GE Minutes 4-22-2011

Snow College Ad Hoc General Education Assessment Committee
April 22, 2011
In attendance: Lisa Anderson, Tracie Bradley, Kim Christison, Mel Jacobsen, Clinton King, Jeff Carney (chair), Beckie Hermansen (ex officio), Gary Smith (ex officio), Rick White (ex-officio)

MEMBERSHIP CHANGE

Tracie Bradley will permanently replace Lynn Poulson as the Social and Behavioral Science Division representative.

POLICY CLARIFICATION

Between this committee's last meeting and this one, the Snow College Curriculum Committee (of which Chair Carney is a member) discussed the widespread perception that the existence of a GE Assessment Committee might result in unwelcome changes to the GE Distribution Requirements. The Curriculum Committee speculated
that this perception might lead to reluctance on the part of some faculty members and even some departments to participate fully in the assessment process. To forestall these concerns, the Curriculum Committee enacted a
two-year moratorium on changes to the GE Distribution Requirements. In an email, Jeff reported this moratorium to this committee. Soon thereafter, Vice President Smith pointed out that such a moratorium could not stand because it was contrary to the spirit of outcomes assessment, which must reserve the possibility of improving any weakness exposed by the process, including the GE Distribution Requirements. When the Curriculum Committee met again, the policy was revised to read as follows: The Curriculum Committee will change General Education course distribution requirements only under the following conditions:
1. when emergent circumstances leave little or no alternative (e.g., when the State Board of Regents mandates such a change); or
2.1 significant, reliable data indicate that such a change is consistent with the role and mission of the college and will improve the educational experience of Snow College students;.2 the faculty at large, and any interested members of the college administration, have had at least two weeks, during a Fall or Spring semester, to review the proposed change;and
2.3 the Curriculum Committee has conscientiously considered any concerns raised by the faculty or administration. Vice President Smith explained this matter to those present at today's meeting. The committee's consensus was that the revised policy is appropriate.

CCSEQ and CAAP DATA

Beckie Hermansen discussed CCSEQ data that is already available and CCAP Examination data which will become available when the results have been returned.

GE ASSESSMENT 2010-2011

The committee tentatively agreed to assess General Education Outcomes 1, 6, and 7 (reading, math, and scientific reasoning) for the 2010-2011 academic year. The agreement is subject to a determination that the data to be reviewed is in fact useful. The plan at this time is as follows:
1. To assess Outcome 1 by comparing this year's CAAP data with corresponding ACT data in a "value added" approach; data about reading from the 2008 and 2010 CCSEQs will also be examined;
2. To assess Outcome 6 by comparing this year's CAAP data with national benchmarks; data from departmental exams given in Math 1010 and Math 1050 will also be examined; if data from similar exams is available from previous years, it will be considered as well; data about mathematics from the 2008 and 2010 CCSEQs will
also be examined;
3. To assess Outcome 7 by comparing this year's CAAP data with national benchmarks; to the extent that it is available, data from departmental exams given in GE Science courses will also be examined; if data from similar exams is available from previous years, it will be considered as well; data about scientific reasoning from the 2008 and 2010 CCSEQs will also be examined.

NEXT TIME

The committee will meet again in early summer to evaluate CAAP data and any other data that is available.