Student and Faculty Perceptions of Goal
Achievement in General Education Courses
C. “Griff” GriffinDirector, General Education
Grand Valley State University, Michigan
OVERVIEWOVERVIEW
Assessment of General Education ProgramsAssessment of General Education Programs
Assessing GVSU’s General Education Assessing GVSU’s General Education ProgramProgram
Objectives AuditObjectives Audit (survey) (survey)
ResultsResults
Reporting the ResultsReporting the Results
1. ASSESSING GE 1. ASSESSING GE
What do you assess?What do you assess?
1. Student Learning Outcomes1. Student Learning Outcomes• All the goals, all the time, in all classesAll the goals, all the time, in all classes• All the goals, over a couple years, in each All the goals, over a couple years, in each
classclass• Some of the goals in selected classesSome of the goals in selected classes
2. Satisfaction2. Satisfaction
3. Program assessment3. Program assessment
Whom do you assess?Whom do you assess?
• CensusCensus• SampleSample
RandomRandom
VolunteerVolunteer
StratifiedStratified
What do you assess?What do you assess?
• All the goals, all the time, embeddedAll the goals, all the time, embedded• All the goals, over a couple years, in All the goals, over a couple years, in
each classeach class• Some of the goals in selected classesSome of the goals in selected classes
When do you assess GE?When do you assess GE?
• Just before graduationJust before graduation• In the courseIn the course• Some other timeSome other time
What kind of measures do you What kind of measures do you use?use?
• Direct –they Direct –they LEARNEDLEARNED it it
• Indirect – they Indirect – they SAYSAY they learned it they learned it
2. GVSU GENERAL EDUCATION 2. GVSU GENERAL EDUCATION PROGRAMPROGRAM
Grand Valley State UniversityGrand Valley State University
• 24,000 students in Grand Rapids, MI24,000 students in Grand Rapids, MI• 3 main campuses3 main campuses• Liberal education missionLiberal education mission• Upcoming accreditation in Fall 2008Upcoming accreditation in Fall 2008
General Education Program (280 courses)General Education Program (280 courses)
1.1. FoundationsFoundations – take 8 courses– take 8 courses (100/200 level)(100/200 level)
2. 2. CulturesCultures – take 2 courses – take 2 courses (200-400 level)(200-400 level)
3. 3. ThemesThemes – take 3 courses – take 3 courses(300-400 level)(300-400 level)
Some courses count in more than one category.Some courses count in more than one category.
Assessment ChoicesAssessment Choices
1.1. Direct MeasuresDirect Measures – CLA test, in – CLA test, in class measures class measures
2.2. Indirect MeasuresIndirect Measures – NSSE, CIRP, – NSSE, CIRP, CSS, CSS, locally developed surveyslocally developed surveys
3. OBJECTIVES AUDIT 3. OBJECTIVES AUDIT (PERCEPTION SURVEY)(PERCEPTION SURVEY)
Skills GoalsSkills Goals1.1. creative and critical thinkingcreative and critical thinking2.2. articulate expression through effective articulate expression through effective
speaking and writingspeaking and writing3.3. information literacy information literacy 4.4. integrate different areas of knowledge and integrate different areas of knowledge and
view ideas from multiple perspectives.view ideas from multiple perspectives.
All classes must do 1-3, Themes must do 1-4.All classes must do 1-3, Themes must do 1-4.Foundations and Cultures need to do speaking … Foundations and Cultures need to do speaking …
OR …writingOR …writing
Content Goals
Each Foundation, Culture, and Theme subcategory have unique content
goals
Content Goals(3-10 goals)
+Skills Goals (4-5 goals)
=7 to 15 goals
Why do an objectives audit?Why do an objectives audit?
• AdvantagesAdvantages• QuickQuick• Perception mattersPerception matters
• DisadvantagesDisadvantages– IndirectIndirect– Bias – which way???Bias – which way???
How do you administer it?How do you administer it?
• PaperPaperCensus = high return rateCensus = high return rate
• ElectronicElectronicDoesn’t use class timeDoesn’t use class time
Conscious effort to find itConscious effort to find it
• Just students, just Just students, just faculty, faculty, bothboth, either?, either?
• Is it required?Is it required?– If If volunteersvolunteers, is that ok? , is that ok? – Is it random?Is it random?
Who should complete Who should complete the audit?the audit?
