Assessment & Articulation by
Design:
Pathways and the creation of a
value-oriented GE program
Bill Loker
and Lori Beth Way
representing Sara Trechter and the
Chico State GE Design Team
Design Co-Chairs: Bill Loker & Sara Trechter
Implementation: Bill Loker & Lori Beth Way
Members of Teams:
Academic Advising /EOP/Faculty/Assoc Dean
geimplementationteam@csuchico.edu
Origins
Resources
EO 1033
OutcomesOrientedHigh ImpactPractices
Making
Excellence
Inclusive-
AAC&U
LEAP–
ASSESSMENT
CSU GE—
ARTICULATION
-Content
focused
-Breadth
-Skills
-A, B, C, D, E
Our OLD
General Education Program
General Education Program:
Coherent and Distinctive
Today, a coherent general education program can be
defined as one where students are able to make
connections and integrate their knowledge..., rather than
one that merely provides them with isolated pieces of
information... These connections should occur within
disciplines, among disciplines, to real life and the world, and
to majors and careers…
Boning (2007) “Coherence in General Education: A Historical Look”
Consultations
Redesign Process
Student
Survey
Student
Affairs
Directors
AS Student
Leaders
Academic
Senate
Resident
Advisors
Alumni
Survey
Council of
Academic
Deans
Proposal
Sent to all
Campus
EO
1033
Campus
GE
Reports
Provost’s
Charge and
Creation of
Design Team
11/08
University
Advisory
Board
Campuswide Fora:
4
Design Team
CONSULTATIONS/
COMMUNICATIONS
Design Team Website
GEAC
College
Meetings
of Chairs:
12
EPPC Senate
Committee
11/0912/09
4 meetings
Library
Faculty
Dept
Meetings:
18
Full
Academic
Senate
12/09-2/10
4 meetings
Pres.
Zingg
Signs
EM
2/11/10
Provost Flake
Charges
Implementation
Team
2/12/10
General
Education
Program
Mission
The GE program at Chico State prepares
students for continual learning and
application of knowledge to career as well
as personal life. It provides the education
necessary for success as a lifelong learner
and civically engaged individual in the
twenty-first century.
Strategy
Chico State students acquire a strong foundation in critical thinking, written
and oral communication and the arts and sciences through inquiry about
and engagement with the social and natural worlds we inhabit. This is
achieved through study, reflection, synthesis and action related to
knowledge from varied historical, cultural, scientific and political
perspectives. In combination with the major field of study, GE completes
the breadth of university education.
GE Program
Student Learning Outcomes
The Student Learning Outcomes for our General
Education program flow from the recognition that certain
essential intellectual and practical skills rest at the
foundation of a high-quality General Education program.
These include effective written and oral communication,
critical thinking, and mathematical reasoning skills.
Additional Student Learning Outcomes arise from the
values that the program seeks to foster.
GE Program SLOs
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Active Inquiry: Demonstrates knowledge of and applies research
techniques and information technology appropriate to the intellectual
and disciplinary context.
Personal and Social Responsibility: Articulates an understanding of
democratic values, responsibilities, and processes and a disposition to
engage in deliberation, dialogue and action within our varied
communities.
Sustainability: Describes and explains the environmental dynamics
associated with human activities, and assesses the value of balancing
social and economic demands with the Earth’s ability to sustain
biological and cultural diversity.
Diversity: Demonstrates an understanding of and facility with different
intellectual viewpoints as well as the unique perspectives of others
based on varied experiences, identities and social attributes.
Creativity: Takes intellectual risks and applies novel approaches to
varied domains.
Global Engagement: Demonstrates knowledge and skills necessary to
engage global cultures and peoples.
Program Student Learning Outcomes
7. Oral Communication: Demonstrates effective listening and speaking skills
necessary to organize information and deliver it effectively to the intended
audience.
8. Written Communication: Demonstrates the ability to question, investigate and
draw well-reasoned conclusions and to formulate ideas through effective written
communication appropriate to the intended audience.
9. Critical Thinking: Identifies issues and problems raised in written texts, visual
media and other forms of discourse, and assesses the relevance, adequacy and
credibility of arguments and evidence used in reaching conclusions.
10. Mathematical Reasoning: Demonstrates knowledge of and applies mathematical
or statistical methods to describe, analyze and solve problems in context.
