Many files on this site require Acrobat Reader. To get free Reader, click above.

Assessing General Education at NC State

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Why should we assess the GERs?
   The General Education Requirements were implemented at NC State over a decade ago. It is a massive program that affects literally every undergraduate student on our campus and many if not most of the faculty, consisting of about 750 courses taught out of around 50 academic programs. The GERs were the subject of debate on this campus long before actual implementation, and most of the people involved in that debate agreed that if we were to institute such a radical change in undergraduate education we would need to be able to determine how well it is contributing to student learning. We owe it to ourselves and to our students not only to evaluate how well the GERs are working but also to provide the means for making general education on this campus more effective. That's what good assessment should do. For faculty members and academic programs, having a course in the GERs is a privilege that bears with it the responsibility to assess and improve that course as a GER course.
   
   
2. What kind of assessment is being applied to the GERs?
   The kind of assessment we are using for the GERs is objectives-driven, course-centered, outcomes-based assessment. Here's an explanation of what that means. The assessment involves both the Council on Undergraduate Education (the campus body charged with overseeing and assessing the GERs) and faculty teaching GER courses. The CUE has generated general objectives for each of the GER categories, such as natural sciences, humanities, and physical education. Faculty teaching GER courses are asked to create student learning outcomes designed specifically for their courses that enable students to meet the GER objectives for the appropriate category. Faculty are also asked to designate particular means of evaluating student performance (e.g., homework, essay-test questions, oral presentations) related to each outcome and to measure student performance regarding the outcomes. Thus, the assessment plan is objectives-driven (it depends on objectives that define GER courses), course-centered (it is focused on particular GER courses) and outcomes-based (it relies on the evaluation of learning outcomes). (For why we are using this kind of assessment, see FAQ #3.)
   
   
3. What are the benefits of the new GER assessment plan?
   1. It provides a way for faculty to teach GER courses more effectively as GER courses. The objectives establish a foundation for defining what a GER course for a particular category should include and therefore better enable faculty who teach those courses to design them accordingly.
   2. It provides meaningful feedback where it counts most, to faculty teaching GER courses. Focusing on outcomes-based assessment in the courses gives faculty the data they need to determine how well their courses are helping students to meet the GER objectives and how to improve their courses to better enable students to do so.
   3. It provides faculty the independence to create student learning outcomes and means of evaluating those outcomes that are appropriate to their courses. The CUE gives broad aims, but the faculty decide how those aims will be achieved in their classes.
   4. It provides for greater coherence among the GER courses in a category. Students, their academic advisors, and faculty teaching other courses in a category will be assured that all courses in that category will be designed to teach the same basic GER objectives. Faculty teaching GER courses will have a greater comprehension of how their courses contribute to the goals of student learning in general education.
   5. It provides students a much better understanding of the goals of general education at NC State and why they are being asked to take General Education Requirements.
   6. It provides a means of assessment of GERs on a university level. The CUE will assess GER courses initially by determining whether or not the courses should be included in the GERs, i.e., whether or not they incorporate outcomes and means of assessing outcomes that are directly related to the objectives. Later the CUE will review summaries of assessment reports written by faculty teaching the GER courses.
      
      
4. What effect will the new GER assessment procedure have on courses to be considered for inclusion in the GERs?
   Previously, faculty seeking to have courses included in a GER category were asked to write a justification for proposed inclusion to be appended to the Course Action Form. Because there were no clearly established criteria for judging whether a course should be included in a category, decisions sometimes seemed to be arbitrary to the faculty who submitted Course Action Forms. Under the new system, any course that, in addition to meeting basic criteria, has documentation showing that it has student learning outcomes that are clearly and meaningfully formulated to enable students to meet the appropriate GER category objectives and means of evaluating those outcomes that are clearly and meaningfully designed to measure how well the course is helping students to meet the outcomes will be approved. The criteria for inclusion are much clearer. For specific criteria, see Council on Undergraduate Education GER rubric.
   
   
5. What effect will the new GER assessment procedure have on courses already in the GERs?
   Over a period of time, all courses presently in the GERs must have new course action forms that include the GER category and category objectives (for all categories it belongs to), student learning outcomes, and means of evaluating the outcomes. For each course the new Course Action Form will be submitted following the usual procedure (departmental, college, and university levels) according to the GER Assessment Timetable for Review of Existing Courses. The Council on Undergraduate Education is the ultimate arbiter of continued inclusion in the GERs, using the criteria described in FAQ #4.
   
