Draft Student Learning Goals for General Education
Approved by APACE 1-30-01
Approved by University Senate 3-22-01

Rationale

In 1992 the University Senate approved learning goals for general education that were built on the
quarter-system core curriculum.  In the summer of 2000, a group of faculty and chairs met to review
these goals and to develop a set that would be more relevant to the new semester-system core.

The faculty group decided to develop a set of goals that addressed general education learning that
should be a prerequisite to beginning study in any major.  The goals of communication, analysis,
critical thinking, and understanding of a larger world were thought to be essential for all students
who were completing the core curriculum.

The goals and outcomes were reviewed by the Deans Group, the chairs of Arts and Sciences,
the Undergraduate Council, and APACE.
 

Goal I. Communication-- Students use writing and speaking effectively for different audiences and purposes.

 

Measurable Outcomes:
 

1. Students develop their ideas in written and oral formats.
 

Assessment Elements:
 

a. Statements of purpose

b. Integration of ideas into a larger body of knowledge

c. Clarity of organization

d. Quality of argument

2. Students use appropriate writing and speaking conventions and formats.
 

Assessment Elements:
 

a. Selection of mode appropriate for audience

b. Proper use of documentation

c.Coherence

d. Style, syntax, punctuation

e. Diction, pronunciation

3. Students use writing as a tool for learning.

Assessment Elements:
 

a.Writing that leads to and reflects subject mastery

b. Writing that reflects on the learning process

c. Writing that is formal and/or informal

4. Students communicate orally one-on-one and in group settings.

    Assessment Elements:
 

a. Classroom presentations and discussions

b. Internet-based chat rooms and bulletin boards

c. Group work

d. Listening skills

e. Presentation skills

5. Students demonstrate ability to incorporate written and oral feedback

into revised work.
 

                    Assessment Elements:
 

a. Sequential drafts

b. Sequence of related, but brief, written assignments

c. Reflection on the writing process

d. Revision of work based on feedback
 

Goal II. Analysis of Information—Students collect, analyze, and interpret data effectively in a variety of settings.

Measurable Outcomes:
 

1.Students collect and weigh evidence.

Assessment Elements:
 

a. Consideration of authority

b. Differentiation between primary and secondary and popular and scholarly

c. Proper attribution and citation

d. Use of appropriate information technology sources

2. Students distinguish the relationships among evidence, hypothesis, and

theory.
 

Assessment Elements:
 

a.Use of observation and experimentation

b.Testing and application of hypotheses and theories

3. Students draw inferences from written, quantitative, qualitative, mathematical, and sensory data.

Assessment Elements:
 

a. Arrangement of data

b. Explication of inference

c. Consideration of alternative interpretations

Goal III. Critical Thinking-- Students identify important questions and formulate hypotheses and arguments to answer them effectively.
 

Measurable Outcomes:
 

1. Students identify, select, and analyze questions.
 

Assessment Elements:
 

a.Context for question

b.Breaking question into parts

c.Options for answering the question

2. Students use basic mathematical, statistical, quantitative, qualitative, or logical methods to formulate answers

Assessment Elements:
 

a. Appropriate method selected

b. Application of method

c. Appropriate interpretation of the results

d. Utility of proposed answer

e. Consideration of alternatives

3.Students use their proposed answer to generate and explore new

questions.
 

Assessment Elements:
 

a. Examination of proposed answers

b. Explication of new questions

Goal IV. Students analyze important contemporary questions effectively

1. Students analyze contemporary issues within the context of diverse disciplinary perspectives.

Assessment Elements:
 

a. Explication of question

b. Context for question

c. Awareness of aesthetic dimensions

2. Students analyze contemporary multicultural, global, and international questions.

Assessment Elements:
 

a Explication of question

b. Context for question


These learning goals were approved by the University Senate on March 22, 2001.  These goals will be assessed periodically by faculty committees.  Clicking on the highlighted goals will allow you to view the work of these faculty committees.


return to the Office of the Associate Provosts

04-04-01