Core 39 Assessment Process

CORE 39 ASSESSMENT CALENDAR FOR 2016-2017 ACADEMIC YEAR. Rubrics for the 2016 Fall Semester should be completed by December 20, 2016. Rubrics for the 2017 Spring Semester should be completed by May 16, 2017. The complete calendar can be found at this link.

KEY ASSIGNMENTS & RUBRICS. As noted in the CORE 39 Assessment Task Force Final Report, each CORE 39 course should have a Key Assignment that is aligned to a rubric for each component of the core that the course meets. Currently, rubrics are available for all of the Embedded Experiences and for the four Ways of Knowing Outcomes. In Spring 2016, the University will develop the common assessment rubrics for the six Ways of Knowing subcategories.

WAYS OF KNOWING: OUTCOMES. Starting in Fall 2015, each Ways of Knowing course will be assessed on one of the four Ways of Knowing common outcomes:

• OUTCOME 1: Students will be able to utilize problem solving, the process of designing, evaluating, and implementing a strategy or strategies to answer an open-ended question or achieve a desired goal, as defined by the way of knowing.
• OUTCOME 2:  Students will be able to apply methods of inquiry and analysis, the systematic process of exploring issues/objects/works through the collection and process of breaking complex topics or issues into parts to gain a better understanding of them that result in informed conclusions/judgments, as identified by the way of knowing. 
• OUTCOME 3: The student will demonstrate the ability to know when there is a need for information, be able to identify, locate, evaluate, and effectively and responsibly use and share that information for the problem at hand.
• OUTCOME 4: The student will design and execute a performance of the way of knowing.  A performance is defined as: A dynamic and sustained act that brings together knowing and doing (creating a painting, solving an experimental design problem, developing a public relations strategy for a business, etc.); performance makes learning observable.

WAYS OF KNOWING: SUBCATEGORIES. The Ways of Knowing courses are also divided into six subcategories: Creative and Aesthetic Expression; Historical Inquiry; Moral and Ethical Reasoning; Scientific and Mathematical Inquiry; Social Inquiry; and World Languages and Culture. Each WOK subcategory has its own objectives (but not outcomes).

During the 2015-2016 academic year, six teams will be established to develop the rubrics for the Ways of Knowing subcategories. The teams will attend rubric building and assessment trainings in Fall 2015; these trainings will be led by the UCC Director, the CETL Director, and the CORE 39 College Assessment Facilitators. During the Spring 2016 University Meeting, the six teams will meet during the breakout sessions to start developing the subcategory rubrics. The completed rubrics must be received by the UCC Director and the UCC Committee by February 15, 2016.

Assessment of the Ways of Knowing Subcategories will begin in Fall 2016; each course will be assessed on a three-year rotation.

EMBEDDED EXPERIENCES. The Diversity, Global, and Writing Intensive Embedded Experiences will be assessed on a three year rotation starting in Fall 2016 using the rubrics developed by the CORE 39 Assessment Task Force.

NOTE: Any course that is both a Ways of Knowing course and an Embedded Experience course will be assessed one time during the three year cycle. For example, POLS 271 will be assessed for both Social Inquiry and Global Embedded during the same semester.