3_5_1

Section 3: Comprehensive Standards

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

Judgment of Compliance:
Compliance

Narrative/Justification for Judgment of Compliance:
Christopher Newport University has been in compliance with the current general education core (affecting students who entered prior to Fall 2006) and will be in compliance with the Liberal Learning Core, CNU’s new general education curriculum to be implemented in the Fall of 2006. The current general education curriculum had been in place since 1994. In the Spring of 2001, the Provost charged the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences with the responsibility for constituting a Task Force to develop a “liberal arts curriculum that would do justice to the goal of becoming one of the premier public liberal arts universities in the nation.” The task force analyzed academic culture reports submitted by departments, researched curricular models from other institutions, and worked with consultants from the American Association of Colleges and Universities. The Foundations of Liberal Learning were developed to guide the development of the curriculum, called the Liberal Learning Core. On 25 February 2004, the Report of the Task Force on Curriculum and Academic Life was presented to the Provost and subsequently adopted by the Board of Visitors.

Current General Education Requirements

Under the current general education requirements, the competencies are listed as General Education Vision and Goals:

This philosophy of education requires a curriculum that develops the following intellectual competencies in our students.

The ability to communicate with words and numbers.
a. To write and speak clearly and effectively in English.
b. To convey numerical information clearly and effectively.
The ability of analyze, interpret, and think clearly.
a. To understand and apply effectively mathematical concepts and methods.
b. To understand and apply effectively scientific concepts and methods.
c. To analyze and evaluate information logically.
An understanding of how science operates and the nature and role of science in society.
a. To understand how the scientific method is used to comprehend the nature of the world.
b. To appreciate the historical aspects of science and the impact and limitations of science and technology.
A global perspective of the world’s history, cultures and societies.
a. To understand human experience through an historical perspective.
b. To understand cultural diversity.
c. To understand the foundations, structures, and processes of contemporary societies.
An understanding of the human condition and the significance of the individual.
a. To understand the interdependency between the individual and society.
b. To understand and value individual creativity, choice, and responsibility in being a member of society.
An understanding and practice of health and wellness.
The ability to use information technology for research and communication.”

The following list matches the different general education courses to the competencies:

Competency #	Course
1a	ENGL 123, XXXX 223 & COMM 201
1b	Mathematics requirement
2a	Mathematics requirement
2b	Natural Science requirement
2c	Mathematics, Natural Science and PHIL 101 (Critical Thinking)
3a	Natural Science requirement
3b	Natural Science requirement
4a	HIST 111 & 112
4b	HIST 111 & 112, Social Science requirement
4c	HIST 111 & 112, Social Science requirement
5a	Social Science and Humanities requirement
5b	Social Science, Humanities and Foreign Language requirement
6	Removed in 2002 through budget cuts
7	ENGL 123 and XXXX 223

The assessment of the current general education curriculum is multi-faceted, combining information obtained from direct measures of student learning such as standardized tests and performance assessments and from indirect measures, namely standardized surveys (see table below). The choice of assessment methods was also influenced by the State Council on Higher Education in Virginia, which mandates direct assessments of student learning for six core competencies: written communications, technology/information literacy, mathematical/quantitative reasoning, scientific reasoning, oral communication, and critical thinking. All six of these state-mandated competencies are encompassed within the general education competencies at CNU. In other words, the assessment of CNU’s general education also serves to satisfy state requirements.

General Education Competencies for CNU & Instruments Used to Assess Them: Click on Links for Details, Results, and Analysis
Note: Reflects general education curriculum 1994 through Spring 2006 - will be replaced in fall 2006 with new curriculum and new objectives

General Education Competencies for CNU	Direct Measures*	NSSE **	IDEA***
*1. The ability to communicate with words and numbers.*	x, ( written communication, oral communication, quantitative reasoning)	x	x
*2. The ability to analyze, interpret, and think clearly.*	x, ( critical thinking)	x	x
*3. An understanding of how science operates and the nature and role of science in society.*	x ( scientific reasoning)
*4. A global perspective of the world’s history, cultures and societies.*		x
*5. An understanding of the human condition and the significance of the individual.*		x	x
*6. An understanding and practice of health and wellness.*		x
*7. The ability to use information technology for research and communication.*	x ( technology literacy)	x	x

* Direct measures include: (1) performance assessment of writing, (2) performance assessment of oral communication, (3) quantitative reasoning exam, (4) Critical Thinking CAAP, (5) scientific reasoning exam, and (6) Smartforce assessment of technology)
** National Survey of Student Engagement
***IDEA Student Ratings of Instruction

In addition to these direct measures of student learning, the National Survey of Student Engagement and the IDEA Student Ratings of Instruction have been used as indirect measures. These tools help CNU examine its general education with a different lens, that of students’ perceptions. An examination of NSSE and IDEA items relative to CNU’s General Education Competencies revealed that one or more NSSE items loaded on six of the seven Competencies, and IDEA items loaded on four of the Competencies. In other words, these items can be used for indicators of success for these Competencies.

