February 29, 2016
Results from the General Education Task Force Faculty Questionnaire Fall 2015
Report to the Vice President for Strategic Planning, In the Fall of 2015, the General Education Assessment Task Assessment and Force administered a survey to Queensborough Institutional Effectiveness
Community College faculty canvassing their impressions of the General Education Outcomes. This paper summarizes the findings from the survey respondents. Results from the General Education Task Force Faculty Questionnaire Fall 2015 I. Background and Purpose The General Education Task Force which was formed in April 2014, has the following charge: (1) to develop and recommend a process for regular, cross‐disciplinary, anonymous review of student artifacts as evidence of student learning outcomes (college‐wide) for each of the college’s General Educational Objectives and (2) to review Queensborough’s existing General Educational Outcomes and recommend possible modifications to the Academic Senate. In order to address the second part of this charge, a survey was administered to faculty. The survey had several purposes: 
To identify the measurable core competencies that students should acquire by the time they graduate; 
To identify courses that would demonstrate appropriate competency in these outcomes for assessment purposes; and 
To identify alternative approaches to assessing General Education Outcomes. II. Methodology The survey was administered, using the on‐line survey program Survey Monkey, to 391 full‐time faculty members and 561 adjunct faculty members. Two hundred and sixty‐
eight faculty members responded to the survey for a response rate of 28 percent. III.
Results Familiarity and Importance of Educational Outcomes The survey focused on the Core Learning Outcomes identified by the General Education Assessment Task Force during 2014‐15, which were included in the May 2015 report to the Academic Senate. (The report is posted on the General Education Assessment Task Force webpage at http://www.qcc.cuny.edu/assessment/docs/GEATF‐Progress‐Report‐
Results from the General Education Task Force Faculty Questionnaire Fall 2015
February 29, 2016
to‐AS‐5‐4‐15.pdf.) Seventy percent of the survey respondents indicated that they were familiar or very familiar with the General Education Outcomes. Overall, the majority of survey respondents indicated that each of the listed General Education Outcomes was important or highly important. However, there was variance among the respondents regarding the degree of importance. For example, almost all (91% ‐ 96%) of the respondents indicated that the following four outcomes were important or highly important: (1) Use analytical reasoning to identify issues or problems and evaluate evidence in order to make informed decisions, (2) Communicate effectively (written), (3) Communicate effectively (oral)‐speaking and listening, and (4) Reason quantitatively and mathematically as required in their fields of interest and in everyday life. A second group of outcomes fell in the 84% ‐ 87% importance range: (5) Reason and act ethically while recognizing multiple value systems, (6) Integrate and apply concepts, methods, knowledge, and skills in addressing significant problems and questions, both civic and global in context, and (8) Demonstrate technological literacy. The third group, with 74% ‐ 79% importance, included: (9) Demonstrate scientific literacy, (10) Demonstrate broad knowledge of the concepts and methodologies central to multiple fields including the humanities and social sciences, and (11) Appreciate or engage in creative work. It is interesting to note that the three outcomes receiving the most ratings of “highly important” were (1) analytical reason (81%), (2) Communicate effectively (written) (68%), and (3) Reason and act ethically while recognizing multiple value systems (65%) There was a correlation between respondentsʹ designation of an outcome as being important or highly important and their agreement that the outcome should be required for every graduate. For example, almost all of the respondents indicated that the following outcomes were important or highly important: (1) Use analytical reasoning to identify issues or problems and evaluate evidence in order to make informed decisions (96%), and (2) Communicate effectively (written) (94.2%). These two outcomes also showed the highest level of agreement that they should be required of every graduate. (89.6% and 90% respectively). Conversely, approximately three‐quarters of the respondents designated the following outcomes as being important or highly important: (1) Demonstrate scientific literacy, (2) 3 | P a g e Results from the General Education Task Force Faculty Questionnaire Fall 2015
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Demonstrate broad knowledge of the concepts and methodologies central to multiple fields including the humanities and social sciences, and (3) Appreciate or engage in creative work. However, only half to two‐thirds of these respondents indicated that every graduating student should be required to meet these outcomes. Interestingly, survey respondents did identify multiple courses that could assess these outcomes. Other Competencies identified Other than the outcomes listed in the survey, survey respondents identified additional competencies that students should be required to meet. The most frequently cited additional outcomes were (1) demonstrating the ability to communicate and write in a language other than English (4 respondents out of 30 responses), and (2) being proficient in critical thinking and critical analysis (3 respondents out of 30 responses). Courses and Outcomes Survey respondents identified several courses that could be used to measure students’ proficiency in the various outcomes (see Appendix B). Many of the identified courses are requirements or electives for multiple degree programs. Several of these courses were identified for use in assessing multiple outcomes (see Appendix C). For example, English Composition I (ENGL 101) and Speech Communication (SP 211) were recommended for assessing five outcomes while Business Law (BU 301) was recommended for four outcomes. Qualitative Responses Survey respondents were also asked two open ended questions that complemented the quantitative data that was collected. The first question asked “Apart from using faculty‐
designed rubrics and assessing one to two general education outcomes each year, is there a different approach to assessment of General Education Outcomes that you would like to see at Queensborough?” Several respondents suggested that ePortfolio and capstone courses be used to gauge student attainment of the General Education Outcomes and measure student growth over time. Other suggestions included increasing student involvement in the assessment process by having students self‐assess. Triangulation of data by examining interview and observation data and other documents was suggested as well as the use of alumni surveys and simulations. Finally, respondents cited the importance of clear definitions and shared understanding of the meaning of outcomes and rubrics. 4 | P a g e Results from the General Education Task Force Faculty Questionnaire Fall 2015
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The second question asked “Do you have any other comments or suggestions that you would like to share with the General Education Assessment Task Force”? There were several themes that emerged from the responses to this question. One theme was that General Education is not a separate entity or specific to any discipline, but integrated in the teaching and learning process. Another theme that emerged was a concern regarding the General Education objective “reason and act ethically while recognizing multiple value systems.” Several respondents were concerned that this outcome might be seen as promoting certain moral values or could be used in a way to discriminate against students who have strongly held belief systems. A third theme was the need for flexibility in the assessment process. IV.
