General Education Assessment Research Articles

Making Equity Count: An Initiative for Equitable General Education Assessment

LaGuardia Community College in Queens, New York is known for its leadership in assessment practices aimed at improving teaching and learning. Its practices to improve student outcomes include remedial math and composition pathways reforms and establishing signature general education core competencies and communication abilities. Combined together, such practices have helped double the graduation rate over a decade. Until recently, however, assessment data had not been disaggregated for different student demographics. In this article, we describe how we transformed our traditional means of analyzing outcomes data toward one that utilized an equity-driven index for two cohorts of students across major racial and ethnic populations. We examined the data for representational equity and equitable performance. In a key finding, we discovered our ongoing assessment practices do not reflect our student population on both counts, especially as a designated Hispanic Serving Institution. Further, we found other under- and over-representation of racial populations in our general education assessment samples. We conclude by suggesting further areas of inquiry with equity-based assessment and note ongoing challenges to systematizing this approach.

Reform and Innovation in the General Education Assessment System in the United States

Reform and Innovation in the General Education Assessment System in the United States

An Investigation into the Politics of English Language Assessment in Pakistan

This research article attempts to address the politics of English language assessment in Pakistani context. The focus of this qualitative research study is to unfold ideological factors, socio-cultural factors, political factors, economic agendas, societal elements, issues of power, teachers’ roles, educational considerations, and hierarchical structures in Pakistani context with special reference to English language assessment system. Thematic Document analysis is used for analyzing the data collected from one of the leading newspapers in Pakistan i.e. Dawn. It is found out that the politics of language assessment is pluralized in Pakistan owing to decide which strata of the society is failing (the lower class) and which one is succeeding (the upper class, the elite class) in political power. This study also reveals that politics of language assessment in Pakistan is firmly linked with the purposes of English language learning i.e. lucrative jobs, education and business. Furthermore, the findings of the study highlight that in the current scenario of Pakistan, assessment and testing in general education and language assessment in particular play a significant role in imposing political policies and power in the arena of academia and intelligentsia. Likewise, the major findings of the study exhibit that there is a hegemony of English that brought linguistic imperialism in Pakistan. In Pakistani context, proficiency in English language decides future of the candidates in term of jobs and businesses. English language assessment regime is affected by the ‘top-down’ policy driven initiatives rather than ‘bottom-up’ collaborative work. It is the domain of a particular group of experts who decide Others as opposed to us. It also contributes to the marketization of English language in educational sector of Pakistan. The elite class in Pakistan set targets for the educational system in order to implement their policies to achieve political power and interests.

Utilizing Mini-Grants to Meaningfully Engage Instructors in General Education Assessment

Meaningfully engaging faculty in assessment presents a continual challenge for general education administrators. Faculty perceptions of assessment—including that assessment serves no purpose other than “checking a box” for accreditation and that it conveys little benefit to the instructor—often hinder instructor engagement. A low-cost assessment mini-grant program can overcome these misperceptions, increasing faculty engagement with both the assessment process and the general education program. In this article, a general education administrator describes the structure, delivery, and results of an assessment mini-grant program, and three faculty members share how their participation in the program shaped their teaching and improved their perceptions of—and engagement with—general education assessment.

Assessment of General Education and Resource Teachers for the Work in the Paradigm of Inclusive Education

This article presents a study of 301 teachers, 151 general teachers and 150 resource teachers, focusing on how they evaluate their skills in identifying and working with children and students covered by the Inclusive Education Ordinance. Both common assessments and differences are outlined. The expectation to improve teachers' qualifications and skills in recognising the abilities of their pupils is confirmed. On the basis of the results, two main lines of practical work are outlined – support in identifying the abilities and skills of children and pupils and differentiation of the activities of the members of the pedagogical teams in the general education environment for the implementation of inclusive processes.

Scaffolding & Fading: Enhancing Literacy Skills across a Curriculum to Achieve Mastery

This paper discusses the use of paragraph frames in a formative assessment activity within an introductory sociology course. The paragraph frame scaffolding allows the student to be a more informed and engaged learner in lower level courses and feel success with their introductory summary writing. This self-confidence allows the student to move forward into no longer being reliant upon paragraph frames or others (peers/instructors). The Sociology in the News activity incorporates scaffolding and fading via the use of a similar activity across the curriculum. The use of the paragraph frames focuses on mastery of information literacy, and accommodates student needs through effective instruction (using paragraph frames). This allows for retention, progression, and matriculation of students. The sociology curriculum is discussed via the use of scaffolding and fading based on Vygotsky’s scaffolding concepts within the student’s zone of proximal development, using paragraph frames across a curriculum, using the concept of IRMA level of ability (Introduce, Reinforce, Mastery, and Assessment) in formative assessments. As universities are focusing general education assessment of students, particularly Post-Covid19, information literacy is a skill that is can be assessed using IRMA level of ability. Literacy skills are particularly important in moving the students toward life-long learning and understanding how information is situated from a social situated perspective as well as the production from a scholarly standpoint. Keywords: IRMA Level of Ability, Paragraph Frames, Literacy, Vygotsky, Scaffolding DOI: 10.7176/JEP/14-3-01 Publication date: January 31 st 2023

Agility and Assessment in the Age of COVID‐19: How Fast Can a Community College Dance?