One can make inferences about CNU graduates based upon the results of these various assessments. Some of the highlights are:

Direct Measures:

The vast majority of students met or exceeded CNU-defined competency levels in general education.
Through pre-post design, CNU provided evidence that students make substantial gains in written communication and oral communication as a result of the CNU experience.

Indirect Measures:

CNU seniors tended to rate their experiences with general education more favorably than freshmen (from NSSE).
The 2001 and 2005 CNU cohorts’ responded similarly except that the 2005 CNU students reported greater civic responsibility (i.e., voting) and e-mail use, but less interaction and understanding of people different than they (from NSSE).
Compared to the selected peer group, CNU seniors compared favorably to peer's seniors and CNU freshmen less favorably to peer's freshmen (from NSSE).
Students at CNU rated progress toward general education objectives similarly to the national comparison group (from IDEA)

In sum, the preponderance of evidence suggests that students are competent in the various components of general education and that their level of proficiency improved as they progressed through the general education curriculum.

Liberal Learning Core, The New Curriculum (Fall 2006)
The competencies for the Liberal Learning Core (implementation in Fall 2006) are specified in the Foundations of Liberal Learning and in the objectives for the courses within the Liberal Learning Core.

Foundations of Liberal Learning

Principles of Liberal Learning
The program of study at Christopher Newport University invites students to participate in a rich, multi-faceted tradition of intellectual exploration grounded in the common principles of liberal learning. Our ultimate aim is to produce empowered, informed, and responsible learners, whose key intellectual and personal attributes are enumerated below. All coursework at CNU--whether in the Liberal Learning Core, in the major, or in the advanced program of integrated study--seeks to develop, reinforce, and advance student aptitude in these primary domains.

Goals of Liberal Learning
To be empowered intellectually and practically, CNU students should be able to:

effectively communicate orally, visually, in writing
demonstrate communicative competency in a second language
solve problems using quantitative and qualitative tools
interpret and evaluate information from a variety of sources
understand and work with diverse groups
transform knowledge and beliefs into action
engage in the creative process and cultivate one's imaginative powers
develop the habits of mind that are part of a lifelong pursuit of knowledge

To be aware of the world in which they exist, CNU students should seek to understand:

the historical and philosophical traditions that have shaped the world
the interrelations within and among global and cross-cultural communities
the means of modeling the natural, social, and technical worlds
the principles and histories of liberal democracies
the depth of knowledge that allows one to make a significant contribution to society
[the variety of] ways of using appropriate media to present knowledge gained from the synthesis of critical research and critical thinking.

To be responsible for the world in which they exist, CNU students should value:

intellectual honesty, social justice, and the discernment of the ethical consequences of actions
active participation as an ethical and engaged citizen of a diverse society
an understanding of one's self [and] recognition of the complex identities of others, their histories, and their cultures
their own physical and emotional well being

The Core contains courses that meet specific objectives, and every department at CNU is expected to offer courses that address the Foundations of Liberal Learning. To ensure that the Core meets the specified objectives, every course goes through a rigorous approval process that involves faculty from several committees: Faculty Council on Liberal Learning and Academic Life, Department Chairs in the College of Liberal Arts and Science and the School of Business, the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee, the Faculty Senate and the Provost. When departments submit a course for the Liberal Learning Core, the submission requires a proposal form from the Council, a new course proposal form (if it is a new course) and a syllabus. Reviewers use these documents and the appropriate objectives to approve a course for the Core. The first-year seminars also have a special proposal form.

The Core objectives make possible an organized assessment of the Core. The plan for the assessment will be implemented over several years to comprehensively and accurately assess the program. Every year the Council will determine how to assess three or four different parts of the Core. By staggering the development of the assessment tools and the actual assessments, assessment and evaluation of the Core becomes manageable. The assessment plan contains five parts with feedback between parts: Writing Objectives, Scale Development & Piloting (Fall 2006-Spring 2008); Testing & Data Collection (Fall 2007-Spring 2010); Analysis & Reporting (Spring & Fall 2010); Interpretation & Decision Making (Fall2010-Fall 2011); Implementing Change & Objective Reevaluation (Fall 2011 – Spring 2012). This plan was influenced by the general education assessments at Alverno College, Truman State University, and James Madison University—all nationally recognized for the general education assessment. By Spring 2012, the Council will have completed one cycle of the assessment of the Core. The assessment will dovetail with SCHEV Core Competency assessments. (See Graphical Depiction of LLC Assessment and Proposed Plan for Assessment of LLC).

Support Documentation:
University Handbook 06-07
Liberal Learning Core
SCHEV New Core Competencies Fact Sheet
CNU Critical Thinking (SCHEV)
CNU Oral Communication (SCHEV)
CNU Written Communication (SCHEV)
CNU Scientific Reasoning (SCHEV)
CNU Technology Assessment (SCHEV)
CNU Quantitative Reasoning (SCHEV)
IDEA General Education Results
MAT Record
NSSE Results
Proposed Plan for Assessment of Liberal Learning Core
Graphical Depiction of LLC Assessment
New Course Proposal Form
Univ. Assessment and Evaluation Review Form
First Year Seminar Course Proposal Form

Additional Live Web Resources:
SCHEV Website: http://www.schev.edu