Assessment & Academic Planning

Corresponding with the launch of the Lincoln Program, SIUE’s new general education plan, SIUE has engaged faculty, staff, and administrators in the development of a new general education assessment plan. The plan was part of an AQIP Action Project.

The broad-based committee includes members from across the University and builds on the expertise of this multi-disciplinary team. The committee has engaged in research and serious discussion about how best to assess student learning related to the Objectives of the Baccalaureate Degree.

Committee members engaged in extensive work to understand faculty expectations and needs regarding general education assessment in summer 2013. This information and the committee’s extensive background research informed the efforts of a smaller team that participated in an HLC Assessment Workshop in summer 2013. This smaller team developed a plan that could be reviewed and improved by the broader committee and shared with other stakeholders. The plan includes direct authentic assessments of artifacts from New Freshman Seminar and Interdisciplinary Studies courses. The committee also developed rubrics using the AAC&U VALUE Rubrics as a foundation. These were vetted through various stakeholders. Additionally, the plan utilizes Senior Assignment more fully to assess student learning related to the Objectives for the Baccalaureate Degree. The plan also calls for use of NSSE data and focus groups. Furthermore, the process will engage students in the assessment process, an important element of assessment of student learning outcomes. The committee has also focused on creating processes that will engage faculty and staff in discussions of how to improve student learning related to through curricular and co-curricular programming. Recognizing the breadth of the general education objectives, the full assessment process will be carried out over a 4-year period with each year focusing on specific objectives.

In fall 2013, a pilot program was initiated to launch the first stage of this new plan. This stage focuses on oral and written communication skills and critical thinking, a component of the analytic, problem-solving, and decision-making skills objective. Results of this pilot are forthcoming.  This proposed general education assessment plan will be finalized after the details have been fully developed and feedback regarding the pilot process is acquired.

Current Committee Membership

•     Angela Andrews, School of Nursing
•     Zenia Agustin, Director of General Education
•     Maurina Aranda, College of Arts and Sciences (Chair)
•     Efrosini Hortis, Office of Academic Advising
•     Elza Ibroscheva, Office of the Provost
•     Eric Lichtenberger, Office of Institutional Research and Studies
•     Min Liu, College of Arts and Sciences
•     Brad Reed, School of Business
•     Matthew Schunke, General Education Committee Chair
•     Chad Verbais, Learning Support Services