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General Education
General Education
(Scroll below for Gen Ed Reports)
A General Education Committee (subcommittee of the Institutional Effectiveness Committee including faculty representatives from key areas) was formed and began work in 1999/2000. New general education goals were revised by faculty work groups in each designated general education area. Faculty within units determined the appropriate course for measurement, the appropriate objectives (passing rates), a grading rubric and a method of measurement. Each fall, a random selection of courses from Math, English, Communications, Introduction to Computers, Developmental Reading, Fine Arts/Humanities and the Behavioral and Social Sciences are selected. Students in those sections will be given the general education assessments. In the spring, faculty will grade the general education assessment. Results will be forwarded to Planning and Research and an annual College portfolio will be created. The new general education goals are as follows:
Proposed Revised General Education Goals (2002-3)
| General Education Goal | Possible courses for assessment |
| Reading - Students will demonstrate the ability to obtain meaning from printed, electronic, and graphical resources. | RED 090 |
| Communication – Students will effectively communicate both orally and in writing. Students will demonstrate the ability to locate, critically evaluate, and present information. | COM 231 ENG 111 |
| Mathematics – Students will apply mathematical concepts and skills to analyze, manipulate, and interpret quantitative data. | MAT 115 MAT 161 |
| Computer Skills – Students will demonstrate the basic computer skills necessary to function in a technological world. | CIS 110 CIS 111 |
| Critical Thinking/Problem Solving – Students will demonstrate the ability to identify, analyze, question, and evaluate content as a guide to understanding and action. | |
| Cultural Awareness – Students will demonstrate knowledge of cultural differences. | COM 110 HIS 111 |
| Social / Behavioral Sciences – Students will demonstrate an understanding of the influence of the individual on group behavior and conversely, the influence of the group on the individual. | PSY 150 HIS 111 SOC 210 |
| Natural Sciences – Students will demonstrate comprehension of the major steps of the scientific method. | BIO 110 |
| Humanities / Fine Arts – Students will demonstrate knowledge of the humanities and critical skills in assessing cultural/artistic merit and significance. | Rotates through all humanities courses |
A section in the portfolio will be devoted to each of the following areas. The section will contain an in-depth description of the goal, objectives set to meet the goal, the method of testing, student works and a brief report on progress toward the goal. Current testing procedures are as follows:
- Communications – video-taped speech
- Writing - English writing assignment
- Mathematics - series of questions on final exam
- Natural Science - series of questions on final exam
- Basic Computer skills - exams 1 and 2 in CIS 110 and 111
- Behavioral and Social Sciences - essay questions on final exams
- Cultural Awareness – speech, writing assignment, or exam
- Critical thinking/problem solving – brief exam
- Fine Arts/Humanities – an essay as part of the final exam of a critique of artistic works or questions on the final exam.
Results from this assessment will be distributed annually in written form and in oral presentations. If students fail to meet the goal, faculty in the designated areas will retest in spring that year to make sure the test results weren’t a chance occurrence or that the test was not valid or reliable. If students fail to meet the goal again, program faculty will have to analyze results and develop a written report explaining how they plan to make improvements in course content/methodology. The reporting cycle for General Education is as follows:
- The portfolio is completed and sent to the General Education Committee
- Committee members report on goal attainment to the faculty in their department. Faculty develops action items for their goal areas. These are forwarded on to the Division Directors.
- Committee members report action items and concerns to the General Education Committee
- The committee writes a report on actions to be taken.
- The report, along with the general education portfolio, is sent to the Dean's Council.
- Deans respond to the committee about action items, budget needs, etc.
- Results are also reported to technical programs.
2006-2007 Report on Assessment of General Education
2005-2006 Report on Assessment of General Education
2004-2005 Report on Assessment of General Education
2003-2004 Report on Assessment of General Education
2002-2003 Report on Assessment of General Education