Assessing General Education

February 14, 2002

Developing General Education Goals and Objectives

OverviewTopics Covered in this Workshop

Review of the Assessment Process Definitions, Overview of Process and Sequence

Assessing Goals and Objectives Rationale: Why Articulate Goals and Objectives? Defining Key Terms Sources of Goals and Objectives Types of Goals Guidelines for Writing Goals and Objectives Checklist for Evaluating Your Goals and Objectives Sample General Education Goals and Objectives

Practice Writing Goals and Objectives

Defining Assessment

“…assessment refers to systematic attempts to gather information about what students have learned, to discern meaningful interpretations from that information, and to use the information to improve our programs…”

Defining Assessment

“…good practice in (assessment) occurs when we ask, ‘what are students learning from our programs, and how can their learning be enhanced?’…”

ACPA and NASPA Principles of Good Practice, 1997)

The Assessment Process: Overview of the Sequence

State the broad educational mission (purposes) and goals of the program

State the more specific objectives and intended educational outcomes of the program

Select appropriate assessment methods and measures; establish target criteria

Gather data using assessment methods & measures chosen Analyze and interpret findings; report to stakeholders Identify and implement any changes to the program Revise assessment objectives, methods, measures, criteria

as appropriate

Why Articulate Goals and Objectives?

“If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll probably end up somewhere else”

Campbell, 1974

Why Articulate Goals and Objectives?

Goals and Objectives Provide Direction for all Instructional Activities

Informs Students about the Intentions and Priorities of the Faculty

Goal-Directedness as a Marker of Successful Individuals and Organizations

The Importance of Modeling Goal-Setting and Goal-Directedness for our Students

Defining Key Terms:Mission, Goals, Objectives

Statements of Mission or Purpose• Broad statements outlining institutional philosophy and

character, as well as principal focus of the curriculum

Goals• Statements regarding general aims or purposes of education• Broad, long-range intended outcomes• Used primarily in planning, policy-making,

Objectives• Brief, more specific statements describing the intended learning

outcomes of a program• Focus is on features students expected to exhibit• also known as, “intended learning outcomes”

Sample Mission, Goal, and Outcome Statements

St. Norbert College (SNC Catalog, p. 10,12)Mission

• …SNC strives to provide an education that is personally, intellectually, and spiritually challenging.

• …(to sustain)…an environment that encourages all religions of the world to develop their full potential in understanding and serving the world

Goal(s) • …to produce students (who) have the ability to come to grips with cultural

change--to confront, to shape, and to grow with the future • In the personal sphere…to help students clarify and develop their personal

goals, achieve a sense of self-worth, gain a deeper level of self-understanding, and become open, honest, and trusting in their relationships with others

• In the area of moral development…to encourage students to clarify their own values and embrace their beliefs from personal conviction.

• (continued on next slide)

Sample Mission, Goal, and Outcome Statements

St. Norbert College (SNC Catalog, p. 10,12)Goal(s)

• In the intellectual realm…to make students self-educating people…to develop in students the ability to synthesize knowledge from various sources, and to train students in the methods of scholarly inquiry

• …students should (learn) that the methods and data necessary to solve problems vary with the nature of the problem and sometimes must be newly invented…

• …students should also have gained confidence in their abilities to work in this way

Intended Learning Outcomes (?)

Sample Mission, Goal, and Outcome Statements General Education Assessment for the Improvement of Student

Academic Achievement (Nichols & Nichols, 2001)

Mission• (to ensure that) students can realize the full potential of their

abilities and come to understand their responsibility for service in the human community

Goal• Graduates will act in accordance with Judeo-Christian values

Intended Outcome• Graduates of ABC College will behave in ways that demonstrate their

commitment to commonly accepted Judeo-Christian values in their personal and professional lives

Sample Mission, Goal, and Outcome Statements

College of St. ScholasticaMission (of General Education program)

• …seeks to broaden students’ grasp of the accumulated wisdom of the past so that challenges of the present--racism, global conflict, injustice, dehumanization, spiritual emptiness--may be met with wisdom, faith, and imagination.

Goal(s) • …to facilitate student learning in the following

areas:...problem-solving, values-based decision making, social responsibility, effective communication, disciplinary understanding, the aesthetic response, and living with diversity

Intended Outcomes (see next slide)

Sample Mission, Goal, and Outcome Statements

College of St. Scholastica Intended Learning Outcomes

(in the area of Values-Based Decision Making)• The student will…

– understand his/her own value system and how these values have been influenced by his/her personal experiences and decisions

– differentiate between his/her personal values and the value systems of others

– appraise personal and communal values in the light of new knowledge, recent experience, and insight

– defend value-based decisions as ultimately serving the common good

Sample Mission, Goal, and Outcome Statements Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis

