Assessment Reports and Summaries

Assessment is an essential aspect of General Education. This section contains a comprehensive list of studies undertaken to assess both General Education specifically as well as areas that affect or are affected by General Education, such as the training Teaching Assistants receive. Click on the link to expand a summary of the study. The title will link to the full report if it's available.

Current, Breadth

• Instructor Perceptions of General Education Requirements
  Goal: Obtain baseline data on instructor awareness/value for the general education requirements.
  Strategy: Web-based Survey
  Results: Instructors teaching in areas of the curriculum that are regularly assessed report greater understanding of and value of breadth requirements. The study revealed a disconnect between divisional areas, and highlighted the need to engage instructors in dialogue about liberal education and breadth.
  The report, "2006 UW-Madison General Education Requirements Survey" has been completed.
  Next steps: The UGEC has determined that the next General Education Assessment Plan will include projects related to defining "breadth" areas and assessing student learning in those areas.

Current, Communication A (Comm-A)

• Student Perceptions of Learning in Communication A Courses
  Principal Investigator: Charles N. Halaby, Research Director, General Education Assessment Council.
  Strategy: Survey
  Goal: Understand student perceptions of preparation for and learning in courses meeting the Communication A requirement.
  Status: The report, "An Assessment Study of the Effectiveness of the General Education Communication 'A' Requirement at the University of Wisconsin-Madison" has been completed
  Next Steps: Professor Halaby has presented the results to the UGEC, which is considering policy implications.

Current, Quantitative Reasoning

• Quantitative Assessment Project (QAP)
  Director: (Various)
  Strategy: Work with individual faculty members to create examinations that measured students' mathematical skills in areas most germane to topics covered in their classes. 
  NOTE: Over the years, the QAP broadened its mission to conduct testing across courses with the goal of better articulating instruction between courses; data obtained across the many courses tested also allowed QAP to conduct longitudinal studies of student performance in math courses to help understand how best to advise students needing to fulfill the QR requirements. The 2002-2003 QAP assessment report is available here.

Current, Quantitative Reasoning: Math Preparation

• Core-Plus/Integrated Math Study
  Investigators: General Education Assessment Council
  Strategy: to be determined
  Goal: Understand level of preparation for students entering university with different math preparation experiences
  Status: Suspended pending discussions with local school districts and application for broader, grant-supported study.

2008, Communication: Information Literacy

• Standardized Assessment of Literacy Skills
  Goal: To obtain baseline data on information literacy skills among incoming first-year students.
  Results: Although results revealed high level of preparation for students admitted to UW-Madison, sample size problems suggested the need to reevaluate use of this instrument and the study design.

2007, Communication A (Comm-A)

• "An Assessment Study of the Effectiveness of the General Education Communication A Requirement at the University of Wisconsin-Madison"
  Goal: To determine whether students in Comm-A courses report gains in specific communication skills targeted by Comm-A courses
  Results: Students reported significant gains; students in ESL versions of Comm-A report competencies equal to those reported by native speakers of English. Study also provided opportunity to improve administrative processes for calibration among Comm-A courses.
  Powerpoint Presentation to UGEC, April 2, 2008

2006, Quantitative Reasoning B (QR-B)

• Student Perceptions of Learning in Quantitative Reasoning B Courses (November 2006)
  Principal Investigator: Charles N. Halaby, Research Director, General Education Assessment Council
  Strategy: Survey
  Goal: Understand student perceptions of preparation for and learning in range of non-math, non-statistical, non-computational courses with respect to learning goals identified for Quantitative Reasoning B

2005, Communication B (Comm-B)

• Administrative Analysis: Comm-B Course Credit Transfer
  Goal: To ensure appropriate transfer credit into UW-Madison.
  Results: New courses were developed to award transfer credit for content without also granting credit for distinctive Comm-B pedagogy.

2005, Ethnic Studies

• Review of Ethnic Studies Course Array (May 2005)
  Goal: To implement revisions to the ethnic studies course criteria.
  Results: Descriptive guidelines and student learning outcomes for courses meeting the ethnic studies requirement were established. Course syllabi were evaluated to calibrate course array to learning outcomes. The oversight and administration of the requirement were improved.

