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General Education Program

General Education Assessment

The Illinois State University General Education program systematically collects and analyzes data to improve student learning. The general education program will lay the foundation for the entire undergraduate experience. ISU is committed to helping students become critical thinkers and global citizens who seek knowledge, appreciate diversity, think critically, communicate effectively, act responsibly and work collaboratively. The faculty care about a liberal education for our students, and understand that it is the shared responsibility of the faculty to gather assessment data, analyze it, and make improvements based on the results.

Why general education assessment is important

  • Demonstrates the strengths and weaknesses of our general education program
  • Informs decision making for improvements to general education
  • Outlines the student, faculty, and staff perspectives on the value of general education

Responsibility for General Education Assessment

General Education Assessment falls within the responsibilities of the Council on General Education. The CGE works closely with the University Assessment Services to develop the process.

Process

General education is assessed through a combination of direct and indirect measures.

  • Direct

    General education courses are assessed through the institutional artifact portfolio (IAP) process. Artifacts or assignments are collected from faculty. Faculty panels in a general education category assess the artifacts using rubrics created and endorsed by faculty. Results are compiled by University Assessment Services and provided in an online dashboard. For access to the dashboard, contact Ryan Smith in University Assessment Services at rlsmith@IllinoisState.edu.  Once the results are reviewed, discussions are held with the faculty teaching the applicable courses to review quality improvements made to better help students be successful at Illinois State.

  • Indirect

    The general education survey gathers feedback from students about their opinions on general education and how general education courses have contributed to their learning. The survey is administered every three years. The survey was conducted in spring 2019 and 2022. Results are included in an online dashboard. For access, contact Ryan Smith in University Assessment Services at rlsmith@IllinoisState.edu.

IAI Panel Overview

The Illinois Articulation Initiative (IAI) was created in 1993 to ease the transfer of students from Illinois colleges and universities.

The resulting General Education Package (GECC) package is fully transferable in lieu of each college or university’s own general education requirements. For a course to receive IAI approval, participating institutions must submit a course syllabus and applicable course materials to the appropriate GECC panel for review. Each panel has specific criteria the course much meet for approval. Once approved the course is reviewed every 5 years to ensure it is still adhering to the established criteria.

IAI GECC Course Approval Criteria and Descriptors

The IAI Annual Report and the IAI Annual Report - Fiscal Year 2022 are available for review.