KSU General Education Learning Outcomes Assessment: Fostering a Faculty -Driven Process

1. KSU General Education Learning Outcomes Assessment:Fostering a Faculty-Driven Process Thomas J. Doleys, Ph.D. Department of Political Science & International Affairs & KSU Faculty Coordinator for General Education Learning Outcomes Assessment

2. Why Assess General Education? • Because We Want To: • Are students learning what we (faculty) say we want them to learn? • We do it in our individual classes…why not for the programs of which the classes are a part? • After all, we have nine (9) faculty-approved General Education learning outcomes. [HERE & next slide] • Because We Have To: • University System of Georgia-mandated General Education Comprehensive Review (due 2015-16) • General Education Program Review for SACS Reaccreditation (due 2016-2017)

3. What Are We Assessing?General Education Learning Outcomes • Production of Written Communication: Students write appropriately for rhetorical situation, audience, purpose and genre; demonstrate appropriate content, organization, syntax, and style; and acknowledge the use of information sources, according to convention. • Reading Comprehension: Students articulate comprehension of written material including the author’s rhetorical purpose and the strategic use of text features. • Quantitative Representation: Students convert information into a mathematical portrayal (e.g., equations, graphs, diagrams, tables, or words) at a level appropriate for the complexity of problems in a college-level course • Quantitative Interpretation: Students explain information presented in mathematical forms (e.g., equations, graphs, diagrams, tables, or words) at a level appropriate for the complexity of problems in a college-level course.

4. Social Sciences: Students analyze the complexity of human behavior and how social, historical, economic, political, or spatial relationships develop, persist, or change. • Natural Sciences: Students apply the scientific method to analyze data related to natural phenomena found in everyday life. • U.S. Perspectives: Students articulate the historical, political, social, or institutional developments of the United States. • Global Perspectives: Students analyze creative works from multiple international cultures in relation to the historical, political, economic, sociocultural, aesthetic, or personal contexts in which those works emerged. • Critical Thinking: Students articulate a position on a issue and support it by evaluating evidence relevant to the position, considering opposing positions or evidence, and documenting sources according to convention.

5. By What Process Assessment? • A Two-Year Assessment “Cycle” • Year #1: Design & Test • Year #2: Refine & Implement • Why Two Years? • Reduce burden on faculty • Provide adequate time to craft and administer quality instrument

7. Typical Two-Year Assessment Cycle

8. What Is My Role? • Faculty Coordinator for General Education Learning Outcomes Assessment (GELOA) • I’m Here to Help You Assess the Way You Believe is Most Appropriate for Your Discipline • Tasks & Responsibilities • Coordinate effort across Gen Ed disciplines • Liaise with Disciplinary Area Coordinators (DACs) • Provide information, advice and assistance • Represent and advocate for faculty • Oversee graduate student assessment fellows • Aggregate/analyze data & write reports

9. Discipline Area Coordinators (DACs) • (S)elected by Gen Ed departments • Tasks & Responsibilities • Work with discipline faculty to operationalize learning outcome(s) appropriate to discipline • Help develop, refine and revise assessment instrument(s) • Train faculty in use of instrument

10. Other Resources • Faculty Compensation • Propose financial incentive to encourage faculty to participate in Year #2 assessment • Up to 50 faculty per assessment cycle • Graduate Student Assistants • Alternative to faculty evaluation of assessment instrument • Not appropriate for every instrument

11. “le mieux est l’ennemi du bien”(the best is the enemy of the good) - Voltaire Be intentional… …but, for goodness sake, be realistic.

12. No Need to Reinvent the Wheel • I’m here to help you identify rubrics/instruments that are already in use • Example: AAC&U Valid Assessment of Learning in Undergraduate Education (VALUE) Rubrics [HERE] • Written Communication • Oral Communication • Reading • Quantitative Literacy • Information Literacy • Critical Thinking

13. Eleven (11) Assessment Methods(Tebo-Messina & Prus 1995) • Commercial Standardized Exams • Locally-Developed Exams/Instruments • Simulation or Performance Appraisals • Written Surveys and Questionnaires • Interviews and Focus Groups • External Examiners • Archival Records and Transcript Analysis • Portfolios • Behavioral Observations • Student Self-Evaluations • Classroom Research

14. Very Important Things to Remember • Assessment data will NOT be linked to specific course sections • Assessment data will NOT be used to evaluate individual faculty performance • This is about measuring student learningacross the General Education curriculum…it is NOT about judging individual faculty or courses.

15. Questions?Comments?Concerns?