Summary The information obtained from this survey highlighted the following results: 
The majority of the survey respondents indicated that each of the General Education Outcomes were important or highly important; 
There was a correlation between respondentsʹ designation of an outcome as being important or highly important and their agreement that the outcome should be required for every graduate; 
Additional competencies that were identified included (1) demonstrating the ability to communicate and write in a language other than English, and (2) being proficient in critical thinking and critical analysis; and 
Among suggested courses, English Composition I (ENGL101), Speech Communication (SP 211) and Business Law (BU 301) were recommended for measuring several outcomes. These results also suggest that moving forward the following questions need to be addressed:  Recognizing that each outcome which is required for every graduate must be regularly assessed, which outcomes does the college want to require for students in all degree programs? 5 | P a g e Results from the General Education Task Force Faculty Questionnaire Fall 2015
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 Should general education assessment review student work from both introductory and advanced assignments related to the relevant outcomes and rubrics?  Should the courses identified by survey respondents as potentially assessing multiple outcomes be designated as key courses for regularly assessing these general education outcomes?  Could groups of faculty collaborate on developing some common elements (or terminology) that could be incorporated into varied assignments to allow for disciplinary focus?  How can the general education outcomes be written or described so students understand what the general education outcomes expect of them? 6 | P a g e Appendix A Level of importance for each learning outcome Highly Important or Important Should every graduating student be required to meet this outcome? Medium Low
Not Sure
N
Yes
No
Not Sure
N
Use analytical reasoning to identify issues or problems and evaluate evidence in order to make informed decisions 96.00% 2.67% 0.89% 0.44% 225
89.59% 3.62% 6.79% 221
Communicate effectively (written) 94.20% 3.57% 1.34% 0.89% 224
90.00% 5.00% 5.00% 200
Communicate effectively (oral)‐speaking and listening 91.03% 6.73% 1.35% 0.89% 223
78.65% 5.21% 16.14% 192
Reason quantitatively and mathematically as required in their fields of interest and in everyday life Demonstrate scientific literacy 92.38% 4.48% 1.79% 1.35% 223
78.57% 8.79% 12.64% 182
78.38% 17.57% 2.25% 1.80% 222
62.57% 15.64% 21.79% 179
Demonstrate technological literacy 83.64% 11.82% 3.64% 0.90% 71.75% 11.86% 16.39% 220
177
Results from the General Education Task Force Faculty Questionnaire Fall 2015
February 29, 2016
Level of importance for each learning outcome High Should every graduating student be required to meet this outcome? Medium Low
Not Sure
N
Yes
No
Not Sure
N
Demonstrate broad 79.46% knowledge of the concepts and methodologies central to multiple fields including the humanities and social sciences 16.07% 3.57% 0.90% 224
63.48% 16.85% 19.67% 178
Reason and act ethically while recognizing multiple value systems 86.55% 8.07% 4.48% 0.90% 223
75.28% 10.11% 14.61% 178
Integrate and apply concepts, methods, knowledge, and skills in addressing significant problems and questions, both civic and global in context Appreciate or engage in creative work 85.20% 10.31% 3.14% 1.35% 223
67.80% 10.73% 21.47% 177
73.87% 18.47% 5.41% 2.25% 222
55.68% 21.59% 22.73% 176
7 | P a g e Appendix B‐ Outcomes by Courses Outcome Courses Course Name Use analytical reasoning to identify issues or problems and evaluate evidence in order to make informed decisions BI201 BU301 CH151 ENGL101 SP211 BI201 BU201 General Biology Business Law General Chemistry I English Composition I Speech Communication General Biology Business Organization and Management Principles of Finance English Composition I Intro to Ancient Civilizations Elements of Salesmanship Business Law Speech Communication Elements of Advertising Oral Performance for the Actor and Speaker Principles of Statistics Communicate effectively (written) Communicate effectively (oral)‐speaking and listening Reason quantitatively and mathematically as required in their fields of interest and in everyday life Demonstrate scientific literacy Demonstrate information literacy/information management for academic research and life long learning BU701 ENGL101 HI110 BU403 BU301 SP211 BU404 SP321 BU203 MA119 MA321 MA336 MA440 BI201 BI140 CH106 PH110 PSYC101 BU301 MA‐951 ENGL101 SP211 HI 110 College Algebra Mathematics in Contemporary Statistics Pre‐Calculus Mathematics General Biology Principles of Biology Chemistry and the Arts Principles of Astronomy and Space Psychology Business Law Cooperative Education in Mathematics and Computer Science English Composition I Speech Communication Introduction to Ancient Results from the General Education Task Force Faculty Questionnaire Fall 2015
