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General Education

A vibrant and thriving General Education program is the foundation for student success at UW-Green Bay. Since assessment is the hallmark of the health of our programs, we consider assessment foundational to the creation, design, pedagogy and implementation of every course that we offer. Our assessment of General Education courses ensures that students are meeting the benchmarks for student learning outcomes.

General Education Assessment Dashboard

General Education Assessment at UW-Green Bay has five main goals:

  1. Make the assessment process meaningful and useful to all stakeholders, including students, faculty, administration and the public.
  2. Make the process of assessment as streamlined as possible for those involved.
  3. Engage faculty in the process to help support a culture of assessment on our campus. Inform students about course assessment to engage them in their learning.
  4. Use assessment data to make evidence-based decisions about curricular and programmatic revisions and provide public access to this information to promote transparency.
  5. Use assessment data at the program/unit level to ensure continuous improvement.


What is the process by which General Education is assessed?

From 2014-2017, General Education was assessed on a staggered, rotating basis with at least two General Education categories assessed per year (for example, Humanities and Natural Sciences). Each outcome was assessed for two consecutive years, with two new outcomes rotated in each year.

Below are the assessment rotation cycles from 2014-2017.


2014-2015:
  • Quantitative Literacy
  • Sustainability
2015-2016:
  • Social Sciences
  • First Year Seminar
  • Quantitative Literacy
  • Sustainability
2016-2017:
  • Humanities
  • Ethnic Studies
  • Social Sciences
  • First Year Seminar
  • Quantitative Literacy (if needed)
  • Sustainability (if needed)
2017-2018
  • Natural and Biological Sciences
  • Global Culture
  • Humanities
  • Ethnic Studies

2018-2019: Merger with Marinette, Manitowoc and Sheboygan campuses. Curriculum mapping in lieu of General Education assessment occurred.

2019-2020: Review and revision of programmatic/unit Learning Outcomes in each College.

2020-2021: Hiring of a new Assessment Coordinator, the creation of a new University Assessment Committee and a baseline assessment of all General Education courses resumed in spring of 2021.

2021-Beyond: Learning outcomes will be assessed in each of the four colleges (College of Science, Engineering and Technology or CSET, College of Heath, Education, and Social Work or CHESW, College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences or CAHSS, and the Austin E. Cofrin School of Business or CSOB) on a staggered, rotating schedule. Each program in each College will engage in a three-year cycle of assessment, with the first year as the baseline, the second for implementation of an intervention, and the third to re-assess.

Assessment tools for each outcome have been developed by faculty working groups. The University Assessment Committee will assess the current assessment tools for each outcome and determine if they need revision. If so, a faculty working group will be created, consisting of faculty from all disciplines who are engaged in General Education pedagogy and assessment, and the tools will be revised. Assessment tools may take the form of inventories, prompts, or other means deemed appropriate by the working group. Working groups will establish performance benchmarks for each tool as a part of the development process.

What is the assessment cycle and schedule?

General Education and Institutional Assessment Cycle (Year One is doing the baseline, Year Two is creating an intervention and Year Three is re-assessing):

2021-2022: CSET baseline
2022-2023: CHESW and CSOB baseline; CSET creating an intervention
2023-2024: I/2 CAHSS baseline, CHESW & CSOB creating an intervention; CSET reassessing
2024-2025: 1/2 CAHSS baseline, ½ CAHSS creating an intervention; CHESW & CSOB reassessing; CSET new cycle
2025-2026: CHESW & CSOB new cycle; 1/2 CAHSS reassessing; I/2 CAHSS creating an intervention; CSET creating an intervention
2026-2027: 1/2 CHASS new cycle; 1/2 CHASS reassessing; CSET reassessing; CHESW & CBOB creating an intervention

Assessment Schedule for 2021-2022
DateTask/Activity
September 1, 2021Assessment results from Spring of 2021 disseminated to program/unit chairs/programmatic assessment committees
September - OctoberDiscuss 2021 – 2022 focus of assessment with area
October 15Complete the Assessment Plan and submit to UAC
December 1UAC will contact program/unit chairs/ programmatic assessment committee with feedback
January 2022Program chair/department assessment committee receives data from fall assessment.
January- February-March -AprilUpdate UWGB Assessment Coordinator/ UAC on assessment activities, if applicable
MayFinish assessment activities for the year
June 30Final Report to UAC
July-AugustUAC reviews reports
September 1, 2022UAC provides feedback to program/unit chairs/assessment committees on Assessment Reports

Assessment data and results will be provided to the University Assessment Committee to review and forward to the General Education Council (GEC) by the beginning of the following academic year. The GEC will use the data to evaluate the degree to which benchmarks are met. This information will inform continual revision of the General Education Program, and may take the form of expanding or changing the courses offered, providing targeted faculty development through the Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning, or other revisions suggested by the results of the assessment.


