General Education Assessment

The University of Richmond has four areas of general education requirements used to determine the degree to which students are demonstrating the stated learning outcomes. Three of the general education areas serves students in our traditional undergraduate programs in the Schools of Arts & Sciences, Business, and Leadership Studies — First-Year Seminar, second language (COMII) and Fields of Study. Please visit the General Education Curriculum site for more information regarding general education requirements for traditional undergraduate students. The fourth general education area, Area of Study, serves the School of Continuing and Professional Studies.

First-Year Seminars

Each semester, a sample of the first-year seminars are selected to be assessed. Instructors are randomly assigned to assess two of the four First-Year Seminar learning outcomes. Instructors select an assignment, exercise, work product, etc. that best incorporates the learning outcome and provides the best illustration of the extent to which the students have achieved the outcome. When fitting, the same assignment may be used to assess both of the outcomes that are being assessed that semester.

At the end of the semester, the instructor uses the designated rubric to assess each student's work and assign a rating. The results are submitted to the Assessment Specialist to be aggregated and analyzed.

Second Language (COMII)

Students from a sample of sections from the modern languages are selected and assessed in the Fall and Spring using the Standards-Based Assessment and Measure of Proficiency (STAMP) test, which is an external standardized language proficiency test. Once all selected students have completed their assessment, the Assessment Specialist provides a report on the language proficiency to the Director of the Global Studio.

Areas of Inquiry

The six areas of inquiry are assessed using a four-semester timeline. Each semester, two areas of inquiry are scheduled for assessment. A random selection of courses is included in the assessment of the learning outcomes. Each selected area of inquiry instructor selects an assignment, exercise, work product, etc., that best incorporates each of the learning outcomes and provides the best illustration of the extent to which the students have achieved the outcome. When fitting, the same assignment can be used to assess both of the outcomes designated for the semester.

At the end of the semester, the instructor uses the designated rubric to assess each student's work and assign a rating. The results are submitted to the Assessment Specialist to be aggregated and analyzed.

Areas of Study

The six areas of study are assessed using a four-semester timeline. Each semester, two areas of study are scheduled for assessment. Each selected area of study instructor selects an assignment, exercise, work product, etc., that best incorporates each of the learning outcomes and provides the best illustration of the extent to which the students have achieved the outcome. When fitting, the same assignment can be used to assess both of the outcomes designated for the semester.

At the end of the semester, the instructor uses the designated rubric to assess each student's work and assign a rating. The results are submitted to the Assessment Specialist to be aggregated and analyzed.