2005, Other: Teaching Assistant Training

• Assessment of Teaching Assistant Training (Fall 2005).
  Principla Investigators: Brian Bubenzer, L&S TA Resource Center, Nancy Westphal-Johnson, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education
  Strategy: Mail survey
  Goal: Follow up on issues revealed in focus groups

2005, Quantitative Reasoning A (QR-A)

• Two Assessment Studies of the General Education Quantitative Reasoning "A" Requirement at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. (October 2005)

  Study I: How the QR-A Requirement Affects Mathematical Proficiency
  Study II: How the QR-A Requirement Affects Student Self-Assessments of Quantitative Reasoning Skills and Preparation for Future Courses

  Principal Investigator: Charles N. Halaby, Research Director, General Education Assessment Council
  Strategy: Pre-test/Post-test, Survey
  Goal: Measure student learning in course in light of learning goals identified for Quantitative Reasoning A

2004, Breadth

• Pilot Study of First-Year Student Perceptions of the General Education Requirements (October 2004).
  Strategy: "Mini-focus groups" conducted in courses populated by first-year students.
  Goal: Gauge student awareness and understanding of General Education Requirements during their first semester.
  Outcome: Plans are underway to improve communication about "breadth" and general education. Faculty and instructors have been surveyed to understand better their awareness of and communication about "breadth". (See study in progress discussed above.)

2004, Communciation B (Comm-B)

• Administrative Analysis: Student Comm-B Course-Taking Patterns.
  Goal: To identify "redundant" Comm-B credit.
  Results: Reduced curricular redundancy in Comm-B course array; identified transfer credit issues.

2004, Other: Teaching Assistant Training

• Assessment of Teaching Assistant Training (Fall 2004).
  Principal Investigator: Brian Bubenzer
  Conducted by: UW Survey Center
  Goal: Understand TA's perceptions of preparation for teaching, contributions to ability to address needs of course, program, and general education goals.

2003, Communication B (Comm-B)

• Report of the Subcommittee to Reexamine the Comm-B Criteria (Spring 2003).
  Implementation committee acting on recommendation to revise course criteria (and thus expand Comm B course array to courses that have more oral communication instruction) and create a list of resources on instruction in oral communication.

2002, Communication B (Comm-B)

• Report of the Subcommittee on Communication B Assessment (October 2002).
  Analysis and synthesis of recommendations stemming from 1999 - 2001 Communication B study.

2002, Communication: Information Literacy

• Information Literacy Workbook Project (2002).
  Principal Investigators: Denise Solomon (Professor, Communication Arts) and Abigail Loomis (Senior Academic Librarian, University Libraries, Coordinator Campus Information Literacy and Library Instruction).
  Strategy: Rubric-based analysis of student workbooks prepared during online research project.

2002, Ethnic Studies

• Review of the Ethnic Studies Requirement (March 2000 - May 2002).
  Ethnic Studies Review Committee
  Strategies: Survey of higher-education peers, focus groups with students and instructors.
  Goal: Review of decade-old requirement, evaluate student understanding of learning goals, identify issues impeding progress in this area.
  Outcome and implementation of changes: Twenty-three recommendations were approved, chief among which were the revision of requirement and the convening of implementation committee to enact the changes.

2001, Communication B (Comm-B)

• Spring 1999 Communication-B Study: Outcomes Associated with the General Education Communication-B Requirement (September 2001).
  Principal Investigator: Denise Haunani Solomon, Professor of Communication Arts, Leanne K. Knobloch, Verbal Assessment Project assistant. Overseen by the Verbal Assessment Project. The 2002-2003 VAP assessment report and plan is available here.
  Strategies: Evaluation of samples of student writing, surveys of students about perceptions and attitude related to writing. The executive summary and the full report and appendix are available on this site.
  Outcome: Several recommendations ranging from revising the requirement to establishing better structures to support instruction in oral communication. These generated substantial discussion within the University General Education Committee and the University Academic Planning Council (as discussed in the General Education Committee report to the UAPC, 6/26/03), and led to the two projects listed immediately above.

2001, Quantitative Reasoning A (QR-A)

• Working Paper Number 1: QR A as a Curricular Component, a First Look
  Authors: QR-A Subcommittee of General Education Committee
  Strategy: Analysis of student placement scores, course taking patterns, grades.
  Goal: To obtain a better understanding of students (e.g., high school preparation, performance on standardized tests, choice of major) who must take QR-A courses and the impact the requirement has upon their careers at UW-Madison.

PLEASE NOTE: There are a host of activities under way at UW-Madison which take as their focus the assessment and improvement of undergraduate education. Many of these can be found via The Teaching & Learning Excellence portal maintained by the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Teaching and Learning (http://www.provost.wisc.edu/teach.html). Many of these endeavors touch upon the work of the University General Education Committee, but do not fall under its authority.