What will the assessment data tell us?

The data will tell us if students are meeting benchmarks that are set for each of the student learning outcomes. The data will also tell us if the student learning outcomes are appropriately written for the goals of the Gen Ed plan. Additionally, it will reflect whether a given course is covering content or skills needed for it to successfully be included in the Gen Ed program.

What are the benchmarks for the Student Learning Outcomes?

We have set an overall benchmark goal of 85% of or each learning outcome. A student who receives an accomplished, or competent, mark for assessment 75% of the time is considered to meet that learning outcome. This means that our goal is for 85% of our students to meet the standard benchmark 75% or more of the time.

How can we assure the data is meaningful and useful?

The Assessment Working Groups will norm assessment tools and methods to ensure that they both provide reliable data, and that they are appropriately written for use by faculty. All Gen Ed learning outcomes will be continually assessed. The Working Groups will ask for faculty feedback on the assessment tools and methods so they may fine - tuned to best meet the needs of both the faculty who are doing the assessment and the GEC.

Which courses and how many will be assessed each year?

Prior to 2018, the Director of Institutional Research selected courses in each of the areas being assessed in a given year. For areas in which students needed to fulfill 3 Gen Ed credits, we assessed three courses per semester (180 students per year), while in those areas that required 6 Gen Ed credits, we assessed five courses per semester (300 students per year). The courses were selected to include different delivery types and sizes. No courses were assessed from 2018-2020. In the spring of 2021, all General Education courses were assessed to provide a baseline.

Starting in 2021-2022, all of the General Education courses in each of the Colleges will be assessed on a rotating basis, with the programs in the Colleges engaging in a three-year cycle of assessment. Each instructor is asked to assess a total of one course per semester, but may choose to pick a non-Gen Ed course at his/her/their own discretion

How will faculty be involved in the process and why is it important?

The faculty will be involved in two ways. First, all faculty are asked to engage in assessment each semester. At the beginning of each semester, faculty teaching General Ed courses will receive an email with all of the details of the assessment they’re being asked to perform, including information about the expectations. Second, faculty have the opportunity to be a part of the Assessment Working Groups, which will be comprised of faculty from different disciplines. The Working Groups will work in summer and spring to create common assessment tools or methods for each of the areas of the Gen Ed program. They will then work with resulting data and feedback to norm the tools and to make suggestions to the GEC.


Benchmark Assessment Results

2020-2021: A new Assessment Coordinator was hired and a new University Assessment Committee created. A baseline assessment of all General Education courses resumed in spring of 2021.

Responses By College
CollegeCompletedDid Not CompleteGrand Total
CAHSS32.0%
47
68.0%
100
100.0%
147
CHESW31.6%
6
68.4%
13
100.0%
19
CSB6.3%
1
93.8%
15
100.0%
16
CSET33.3%
20
66.6%
40
100.0%
60
Grand Total30.6%
74
69.4%
168
100.0%
242


CollegeOutcomeHigh Proficiency/ProficiencyLow Proficiency / No/Limited Proficiency
CAHSSFine Arts 178% (43/55)22% (12/55)

Fine Arts 276% (51/67)24% (16/67)

Global Cultures 190% (90/100)10% (10/100)

Global Cultures 284% (57/68)16% (11/68)

Humanities 179% (249/314)21% (65/314)

Humanities 265% (48/74)35% (26/74)

Quantitative Literacy 268% (34/50)32% (16/50)

Social Science 175% (112/150)25% (38/150)

Social Science 277% (367/476)23% (109/476)
CHESWEthnic Studies 280% (33/41)20% (8/41)

Global Cultures 290% (45/50)10% (5/50)

Social Science 286% (30/35)14% (5/35)
CSBQuantitative Literacy 259% (16/27)41% (11/27)
CSETBiological Sciences 173% (54/74)27% (20/74)

Biological Sciences 260% (31/52)40% (21/52)

Ethnic Studies 188% (70/80)12% (10/80)

Natural Sciences 181% (202/248)19% (46/248)

Quantitative Literacy 181% (88/109)19% (21/109)

Quantitative Literacy 284% (27/32)16% (5/32)


2019-2020: In lieu of General Education assessment, all programs were directed to revisit and potentially revise all programmatic and unitary Learning Outcomes to ensure that they are measurable and following best practices in the discipline. No benchmark results.

2018-2019: Due to the Merger with the Two-Year Campuses of UW-Sheboygan, UW-Marinette, and UW-Manitowoc, all programs underwent curriculum mapping in lieu of General Education assessment to inventory curricular offerings. No benchmark results

2017-2018:

2016-2017:

2015-2016:

2014-2015:

If you have questions about General Education Assessment at UWGB, please contact Dr. Valerie Murrenus Pilmaier, the Assessment Coordinator at murrenuv@uwgb.edu or the University Assessment Committee at uac@uwgb.edu