Frequently Asked Questions About General Education Assessment

1. Assessment can provide important feedback to faculty to inform teaching practices and drive improvements to the General Education curriculum.
2. Assessment supports, highlights, and celebrates ongoing and creative instructional practices.
3. Assessment can bring together faculty from various disciplines using a common language to discuss the General Education program.
4. Assessment addresses demands for accountability and transparency from legislators, SCHEV, accrediting agencies, and parents.

The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) mandates that each institution assesses student achievement in at least six competency areas, representing several different types of knowledge and/or skills. All institutions will assess four core competencies (Approved by Council Action, July 18, 2017)

1) Critical Thinking

2) Written Communication

3) Quantitative Reasoning

4) Civic Engagement

The institutions themselves will select two competencies. Virginia State University (VSU) has identified two reflecting our institutional student learning priorities. The faculty chose the below competencies from the General Education-SCHEV survey administered on April 19, 2018.

5) Global Cultural Literacy

6) Scientific Literacy

Expectations for achievement in all six competencies shall be articulated as institution-level outcomes for competencies developed through general education. Learn more about the six competencies and their associated learning outcomes.

Virginia State University assesses student learning at three different levels: Institution, Program, and Course.

INSTITUTION-LEVEL ASSESSMENT measures what students will know or be able to do after completing a General Education course. The Institutional Level Student Learning Outcomes (ILSLOs) represent the educational values of the General Education curriculum and pertain to all students.

PROGRAM-LEVEL ASSESSMENT measures the specific knowledge and skills students can expect to attain upon completing their degree.

COURSE-LEVEL ASSESSMENT measures what students will know or be able to do by the end of a course. Courses with multiple sections should have the same student learning outcomes.

General education assessment takes place at the institution and course levels.

Institution-Level General Education Assessment assesses the six competency areas within a six-year period. Two competencies will be formally assessed each year. The data will be collected during the fall semester using course-embedded assessment for the year in which the two given competencies will be assessed. The General Education Assessment Committee will be responsible for scoring, analyzing and reporting the data to SCHEV and the University.

Course-Level General Education Assessment takes place yearly and should be done every semester. It addresses how well students in your course or courses meet student learning outcomes. The faculty member is responsible for measuring, scoring, analyzing, and reporting the data through Nuventive.

All faculty who teach a general education course at VSU.

Assessment is not an evaluation of your teaching. Assessment gathers data on what students do (what is learned) not on what instructors do (what is taught). 

The committee will determine the sample size of student work to review from the total number of assignments submitted for each competency. Members of the Gen Ed assessment committee will score the student assignments using the General Education Rubric modified from the AAC&U Value Rubrics. The data will be analyzed, interpreted, and shared for feedback to Faculty with Gen Ed courses. The committee will also review the alignment of courses with student learning outcomes and evaluate the overall effectiveness of the Gen Ed program in meeting its stated goals. A final report will be written and submitted to SCHEV and the University. Gen Ed faculty instructors, and their departments should review the results and develop action steps as needed to enhance student learning.