General Education Syllabi Review Process
Syllabi Review Process
- Reviewer: General Education and Instructional Effectiveness Committee (GEIEC)
- Syllabi Collection
- IPAR conducts syllabi sampling based on the delivery mode, enrollment, and course sections
- GEIEC chair requests syllabi from departments
- Department chair submitts syllabi to IPAR
- Syllabi Review
- IPAR creates the syllabi review project in Qualtrics
- GEIEC reviews syllabi in Qualtrics
- GEIEC shares feedback with the department chair
Syllabi review is a crucial step in the General Education assessment process. The General Education and Instructional Effectiveness Committee (GEIEC) reviews a competency area’s syllabi in its corresponding assessment cycle. Due to resource constraints and the number of sections offered, GEIEC most often reviews a stratified random sample of syllabi.
IPAR facilitates the syllabi review process by creating stratified random samples, setting up the review process in Qualtrics, and summarizing the review data. Factors to consider during the sampling process include delivery mode, enrollment number, and the number of course sections.
GEIEC collects the syllabi included in the sample from department chairs, reviews them in Qualtrics with a rubric (please see a rubric example below), and shares the feedback with the department chairs.
Syllabi Review Rubric
GEIEC members use a rubric to review the syllabi. The rubric has two components – Alignment & Evidence. Alignment refers to the alignment of the course outcomes to the General Education (GE) outcomes. Aligning course outcomes with the GE outcomes ensures that students experience an integrated curriculum that allows repeated opportunities throughout their education to develop competence in the GE outcomes. Reviewers expect a clear alignment between the course outcomes and GE outcomes. Furthermore, reviewers check if the course materials/textbooks, assignments/activities, content, or evaluation provide enough evidence to support the GE outcomes. Reviewers have three options (Yes, No, or Could not determine/Need more information) to choose from, and they can provide comments in the comment section for further clarification about why they chose one of the options.
Departmental Faculty Responsibilities
- Insert/embed General Education Outcomes in the syllabus: Course Outcomes align to GE Outcomes
- Conduct self-assessment for course alignment: Course Content/Learning Experience and Assignments/Activities align to Course Outcomes
- View sample syllabus (PDF) for General Education course
- Collaborate with GEIEC if alignment issues are discovered
We highly recommend that all instructors review their syllabi using the rubric above before teaching the course. If they need help, they can collaborate with GEIEC or utilize other faculty resources to accomplish it. Below is an example that faculty can use to present the alignment and evidence:
Alignment
| Course Outcome | Ge Social Sciences Competency Outcome |
|---|---|
| Course Outcome 1: Analyze a business situation to determine an information management need. | Ge Outcome 1: Apply discipline specific knowledge in the social sciences to explain the key factors that shape social institutions, structures, and processes that shape human behavior and social interaction. |
Evidence
| Module Learning Objective | Alignment with Course Outcome/GE Outcome | Learning Materials | Learning Activities | Assessments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Identify the basic activities and benefits of information management and benefits | Course Outcome 1: Analyze a business situation to determine on information management need. GE Outcome 1: Apply discipline specific knowledge in the social sciences to explain the key factors that shape social institutions, structures, and processes that shape human behavior and social interaction. | Read textbook chapter 1 Watch the video in the module | Participate in Discussion#1 Take practice quiz | Take graded quiz #1 |