Peter Hawkes, English Department; Chair
Ned Hogan, Math Department
Bill Livingood, Health Department
Maureen McLaughlin, Reading Department
Carol Miller, Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism Department
Bonnie Neumann, Dean, School of Arts and Sciences
Jason Sible, Student Representative
Bob Sutton, Movement
Studies/Exercise Science Department
The East Stroudsburg University General Education Outcomes Assessment Plan is based upon a triangulated model (Figure 9). This documents attainment of each goal through multiple measures including student performances, portfolios, survey responses, and standardized test results. Representative samples of students will engage in both formal and informal assessments to demonstrate the program’s attainment of its stated outcomes. Faculty will also participate in the process through periodic surveys.
Figure 9
General Education Outcomes and Assessment Measures
Outcome # 1:
The student will be able to analyze problems from
historical, contemporary, andpersonal
perspectives in order to make informed choices in facing present and future
dilemmas.
Outcome Measures:
1. Performance/Portfolio
A) Given a problem of social significance, a representative sample of students who have completed the General Education program will be able to do one or more of the following:
·write an essay tracing the origins of the problem
·write an essay mentioning some of the past and current solutions used to address the problem
·write an essay offering an approach to the problem drawing on a combination of historical, contemporary, and personal perspectives.
B) A representative sample of portfolios maintained by General Education students will be reviewed for the stated outcome.
2. Student Self-Assessment and Faculty Assessment of Students
A) A representative sample of General education students will assess their own abilities to meet the stated outcome.
B) A representative sample of faculty will be surveyed on their perceptions of the ability of the General Education students to meet the stated outcome.
3. Existing Standardized Measures
The General Education
Committee will monitor a representative sample of students who have completed
the General Education program and who have taken a standardized test to
meet degree or certification requirements. If there are other standardized
tests available, the Committee may choose to use these as additional measures
of the stated outcome.
Outcome #2:
The student will be able to describe, analyze,
or evaluate art in some of its specific and various forms--performance,
visual, practical and literary.
Outcome Measures:
1. Performance/Portfolio
A) Given a work of art, a representative sample of students who have completed the General Education program will be able to do one or more of the following:
·write an essay analyzing the work
·write an essay situating the work in its historical context
·write an essay that evaluates the work of art
B) A representative sample of portfolios maintained by General Education students will be reviewed for the stated outcome.
2. Student Self-Assessment and Faculty Assessment
of Students
A) A representative sample of General education students will assess their own abilities to meet the stated outcome.
B) A representative sample of faculty will be surveyed on their perceptions of the ability of the General Education students to meet the stated outcome.
3. Existing Standardized Measures
The General Education
Committee will monitor a representative sample of students who have completed
the General Education program and who have taken a standardized test to
meet degree or certification requirements. If there are other standardized
tests available, the Committee may choose to use these as additional measures
of the stated outcome.
Outcome #3:
The student will be able to apply concepts from
the behavioral, life, and social sciences to personal and social issues
and problems involving individuals, communities, and institutions.
Outcome Measures:
1. Performance/Portfolio
A) Given a problem or issue of personal or social significance, a representative sample of students who have completed the General Education program will be able to:
·write an essay discussing the individual, community, and institutional dimensions of the problem or issue
·write an essay using concepts found in the behavioral, life, and social sciences literature
B) A representative sample of portfolios maintained by General Education students will be reviewed for the stated outcome.
2. Student Self-Assessment and Faculty Assessment
of Students
A) A representative sample of General education students will assess their own abilities to meet the stated outcome.
B) A representative sample of faculty will be surveyed on their perceptions of the ability of the General Education students to meet the stated outcome.
3. Existing Standardized Measures
The General Education
Committee will monitor a representative sample of students who have completed
the General Education program and who have taken a standardized test to
meet degree or certification requirements. If there are other standardized
tests available, the Committee may choose to use these as additional measures
of the stated outcome.
Outcome #4:
The student will be able to analyze scientific
evidence as it relates to the physical world and its interrelationship
with human values and interests.
Outcome Measures:
1. Performance/Portfolio
A) Given an example of how the physical world interrelates with human activity, a representative sample of students will be able to do one or more of the following:
·write an essay explaining how scientific evidence could be used to demonstrate the interrelationship of the physical world and human values and interests
·write an essay describing how the interrelationship is responsive to the values and interests of the individual and society
·write an essay demonstrating the concerns or the benefits of the interrelationship to the individual or society
B) A representative sample of portfolios maintained by General Education students will be reviewed for the stated outcome.
2. Student Self-Assessment and Faculty Assessment
of Students
A) A representative sample of General Education students will assess their own abilities to meet the stated outcome.
B) A representative sample of faculty will be surveyed on their perceptions of the ability of the General Education students to meet the stated outcome.