   
6. What am I being asked to do under the new GER assessment?
   The Council on Undergraduate Education has approved a set of general objectives for each GER category that all GER courses in that category should meet. Faculty teaching GER courses are being asked to
   1. create student learning outcomes for their courses, outcomes that are designed to enable students to meet all the GER category objectives;
   2. identify specific means of evaluating those outcomes;
   3. make any changes in their courses necessary to reflect the new GER assessment materials;
   4. revise Course Action Forms and syllabi to include the GER objectives, outcomes, and evaluation;
   5. teach their courses using the new outcomes and evaluation instruments;
   6. assess their courses in terms of the students' ability to achieve the GER outcomes; and
   7. write a brief assessment report on a periodic basis.

   For more information on all these activities, check FAQs #7-18 or Assessing General Education at NC State.
   
   

7. How general or specific do the GER student learning outcomes and means of assessing the outcomes need to be?
   Here's a good way of thinking about the levels of generality for the three main elements of GER assessment. The GER category objectives are written broadly enough (by the Council on Undergraduate Education) so that any appropriate course within that category, no matter what department it is in, should be able to meet the objectives. The GER student learning outcomes are specific to a particular course but are to be written generally enough that they could be applied across multiple sections of that course taught by different professors. The means of evaluating the outcomes should be specific to an individual section or to a professor teaching different sections of the same course; they should be a specific assignment or test question. On the Course Action Form, the various means of evaluation that are included are examples (just as the attached syllabus is only an example) of what could be used in a section. So the levels of generality are as follows: objectives are general to all courses in a GER category, outcomes are specific to all sections of a course, and evaluation is specific to one section of a course.
   
   
8. How many student learning outcomes are expected for each GER objective?
   In most cases, it's appropriate to have one outcome for each objective? It may also be possible to have more than one outcome for each objective or even one outcome for more than one objective. But in the latter case, it must be clear that the outcome clearly addresses the multiple objectives.
   
   
9. How many particular means of evaluation are expected for each GER outcome?
   Generally speaking, there are two ways to approach this issue.
   1. You can choose multiple means of assessment for each outcome. In this case, you could identify all the assignments or test questions appropriate for an outcome and use the accumulation of them as the basis of assessment.
   2. The other approach is to identify what you think is the single best means of evaluation, usually an assignment or test question later in the course or in a unit of the course. This one evaluation instrument would not necessarily be the only student performance related to the outcome but would be a culminating one, the one that best reveals students' capabilities.
      
10. How can I use grades or test scores in the assessment process?
    You can use grades in the assessment process as long as you have criteria to inform your grading. Having criteria for your grades or any evaluation method, such as a test score assists you in answering the question of how you know this particular outcome was met. Being able to articulate what the test score means or what the grade means in regards to which outcomes were met and why allows you to identify where the learning occurred and if it did not, you have information to help you improve upon the student learning. Without criteria, it is difficult to judge consistently across your course if students have met a particular outcome.
    
    
11. Can a course have other student learning outcomes besides those related to the GERs?
    Yes. Most courses will include student learning outcomes specific to the course in addition to GER outcomes. As faculty have created GER outcomes, many have found that some of the outcomes they already had for their course are appropriate as GER outcomes. In many other cases, faculty have found that some GER outcomes need to be added to their previous set of outcomes. On the new syllabus requirements, faculty are asked to list the GER objectives for their course and then list all the student learning outcomes, including both GER outcomes and others.
    
12. Does my course have to fulfill all the GER objectives for its category?
    Yes, the objectives have been designed so that they include from two to four elements that are considered essential to a general education course in each category. It is expected that all GER courses will have student learning outcomes that enable students to attain all the objectives in its category.
    
    
13. What if my course is in more than one GER category?
    You will need to develop student learning outcomes and identify means of evaluating those outcomes for the objectives in all the GER categories your course belongs to. The GER materials you develop will be included on the new Course Action Form and on the new course syllabus. Even though your course may be in more than one GER category, you only need to fill out one Course Action Form. You also should include the materials and results of assessment for all appropriate categories in your GER course assessment report.
    
    
14. Will I have to change my course to meet the GER objectives?
    The act of creating GER course learning outcomes to match GER objectives and designing assignments to evaluate those outcomes can have beneficial effects on GER courses. One of those effects is that it enables faculty to see their GER courses as GER courses and to teach them accordingly. This may have the consequence of leading to changes in the course that will make it a more effective GER course. If the professor finds that to meet the GER objectives he or she is identifying outcomes and assignments that were not in the course as it was previously taught, then the course will be changed. But these changes are intended to make it better as a GER course and, perhaps, a better course in general.
    
