Outcomes and Assessment Redesign Motion
Rationale: At present, Westmont has numerous broad-based Outcomes that require
assessment on an institutional level, including Institutional Outcomes, General Education
Outcomes, and Outcomes that emerge naturally from our mission. In addition, WASC
mandates Core Competencies, which the college must also assess on a periodic, cyclical
basis. This proposal streamlines and focuses assessment practices, and aligns them with
respect to Institutional, General Education, Mission-driven, and WASC mandated
Outcomes. In addition, it creates two categories of assessment methods and processes.
The proposal makes a structure that creates consonance and relationship between broad
educational purposes and assessment practices, aligns all that we can with respect to the
institution and WASC, and ensures that assessment remain meaningful, measurable, and
manageable.
The following motion comes from the Academic Senate, but it was the General
Education Committee that did the bulk of the work, in consultation with the Program
Review Committee and the Provost.
Motion: Adopt the following as Westmont Institutional Learning Outcomes, which
creates alignment with the college’s mission, present Institutional Learning Outcomes,
and WASC.
 Christian Understanding, Practices, and Affections
 Global Awareness and Diversity
 Critical Thinking
 Quantitative Literacy
 Competence in Written Communication
 Competence in Oral Communication
 Information Literacy
The motion accomplishes the following things:
1. Simplifies and clarifies language with respect to Westmont Outcomes, and aligns
Westmont Institutional Outcomes, Mission driven Outcomes, and WASC
Outcomes.
2. Makes Information Literacy a Westmont Outcome, as mandated by WASC.
3. Removes Diversity as a General Education Outcome, but elevates it with Global
Awareness as a Westmont Outcome.
4. Eliminates the following as Westmont Outcomes: Creative Expression, Physical
and Emotional Health, and Active Societal and Intellectual Engagement. These
areas will be assessed in the General Education Program (see below).
5. Makes bulleted items three through seven completely consonant with WASC.
Motion: Adopt the following as Westmont General Education Common
Requirements.
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Reading Imaginative Literature
Exploring Physical Sciences
Exploring Life Sciences
Performing and Interpreting the Arts
Reasoning Abstractly
Thinking Historically
Understanding Society
Modern/Foreign Languages
Physical Education
Integrating the Major Discipline/Research/Productions and Presentations
Serving Society/Enacting Justice or Communicating Cross Culturally
The motion accomplishes the following things:
1. Clarifies particular areas of the General Education program that are to be assessed
in a periodic, intentional manner.
2. Previous Westmont Institutional Outcomes, Creative Expression, Physical and
Emotional Health, and Active and Societal and Intellectual Engagement will be
assessed on the General Education level in Performing and Interpreting the Arts,
Physical Education, and Serving Society/Enacting Justice or Communicating
Cross Culturally, respectively.
3. Makes two tiers of Westmont assessment practices possible (see below)
Assessment Categories
Westmont will use two types of assessment practices to assess Institutional and General
Education Outcomes and Requirements, respectively.
Tier One: Westmont Institutional Outcomes will use intensive assessment practices in
areas most aligned with the breadth of the Westmont curriculum and mission. (The
practices and methods will be similar to recent CUPA, Written Communication, and Oral
Communication assessment work.) The Dean for Educational Effectiveness, the
Assessment team, and the Program Review Committee will share responsibility for
assessment work in this area.
Tier Two: Westmont General Education Requirements will use modest assessment that
evaluates the aspirational goals of the Westmont General Education program. Though
the exact assessment practices are in process, this kind of assessment will be performed
by small faculty cohorts, and culminate in executive summaries for the particular General
Education area under review. This tier will use a 6-year cycle, and handle one GE
requirement per semester. The General Education Committee will be responsible for
assessment work in this area.
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