Reflecting on the Reflections: Using Word Clouds to Assess a Catholic University Core Curriculum and Community-Engaged Learning Course

Abstract

The current research utilized a modern word cloud tool to assess the effectiveness of course objectives and outcomes of a community-engaged learning and core curriculum course at a private Catholic University. The foundational course revolves around social justice using the setting of sport and physical activity. Beginning with a final reflection of the course and inserting data into word cloud tool, results indicate that this assessment technique offered insight into future enhancements of college course assessment by breaking down and focusing on specific words or phrases that may or may not be meeting the needs of the instructor and students.