    
15. What if I don't want to change my course to meet GER objectives?
    In a university that values academic freedom as much as this university does, there is of course no mandate that faculty should make changes in their courses that they do not think are appropriate. It is possible, for example, that courses taught primarily for departmental majors may no longer be suitable as GER courses under the new criteria for GER assessment. In such cases, faculty may have their courses removed from the GER list by filling out and submitting a minor action form or by not providing a new Course Action Form when directed to do so according to the GER Assessment Timeline
    
    
16. Should GER courses be assessed every semester?
    Yes. As a way of encouraging continual improvement of GER courses, that is, improving the ability of each course to help students meet the GER learning outcomes for that course, we recommend that GER courses be assessed every semester. However, the formal assessment report for each course will not be submitted every semester. It will be submitted according to the GER Assessment Timetable for Review of Existing Courses..
    
    
17. Were the new GER objectives written with consideration for the courses that are currently in the GERs?
    The objectives for each category were written in consultation with faculty from the primary subject areas within that category. And in almost all cases, the draft of the objectives was based on the existing GER rationale. In addition, samples of outcomes and means of evaluating outcomes were created for real courses in the categories to make sure that the objectives were feasible. However, the objectives were not designed so that they would necessarily fit all current courses in each category. If they were to be meaningful as criteria for inclusion in and exclusion from the GERs, they had to be written not as guarantors of the status quo but as reasonable standards that could be broadly and effectively applied to courses in each category.
    
    
18. What do I include in a GER assessment report?
    The assessment report should include:
    
    1. List GER objectives. Beneath each objective, place the appropriate student learning outcome(s) and means of evaluating the outcome(s).
    2. Summarize the evaluation for each of the outcomes based on data from the designated means of evaluating the outcome.
    3. Generalize what you have learned about the effectiveness of your course as a GER course (areas that meet your expectations and areas that need improvement).
    4. Describe any changes you have made based on your assessment since submission of the last Guided Reflection: changes to improve your course as a GER course and changes to imporve the methods of assessing your course.
    5. Describe any changes you intend to make based on your assessment: changes to improve your course as a GER course and changes to imporve the methods of assessing your course.

    
    

19. How can assessment results be used to improve general education?
    The primary goal of our course-centered, outcomes-based GER assessment is to provide faculty with the data they need to improve their courses as GER courses. In addition, writing the assessment gives faculty the opportunity to summarize their findings and any resulting teaching enhancements for other interested parties, notably the academic department and the Council on Undergraduate Education. This information provides both groups the ability to make decisions that can enhance general education. For a detailed description of the benefits of assessment results, see GER Assessment: What Happens To Assessment Results.
    
    
20. What happens to the GER assessment reports?
    The GER reports are primarily for faculty to use to document what they discover about how their courses contribute to student learning. The assessment reports will be routed from the faculty member teaching the course to the appropriate departmental committee and then to the college curriculum committee. At the both levels, appropriate recommendations are made and accolades given out before the report is passed to the Council on Undergraduate Education. Final reports reviewed by the CUE will be archived in the Undergraduate Assessment Office and may be used for internal and external evaluation of general education at NC State.
    
    
21. What is the role of the department and college in GER assessment?
    Because the department is more directly responsible for the quality of its GER courses than the college, departments play a more important role in GER assessment. When faculty submit Course Action Forms for GER courses, an appropriate departmental committee will review them using the criteria listed in FAQ #20, making sure that the GER outcomes and means of evaluation are complete and suitable to the discipline. When the Course Action Form meets the criteria, it is sent to the college curriculum committee, which evaluates it using more general criteria, in FAQ #22. And for each reporting period, professors teaching GER courses will submit their reports to an appropriate undergraduate departmental committee. The committee will review the reports, judging the overall effectiveness of GER offerings by the department and making any recommendations to faculty as necessary. The committee will summarize the reports, describe any actions it has taken, and submit the summary to the college curriculum committee. The college committee will review the departmental reports and send them to the Council on Undergraduate Education.
    
    
22. What criteria should departmental and college curriculum committees use for reviewing new Course Action Forms with GER materials?
    
    Criteria for departmental review of GER documentation on Course Action Forms:

• Do the GER outcomes represent what students should be learning in this particular course?
• Are the GER outcomes applicable across all course sections?
• Does each GER outcome translate a general objective into a learning expectation specific to that course?
• Are the means of evaluation likely to provide the instructor with evidence that will enable him/her to improve student learning in the course?
• Are the means of evaluation clearly measurable? That is, do they describe student performance that can be graded?
• Are at least 25% of the class seats not restricted?
• Is the course offered on a regular basis?
• Does the course have no more than one prerequisite (except those on Natural Sciences Other and Additional Humanities and Social Sciences Lists)?
• Is the course a standard offering (not a special topics or experimental course)?