Agility and Assessment in the Age of COVID‐19: How Fast Can a Community College Dance?

The Practice of Assessing the Quality of Student Education: Perspectives from Finland, Canada, and Hong Kong

Critically reviewing the national systems for assessing the quality of education in Finland, Canada, and Hong Kong, the authors consider key issues related to the regulation of quality assessment of general education. The purpose of the study is to analyze foreign practices in the quality assessment regulation (general education) existing in the leading countries in the National Systems Performance Rating. Using the method of content analysis of normative documents, the authors determine the main features of the systems for assessing the quality of general education. They also identify the principles and approaches to assessing the quality of education in the studied countries, which have differences and depend on the goals and objectives of the program that defines the development strategy of the general country-specific education. The authors conclude that the quality assessment focused on the general education is the main criterion for the effectiveness of the functioning and development of the education system in the countries under analysis, and this is reflected in government programs that regulate activities in the field of education. The research also clearly shows that Finland and Canada use softer levers of education management, which give educational institutions more freedom. While in Hong Kong, more “tough” ones are used. In particular, Hong Kong relies on strictly regulated standards and procedures for ensuring the quality of education. The authors state that the practice of regulating the assessment of the quality of education in the studied countries should be taken into account in the development of regulatory and instructive documents governing activities to assess the quality of general education in the Russian Federation.

Illustrating formative assessment in task-based language teaching

Abstract There has been an increasing professional and policy interest in using formative assessment as part of the learning process in the classroom, with increasing numbers of educators regarding it as an effective means of closing the gap between students’ current and desired performance. However, there is a range of different views on what actually constitutes formative assessment and how it may be incorporated into regular classroom teaching. Furthermore, formative assessment is often misconstrued in reality, and teachers face considerable challenges in implementing formative assessment in their daily classes, particularly in the ESL teaching context. The purpose of this article is, therefore, to review how formative assessment has recently been discussed in both general education and L2 assessment fields, and to illustrate how formative assessment can be implemented in task-based language teaching in the daily ESL classroom.

Civic Engagement Embedded in the Introductory Communication Course

Abstract This article is an exploration of a current practice implementing civic engagement in the general education curriculum. At the university examined in this article, all students complete a civic engagement requirement in the oral communication course. The authors provide justification for why institutional initiatives are not enough to accomplish the goals of civic engagement but must be embedded in a particular course, assignment, and learning outcome. The article uses the personal perspective of the General Education Assessment Coordinator, Director of the Oral Communication course, and a student who completed the assignment to share the successes of this practice.

Issues in General Education Assessment at Community Colleges

AbstractThis chapter addresses key assessment issues that influence the success of assessment programs at community colleges. Suggestions for advancing general education assessment are included.

Assessment as Critical Programmatic Reflection

Abstract This article argues that general education assessment is an opportunity for engaging faculty and the general education program as a whole in critical reflection on the practices and pedagogies that affect the entire undergraduate body. Through intentional assessment practices tied to learning outcomes, pedagogical expectations, and faculty and student classroom experience, an assessment program can meet accreditation expectations while serving as a rich location for critical reflection and continuous improvement. To illustrate, this article takes the reader through a year in the life of University Studies' assessment at Portland State University. It provides details about the individual elements of our assessment program (e.g., review of student ePortfolios, mid-term feedback, and course evaluations) and how these each provide opportunities for faculty and programmatic critical reflection. It describes both long-standing practices as well as new or experimental elements that arise from the current programmatic context, providing examples of the ways in which we continually evolve our practices. Finally, it weaves the elements together and identifies the strengths and challenges of our approach, as well as opportunities for deeper, increasingly impactful critical practice in the future.

Assessment of General Education: An Unexpected (but Effective) Faculty Development Opportunity

AbstractThis chapter describes a collective faculty effort to administer, proctor, score, and interpret student work that created an unexpected opportunity for deep discussions of teaching, learning, and assessment.

