Assessment
General Education AssessmentGeneral Education Assessment
The assessment of General Education is overseen by the Standing Joint Committee on General Education Assessment and is conducted in partnership between OPAIR and the Office for General Education. For more information, refer to the reports produced from this partnership.
General Education Reports
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.
General Education Assessment
Each year, the General Education assessment is focused on at least two domains or learning objectives. Instructors teaching General Education courses aligned with these objectives during the assessment cycle are asked to participate in this study.
Fall Course Instructors: Check your email on September 6th for your instructions.
Spring Course Instructors: Check your email in mid January for your instructions.
Rubrics
Penn State evaluates General Education using two sets of rubrics created by its faculty: one for the broad program Learning Objectives and another for the specific Foundations and Domains categories aligned with student requirements. For more information on these aspects, visit the General Education Learning Objectives and Foundations and Knowledge Domains webpages.
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Learning Objective Rubrics |
Foundations and Domains Rubrics |
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, so 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. Invited instructors may elect not to participate, but doing so abdicates that shared responsibility.
Which of my courses should I assess?
You only need to assess one section of one course. Fall course instructors will receive their invite on August 31; spring instructors will receive theirs on January 23. Your invitation will specify the domain or learning objective and the course selected for participation. If you have multiple sections of the selected course, please choose the section that is most convenient to you by virtue of your course structure or enrollments.
Why does my course have this particular General Education Learning Objective?
When a course is proposed (or recertified) as a General Education course, 2-4 General Education Learning Objectives must be selected. The proposal requires justification and examples of how the course will meet the selected objectives. 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 Learning Objective may be assessed, but these are only suggestions; it is not required that you do it that way. You can also easily look your courses up via the Undergraduate Bulletin. Once you have found your course, scroll down to see the various attributes or endorsements listed there.
I misplaced my email invitation, how do I participate?
Reach out to the Office of Planning, Assessment, and Institutional Research at assessment@psu.edu for this information.
When is the deadline?
The study period is the spring and fall semester, and you can submit your rubric scores at any time up to June 18 – as soon as you have scores, we will accept them!
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 work hard to make your participation as easy as possible.
Still have questions?
Contact the Assistant Vice Provost for Assessment, Betty Harper (bjh17@psu.edu) or the Assistant Dean for General Education, Maggie Slattery (mjs436@psu.edu).