California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) is strengthening the quality of the general education program.
For the first time, in order to be certified or recertified as a general education course faculty and staff will need to outline how well courses meet specific student learning outcomes. The outcomes, highlighted in general education policy 08-00 approved by the Academic Senate in the fall, calls for courses to provide students with various skills including written and oral communication, critical thinking, global competencies, ethical reasoning, social responsibility, information literacy and technology literacy.
“General education is moving to an assessment-based process. In the past, the procedure for recertification was not very clear. The process became a checklist approach,” said Keith Freesemann, chair of the General Education Governing Committee, which is leading the restructuring effort along with General Education Coordinator Lisa Maxfield. “Now we will be looking at assessment data. We don’t want to know how many students received As and Bs. We want to know how well students attained the student learning outcomes. What did professors learn from the assessment of their courses and how will they be modifying them to improve student learning.”
The restructure was prompted in part by comments from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) following the university’s last accreditation visit. The WASC Committee reported that CSULB did not have clear communication and oversight of the general education program.
As a result, work is also underway on a Web site that will provide the list of general education courses, the general education policy and information and documents needed for recertification. In addition, it will help students understand general education requirements and the value of taking general education classes.
If you have questions regarding general education or would like information about workshops, web-based tutorials and other resources being developed to assist and mentor faculty in course level assessment, please contact Keith Freesemann or Lisa Maxfield.