Demonstrate technological literacy ET360 BI140 CS101 ET741 Work and learn collaboratively BU201 SERVICE LEARNING BU301 DAN100 TH111 TH122 Demonstrate broad knowledge ENGL101 of the concepts and SP211 methodologies central to SOCY101 multiple fields including the PHIL101 humanities and social sciences PLSC101 Reason and act ethically while BU201 recognizing multiple value systems PSYC 101 PSYC 220 Integrate and apply concepts, methods, knowledge, and skills in addressing significant problems and questions, both civic and global in context SOCY101 ENGL101 HE102 PLSC101 SP211 ANTH101 PHIL120 AR141 Appreciate or engage in creative work DAN100 MU241 AR121 MU110 February 29, 2016
Civilizations Electronics and Automation for the Home Principles of Biology Algorithmic Problem Solving Telecommunications Technology Business Organization and Management Business Law Beginning Modern Dance Introduction to Theatre Actors’ Workshop I English Composition I Speech Communication Sociology Introduction to Philosophy Introduction to Political Science Business Organization and Management Psychology Human Growth and Development Sociology English Composition I Health Behavior and Society Introduction to Political Science Speech Communication Anthropology Philosophy of Religion Introduction to Photography Beginning Modern Dance Music Theory and Keyboard Harmony I Two‐Dimensional Design Introduction to Music 9 | P a g e Results from the General Education Task Force Faculty Questionnaire Fall 2015
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Appendix C‐ Courses by Outcomes Courses Course Name Outcomes
BI 140 Principles of Biology BI 201 General Biology Demonstrate scientific literacy Demonstrate technological literacy Use analytical reasoning to identify issues or problems and evaluate evidence in order to make informed decisions BU 201 BU 301 Communicate effectively (written) Demonstrate scientific literacy Business Organization and Communicate effectively (written) Management Reason and act ethically while recognizing multiple value systems Work and learn collaboratively Business Law Use analytical reasoning to identify issues or problems and evaluate evidence in order to make informed decisions Communicate effectively (oral)‐speaking and listening Demonstrate information literacy/information management for academic research and life long learning DAN 100 Beginning Modern Dance ENGL 101 English Composition I Work and learn collaboratively Work and learn collaboratively Appreciate or engage in creative work Use analytical reasoning to identify issues or problems and evaluate evidence in order to make informed decisions Communicate effectively (written) Demonstrate information literacy/information management for academic research and lifelong learning Demonstrate broad knowledge of the concepts and methodologies central to multiple fields including the humanities and social sciences 10 | P a g e Results from the General Education Task Force Faculty Questionnaire Fall 2015
HI 110 Introduction to Ancient Civilizations PLSC 101 Introduction to Political Science February 29, 2016
Reason and act ethically while recognizing multiple value systems Communicate effectively (written) Demonstrate information literacy/information management for academic research and lifelong learning Demonstrate broad knowledge of the concepts and methodologies central to multiple fields including the humanities and social sciences Integrate and apply concepts, methods, knowledge, and skills in addressing significant problems and questions, both civic and global in context PSYC 101 Psychology SOCY 101 Sociology SP 211 Speech Communication Demonstrate scientific literacy Reason and act ethically while recognizing multiple value systems Demonstrate broad knowledge of the concepts and methodologies central to multiple fields including the humanities and social sciences Reason and act ethically while recognizing multiple value systems Use analytical reasoning to identify issues or problems and evaluate evidence in order to make informed decisions Communicate effectively (oral)‐speaking and listening Demonstrate information literacy/information management for academic research and lifelong learning Demonstrate broad knowledge of the concepts and methodologies central to multiple fields including the humanities and social sciences Integrate and apply concepts, methods, knowledge, and skills in addressing significant problems and questions, both civic and global in context 11 | P a g e