9/10/02 1

General Education Subcommittee

General Education Program Assessment

Plan A: Professional Portfolio

I.  Statement of Purpose

Mansfield University is dedicated to providing an environment that promotes academic and personal growth as well as intellectual, ethical, and aesthetic values. General Education provides students with the foundation for lifelong learning and to enable them to function as responsible citizens in a rapidly changing world. It is designed to broaden and deepen students’ intellectual growth and awareness. General Education requirements work in conjunction with students’ major programs of study to provide expanded knowledge from diverse perspectives outside their central area of study.

II. General Education Program Outcomes

General Education courses represent multiple disciplines and meet the general education requirements. Specifically, general education is designed to develop student competency across the core and general education blocks in the following:

·  thinking skills including critical thinking, problem solving, and analysis

·  communication

·  an introduction to the principles, substance, and methodology of humanities, language and literature, mathematics, natural sciences, and social sciences, in addition to their majors.

III. General Education Program Assessment

Students seeking a baccalaureate degree from Mansfield University are required to take General Education courses in addition to the required core courses. The distribution of required general education courses are selected from the following five blocks:

·  Humanities

·  Languages and Literature

·  Mathematics

·  Natural sciences

·  Social sciences

One semester prior to graduation, students who began their coursework at Mansfield University (students without transfer credits) will be required to submit a portfolio of works. Each portfolio must contain five artifacts from at least four of the five GE blocks[1]. Taken as a whole, the five artifacts must demonstrate each of the general education outcomes—critical thinking, problem solving, analysis, communication, and an introduction to the principles, substance, and methodology of humanities, language and literature, mathematics, natural sciences, and social sciences. The following chart illustrates the cover sheet that is to be attached to each artifact in the portfolio.

______

General Education Portfolio Cover Sheet

(Attach cover sheet to each artifact in your portfolio)

Student Name:______Student ID Number: ______

(Print)

Skill Category:  Critical Thinking  Problem Solving  Analysis  Communications

(Your portfolio must address each of these skill categories at least once. Check all that apply.)

Block:  Humanities  Languages and Literature  Mathematics

 Natural Sciences  Social Sciences

(Your portfolio must contain an artifact from at least four of these five blocks. Check one.)

Course & Number: (e.g. MA 231-02)

Semester: (e.g. SP 2002)

Instructor’s signature: ______

(Print name) Signature

Send to: Provost Office

General Education Assessment

______

Definitions of Program Learning Outcomes

Thinking skills include different types of processing information. Common examples are critical thinking, problem solving, and analysis. The following section defines three types of thinking and offers examples.

Critical Thinking. Students think rationally and critically about those matters that educated people debate. Students recognize and avoid common mistakes in reasoning, identify personal assumptions, challenge assumptions, gather and evaluate evidence from a variety of sources, distinguish different kinds of reasoning, analyze and synthesize and integrate information to draw conclusions. Critical thinking is a broad type of reasoning that involves applying learning in situations and problems.

Examples of Critical Thinking Artifacts

  1. We are flooded everyday with images and messages to consume or buy more. The issue on whether to purchase or not has never been questioned more closely than in recent years. Yet, numerous intellectuals have debated over this divisive issue in modern or history. In your own opinion, are you for or against modern mass consumption? Support your answers with arguments from some of the social critics you have learned.
  1. Both Daniel Boorstin’s The Americans: The Democratic Experience and Roland Marchand’s Advertising the American Dream are consider classic examples of historical works within the genre of socio-economic or even cultural history. Compare and contrast their different approaches and methodologies in their subject materials. Is there any preference for one or the other and what kind of audiences were the authors targeting?
  1. What do you consider to be the “golden age” of English, that is, its time of greatest development and richest ability to express the ideas of its speakers? (an essay test question)
  1. Step away from your individual experiences and examine the unwritten intangible social forces that shape your behavior.
  1. Explain two major theoretical paradigms in social science, their major assumptions, and crucial evidence given in support. Include how these theories are used in everyday life as well as broader society. Choose your favorite and explain why.