Criteria for college review of GER documentation on Course Actions Forms:

• Are the GER category objectives current and complete?
• Are all the GER objectives represented in the outcomes?
• Does each outcome provide a detailed and specific statement of what students are expected to do in the course?
• Does each GER learning outcome clearly relate to a GER objective?
• Does each GER learning outcome use a strong action verb to describe a way of doing specific to the course?
• Is there a means of evaluation for each outcome?
• Is each means of evaluation appropriate to the outcome it is evaluating?

For review criteria to be used by the Council on Undergraduate Education, see CUE GER rubric.

23. What role does the CUE play in GER assessment?
    The Council on Undergraduate Education is ultimately responsible for general education at NC State. It has created the GER objectives for each GER category and thus sets the goals for general education. As a critical part of the overall assessment of the GERs, it also reviews the Course Action Forms for all GER courses and makes the final decision as to which courses are included in the GERs (for criteria used by the CUE, see FAQ #4). And it reviews departmental summaries of GER reports.
    
    
24. What is the campus timeline for GER assessment?
    See GER Assessment Timetable for Review of Existing Courses for details. Generally speaking the timetable starts with a pilot of the GER assessment procedure (begun in Spring 2003), during which a diverse group of faculty attend workshops for creating GER assessment materials and revising Course Action Forms and course syllabi and then teach a GER course using the new GER materials and evaluate the course as a GER course. All new courses proposed for the GERs beginning in Fall 2003 should use the new Course Action Form. During Fall semester 2003 through Fall semester 2004 there will be a phased implementation of GER assessment, in which volunteers from across the university will engage in the same activities as the pilot group (phase 1 of implementation pilot, Fall 2003 and Spring 2004; phase 2 Spring and Fall 2004). Starting in Fall 2005 all existing GER courses will be reviewed according to a schedule found in the GER Assessment Timetable for Review of Existing Courses.
    
    
25. Will colleges be able to get assessment reports of how its own students are doing in particular GER courses?
    No. Professors teaching GER courses will be evaluating their courses as a whole, not by individual students in their courses. Colleges and departments that must report on their students' general education experience, such as for accreditation, will not have access to detailed data on their students' performance in GER courses or categories of courses. However, they will be able to point to the GER objectives for categories of particular interest, to the student learning outcomes for appropriate courses, and to the GER assessment procedure that is designed to encourage the attainment of GER objectives through course-specific assessment. Individual programs also have the option of requiring their students to collect appropriate work produced for specified classes in the GERs to be placed in student portfolios for program assessment.
    
    
26. What support does the university provide to help me create GER student learning outcomes and identify means of assessing the outcomes?
    The Division of Undergraduate Affairs sponsors a set of three-part voluntary workshops to help faculty develop GER assessment materials. Workshop 1 provides background related to GER assessment and guides faculty in creating outcomes and identifying student assignments for measuring those outcomes. Workshop 2 focuses on changes in the Course Action Form and the syllabus requirements regarding GER assessment and leads faculty in making appropriate changes in both. Workshop 3 provides guidance in making sense of assessment data and in writing assessment reports. Each workshop runs for approximately two hours. Dates and times for workshops are available. Also available are Power Point slides for the workshops and a web tutorial for creating GER assessment materials. For assistance in course syllabus construction and teaching strategies for helping students achieve learning outcomes, check the Campus Writing and Speaking Program and the Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning.
    
    
27. Will course-centered, outcomes-based assessment be required of all courses taught in the university?
    It may be that one day all courses will be assessed in a way similar to GER assessment, i.e., they will identify evaluation instruments for all student learning outcomes and use the results of their assessment for improving the course, better enabling students to meet the outcomes. Such a procedure could be valuable for evaluating individual program assessment, creating a link between student learning outcomes in particular courses in a program and outcomes designated for that program. However, the choice to use course-centered evaluation for program assessment will be left to programs. (For more information on program assessment see Committee on Undergraduate Program Review.)
    
    
28. How do I find the GER objectives for my course (or any other GER course)?
    The objectives for each category in the GERs (such as mathematical and natural sciences, social sciences, visual and performing arts) have been created by the Council for Undergraduate Education. To find the objectives for a course, first go to the "Complete GER List,” which contains all the GER categories and courses within those categories (http://www.ncsu.edu/provost/academic_programs/ger/thelist/list9899.htm). When you locate your course and the category it is under, you can find the objectives for that category at “Undergraduate Program Information: General Education” (http://www.ncsu.edu/provost/academic_programs/ger/ratobj.html). Click on the appropriate category.

Visit http://www.ncsu.edu/undergrad_affairs/assessment/files/resources/tracdat/tracdat.htm for more information about TracDat.