General Education (GE) Assessment

Calendar

Year of Initial Assessment GE Attributes Link to Broader GE Goals
AY 2023-2024
S
CA, CF, CH, CL
P
D
GE Goal 1
GE Goal 4
GE Goal 5
GE Goal 6

 

GE assessment is a continuous process. Faculty teaching in courses or programs within the specified attributes are responsible for assessing learning outcomes according to the schedule and describing the results in a report submitted to OEA. Assessments should be based on attribute specific GE learning goals and objectives. Assessments completed in fall, should be reported by February 15, of the following Spring Semester.  Assessments completed in spring should be reported by July 15. In the following academic year, the program/department will discuss the results of the assessment and undertake any curricular change, if needed. A short report regarding the implementation and any future plan should be submitted to OEA by the end of the Spring semester.

6 Steps - Effective Assessment

  1. It is useful to start with a mapping of the GE learning goals and objectives ( GE learning outcomes) into specific course’s student learning outcomes or SLOs. A simple table can be constructed with GE learning outcomes and SLOs along the rows and columns.
  2. Identify the GE learning outcomes that you want to assess. Not all GE learning outcomes need to be assessed at a time. It may be useful to assess a small number of GE learning outcomes that can be assessed effectively by linking them to the course SLOs (see 1 above).
  3. Determine the instrument that you want to use for assessment. They may include but not limited to  specific assignments—essays or homework, or questions on an exam. Selection of appropriate assessment instrument is crucial for successful assessment. Any instrument that can be suitable for a course can be used.
  4. Determine appropriate criteria and benchmarks to assess student submissions/performance. A rubric may be developed for effective assessment. It is a good idea to share the rubric with students before their submission of essays or other homework.
  5. Collect student submissions and compile data by using the benchmarks.
  6. Analyze the data and reflect on possible future steps for “closing the loop.”

Report Outline

There is no specific template for an assessment report. But ideally the assessment report should explain the above steps for assessment.

  1. Present the mapping of GE learning outcomes and course SLOs. (This is optional)
  2. Identify the GE learning outcomes and course SLOs to be assessed. Describe the reasons, if any, for selection of the learning outcomes, such as a trend noticed in student performance, result of a previous assessment or specific curricular needs.
  3. Describe the assessment instrument. Specific instrument, with the exception of exam questions, may be attached to the main report in an appendix.
  4. Describe the rubric, if any, in detail--criteria and the benchmarks.
  5. Describe how assessment data are collected.
  6. Analyze the main findings from the data and explain the ideas and timetable for “closing the loop.”

Learning Goals and Objectives

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