General Education Assessment

Assessment of student learning at Davis & Elkins College has two levels.

1. Assessment is conducted at the departmental level to evaluate students’ achievement of the learning goals of the academic programs or majors.
2. Assessment is also carried out at the institutional level to evaluate students’ achievement of the general educational goals .

The General Education Program at Davis & Elkins College builds on the mission of the college and incorporates the core values explicit in that mission. The purpose of general education is to promote the acquisition of skills and abilities that serve to foster lifelong learning and prepare students for satisfying and successful lives.

This includes, as stated in the mission of the college, preparing students to "communicate effectively, think critically and creatively, expand knowledge and understanding, apply learning to new and changing situations, exercise leadership and demonstrate social responsibility."

The assessment of general education is undertaken to measure the impact of the general education curriculum and to provide feedback on the performance of that curriculum. This allows a process for ongoing improvement in the overall program and individual department curricula.

The general education program is designed to assure that graduates achieve the following goals:

1. Communicate clearly and effectively in written and spoken forms
2. Make discriminating judgments about the relative worth of ideas and arguments
3. Appreciate and critically evaluate representative systems of thought and religious belief
4. Understand the interrelation of events, people, and world conditions through time
5. Appreciate the creative process and richness of human creativity
6. Function as informed citizens in a world and time that depends heavily on scientific, quantitative, and technological approaches to problem solving
7. Understand the personal and social dynamics that motivate people and social institutions
8. Increase awareness of the diverse world community
9. Develop understandings and habits that promote lifelong learning and wellness

The general education program is both progressive and cumulative, beginning in the freshman year and continuing through the senior year. To facilitate the student’s progress through the curriculum, the program is divided into four major sections.

1. The Core Requirements of the baccalaureate degree. These courses are taken primarily during the freshman and sophomore years (please refer to the college catalog for a list of these courses)
2. Course clusters that provide the student with insights from a number of intellectual and practical fields. These courses help students to appreciate representative systems of thought, understand personal and social dynamics, and enhance their own awareness of (and concern for) the world around them. (Please refer to the college catalog for a list of these courses.)
3. A choice between two nine-hour blocks, each including a cultural diversity component.
   *focus on foreign language and literature
   OR
   *a focus on math and an additional course in cultural diversity
   Both options foster sensitivity to other cultures while providing the research skills essential for further study.
4. In the fourth and final section of the general education program the student concludes the requirements for graduation through completion of capstone experiences such as senior seminar/thesis requirements, internship, and the student opinion survey (graduating student exit survey)

General Education Assessment Methods

The assessment of general education is undertaken to measure both the impact as well as the performance of that curriculum. This process allows for ongoing improvement in the overall program and individual department curricula.

The goals and outcomes of the general education program are assessed through a number of methods. One such tool is the College BASE Exam. This is a criterion-referenced academic achievement exam produced by the University of Missouri that has been in use since 1988. The exam evaluates knowledge and skills in English, math, science, and social studies.

Additional general education assessment measures include evaluations of writing and speech requirements, senior seminar/theses, assessment of grades in the courses satisfying the fine arts and history requirements, embedded course assessments in required cultural diversity and social science courses, and the graduating student exit survey.