Problem Solving. A step-by-step process of defining the problem, searching for information, generating possible solutions, testing hypotheses using appropriate methodology, identifying and evaluating constraints, formulating implementation plans, and establishing success criteria. The goal of problem solving is to find and implement a solution (http://www.nces.ed.gov/npec/evaltests/psinfo.htm).

Examples of Problem Solving Artifacts

1.  Which social science research method is most conducive to study illegal immigration? Explain why you selected that method.

2.  Field Research Report: following the steps of observation, hypothesis forming, testing the hypothesis, and revising the hypothesis, students will conduct field research on some aspect of language as it is used around them. For example, an unusual pronunciation might be part of a speaker's dialect, or it might be a piece of jargon.

Analytical Thinking. The process of breaking down complex information or ideas into simpler parts to understand how the parts relate or are organized. Analytical thinking involves identifying the underlying structure of complex information or ideas. Tasks at the analysis level require the learner to take the material apart and examine the pieces to identify logical errors (point out a contradiction or an erroneous inference), draw relationships between ideas, and/or compare and contrast. Verbs that describe learning outcomes include:

Deduce break down relate

Outline infer diagram

Illustrate subdivide point to (out)

Examples of Analytical Thinking Artifacts

  1. A paper describing overall education policy and specific practices in the United States compared with Japan,
  2. A lab report showing how the functions of x and y are related in a machine,
  3. A report that determines the iron content in Tioga River water,
  4. A test or assignment that asks students to:

·  Identify the major and minor ideas of ...

·  How are ___ the same, and how are they different?

·  List the basic assumptions…

·  Describe the variety of motives…

·  Distinguish between theory and facts…

·  Separate the major and minor themes…

Analytical thinking

1. Between 1860 and 1910, what were the characteristics of industrialization in the United States? What were the economic devices and institutions that facilitated its growth? Discuss some of the better-known entrepreneurs. Finally, how did the growth of big businesses affect American society, its ordinary people, and their workplace?

2. In the post WW II era, many countries in Southeast Asia began to seek independence. What factors spurred their desire for independent rule? In the process of gaining self-rule, what problems did countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia faced? Since gaining independence, how have these countries faired? Why is it that countries such as Singapore and Malaysia have faired much better than Indonesia?

3. Why did Europe “scramble” for Africa in the 1880s? What were their motives for carving out Africa? In doing so, who were the biggest benefactors in this European decision of divide and conquer? What methods were used to ensure the European exploitation of the peoples and resources? You need not discuss every European colony, but illustrate at least two if not three cases to support your essay.

4. Using Erika Friedl's analysis as a model, discuss the role of men in Afghan society. (from non-Western literature)

5. Draw a phrase structure tree of the following sentence. (from English Grammar)

6. Given the population of residents in NYC, explain how you would determine sample size and how would you select who would be in the sample?

Communication

·  Understands and makes him/herself understood

·  Conveys information clearly and concisely

·  Communicates effectively for a variety of purposes

·  Expresses his/her needs, desires, and opinions

·  Accesses tools, information, and strategies from a variety of resources

·  Communicates effectively with diverse audiences

Examples of Communication Artifacts

  1. What do you consider to be the “golden age” of English, that is, its time of greatest development and richest ability to express the ideas of its speakers? (an essay test question)
  1. In the post WW II era, many countries in Southeast Asia began to seek independence. What factors spurred their desire for independent rule? In the process of gaining self-rule, what problems did countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia faced? Since gaining independence, how have these countries faired? Why is it that countries such as Singapore and Malaysia have faired much better than Indonesia?

The communication form can be produced in one or more medium (written, visual, auditory and/or performance) that is appropriate to that specific discipline. The communication form must convey a student’s level of understanding and remain consistent with the conventions for that specific mode of communication. Artistic forms and performances must include a written explanation.

Rubrics for General Education Learning Goals

Rubrics are the criteria against which work will be judged. The general education learning goals by definition reflect general abilities and skills (thinking skills, communication, and an introduction of the principles, substance, and methodology of humanities, language and literature, mathematics, natural sciences, and social sciences). Different rubrics are used for different types of thinking. Evaluators will select the appropriate rubric for the type of thinking illustrated in the artifact.


General Education Learning Goal: A Critical Thinker

A critical thinker evaluates, analyzes, and applies knowledge.

