Assessment

The on-going assessment of the GE program is one of the primary responsibilities of the General Education Committee, as mandated by EO 1065. Specifically, this document states that campus faculty have the primary responsiblity for developing and revising the GE program and that this includes (1) "periodically reviewing approved courses to ensure that they remain responsive to the esstential learning outcomes framework identified in section 3.2" (i.e., the LEAP framework) and (2) "using evidence of student attaintment of learning outcomes to inform the ongoing design fo the General Education curriculum and instruction."

To this end, the GEC has been conducting direct assessment of GELOs since 2007. We have organized the assessment process using cycles and rounds. In Cycle 1, the focus of assessment efforts has been on written communication and information literacy. Each semester (round), different areas of the GE program have been asked to participate in assessment activities. In consultation with the GE Assessment Coordinator, faculty selected a writing assignment they already used in their courses. They were asked to grade each assignment as they typically do, then to use a rubric to make 5 assessments for the GE Program. There were 3 assessments of student writing (thesis construction, organization, and mechanics) and two assessments of student performance regarding Information Literacy (ability to find appropriate information for the assignment and proficiency in using the information). This information was given to the GE Assessment coordinator in a gradesheet; the Coordinator then then analyzed the data. Faculty were provided with feedback from their own assesments; Department chairs were provided with summaries for aggregate data across courses. The GEC was provided with summaries by GE area and has been using this information in its discussions of GE revision. Faculty and Department chairs are encouraged to use the information in their annual assessments of student learning in their programs and program development.

The first cycle was completed in Spring 2009 and data are currently being reviewed by faculty in those areas and the GEC. Reports on student performance in writing and information literacy for each cycle are available from The General Education Committee Chair:

Round 1: Spring 2007
Round 2: Fall 2007
Round 3: Spring 2008
Round 4: Fall 2008
Round 5: Spring 2009

Future cycles will focus on the GELOs as developed through the GE revision currently underway.

Assessment Efforts in the CSU

Many examples exist of current assessment efforts in the CSU. For more information on what is happening with assessment on other campuses, visit the CSU website on General Education.

Tools for Teaching and Assessment

There ia a great deal of dialogue going on regarding best practices in teaching and assessment. Listed below are links to some useful resources. If you have additional links to resources that you would like to share with colleagues, please contact Sharon Hamill, GE Assessment Coordinator to have these items posted.