1. ACADEMIC DEGREE ASSESSMENT & GENERAL EDUCATION ASSESSMENT Nathan Lindsay Arts & Sciences Faculty Meeting March 12, 2013 1

2. Point #1 2

3. Point #2: Follow-Up on Degree Assessment Plans 3  Have you reviewed your program’s assessment feedback from the University Assessment Committee (sent in December or January)?  Have you implemented your action plans from last year?  Have you collected assessment data this year, and are you prepared to develop new action plans?  Are you working to assess all of your learning outcomes in a 3-5 year period?

4. Point #3: General Education Assessment Revisions Needed 4  General Education courses that were “conditionally approved” are required to resubmit their updated proposal to the General Education Curriculum Committee.  Group trainings for improving Gen Ed Course assessment plans will be offered in FaCET this spring. You can also set up a meeting with Leah Gensheimer or Nathan Lindsay.

5. Point #3: General Education Assessment Revisions Needed (cont.) 5  Question 2 on the Course Proposal Form How will the learning outcomes be addressed?  Looking for specifics about how the course meets or is related to the learning outcome listed in the previous question.  How is the content of the course conceptually linked to the learning outcome?  What content or activities are related to the learning outcome?  Have you developed course-specific learning outcomes that are directly related to the General Education outcome?

6. Example Learning Outcomes from Discourse II 6  Students will produce, perform, and analyze college- level, oral and written texts that are based on sustained academic research.  Students will continue to develop their understanding of discourse analysis and language awareness in the context of a range of discursive forms.  Students will interpret and synthesize college-level scholarship that addresses how diverse discourse communities define, evaluate, and transform individual, institutional, and cultural identities.

7. Point #3: General Education Assessment Revisions Needed (cont.) 7  Question 4 on the Course Proposal Form How will the learning outcomes be assessed?  Choose a test, paper, or other assignment that will be used for data collection  You need to describe a rubric that you will be using to assess the General Education outcome on the paper/assignment, or to identify specific test questions that directly measure the General Education outcome  Do NOT list course grades. The data you collect should give you insights regarding where students are stronger and weaker (in terms of specific sub-outcomes measured on your test or rubric).  What you will be reporting are the average class scores on the sub- sections of the rubric, or the averages on the individual test items or groups of items (along with your analysis of these scores)

8. 8 Example Rubric from Discourse II Learning ObjectivesNoviceDevelopingProficientAdvanced Use written and oral discourse to develop and present meaningful and interesting ideas that show the students’ voices, a willingness to take intellectual risks, and an ability to enter an academic conversation. The student can form a fundamental primary claim and support that claim through cogent sub- claims (reasons) and supporting examples (evidence). These claims may be broadly applied, and sub-claims may relate loosely to the primary claim. The expression of these claims demonstrates a developing application of academic language and conventions. The student meets the Primary standard and begins to focus primary claims to account for differences in cultural identities. Sub-claims and supporting examples show are related to the primary claim. The student’s discourse conforms to academic language use and conventions most of the time. The student meets the Developing standard and their claims are focused and specific, with subclaims and evidence directly supporting primary claims. The student’s discourse conforms to academic language use and conventions all of the time. The student meets the Proficient standard and their claims are highly focused and specific and account for differences in audience and outlook. Supporting claims and evidence is drawn from a wide pool of examples and is directly relevant to the primary claims. The student shows a great facility of language use, embracing academic conventions while maintaining their own individual modes of expression.

9. Point #3: General Education Assessment Revisions Needed (cont.) 9  Question 5 What is the achievement target for the students’ learning outcomes?  Includes expectations of general performance and percentage of students expected to perform at higher levels.  The achievement target is usually between 70-90%, and should be a goal to strive for.  Again, these are not course grades, because a grade usually represents more than students’ performance on a specific learning outcome.

10. Reporting 10  Each year, instructors who are teaching a Gen Ed course will submit the following details of their assessment plan in a report to the Assistant Vice Provost for Assessment: Learning outcomes Measurements Achievement targets Findings, and Action plans  Assessment findings are not required for each semester, but should be collected at least once a year.  Based on the individual course reports, summaries of the assessments for each of the 8 Learning Outcomes across campus will be submitted in WEAVE each year by the Assistant Vice Provost.

11. Gen Ed Course Review 11  Initially, courses will be reviewed on a rotating business, every 1-3 years.  Determination in the review process will primarily focus on the three W’s: 1.Whether and/or how learning outcomes are being assessed 2.Whether students’ performance is meeting expectations 3.Whether faculty are using assessment results to make improvements in their pedagogy and curriculum

12. 12 Questions?