The surveyThe survey
How well did this course achieve the How well did this course achieve the following goals:following goals:
The response choices are: The response choices are: strongly agreestrongly agreeagreeagreenot surenot suredisagreedisagreestrongly disagreestrongly disagree
4. RESULTS4. RESULTS
• Timing - End of Fall 2006Timing - End of Fall 2006– before finalsbefore finals– before on-line course evaluationsbefore on-line course evaluations– On-line for 10 daysOn-line for 10 days
• Participation Participation – 99 courses (45%)99 courses (45%)– 193 sections (23%)193 sections (23%)
CLASS SIZE
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
20 40 60 80 100 120 140
Fre
qu
ency
Average=35
Student Response Rate
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Min Mean Max
ALL SKILLS AND CONTENT GOALS
90%
75%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Min Mean Mode Max
Str
on
gly
Ag
ree
+ A
gre
e
Faculty Student
Mean Score for Goals
87% 91%
71% 75%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Skills Goals Content GoalsStr
on
gly
Ag
ree
+ A
gre
e
Faculty Student
219
95%
79%91%
82%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
1
Str
on
gly
Ag
ree
+ A
gre
e
Critical Think - Faculty Critical Think - Student
Integration - Faculty Integration - Student
COMMUNICATION
77%
58%
85%
56%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
1
Str
on
gly
Ag
ree
+ A
gre
e
Speaking - Faculty Speaking - Student
Writing - Faculty Writing - Student
86%80%
73%
57%
0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
100%
1
Str
on
gly
Ag
ree
+ A
gre
e
Info. lit. - Faculty Info. lit. - Student
Ethics - Faculty Ethics - Student
Math Foundation Goals
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
1
Str
on
gly
Ag
ree
+ A
gre
e
X Faculty X Student
Y Faculty Y Student
Z Faculty Z Student
A Theme Goal
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Faculty (N=1) Student (n=50)
INTRO. TO XYZ AS A WAY OF KNOWING
94
77
0102030405060708090
100
Faculty Student
Str
on
gly
Ag
ree
+ A
gre
e
5. REPORTING THE 5. REPORTING THE RESULTSRESULTS
• What’s the What’s the purpose of the purpose of the objectives audit?objectives audit? It affects the It affects the reports!reports!– AccreditationAccreditation– ImprovementImprovement– BothBoth
• Who do we give Who do we give the results the results to? to? – faculty who faculty who
participatedparticipated– all faculty all faculty –
administrationadministration– studentsstudents– otherother
• What do we report?What do we report? aggregate to the University communityaggregate to the University community disaggregate to college?disaggregate to college? disaggregate to department (just them or disaggregate to department (just them or
everyone sees it)?everyone sees it)? disaggregate to individual faculty (just them or disaggregate to individual faculty (just them or
can the department see it)?can the department see it)?
• What is success?What is success?
– 70%, 80%, 90%, 70%, 80%, 90%, 100%? 100%?
– Is it different Is it different depending on the depending on the course level?course level?
– Is it different for Is it different for skills than for skills than for content goals?content goals?
Mean Score for Goals
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Skill Content
Str
on
gly
Ag
ree
+ A
gre
e
Faculty
Student
Mean Score for Goals
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Skill Content
Str
on
gly
Ag
ree
+ A
gre
e
Faculty
Student
• Why aren’t we Why aren’t we achieving all the achieving all the goals (or as well goals (or as well as we want)?as we want)?– We’re not teaching We’re not teaching
it wellit well– We are teaching it We are teaching it
but students don’t but students don’t know itknow it
– We’re not teaching We’re not teaching it so students aren’t it so students aren’t learning it (why??)learning it (why??)
• How do we fix How do we fix the problem?the problem?
– Start teaching itStart teaching it– Teach it betterTeach it better– Tell the students Tell the students
they’re learning itthey’re learning it– Remove the goalRemove the goal
CONCLUSIONSCONCLUSIONS
1.1. Getting student Getting student perceptions can perceptions can be easy and be easy and response rates response rates can be high (45%)can be high (45%)
2.2. Surveys can give Surveys can give you valuable you valuable informationinformation
3. Student (75%) and 3. Student (75%) and faculty (90%) faculty (90%) perception is that perception is that we are achieving we are achieving our goals our goals
4. There are areas 4. There are areas for improvementfor improvement
5. Reporting will be 5. Reporting will be challenging.challenging.
For more information: [email protected]/gened
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