The phrase “General Education” refers to the educational foundation of skills, knowledge, habits of mind, and values that prepare students for success in their majors and in their personal and professional lives upon transferring or graduating. At Northwestern Michigan College, the faculty have chosen to focus on four General Education Outcomes (GEOs). These are Communication (COM), Critical Thinking (CT), Quantitative Reasoning (QR), and Social Responsibility (SR). Learn more about NMC Staff Policy D-101.01 regarding GEOs.
To assure that our students are progressing in these areas, and to also determine where our students may need more support, we assess each of these outcomes every semester. Faculty members whose classes support a general education requirement are asked to score at least one assignment with the general education rubric for that outcome. This page features resources to assist faculty in these endeavors.
Which GEOs do my courses support?
Course outlines (available in the Curriculum Information Management (CIM) system) indicate which GEOs are assigned to individual courses. Please note that not all courses support GEOs at NMC. Tutorial: Accessing Course Outlines in the CIM.
Assessing GEOs
Once you determine which GEO(s) your course supports, it’s the faculty member’s responsibility to assess their students using those GEOs. Faculty only need to assess students once during a semester for each set of GEOs their course(s) support.
Adding & Assessing GEOs in Moodle
All GEOs can be assessed in Moodle. Watch the video below to learn how to add and assess GEOs in Moodle or read the Adding General Education Outcomes in Moodle tutorial.
Adding & Assessing GEOs in Canvas
All GEOs can also be assessed in Canvas. Additionally, Canvas includes a powerful Learning Mastery Gradebook that can be used to view overall details about the outcomes avaialble in your course and the way students are performing on those outcomes. Watch the video below to learn more.
Assessing CT and QR GEOs using TER-N
Alternatively, the Critical Thinking (CT) and Quantitative Reasoning (QR) GEOs can be assessed using the Test of Everyday Reasoning with Numeracy (TER-N) assessment. This assessment is facilitated outside of Moodle. Faculty who opt into using the TER-N assessment do not have to score GEOs in Moodle. Any faculty member interested in having a course participate in the TER-N assessment to fulfill CT and QR assessment responsibilities are encouraged to contact the Assessment Team (a-team-customgroup@nmc.edu).
GEO Rubrics
GEO Results
To access GEO scoring results inside of a Moodle course, open your gradebook, and navigate to the “Outcomes report”. This report will give you course level data including a course average, related activities, and the number for grades for each GEO added to your course.
The Gen Ed Power BI Report is a great way to look at GEO scoring results at an institutional level. It also enables users to drill down into results by academic area or program level and filter results using various student demographics. Please note: a VPN is required to access the Power BI Dashboards. Watch the video below to learn more about the Gen Ed Power BI Report.