3. Existing Standardized Measures
The General Education
Committee will monitor a representative sample of students who have completed
the General Education program and who have taken a standardized test to
meet degree or certification requirements. If there are other standardized
tests available, the Committee may choose to use these as additional measures
of the stated outcome.
Outcome #5:
The student will be able to discuss some of the
best original scholarly and creative works that have been produced throughout
history.
Outcome Measures:
1. Performance/Portfolio
A) Given an original scholarly or creative work, a representative sample of students who have completed the General Educationprogram will be able to do one or more of the following:
·write an essay mentioning some of the past and present factors that contributed to making the work influential
·write an essay critiquing the work
B) A representative sample of portfolios maintained by General Education students will be reviewed for the stated outcome.
2. Student Self-Assessment and Faculty Assessment
of Students
A) A representative sample of General education students will assess their own abilities to meet the stated outcome.
B) A representative sample of faculty will be surveyed on their perceptions of the ability of the General Education students to meet the stated outcome.
3. Existing Standardized Measures
The General Education
Committee will monitor a representative sample of students who have completed
the General Education program and who have taken a standardized test to
meet degree or certification requirements. If there are other standardized
tests available, the Committee may choose to use these as additional measures
of the stated outcome.
Outcome #6:
The student will be able to use qualitative and
quantitative approaches to problem solving and research.
Outcome Measures:
1. Performance/Portfolio
A) A representative sample of students who have completed the General Education program will be able to do one or more of the following:
·write an essay delineating the advantages of using qualitative and quantitative approaches in researching a specific issue.
B) A representative sample of portfolios maintained by General Education students will be reviewed for the stated outcome.
2. Student Self-Assessment and Faculty Assessment
of Students
A) A representative sample of General education students will assess their own abilities to meet the stated outcome.
B) A representative sample of faculty will be surveyed on their perceptions of the ability of the General Education students to meet the stated outcome.
3. Existing Standardized Measures
The General Education
Committee will monitor a representative sample of students who have completed
the General Education program and who have taken a standardized test to
meet degree or certification requirements. If there are other standardized
tests available, the Committee may choose to use these as additional measures
of the stated outcome.
Outcome #7:
The student will be able to analyze relationships
among culture, language, ethnicity, gender, and nationality and to apply
that analysis to specific national and international social, political,
and economic changes.
Outcome Measures:
1. Performance/Portfolio
A) Given an example of national or international change, a representative sample of students who have completed the General Education program will be able to do one or more of the following:
·write an essay explaining how the nature of a contemporary change is influenced by the interdependence of the following: culture, language, ethnicity, gender and nationality
·write an essay identifying a change in a different time period which was influenced by culture, language, ethnicity, gender, and nationality
·write an essay predicting the outcome of the change in social, political, or economic terms, with particularattention to analyzing the influence of culture, language, ethnicity, gender and nationality in influencing the predicted outcome
B) A representative sample of portfolios maintained by General Education students will be reviewed for the stated outcome.
2. Student Self-Assessment and Faculty Assessment
of Students
A) A representative sample of General education students will assess their own abilities to meet the stated outcome.
B) A representative sample of faculty will be surveyed on their perceptions of the ability of the General Education students to meet the stated outcome.
3. Existing Standardized Measures
The General Education
Committee will monitor a representative sample of students who have completed
the General Education program and who have taken a standardized test to
meet degree or certification requirements. If there are other standardized
tests available, the Committee may choose to use these as additional measures
of the stated outcome.
Outcome #8:
The student will be able to demonstrate the skills
needed to enrich the quality of life through physical activities which
enhance cultural awareness and promote lifetime fitness.
Outcome Measures:
1. Performance/Portfolio
A) A representative sample of students who have completed the General Education program will be able to do one or more of the following:
·write an essay explaining how physical activity enriches the quality of life
·write an essay explaining how engaging in a specific sport enriches the quality of life
B) A representative sample of portfolios maintained by General Education students will be reviewed for the stated outcome.
2. Student Self-Assessment and Faculty Assessment
of Students
A) A representative sample of General education students will assess their own abilities to meet the stated outcome.
B) A representative sample of faculty will be surveyed on their perceptions of the ability of the General Education students to meet the stated outcome.
3. Existing Standardized Measures
The General Education Committee will monitor a representative sample of students who have completed the General Education program and who have taken a standardized test to meet degree or certification requirements. If there are other standardized tests available, the Committee may choose to use these as additional measures of the stated outcome.
Data gathered from the triangulated assessment process will be used for the continuous improvement of the General Education program. This reflects current trends in evaluation and illustrates the dynamic nature of the outcomes assessment process.
The Committee
will present the General Education Outcomes Assessment Plan at the State
System of Higher Education’s General Education Outcomes Assessment Symposium
in Harrisburg on April 19, 1997. The session, Assessment and Evaluation
in General Education: A Triangulated Model, will focus on using outcomes
assessment information generated from multiple measures for continuous
improvement.