Assessing General Education
General Education and its Relationship to the Mission of the University
The mission of 九色视频 is to be an essential educational, cultural, and economic driver for Kansas and the greater public good.
In the context of our general education program, we interpret this statement in terms of the skills and breadth of experiences needed for our graduates to succeed. The skills we emphasize are those involved in finding, assessing and analyzing information and formulating ideas so that they can be communicated orally or in writing, as appropriate. The diversity of intellectual exposure demanded by our general education program provides our students with the breadth they need to thrive in a complex world.
Goals of General Education
- Have acquired knowledge in the arts, humanities, natural and social sciences
- Think critically and independently
- Write and speak effectively
- Employ analytical reasoning and problem-solving techniques
General Educaiton Program requirements at Wichita State follow the KBOR system-wide General Education Program framework and are comprised of 34-35 credit hours orgainized in six discipline-based "buckets" (English, Communications, Mathematics, Statistics, Natural and Physical Sciences, Social and Behavioral Sciences, Arts and Humanities) and an institutionally designated bucket. A student who satisfies all seven buckets will complete the General Education Program.
These goals are articulated across the general education curriculum. Students are introduced to these skill areas in four Foundation courses 鈥� two in English composition and one each in public speaking and mathematics. Foundation courses are intended not only to provide practice in research, writing, speaking and the manipulation of abstractions but also to provide students with experience in thinking clearly so that they can argue clearly 鈥� in evaluating oral and written and mathematically-based arguments. Students are expected to complete this part of their general education program in their first 48 credit hours.
- Feature material that fosters knowledge of and appreciation for diversity, whether in cultures and categories of identity or in how we conceptualize knowledge
- Expose students to multiple paradigms or world views
- Promote students鈥� understanding of self and others that goes beyond stereotypes
- Help students to recognize and analyze the historical forces have shaped them, the academic disciplines they study, or their society in general
- Appeal to the learning styles of a diverse range of students
- Incorporate assignments that teach students how to successfully interact, both professionally and personally, with others and to critically reflect on their positions with respect to others
- Provide opportunities for students to connect their classroom experiences with their lives outside the classroom
- Include multiple forms of assessment (formal evaluations, reflective writing assignments, etc.) given throughout the semester
The Assessment Process - Foundation Courses and First Year Seminar Courses
The departments responsible for designing and teaching the Foundation courses are also given the responsibility for assessing the outcomes. The General Education Committee reviews these outcomes periodically, in discussion with the University Assessment Committee.
During the appropriate part of the assessment cycle, the relevant departments report summary statistics to the General Education Committee to aid in the assessment of the overall program. These include: number of students who have taken the courses, course grade distributions, exit/final exam grade distributions, and whatever other measures they have accumulated.
The Elliott School of Communication reports the results of their pre-test/post-test of students鈥� self-reported attitudes regarding speech competency and both the instrument used and the cumulative scores for the persuasive policy speech required of all students in Communication 111.
The English Department reports numbers of students in the composition courses, diagnostic exam scores administered the first week of classes, the grade distributions in the courses and on the exit exams.
The Mathematics Department reports the percent of students receiving a passing grade in the mathematics courses MATH 111 and MATH 131.
Instructors who make a library instruction request for their classes can expect their students to receive a lesson relevant to assignments and research needs. General Education classes that regularly receive library instruction include First-Year Seminar Classes, English 101, English 102, and BIO 210L. Other courses, including additional general education and other classes, also have library instruction as needed. Library instruction is scaffolded with librarians preparing content based on the needs of the course.
Assessment of the rest of the general education program (including further assessment of the Foundation courses) is accomplished through 1) program monitoring, 2) tracking outcomes, and 3) other institutional feedback.
In order to determine the extent to which the various courses are contributing as they should to the general education program, the curriculum approval process (CIM) includes reviewing general education course information regarding:
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The ways in which the course addresses all of the goals of the program
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How the goals are reflected in course assignments
Instructors are asked to provide this information in course syllabi.
One of the goals of the program (to gain a basic understanding of the natural sciences, social and behavioral sciences, humanities and fine arts) is addressed in the structure of the program, which requires students to take courses in the various broad fields of inquiry. In addition, the General Education Committee uses a General Education Course Proposal Form and the course syllabi to determine the appropriateness of a course for the program and the extent to which the course addresses this goal. Since such courses will vary in the extent to which they can address all four outcomes, the course review process conducted by the general education committee includes a matrix in which the general education goals and corresponding course outcomes are identified.
The outcomes of the program are determined in three ways.
- Course grade distributions are a measure of the outcomes of the Foundation courses. This is appropriate because each department teaching a Foundation class has a rubric (that is shared with students) for evaluating outcomes. The departments teaching the courses provide grade distributions, including withdrawals, and an analysis of problems encountered in ensuring that students are achieving the appropriate learning outcomes.
- The General Education committee consults with the University Assessment Committee to review other assessment findings and metrics related to student learning outcomes relevant to general education.
- Individual departments provide data to the general education committee as part of the regular program assessment cycle. Instructors who teach General Education courses provide appropriate assessment of student learning outcomes, including (but not limited to) pretest-posttest models. Every undergraduate program is reviewed on a four-year cycle, and this review includes an assessment of general education courses.
The general education committee meets yearly with academic advisors to obtain feedback from them regarding the program and to provide them with whatever feedback the committee obtains from faculty. Similarly, the general education committee includes a representative from the library as a member of the committee, and the library member consults with other library faculty to provide feedback on library research skills. The committee has access to the annual reports from exceptions committees to monitor waiver of general education requirements.
The general education committee completes an assessment report that is submitted to the Faculty Senate in the spring semester. The report with any recommendations for change is presented to the senate for consideration prior to taking any recommendations to the general faculty. Any changes approved by the general faculty will be instituted in the next academic year.
In the fall semester, the relevant departments gather the outcomes data. In the spring semester, a report with any recommendations for change is presented to the Faculty Senate for consideration prior to taking any recommendations to the general faculty later in the semester. Any changes approved by the general faculty will be instituted in the following version of the undergraduate catalog.
Assessment of the general education program is accomplished in a variety of ways, with a diversity of measures. Each year, the General Education Assessment Report is published for tracking and trend purposes.