Snow College Ad Hoc General Education Assessment Committee
April 22, 2011
In attendance: Lisa Anderson, Tracie Bradley, Kim Christison, Mel Jacobsen, Clinton
King, Jeff Carney (chair), Beckie Hermansen (ex officio), Gary Smith (ex officio),
Rick White (ex-officio)
Tracie Bradley will permanently replace Lynn Poulson as the Social and Behavioral
Science Division representative.
Between this committee's last meeting and this one, the Snow College Curriculum Committee
(of which Chair Carney is a member) discussed the widespread perception that the existence
of a GE Assessment Committee might result in unwelcome changes to the GE Distribution
Requirements. The Curriculum Committee speculated
that this perception might lead to reluctance on the part of some faculty members
and even some departments to participate fully in the assessment process. To forestall
these concerns, the Curriculum Committee enacted a
two-year moratorium on changes to the GE Distribution Requirements. In an email, Jeff
reported this moratorium to this committee. Soon thereafter, Vice President Smith
pointed out that such a moratorium could not stand because it was contrary to the
spirit of outcomes assessment, which must reserve the possibility of improving any
weakness exposed by the process, including the GE Distribution Requirements. When
the Curriculum Committee met again, the policy was revised to read as follows: The
Curriculum Committee will change General Education course distribution requirements
only under the following conditions:
1. when emergent circumstances leave little or no alternative (e.g., when the State
Board of Regents mandates such a change); or
2.1 significant, reliable data indicate that such a change is consistent with the
role and mission of the college and will improve the educational experience of Snow
College students;.2 the faculty at large, and any interested members of the college
administration, have had at least two weeks, during a Fall or Spring semester, to
review the proposed change;and
2.3 the Curriculum Committee has conscientiously considered any concerns raised by
the faculty or administration. Vice President Smith explained this matter to those
present at today's meeting. The committee's consensus was that the revised policy
is appropriate.
Beckie Hermansen discussed CCSEQ data that is already available and CCAP Examination
data which will become available when the results have been returned.
The committee tentatively agreed to assess General Education Outcomes 1, 6, and 7
(reading, math, and scientific reasoning) for the 2010-2011 academic year. The agreement
is subject to a determination that the data to be reviewed is in fact useful. The
plan at this time is as follows:
1. To assess Outcome 1 by comparing this year's CAAP data with corresponding ACT data
in a "value added" approach; data about reading from the 2008 and 2010 CCSEQs will
also be examined;
2. To assess Outcome 6 by comparing this year's CAAP data with national benchmarks;
data from departmental exams given in Math 1010 and Math 1050 will also be examined;
if data from similar exams is available from previous years, it will be considered
as well; data about mathematics from the 2008 and 2010 CCSEQs will
also be examined;
3. To assess Outcome 7 by comparing this year's CAAP data with national benchmarks;
to the extent that it is available, data from departmental exams given in GE Science
courses will also be examined; if data from similar exams is available from previous years,
it will be considered as well; data about scientific reasoning from the 2008 and 2010
CCSEQs will also be examined.
The committee will meet again in early summer to evaluate CAAP data and any other
data that is available.
