructors teaching courses that were assessed in the fall (Writing plus all Common Core: Art, Aesthetics, & Creativity, Human Behavior & Social Institutions, Literary & Intellectual Traditions, and the Natural World.)
Final step: Data gathering/rubric submission. At the end of the spring semester, instructors in courses being assessed will complete and submit one assessment rubric for each class. It can be a good idea to review these rubrics early in the semester and as you teach your class. (Each link below is for downloading the corresponding Rubric Worksheet in .XSLX format):
- Fundamental Literacies: Oral Communication
- Fundamental Literacies: Quantitative Reasoning
- Fundamental Literacies:Critical Thinking
- Information Literacy
If you are teaching a class in one of these areas, the Director will contact you during and at the end of the semester with reminders to complete these rubrics.
More information on the assessment rubrics to be collected at the end of the semester:
- Students are assessed for each SLO on the following scale, as indicated on the Rubric Worksheets:
- 0 (Does Not Meet);
- 1 (Introductory Level);
- 2 (Practicing);
- or 3 (Mastery).
- Student names should not be included on the Rubric Worksheets — just the number of students that fall under each Assessment Level for each SLO.
- For example, in a class of 30, for one specific SLO, the instructor might indicate that there are 5 students in the “Does Not Meet” category, 10 at the “Introductory Level,” 9 at the “Practicing” level, and 6 at the “Mastery” level — for a total of 30 students.
- It is up to each instructor to decide how to assess the SLOs; some faculty have one signature assignment that is designed to meet and measure all SLOs, whereas others use multiple assignments for this purpose.
- Instructors should clearly indicate the Number Assessed (number of students who have completed the course) on the worksheet. Students who have withdrawn or have an FN in the course should not be included, but those who have completed the course, even if they did not pass, should be included.
- Instructors should complete the appropriate Rubric Worksheet and submit it via a web-based submission form (link to be provided). In the event of difficulties with the web-based form, it is acceptable to submit via email attachment, ideally in reply to the initial notification email.