Minutes of the General Education Committee
for October 25, 2002

The Committee met at 1:00 in D135 MOLN. Members present were Lori Allen, Larry Duetsch, Jerry Greenfield, Steve Hawk, Fran Kavenik, Farida Khan, Megan Mullen, Sue Norton, and Skelly Warren. Pat Goldsmith, Lisa Johnson, Lisa White, and Evelyn Zepp were excused.

The Committee reviewed/discussed a draft proposal for a graduation requirement in global/non-western cultures. A number of minor changes to the document were suggested and noted by Professor Khan, who had advanced the draft. The proposal was unanimously recommended for Senate approval.

Members of the Academic Achievement Assessment Committee (Bill Blanchard, Karen Crooker, Mary Lenard, and Mary Kay Schleiter) joined the meeting for discussion of next steps in assessing the general education curriculum.

The group readily agreed that a comprehensive assessment plan should be carried out that goes beyond the distribution courses. Survey data gathered from the instructors of distribution courses can be used to identify samples of work product that are deemed to be above-average, average, and below-average. It was agreed that an examination of work products (i.e., learning outcomes) from general education distribution courses is useful and should be expanded, but cannot be relied upon as the sole evidence for assessment of general education learning outcomes among our graduates.

Because the academic majors are expected to reinforce the goals/objectives of general education, Professor Norton (the Director of Assessment) and the deans are setting out this year to examine ten academic programs (and a like number each year on an ongoing basis) to determine the degree to which evidence gathered in carrying out departmental assessment plans is indicative of general education learning outcomes among graduates. Whenever a correspondence is found between learning outcomes in the major and in general education, the departments will be asked to provide samples of relevant work they deem to be above-average, average, and below-average for graduating seniors.

Together with work samples gathered from distribution courses, the samples for graduating seniors will provide more comprehensive evidence concerning learning outcomes for our general education program. It was agreed that evidence of both kinds should be gathered (by the directors of assessment and general education) during the course of the current academic year.

The meeting adjourned at 2:30.