Analysis of distinctions of the development of education of the Russian macro-regions

The methodical approach to the analysis of distinctions of development of educational sphere in macro-regions, the federal administrative districts of Russia, is offered in the article. Feature of methodical approach consists in the choice, calculation and ranging of relative indicators of an assessment of preschool, general, professional and higher education in the macro-regions, and also in carrying out the analysis of variability of the specified indicators by application of methods of statistics.

Higher Education Institutional Transparency of General Education Competencies, Assessment Measures, and Analysis of Assessment Data

Abstract With general education coursework making up a significant portion of associate and bachelor's degree curriculum, conveying the content and importance of student competencies to stakeholder audiences has never been more essential. Accreditation pressure and accountability measures are influencing a focus on improving the presentation of competencies aligned to their assessment measures. This study examines the extent to which institutions publicly and proactively disclose relevant information regarding assessment of the general education curriculum, thereby contributing to literature forming robust comparisons of general education assessment practices. It examines the websites of seventy-one higher education institutions, representing a range of public settings in all American regions. Results show variability in the alignment of objectives to measures and reveal current themes and an emphasis regarding how competencies relate to coursework. Recommendations for improving institutional presentation are provided.

The Liberal Arts Endeavor: Enacting Values in General Education Reform

The Liberal Arts Endeavor: Enacting Values in General Education Reform

Humanities Professors' Conceptions of Assessment: A Case Study

AbstractThis article's purpose is to make humanities professors' assumptions and beliefs about assessment more visible. It is important to understand how humanities professors view the assessment of general education, especially since those conceptions affect how they approach teaching and learning, and how they react to calls for assessment in their departments and/or institutions. Findings suggest that faculty embrace assessment to inform teaching and learning. Practical use of general education assessment data beyond reporting was absent, and the lack of shared governance in the process negatively affected faculty willingness to engage with general education assessment. Implications are discussed.

Measuring Racial Bias and General Education Assessment

Abstract In this article we discuss a model for assessing general education student learning outcomes related to reducing racial bias in postsecondary students. As many postsecondary institutions do, our institution attempts to address racial bias through our general education curriculum, but it is difficult to assess improvement in this area. We used the Color-Blind Racial Attitude Scale (CoBRAS) assessment tool to analyze changes in racial bias as a general education student outcome. Results of a linear regression model with a number of covariates indicated that passing a Global Awareness course (β = −0.193, p = .007) and passing a U.S. Communities course (β = −0.154, p = .021) were statistically significantly related to improved CoBRAS scores. Results of a matched pair design model revealed further evidence of an association between taking Global Awareness and U.S. Communities courses and CoBRAS scores.

Assessing general education learning outcomes at Qatar University

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to assess the effectiveness of a new general education program at Qatar University (QU) in achieving English writing and critical thinking outcomes. Design/methodology/approach – Collegiate Assessment of Academic Proficiency (CAAP) test was used as direct assessment tool to identify the extent to which QU students are making progress with respect to general education outcomes, and how well QU students perform compared to US students on general education outcomes that are measured by the CAAP test. Findings – Findings show evidence that students make progress in English and critical thinking during their QU educational careers. However, QU students lag well behind their US counterparts in writing skills, but they performed relatively better in critical thinking and essay writing. Research limitations/implications – The sample of students tested was limited to students who met certain criteria. Therefore, the sample was neither representative nor random and does not reflect the performance of the entire student body. English is a second language for most QU students, and cultural differences as well as students’ high school preparation and quality of faculty at QU add to the complexity of the study. Practical implications – Research finding may have implication on the general education program curriculum plan, assessment process, assessment plan and tools. It may also trigger comprehensive review of courses addressing writing and critical thinking skills. Moreover, the findings will have impact on institutional total approach and support to retain and enhance some of the cornerstone skills that general education program promise to achieve. The pilot study, results and findings can have implications on similar GCC general educations programs that focus on English writing and critical thinking skills. Originality/value – This original pilot study indicates a need for improvement of internal assessment processes and reconsideration of general education program courses contributing to skills examined. It also provides evidence on students’ performance on two important generic skills, both are important for QU and its stakeholders. The study’s findings are of broad interest to assess the efficacy of internal assessment at international institutions using an internationally available standardized test.

The Effect of Informational Characteristics and Faculty Knowledge and Beliefs on the Use of Assessment

Increasing the use of learning outcome assessments to inform educational decisions is a major challenge in higher education. For this study we used a sense-making theoretical perspective to guide an analysis of the relationship of information characteristics and faculty assessment knowledge and beliefs with the use of general education assessment information at three research institutions with similar organizational contexts. Study findings indicate that the likelihood of using assessment information increases when assessment evidence is action oriented and viewed as of high quality and when faculty members are knowledgeable, have positive dispositions toward assessment, and have a perception of institutional support for engagement in assessment activities.