Comprehensive Standard 3.5.1: General Education Competencies

The institution identifies college-level competencies within the general education core and provides evidence that graduates have attained those competencies.

Judgment of the Off-Site Review Committee:  Non-Compliance

Comments:  The committee finds that college-level competencies for general education courses have been identified.  There was insufficient evidence to determine that the graduates achieve these competencies.  The on-site committee should verify that graduates have attained identified college-level competencies through specific assessment instruments, such as standardized tests, portfolios, projects, pre/post test, etc.

College Focused Response: 

Wayne Community College (WCC) uses both direct and indirect measures to assess that its graduates have attained identified general education outcomes.  Indirect measures include capstone courses, annual graduate surveys, advisory committee/employer surveys, and reports from the North Carolina University System on performance of transfer students.  State and national certification exams taken by students in a variety of curricular areas (aviation, nursing, dental hygiene, dental assisting, and medical assisting) also measure graduate attainment of the general education competencies.  Results from these measures have been positive and indicate that WCC students successfully meet identified general education outcomes and are satisfied with their accomplishment of these outcomes.  The original documents forwarded to the off-site committee provided the evidence that these measures indirectly assess the graduates’ attainment of general education competences.

In the 2005 spring semester, WCC also participated in its first national standardized assessment, the Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE).  The 2005 CCSSE report showed that 79% of WCC student respondents indicated that their experiences at WCC contribute to knowledge, skills and personal development in "acquiring a broad general education."   A majority of students also indicated that their coursework contributes to their achieving of the college learning outcomes. College representatives are currently considering the adoption of another external measure of student learning at the general education level, the Educational Testing Service Academic Profile.  This nationally normed assessment instrument will provide a direct measure of student learning at the general education level as well as a measure of WCC student learning compared to students at similar institutions.   A decision on the ACT Academic Profile adoption will occur by the end of fall semester 2005. 

During the 2004 academic year, WCC faculty members compiled learning outcome matrices to illustrate how college level and program level outcomes are incorporated into courses that comprise the various programs offered by the college.  The matrices show where the general education outcomes are taught, reinforced, or applied within each program of study.  Each matrix also includes a comprehensive list of course-level assessment measures such as pre- and post- tests, writing assignments, oral presentations, and group or individual projects that help to determine whether or not students are attaining the outcomes.  In addition, all course syllabi were revised in 2004.  Course syllabi call attention to general education competencies and course specific outcomes addressed in each course.  The type of course level assessments used to evaluate student competency is also listed on each syllabus.

One course level assessment of particular note is the pre- and post- test SAM/TOM that was piloted by instructors in the Computer Information Systems program area during the 2004 – 2005 academic semesters.  Thirty-eight of the 40 AA, AS and AAS programs of study use CIS 110 (college transfer) and CIS 111 (non-college transfer) to introduce basic computer knowledge and skills to WCC students.  Therefore, CIS 110 and CIS 111 courses are key areas in which to measure the success of students on the general education computer outcome, “Use computers and other technologies to achieve academic, work-related, and personal goals”.   Although data are limited at this point, the grade distribution shown in Table 1 indicates that students’ grades improved during the implementation of SAM/TOM.  During the 2005 – 2006 academic year, all full and part-time CIS faculty members will use SAM/TOM software to measure students’ accomplishment of the course-level outcomes in CIS 110.       

TABLE 1 Grade Distribution Prior to and After Implementing SAM/TOM – CIS 110

As part of the College’s current Continuous Improvement Process (CIP) that focuses on General Education Assessment, faculty and staff members are reviewing and refining all elements related to the assessment of general education core.  A comprehensive plan for general education assessment is the ultimate outcome for the General Education Assessment team (CIP participants).  The Arts and Sciences Division, which is leading the General Education Assessment movement, began the development of this plan in the summer of 2005 (see Arts and Sciences Assessment Plan).   Although far from a completed document, the plan is already having impact in the division.  Select faculty teams in the Language and Communications Department have begun the process of establishing criteria and developing rubrics for the general education outcome, “Demonstrate speaking, writing, and reading skills necessary to communicate effectively” that will be used in English 111 and COM 231 courses in the fall semester.  Samples of the outcomes and grading rubrics are provided with the Arts and Sciences Assessment Plan.  

The General Education Assessment Team (CIP steering committee) has also recommended that Common Graded Assignments (CGA) be used as part of the course-level assessment process.  The following outlines the strategy and steps for CGA use:  the Common Graded Assignment (CGA) is an assessment designed by teams of faculty representing each general education discipline.  In the summer of 2005, the discipline teams began the development of common graded assignments and scoring rubrics for English 111 and Communications 231.  These CGA’s will be piloted in the 2005 fall semester.   Once all disciplines have at least one course piloted, the assessment schedule will include every approved general education core course in that discipline on a rotating basis.  These common graded assignments, and others that will be developed as the assessment initiative continues, will be incorporated into designated sections of designated courses each semester.  At the end of each fall and spring semester, a random sample of these assignments will be collected and scored by trained faculty.  The feedback from these assignments will provide valuable information about the degree to which students are achieving the general education program competencies.

The assessment initiative also calls for general education outcomes to be measured in all academic programs of study, not just within the A & S programs.  The Arts and Sciences division is leading this effort since the facilitation of quality learning opportunities in general education for all programs of study is a major purpose of the division.  However, the concept of measuring general education outcomes outside the Arts and Sciences area is not an innovation on the WCC campus.  In point of fact, in 2004 each department in the Allied Health, Public and Human Services Division (nursing, dental hygiene, dental assisting, medical office technology, criminal justice, human services technology, substance abuse, and early childhood education) identified how the respective program area measured students’ accomplishment of the general education competency “demonstrate mathematical skills necessary to solve problems appropriate to the area of study.”  A sample of this process for the Associate Degree Nursing program (ADN) is provided.  Hard copies of other math general education competencies/outcomes in the Allied Health/Public Service area are located in the office of the Allied Health/Public Services Division Head. 

In sum, WCC has implemented or is preparing to implement a variety of direct and indirect measures to assess students’ success in meeting general education competencies.  These measures include capstone courses, annual graduate surveys, advisory committee/employer surveys, reports from the North Carolina University System on performance of our transfer students, state and national certification exams, and standardized instruments like the CCSSE.  More recently, the college has developed an Assessment Plan that calls for the use of more specific course level measures, such as specialized pre- and post- testing and Common Graded Assignments, to provide a direct measure of students’ attainment of general education outcomes.  Each of these institutional measures is part of an evolving process and culture of assessment of student learning that is taking place at Wayne Community College.  

As a result, the college certifies compliance with this comprehensive standard.