General Education Assessment

General education assessment involves evaluating the learning outcomes and effectiveness of the general education program at UTPB. This assessment aims to determine whether students are acquiring the essential knowledge, skills and competencies expected from a broad-based education.

Contents:

• Key Components
• General Education Core Objectives
• General Education Core Courses and Objectives
• General Education Rubrics and Assignments
• General Education Improvement Plan Template
• Timeframe for Core Curriculum

Key Components

• Learning Outcomes: Clearly defined educational objectives that students are expected to achieve as a result of completing general education requirements.
• Assessment Tools: Methods and instruments (rubrics) used to measure student performance and achievement of learning outcomes. This could include exams, projects, portfolios, etc.
• Data Collection: Systematic gathering of data related to students' performance, often using both qualitative and quantitative methods.
• Analysis: Examination of the collected data to identify strengths and areas for improvement in the general education program.
• Improvement: Providing feedback and action plans (where necessary) for assessment results to promote continuous improvement.
• Alignment with Institutional Goals: Ensuring that general education outcomes align with the overall goals and mission of the institution.

General Education Core Objectives

UT Permian Basin has a 42-semester credit hour general education core curriculum that is in compliance with State law and Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) rules. The general education core includes the following Foundational Component Areas and semester credit hours (SCH):

• Communication (6 SCH)
  Courses in this category focus on developing ideas and expressing them clearly, considering the effect of the message, fostering understanding, and building the skills needed to communicate persuasively. Courses involve the command of oral, aural, written, and visual literacy skills that enable people to exchange messages appropriate to the subject, occasion, and audience.
• Mathematics (3 SCH)
  Courses in this category focus on quantitative literacy in logic, patterns, and relationships. Courses involve the understanding of key mathematical concepts and the application of appropriate quantitative tools to everyday experience.
• Life and Physical Sciences (6 SCH)
  Courses in this category focus on describing, explaining, and predicting natural phenomena using the scientific method. Courses involve the understanding of interactions among natural phenomena and the implications of scientific principles on the physical world and on experiences.
• Language, Philosophy and Culture (3 SCH)
  Courses in this category focus on how ideas, values, beliefs, and other aspects of culture express and affect human experience. Courses involve the exploration of ideas that foster aesthetic and intellectual creation in order to understand the human condition across cultures.
• Creative Arts (3 SCH)
  Courses in this category focus on the appreciation and analysis of creative artifacts and works of the human imagination. Courses involve the synthesis and interpretation of artistic expression and enable critical, creative, and innovative communication about works of art.
• American History (6 SCH)
  Courses in this category focus on the consideration of past events and ideas relative to the United States, with the option of including Texas History for a portion of this component area. Courses involve the interaction among individuals, communities, states, the nation, and the world, considering how these interactions have contributed to the development of the United States and its global role.
• Government/Political Science (6 SCH)
  Courses in this category focus on consideration of the Constitution of the United States and the constitutions of the states, with special emphasis on that of Texas. Courses involve the analysis of governmental institutions, political behavior, civic engagement, and their political and philosophical foundations.
• Social and Behavioral Sciences (3 SCH)
  Courses in this category focus on the application of empirical and scientific methods that contribute to the understanding of what makes us human. Courses involve the exploration of behavior and interactions among individuals, groups, institutions, and events, examining their impact on the individual, society, and culture.
• The Component Area Option (6 SCH)
  • A minimum of 3 SCH must meet the definition and corresponding Core Objectives specified in one of the foundational component areas
  • As an option for up to 3 semester credit hours of the Component Area Option, an institution may select course(s) that: (i) Meet(s) the definition specified for one or more of the foundational component areas; and (ii) Include(s) a minimum of three Core Objectives, including Critical Thinking Skills, Communication Skills, and one of the remaining Core Objectives of the institution's choice.

Within each of the Foundational Component Areas, students are provided instruction in Core Objectives, or the skills and abilities that the State of Texas and UTPB believe all students should develop in pursuit of a bachelor’s degree. THECB requires that each core curriculum course include and assess three or four of the six Core Objectives. Core objectives should be taught in class and assessed using the process defined below. Definitions for the six Core Objectives are as follows:

• Critical Thinking Skills (CT) include creative thinking, innovation, inquiry and analysis, evaluation and synthesis of information
• Communication Skills (COMM) include effective development, interpretation and expression of ideas through written, oral, and visual communication
• Empirical and Quantitative Skills (EQS) include the manipulation and analysis of numerical data or observable facts resulting in informed conclusions
• Teamwork (TW) include the ability to consider different points of view and to work effectively with others to support a shared purpose or goal
• Personal Responsibility (PR) include the ability to connect choices, actions and consequences to ethical decision-making
• Social Responsibility (SR) include intercultural competence, knowledge of civic responsibility, and the ability to engage effectively in regional, national, and global communities.

UTPB, following THECB requirements, teaches and assesses the Core Objectives in the following Foundational Component Areas.

• Communication: CT, COM, TW
• Mathematics: CT, COM, EQS
• Life and Physical Sciences: CT, COM, EQS
• Language, Philosophy, and Culture: CT, COM, SR, PR
• Creative Arts: CT, COM, TW, SR
• American History: CT, COM, SR, PR
• Government/Political Science: CT, COM, SR, PR
• Social and Behavioral Sciences: CT, COM, EQS, SR
• Component Area Option: CT, COM, other as assigned.
  
  
  

General Education Core Courses and Objectives

General Education Rubrics and Assignments

The below rubrics were developed in collaboration with faculty and the General Education Oversight Committee (GEOC). The rubrics define the standards for student performance for each outcome at UTPB and are designed to guide both teaching and assessment. The rubrics also provide data consistency, important because analysis is accomplished by combining all information provided by faculty to obtain an institutional-level understanding of student achievement the core objectives. In this way, the General Education Core is assessed holistically, rather than by course or instructor. Any data from faculty that is inconsistent with the rubrics cannot be used in these analyses.

Faculty have the option of scoring artifacts using the Excel templates (see below links) or by using the Falcon Online Rubric (in CANVAS). Using the Excel template is simple. Rubric criteria are pre-defined in the columns. Faculty should enter student scores per rubric criteria on separate rows in the Excel template. Once recorded, faculty should then email a copy of the spreadsheet to the Associate Provost.​​​​​​​

Submitting Files

1. If you used falcon online, the information will be saved and submitted automatically. If you used the approved template, please open the IE shared library, then open the core curriculum folder. Next, open the current assessment collection folder. Drop or import your submission into the current assessment collection folder.
2. Please label completed Excel files in this manner: Your last name, course abbreviation, number, section, and objective abbreviation.

for example: Smith, ENGL, 1301.01, CT

Video Explaining How to record rubric scores onto Excel Templates:

Uploading Scores onto Templates - YouTube 

General Education Improvement Plan Template

After analyzing your data and interpreting the results, provide a specific action plan that can be implemented to improve or reinforce student learning as a result of the assessment process. The action plan should address the area(s) in need of improvement or reinforcement. The plan does not have to be limited to general education student learning but could include departmental initiatives designed to improve student success. Faculty and Deans are encouraged to use the following template to construct a college-level general education improvement plan. The specific actions to be taken are to be decided by faculty and the Dean.