Student and Faculty Perceptions of Goal

Achievement in General Education Courses

C. “Griff” GriffinDirector, General Education

Grand Valley State University, Michigan

OVERVIEWOVERVIEW

Assessment of General Education ProgramsAssessment of General Education Programs

Assessing GVSU’s General Education Assessing GVSU’s General Education ProgramProgram

Objectives AuditObjectives Audit (survey) (survey)

ResultsResults

Reporting the ResultsReporting the Results

1. ASSESSING GE 1. ASSESSING GE

What do you assess?What do you assess?

1. Student Learning Outcomes1. Student Learning Outcomes• All the goals, all the time, in all classesAll the goals, all the time, in all classes• All the goals, over a couple years, in each All the goals, over a couple years, in each

classclass• Some of the goals in selected classesSome of the goals in selected classes

2. Satisfaction2. Satisfaction

3. Program assessment3. Program assessment

Whom do you assess?Whom do you assess?

• CensusCensus• SampleSample

RandomRandom

VolunteerVolunteer

StratifiedStratified

What do you assess?What do you assess?

• All the goals, all the time, embeddedAll the goals, all the time, embedded• All the goals, over a couple years, in All the goals, over a couple years, in

each classeach class• Some of the goals in selected classesSome of the goals in selected classes

When do you assess GE?When do you assess GE?

• Just before graduationJust before graduation• In the courseIn the course• Some other timeSome other time

What kind of measures do you What kind of measures do you use?use?

• Direct –they Direct –they LEARNEDLEARNED it it

• Indirect – they Indirect – they SAYSAY they learned it they learned it

2. GVSU GENERAL EDUCATION 2. GVSU GENERAL EDUCATION PROGRAMPROGRAM

Grand Valley State UniversityGrand Valley State University

• 24,000 students in Grand Rapids, MI24,000 students in Grand Rapids, MI• 3 main campuses3 main campuses• Liberal education missionLiberal education mission• Upcoming accreditation in Fall 2008Upcoming accreditation in Fall 2008

General Education Program (280 courses)General Education Program (280 courses)

1.1. FoundationsFoundations – take 8 courses– take 8 courses (100/200 level)(100/200 level)

2. 2. CulturesCultures – take 2 courses – take 2 courses (200-400 level)(200-400 level)

3. 3. ThemesThemes – take 3 courses – take 3 courses(300-400 level)(300-400 level)

Some courses count in more than one category.Some courses count in more than one category.

Assessment ChoicesAssessment Choices

1.1. Direct MeasuresDirect Measures – CLA test, in – CLA test, in class measures class measures

2.2. Indirect MeasuresIndirect Measures – NSSE, CIRP, – NSSE, CIRP, CSS, CSS, locally developed surveyslocally developed surveys

3. OBJECTIVES AUDIT 3. OBJECTIVES AUDIT (PERCEPTION SURVEY)(PERCEPTION SURVEY)

Skills GoalsSkills Goals1.1. creative and critical thinkingcreative and critical thinking2.2. articulate expression through effective articulate expression through effective

speaking and writingspeaking and writing3.3. information literacy information literacy 4.4. integrate different areas of knowledge and integrate different areas of knowledge and

view ideas from multiple perspectives.view ideas from multiple perspectives.

All classes must do 1-3, Themes must do 1-4.All classes must do 1-3, Themes must do 1-4.Foundations and Cultures need to do speaking … Foundations and Cultures need to do speaking …

OR …writingOR …writing

Content Goals

Each Foundation, Culture, and Theme subcategory have unique content

goals

Content Goals(3-10 goals)

+Skills Goals (4-5 goals)

=7 to 15 goals

Why do an objectives audit?Why do an objectives audit?

• AdvantagesAdvantages• QuickQuick• Perception mattersPerception matters

• DisadvantagesDisadvantages– IndirectIndirect– Bias – which way???Bias – which way???

How do you administer it?How do you administer it?

• PaperPaperCensus = high return rateCensus = high return rate

• ElectronicElectronicDoesn’t use class timeDoesn’t use class time

Conscious effort to find itConscious effort to find it

• Just students, just Just students, just faculty, faculty, bothboth, either?, either?

• Is it required?Is it required?– If If volunteersvolunteers, is that ok? , is that ok? – Is it random?Is it random?

Who should complete Who should complete the audit?the audit?

