Assessment
Natural SciencesNatural Sciences Resources
There are two resources available for your use in this study. Both can be downloaded below. Detailed, step-by-step instructions are also provided in the drop-down box below.
Natural Sciences Rubric (opens in new browser – must save and rename to use/edit)
Natural Sciences Data Spreadsheet (downloads to computer – must save and rename to use/edit)
Study Timeline
We recommend participants submit their results as soon as the selected assignment is completed and assessed or by the end of semester for the given course. This study runs during the fall 2024 and spring 2025 semesters. All submissions must be completed by Sunday, June 15, 2025.
Gen Ed Assessment Office Hours (New!!!)
Have questions about this year’s Gen Ed Assessment process? Join our virtual office hours every Tuesday and Wednesday (12:00pm – 1:00pm ET) for real-time answers! Click here to join on Zoom.
Study Links
Detailed, step-by-step instructions are also provided in the drop-down box below.
Check your psu.edu email account for a link to the survey or email us at assessment@psu.edu for a new survey link.
Click here if you would like to download a Word copy of the data submission questions before entering them in the online form.
DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS
Step 1. Choosing an Assignment
Since your course is aligned with the General Education Natural Sciences Knowledge Domain, it should already include activities or assignments that promote and develop these skills. Most important of all, the assignment(s) you select for the purposes of this assessment study should ask students to demonstrate what they have learned about the Natural Sciences.
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- It is best practice to use an already existing assignment rather than create a new one solely for the purpose of the assessment study.
- When choosing from available assignments, assignments that are more valuable in a student’s overall grade are typically better as students take them more seriously. This leads to a more authentic demonstration of their skills. If possible, we advise you to choose assignments worth at least 10% of a student’s grade.
- Culminating assignments such as final projects, presentations, papers, pieces, etc. are typically the best. Still, you should use the assignment best aligned with the Natural Sciences Knowledge Domain, which will provide students with an opportunity to show their abilities.
- There may not be a single assignment in your course that addresses each criterion of this rubric, and that is okay. In that case, you may use different assignments for each criterion in order to ensure that students are evaluated on all applicable Natural Sciences criteria.
Step 2. Applying the Rubric
The Natural Sciences rubric was designed by Penn State faculty to be true to the senate established criteria across sub-disciplinary areas. These areas include:
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- SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY – Explain the methods of inquiry in the natural science fields and describe how their contributions complement inquiry in other areas.
- EXPLANATIONS – Construct evidence-based explanations of natural phenomena.
- SCIENTIFIC CLAIMS – Demonstrate informed understandings of scientific claims and their applications.
- METHODS, DATA, AND INFERENCES – Evaluate the quality of the data, methods, and inferences used to generate scientific knowledge.
- IMPLICATIONS – Identify societal or philosophical implications of discoveries in the natural sciences, as well as their potential to address contemporary problems.
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Please select at least 2 of the 5 criteria, that best align with your course, to evaluate. Each of these criteria should be individually evaluated on a simple four-point scale:
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- Not Demonstrated– Inadequate, superficial, ineffective, inappropriate, includes multiple errors
- Developing – Somewhat inadequate, superficial, somewhat effective, sometimes appropriate, includes some errors
- Satisfactory – Mostly adequate, relevant, mostly effective, mostly appropriate, few errors
- Exemplary – Beyond adequate, comprehensive, very effective, appropriate, virtually error-free
In the example marked-up rubric above, the student’s work has been assessed as Satisfactory on SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY, Exemplary on EXPLANATIONS, and Developing on SCIENTIFIC CLAIMS. This would result in that student receiving scores of 2, 3, and 1, respectively (for the criteria shown above).
Instructors of fewer than 20 students are expected to complete an assessment for each student. Instructors with more than 20 students may 1) assess all students or 2) assess a random sample of at least 20 students or 10% of the total course enrollment – whichever is larger.
Step 3. Using the Spreadsheet
We encourage you to use the provided spreadsheet to track individual student scores on the rubric. If you do so, the spreadsheet will do the necessary calculations for you. If you do not have any assignments that address a specific criterion, you should leave that column blank when entering your data in the spreadsheet.
In the screenshot below, the scores from the marked-up rubric above have been entered into the provided spreadsheet. You can repeat this process for all the student work you plan to evaluate for the assessment study. Leave the columns blank for any criteria not being evaluated.
Step 4. Submitting Your Scores
Submitting your rubric scores is quick and easy. First, go to the spreadsheet tab labeled “Aggregate Totals” (the third tab from the right at the bottom of the spreadsheet).
Once you have navigated to the “Aggregate Totals” tab, you will see a table that looks like the screenshot below. Take the numbers there and enter them into the online form. You can access the online form via the link you received in your email or click here.
Once you have entered your rubric scores into the online form and completed a few additional questions, your work is complete!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Is participation mandatory?
Participation in the study, in the strictest sense, is not mandatory, but it is probably not appropriate to consider it elective either. Penn State faculty own the General Education curriculum and its delivery, and assessment of General Education is a requirement supported by the Faculty Senate and by our accreditors. In other words, we have an obligation as an institution to engage in the assessment of Gen Ed, and this study is one of the ways Penn State does so. You can elect not to participate but doing so abdicates that shared responsibility.
Which of my courses is a Natural Sciences course?
If you are teaching a Natural Sciences course in fall 2024 or spring 2025, you are invited to participate in this study. Fall course instructors will receive their invite on August 28, 2024; spring instructors will receive theirs in January 2025. Your invitation will name the specific course to use. The course attributes can also be found in the Undergraduate Bulletin. Once you have found your course, scroll down to see the various attributes or endorsements listed there.
Why does my course have this particular General Education Knowledge Domain?
When a course is proposed (or recertified) as a General Education course, at least one General Education Knowledge Domain must be selected. The proposal requires justification and examples of how the course will meet at least 3 of the 5 Domain criteria. Curricular proposals are available in the Curriculum Archives if you would like to look at the course proposal and better understand the intentions when the course was proposed. The course proposal does provide examples of how the Knowledge Domain may be assessed, but it is only a suggestion, it is not required that you do it that way.
I’m teaching multiple Natural Sciences courses – which do I use?
Your invitation will specify the course selected for participation. You are not expected to apply the rubric in multiple courses. If you teach multiple sections of the selected course, please select whichever is most convenient to you by virtue of your course structure or enrollment. If in doubt, we recommend selecting the largest section. You need only to assess one section of one course.
I have misplaced my email invitation and I teach a course or multiple courses that meet requirements for both Gen Ed assessment studies – how do I know which study I’ve been invited to participate in?
You can reach out to the Office of Planning, Assessment, and Institutional Research at assessment@psu.edu for this information.
The assignment I want to use happens late in the semester. Can I still participate?
We encourage instructors to select culminating assignments taught near the end of the semester. The submission deadline is June 15, 2025. You can submit your scores anytime up until the deadline.
All my assignments are multiple-choice. How do I apply the rubric?
Please reach out to assessment@psu.edu to discuss your options for participation.
Can instructors include details of their participation in General Education Assessment in their Faculty Activity Report (FAR)?
Yes, instructors who participate in General Education Assessment are encouraged to include details of their involvement in their FAR. This information can help highlight their contributions and engagement in assessment activities that support University programs.
Are we being compensated for participating?
Unfortunately, we have no funding to provide at this time, though we acknowledge and understand that this may impact your participation. With this in mind, we worked hard to make your participation as easy as possible.