(Mission)• ...every graduate of an IUPUI baccalaureate program should attain

fundamental intellectual competence and ethical awareness in the area of…understanding society and culture…

(Goals)• students should recognize their own cultural traditions and understand

and appreciate the diversity of the human experience, both within the United States and internationally

Intended Learning Outcome• students should demonstrate the ability (a) to compare and contrast the

range of diversity and universality in human history, societies, and ways of life, (b) to analyze and understand the interconnectedness of global and local concerns, and (C) to operate with civility in a complex social world

Sample Mission, Goal, Outcome Statements

University of South CarolinaMission

• …strives to educate graduates who are capable of excelling in their chosen fields, who are dedicated to learning throughout their lives, and who are responsible citizens in a complex society requiring difficult ethical and value-related decisions

Goals• Students will become familiar with the diversity of a global culture marked

by racial, ethnic, gender, and regional differences

Intended Learning Outcome• Students will demonstrate the ability to...

– Recognize multiple perspectives and appreciate perspectives which produce a world view different from one’s own

– Use another perspective to analyze current or historical, social, and cultural events and practices

Sources of Goals and Intended Learning Outcomes

Open Discussions…who are our ideal students?

• What can they do, what do they know, what do they value (at various points in the General Education program)?

• What achievements do you expect of General Education program graduates (career, lifestyle, citizenship, aesthetic appreciation)?

• What skills, knowledge, & values should they possess that will be necessary for entry level work or graduate study?

Existing Documentation• College Catalog, General Education Handbook, syllabi,

external versions of same

Ingredients of Goal and Outcome Statements

Assessable goals and intended learning outcomes state…

What is to be learned (knowledge,skills,values)

What level or form of learning is expected

ExampleStudents will be able to apply logical and ethical

principles to personal and social situations

What is to be learned?

Knowledge (what do students know?)the process by which a bill becomes a law

Skills (what can students do?)communicate findings to two different

audiences in written, oral, and visual formats

Attitudes (what do students believe and value?)

value exposure to diverse cultures as a part of their educational experience

Knowledge (Cognitive) Outcomes:Levels or Forms

Knowledge (e.g.,define,describe, identify, list, match,recall)

Comprehension (e.g., explain,paraphrase,summarize)

Application (e.g., apply, relate, use in new situations)

Analysis (e.g., compare/contrast, differentiate, analyze)

Synthesis (e.g., compose, create, design, produce)

Evaluation (e.g., assess, critique, defend, grade, judge, prioritize)

Skill (Behavioral) Outcomes

General DescriptionLearned observable behaviors

Contexts and Areas of ApplicationPerforming arts, professional programs,

technical/trade programs, athletics, etc.

Sample skillsOral & written communication; presentation;

interpersonal problem-solving; managerial, laboratory, music/art performance skills; critical thinking skills

Attitudinal (Affective) Outcomes

Categories (Krathwohl et al. 1964)

attitudes, beliefs, values, goals, expectations, interests, appreciation of…(person, object, goal, place)

Potential ProblemsCan’t be measured directly, often

inconsistent w/ behavior, disagreement over conceptual, operational definitions

BenefitsAn indication of the status, development

of values and beliefs

Sample Affective Outcomes Students…

…will value opportunities to learn through diverse experiences

..will appreciate the beauty of creation…will value the artistic dimensions of human

experience…will express confidence in and commitment to

their values (all of the above from Loras College)..will appreciate the value of exposure to those

from diverse cultures as a part of their formal educational experience

…will express confidence in their ability to……acknowledge that the College has helped them...

Guidelines for Evaluating Intended Learning Outcomes

Are they framed in terms of what students should know, do, and value or believe?

Are they characterized by clear and simple language? Action verbs?

Are the intended outcomes reasonable, achievable?

Are they assessable? by multiple methods? Is their consensual agreement among

colleagues concerning the outcomes? Are the outcomes important ones?

Concluding Remarks

Goals and Outcomes Need not Reflect Presentcan reflect hopes, future; serve as guide

Not all Actual Outcomes are the Intended or Expected Onesside effects & surprises can be informative

Any Progress is Better than Inertia or Regressiondon’t wait for “perfect” goals or objectives

SNC General Education Program:Area 1 (Upper and Lower Biennium)

Broad General Education goals• students will become more aware of the Judeo-Christian heritage, especially as

developed in the Catholic Christian tradition; …will recognize differences and similarities between their own and other Christian and non-Christian religions; …will identify their own moral and religious convictions; …will recognize the moral issues involved in making human choices; …will exercise their duties as citizens through responsible participation in the social, political, and economic processes of daily life

Area 1 Lower Biennium• students will develop a deeper understanding of the Catholic Christian

heritage and other religious traditions to help them clarify their values in the context of the Christian tradition

