Departmental Guidelines for Annual General Education Assessment Summary
[Use of revised skills objectives effective for 2003 - 2004 summary, or when approved.]

Like degree programs, the general education program must also submit an annual assessment summary.  Since the general education program will undergo an external review in 2003 – 2004, we must have an assessment plan, and some data and analysis.   At this point, the general education program’s assessment summary will be a synthesis of departmental summaries, CAAP (rising junior exam) scores, general education course syllabi, and surveys of faculty and students.  In their annual summary of assessment activities, departments should forward a copy of the general education portion to the Director of General Education.

I. Review your plans for assessment submitted to the General Education Task Force and consider as a department how you need to revise or otherwise update your objectives and assessment processes.  

General education courses now fall under certain Areas of Human Understanding and Intellectual Inquiry that have specific objectives.  Courses taught in these areas should address the objectives of the relevant area in their assessment plan and activities. 

The current draft assessment plan for the general education program can be seen at

http://www.uca.edu/divisions/academic/assess/asplans/geplan_draft.htm

*During the 2003 - 2004 year, general education courses will be reviewed and fall under a revised set of skill areas with objectives. Courses in the program should address the objectives of the skill area or areas chosen by the department in their assessment plan and activities.

II. The essential elements of your general education assessment plan should address:

1) How your course(s) address the objectives of the relevant area of human understanding and intellectual inquiry;

2) How your course(s) address the skills of the general education program that the department has decided that the course will integrate.  The skills of the general education program are: Written communication, oral communication, critical thinking, quantitative analysis, research, and computer and information literacy. 

3) How your course(s) address the values/attitudes component of the general education program.

III. Your general education summary of assessment activities should include, for each general education course delivered by your department:

1) What objectives have been assessed?

Include the area objectives, communication and critical thinking as well as any other skills chosen for this course, and the values/attitudes component.

2) How have the objectives been assessed?

What instruments do you use to collect relevant assessment information?

3) What did you learn from this year’s assessment, and will any actions be taken?

Provide a brief summary of the results of the assessment activities.  Does your assessment suggest the need for any course revisions?

IV. Department coordinator. Each department should have someone responsible for the general education course(s) in the department with whom the Director of General Education can communicate.  This person can be the chair or the chair’s designee.  Please let the Director of General Education know who that person is.