Coherent Structure
GE Pathway Model
A Pathway structurally
connects courses that are:
• intellectually cohesive
• explore an issue/area
from a multidisciplinary
perspective
• schema for students to
understand the general
education experience
Our 48 unit Model – with Pathways
• 24 Foundation & American Institutions
• 24 units per Pathway (including 9 upper division units)
• 5- 10 Pathways, to be determined by faculty
• 18 units (including 9 upper division) taken in a single Pathway
Interdisciplinary Minor
Each Pathway
• 15 units Lower Division:
 Arts, Humanities, 2 Social Sciences, Lifelong Learning
 No more than 3 courses per disciplinary area in that Pathway
 No more than 3 per department per Pathway
• 9 units Upper Division GE:
 Arts/Humanities, Social Sciences, Natural Sciences
 3 courses per disciplinary area from different departments
 upper division GE Capstone course (Writing Intensive) –
required for those who do not have a Major Capstone
Disciplinary Area
Structure :
• Flexible
•Cohesive
•Articulates
Foundation
Oral Comm
CMST , CMST (Pathway 3), others?
Written
Comm (W)
Critical Thinking
Mathematics
ENGL (P1, P2), others?
Physical Sciences
Life Sciences
GEOG, GEOS, NSCI, CHEM, others?
NSCI, ANSC, ANTH (P2), PSSC, others?
Notes/How to read the Grid
P# denotes associated Pathway.
Students may select a Foundation
course associated with a Pathway;
one of which may be used toward
the 18 unit GE minor. Up to
seven courses permitted in each
Foundation Area.
CMST , PHIL (P2), others?
MATH (P1), MATH , others?
American Institutions
Amer. History
American History
Amer. Inst.
Disciplinary Areas
American Government: National State and Local
Path 1
Path 2
Path 3
Arts
ART
ART
THEA
THEA
ART
MUSC
ART
MUSC
THEA (D)
ENGL (D)
PHIL (W)
PHIL
HIST
RELS (W)
PHIL
ENGL (G)
RELS (W)
PHIL
FL
ANTH (G)
GEOG
SOCI/SOCI
SOCI (G)
GEOG (D)
POLS
ENVL (W)
PHIL (W)
RELS
ENGL (W)
PHIL (W)
RELS (C)
GEOG
HIST (D)
RECR
BIOL/BIOL
GEOS
FL
SOCI
ANTH
GEOG (W)
ANTH (W)
GEOG
PSYC
CHLD (W)
KINE
RECR
ENG (C) (W)
ART
RELS
SOCI (W)(D)
ANTH
PSYC
PSSC (W)
BIOL (G)
FL
HCSV (D)
LAST
PSYC
HIST (W)
SOCI (W)
ABUS (D)
NFSC
HCSV
SWK (W)
MUSC
PHIL (W)
RELS (G)
GEOG (D)
ECON
HCSV
BIOL(C)(W
GEOS
Humanities
Individual & Society
Societal Institutions
Learning for Life
UD – Humanities &
Arts
UD – Social Sciences
UD - Sciences
3 units from HIST
Path…10
?
3 units from POLS
Five to ten pathways
Generally there are three
courses per Disciplinary Area in
a Pathway.
D - Satisfies diversity
G - Satisfies global cultures
W – Writing intensive course;
students must complete four
writing intensive courses
C – Capstone, by definition are W
courses
All three Upper Division GE
courses must be taken within a
Pathway.
Coherence and HIPs
Capstones
 Required Writing Intensive Upper Division GE Capstone Course
 Major disciplines with a required capstone course may substitute their
capstone for the GE capstone requirement.
Writing Intensive courses (at least 4)
 Native students required to take at least 4 WI courses
 Transfers, 1 WI course (Capstone or other WI in upper division GE)
Public Sphere Pedagogies
 Town Hall Meeting
 Great Debate
DESIGN
Fall 2008-2/11/10
IMPLEMENTATION
2/12/10-Fall 2012
Assessing by Design:
FLC on GE Assessment (in progress)
• Programmatic – Based on Program-level SLOs … not
individual course-based assessment
• Pathway-based – All SLOs must be demonstrated/
achieved in each Pathway … not in each course!
Pathways must demonstrate intellectual coherence.
• Direct – Based on authentic products of student work
produced in context;
• Capstones as (potential) sites for assessment
Thanks to Chico State faculty
and staff, Ken O’Donnell, the
Compass project and our
students for their support, the
many hours of consultation
and constant feedback.
Contact us:
geimplementationteam@csuchico.edu