Area 1 Upper Biennium• students will become more aware of the Judeo-Christian heritage,

especially as developed in the Catholic Christian tradition, will recognize the diversity and similarities between their own and other Christian and non-Christian religions, and will be able to identify their own moral and religious convictions

Sample Learning Outcomes:Area 1

• …(context)…students will be able to recognize and articulate the values that underlie the Catholic Christian tradition

• …will be able to recognize and articulate the values underlying and affecting decisions, interpretations, analyses and evaluations made by themselves and others (Loras College, IA)

• …will be able to analyze their own values in efforts to respond to ethical dilemmas and offer solutions to moral problems (Loras College, IA)

• ..will demonstrate in their behavior their commitment to commonly accepted Judeo-Christian values

• …will be able to understand ethical principles and apply them to personal and social situations involving ethical dilemmas or moral problems

• …students’ appreciation of the values underlying the Catholic Christian tradition will be reflected in their attitudes and positions on major social issues

• …appreciate, understand, and evaluate historical, philosophical, and ideological foundations of human values (Shepherd College, WV)

More Sample Outcomes:Area 1

College of St. ScholasticaOutcome area: Social Responsibility

• The student will…– identify specific issues that call for socially

responsible action– understand and evaluate the complexity of

social justice– identify and evaluate differing points of view

on the issue of social responsibility– evaluate the moral and social obligations to

respond to injustice and to work for social change

SNC General Education Program:Areas 7 and 11

Broad General Education Goals• students will achieve an awareness of of the continuity and diversity of

human experience; will develop an awareness of the continuity of old and new, past and present, far and near; will become aware that heritages other than their own exist and become more familiar with the unique heritages of others

• students will understand that we share the world with people who have unique heritages of their own and that ours is not the only one

Area 7--Lower Biennium• students will develop a deeper understanding of the world’s

diverse heritages and peoples through a study of their languages, history, literature, and/or culture

Area 11--Upper Biennium• students will become aware of the relationships between the

developing and the more developed world, and of issues or themes of international significance

Sample Learning Outcomes:Areas 7 and 11

• students should demonstrate the ability (a) to compare and contrast the range of diversity and universality in human history, societies, and ways of life, (b) to analyze and understand the interconnectedness of global and local concerns, and (C) to operate with civility in a complex social world (IUPUI)

• Students will demonstrate the ability to...– Recognize multiple perspectives and appreciate perspectives which

produce a world view different from one’s own– Use another perspective to analyze current or historical, social, and

cultural events and practices (University of South Carolina)• The student will (a) identify challenges posed by living and working in a

multicultural nation and in a world community, (b) will comprehend how ethnicity, race, class, and gender have contributed to the shaping of personality and American cultures, and ( c) comprehend how the assumptions and values of other people provide a framework for making choices that can be valuable to the student’s own assumptions and values (College of St. Scholastica)

Sample Learning Outcomes:Areas 7 and 11

• students should demonstrate the ability (a) to compare and contrast the range of diversity and universality in human history, societies, and ways of life, (b) to analyze and understand the interconnectedness of global and local concerns, and (C) to operate with civility in a complex social world (IUPUI)

• Students will demonstrate the ability to...– Recognize multiple perspectives and appreciate perspectives which

produce a world view different from one’s own– Use another perspective to analyze current or historical, social, and

cultural events and practices (University of South Carolina)• The student will (a) identify challenges posed by living and working in a

multicultural nation and in a world community, (b) will comprehend how ethnicity, race, class, and gender have contributed to the shaping of personality and American cultures, and ( c) comprehend how the assumptions and values of other people provide a framework for making choices that can be valuable to the student’s own assumptions and values (College of St. Scholastica)

SNC General Education Program:Skills in Critical Thinking

College-Wide Goal(s) (SNC Catalog, p. 10,12)• In the intellectual realm…to make students self-

educating people…to develop in students the ability to synthesize knowledge from various sources, and to train students in the methods of scholarly inquiry

• …students should (learn) that the methods and data necessary to solve problems vary with the nature of the problem and sometimes must be newly invented…

Broad General Education Goals• …students should be able to integrate knowledge

from a variety of sources...

Samples Learning Outcomes: Critical Thinking

• Students will be able to clarify, analyze, evaluate and extend arguments

• Students will demonstrate the ability (a) to analyze complex issues and make informed decisions, (b) to synthesize information in order to arrive at reasoned conclusions, (C) to evaluate the logic, validity, and relevance of data, (d) to solve challenging problems, and (e) to use knowledge and understanding in order to generate and explore new questions (IUPUI)

• Students will be able to analyze logical connections among facts, goals, and implicit assumptions relevant to a given problem or claim, and to generate and evaluate the implications which follow from them (Loras College)

• Students will be able to differentiate arguments from evidence and to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the arguments and the evidence used to support competing positions on major issues