The surveyThe survey

How well did this course achieve the How well did this course achieve the following goals:following goals:

The response choices are: The response choices are: strongly agreestrongly agreeagreeagreenot surenot suredisagreedisagreestrongly disagreestrongly disagree

4. RESULTS4. RESULTS

• Timing - End of Fall 2006Timing - End of Fall 2006– before finalsbefore finals– before on-line course evaluationsbefore on-line course evaluations– On-line for 10 daysOn-line for 10 days

• Participation Participation – 99 courses (45%)99 courses (45%)– 193 sections (23%)193 sections (23%)

CLASS SIZE

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

20 40 60 80 100 120 140

Fre

qu

ency

Average=35

Student Response Rate

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Min Mean Max

ALL SKILLS AND CONTENT GOALS

90%

75%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Min Mean Mode Max

Str

on

gly

Ag

ree

+ A

gre

e

Faculty Student

Mean Score for Goals

87% 91%

71% 75%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Skills Goals Content GoalsStr

on

gly

Ag

ree

+ A

gre

e

Faculty Student

219

95%

79%91%

82%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

1

Str

on

gly

Ag

ree

+ A

gre

e

Critical Think - Faculty Critical Think - Student

Integration - Faculty Integration - Student

COMMUNICATION

77%

58%

85%

56%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

1

Str

on

gly

Ag

ree

+ A

gre

e

Speaking - Faculty Speaking - Student

Writing - Faculty Writing - Student

86%80%

73%

57%

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%

1

Str

on

gly

Ag

ree

+ A

gre

e

Info. lit. - Faculty Info. lit. - Student

Ethics - Faculty Ethics - Student

Math Foundation Goals

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

1

Str

on

gly

Ag

ree

+ A

gre

e

X Faculty X Student

Y Faculty Y Student

Z Faculty Z Student

A Theme Goal

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Faculty (N=1) Student (n=50)

INTRO. TO XYZ AS A WAY OF KNOWING

94

77

0102030405060708090

100

Faculty Student

Str

on

gly

Ag

ree

+ A

gre

e

5. REPORTING THE 5. REPORTING THE RESULTSRESULTS

• What’s the What’s the purpose of the purpose of the objectives audit?objectives audit? It affects the It affects the reports!reports!– AccreditationAccreditation– ImprovementImprovement– BothBoth

• Who do we give Who do we give the results the results to? to? – faculty who faculty who

participatedparticipated– all faculty all faculty –

administrationadministration– studentsstudents– otherother

• What do we report?What do we report? aggregate to the University communityaggregate to the University community disaggregate to college?disaggregate to college? disaggregate to department (just them or disaggregate to department (just them or

everyone sees it)?everyone sees it)? disaggregate to individual faculty (just them or disaggregate to individual faculty (just them or

can the department see it)?can the department see it)?

• What is success?What is success?

– 70%, 80%, 90%, 70%, 80%, 90%, 100%? 100%?

– Is it different Is it different depending on the depending on the course level?course level?

– Is it different for Is it different for skills than for skills than for content goals?content goals?

Mean Score for Goals

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Skill Content

Str

on

gly

Ag

ree

+ A

gre

e

Faculty

Student

Mean Score for Goals

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Skill Content

Str

on

gly

Ag

ree

+ A

gre

e

Faculty

Student

• Why aren’t we Why aren’t we achieving all the achieving all the goals (or as well goals (or as well as we want)?as we want)?– We’re not teaching We’re not teaching

it wellit well– We are teaching it We are teaching it

but students don’t but students don’t know itknow it

– We’re not teaching We’re not teaching it so students aren’t it so students aren’t learning it (why??)learning it (why??)

• How do we fix How do we fix the problem?the problem?

– Start teaching itStart teaching it– Teach it betterTeach it better– Tell the students Tell the students

they’re learning itthey’re learning it– Remove the goalRemove the goal

CONCLUSIONSCONCLUSIONS

1.1. Getting student Getting student perceptions can perceptions can be easy and be easy and response rates response rates can be high (45%)can be high (45%)

2.2. Surveys can give Surveys can give you valuable you valuable informationinformation

3. Student (75%) and 3. Student (75%) and faculty (90%) faculty (90%) perception is that perception is that we are achieving we are achieving our goals our goals

4. There are areas 4. There are areas for improvementfor improvement

5. Reporting will be 5. Reporting will be challenging.challenging.

For more information: griffinc@gvsu.eduwww.gvsu.edu/gened