4 – Uses knowledge meaningfully. Is consistently clear and accurate. Judges value of work by use of internal criteria.

3 – Refines and extends beyond the task. Is usually clear and accurate. Judges value of work by use of external standards of excellence.

2 – Applies knowledge to new situations. Is generally clear and accurate.

1 – Demonstrates gaps in understanding. Is unclear, lacking detail. May need redirection.

A critical thinker designs, selects, and uses appropriate thinking strategies.

4 – Uses an efficient or sophisticated approach/procedure. Consistently uses a variety of appropriate, complex reasoning strategies.

3 – Uses a workable approach/procedure. Usually uses a variety of appropriate, complex, reasoning strategies.

2 – Sometimes uses a workable approach/procedure. Generally uses a variety of complex reasoning strategies.

1 – Results are inconsistent with procedures. Sporadically uses complex reasoning strategies.

A critical thinker accesses and utilizes diverse resources to solve complex problems.

4 – Consistently gathers and processes information from a variety of sources. Solutions exhibit synthesis, generalization, or abstraction.

3 – Usually gathers and process information from a variety of sources. Solutions exhibit observations.

2 – Generally gathers and processes information from a variety of sources. Solutions exhibit observations.

1 – Gathers and processes information from limited sources. Solutions exhibit few extensions.


General Education Learning Goal: Problem Solving

Choice Of Strategy

4 - Chooses the best strategy for the problem.

3 - Chooses an appropriate strategy.

2 - Chooses a less appropriate strategy or an incomplete strategy.

1 - Chooses an inappropriate strategy.

Finding Solutions

4 - Finds all possible solutions.

3 - Finds most solutions.

2 - Finds one possible solution.

1 - Finds one impossible or no solution.

Explanation

4 - Provides clear, coherent explanation.

3 - Provides reasonably clear explanation.

2 - Explanation is somewhat unclear.

1 - Explanation is unclear or missing.

Diagrams, Drawings, or Models

4 - Includes clear diagram, drawing or model if appropriate.

3 - Includes diagrams, drawings, or models even though they may be unclear or incomplete.

2 - Diagrams, drawings, or models are somewhat unclear.

1 - Diagrams, drawings, or models are unclear, missing, or inappropriate.

Content Area Term Usage

4 - Uses appropriate content area terms.

3 - Generally uses appropriate content area terms.

2 - Misuses or confuses content area terms.

1 - Fails to use content area terms.

General Education Learning Goal: An Analytical Thinker
An analytical thinker breaks down complex information or ideas into simpler parts.
4-Differentiates the component parts of complex information and/or ideas. Is consistently logical and accurate.
3-Uses a logical approach to identify the component parts of information and/or ideas. Is usually logical and accurate.
2-Identifys some, but not all, of the component parts of information and/or ideas. Some errors of logic occurred.
1-Identifys one or none of the component parts of information and/or ideas. Inconsistent logic and accuracy.
An analytical thinker draws relationships between elements and/or ideas.
4-Applies a framework to explain how the parts of complex information or ideas relate or are organized. Explanation is thorough, logical and coherent.
3-Applies a framework to explain how the parts of complex information or ideas relate or are organized. Explanation is accurate but incomplete.
2-Draws relationships between some of the component parts. Framework is superficial thus missing some parts.
1-Relationships are inconsistent and without a framework.
An analytical thinker identifies contradictions or erroneous inferences.
4- Supports all inferences with evidence and identifies all errors in logic. Isolates and controls variables in order to make strong causal claims.
3- Supports all inferences with evidence and identifies some, but not all, errors in logic. Isolates and controls variables in order to make causal claims.
2-Generally supports inferences with evidence. Does not identify contradictions or erroneous inferences.
1-Inferences not supported with evidence.


General Education Learning Goal: Communication

Expression Of Ideas

4 – Clearly and effectively communicates the main idea or theme and provides support that contains rich, vivid, and powerful detail.

3 – Clearly communicates the main idea or theme and provides suitable support and detail.

2 – Communicates important information but not a clear theme of overall structure.

1 – Communicates information as isolated pieces in a random fashion.