2019-20

In 2019-20, the members of the General Education Professional Learning Community (GEPLC) focused on General Education Learning Outcome 1 (GELO 1). The GEPLC requested work samples from all First Year Seminars and any General Education courses aligned to the Quantitative Literacy Undergraduate Learning Outcome. Based upon the work samples provided, the GEPLC recognized a need to refine the Foundational Skills rubric used to assess GELO 1 and engaged in an intensive effort to do so.

2019-20 GEPLC report

Revised Foundational Skills rubric

PLC update (slides from 09/18/202 kickoff meeting)

2020-21

In 2020-21, the members of the General Education Professional Learning Community (GEPLC) are assessing General Education Learning Outcome 1: Intellectual Foundations and Breadth of Exposure. This outcome aligns to Quantitative Literacy and Written Communication. For more information about assessment of Undergraduate Learning Outcomes, visit WOU’s Academic Effectiveness site.

Instructors who participate in this year’s assessment activities will help us understand how the General Education Program is working for students. We want to see if students are getting opportunities to learn and do the things identified in the General Education Learning Outcomes and also if the underlying rubrics are effective in representing those opportunities. Use of submitted assignments by the Professional Learning Community is focused on assessment of the program as a whole and on how assignments align to General Education Learning Outcomes. The GEPLC will not be evaluating individual assignment quality or individual instructors and courses.

In 2020-21, we are asking allFirst Year Seminar Instructors to provide work samples. We are also inviting any instructor teaching a course aligned to General Education Learning Outcome 1 (GELO 1) to consider submitting a work sample as well. These work samples will be assessed using the Foundational Skills rubric updated by the 2019-20 GEPLC.

Evidence collected by the PLC from each course includes:

1) A signature assignment (an essay, activity, portfolio, performance, exam question(s), or other activity that provides students the opportunity to demonstrate achievement of a learning outcome). For First Year Seminars, this assignment should align to at least one feature of the Foundational Skills, Written Communication or Quantitative Literacy rubrics. For other General Education courses that emphasize Quantitative Literacy as the primary ULO, this signature assignment should address at least two features of the Quantitative Literacy rubric at a level of two or higher. The signature assignment includes instructor provided context for how the assignment aligns to the selected feature within.

2) A typical piece of student work. For our purposes, “typical” is the equivalent to “mode,” or a work sample that you think represents or captures how most students in the course performed on the assignment.

3) A brief summary of the student results. We are requesting a brief overview of the trends and patterns of how students perform on the assignment, e.g. the percentage achieving the desired level of rubric performance or higher.

Sample assessment context narrative and summary of student results

Courses that are coordinated and use a standard signature assignment in all sections need only submit one assignment example and typical piece of student work, but we would hope to get an overview of student trends that encompasses all sections, if possible. Courses that are taught multiple times per year (including FYS topics) need only submit once, but please provide an overview of student trends for the year if possible.

Submissions from Fall 2020 courses should be submitted by December 31, 2020.  If you can submit earlier, it would be much appreciated by the Professional Learning Communities.

If you would like the PLC to provide you with feedback, there will be an option to request that at the end of the submission form. The feedback will consist of a numerical overview of the PLC’s review of the target features they identify in your signature assignment and student work sample. While you will not receive narrative feedback, you can connect the numerical feedback to the overview of trends that will ultimately be provided in the PLC report.