Course and General Education (GPAC) Assessment
Course assessment follows the same outline as program assessment. The learning objectives or outcomes for general education courses have been pre-determined by Columbian College. Thus, general education assessment reports must include information about how well students are meeting the relevant general education objective. GPAC assessment templates that can be used for reporting the assessments are available for each learning outcome.
It is important to remember that assessment is an iterative process, intended to provide useful feedback about what and how well students are learning.
Overview of General Education Requirement
The University General Education Requirement engages students in active intellectual inquiry across the liberal arts. The requirement includes 19 credits of approved courses in written and oral communication, critical analysis in the humanities, critical analysis in the social sciences, quantitative reasoning, and scientific reasoning, which includes a lab. These courses have been vetted by Columbian College faculty to ensure that they address the general education learning outcomes required for all undergraduates. In addition, each undergraduate school or college has school-specific general education requirements (e.g., GPAC in CCAS) that are designed to meet university goals, and when appropriate, standards set by professional accrediting agencies.
Faculty are expected to assess all general education learning outcomes within a five-year period. Multiple sections of a general education course may be assessed individually or collectively as one unit. Program chairs must include a summary of these assessment findings in their annual report to the Dean. A summary of these assessment findings must also be included in the department’s Academic Program Review, which is completed every seven years.