General Education Assessment: It is the policy of Dakota State University to assess the general education curriculum on an annual basis. The Assessment Coordinating Committee has responsibility for general education assessment. During 1994 and 1995, this committee developed specific goals, outcomes, and criteria to assess the general education curriculum. During 1998, the general education curriculum underwent a statewide review that resulted in a set of seven, system-wide general education goals. These goals ensure that all graduates in the Board of Regents system complete an identifiable and coherent undergraduate, general education component. The system-wide general education component also ensures students' ease of transfer between BOR institutions. Dakota State University has incorporated the BOR-mandated general education goals, criteria, and coursework into its general education assessment process and has developed additional goals concerning information literacy, personal wellness, and written communication. These additional goals are also assessed as part of the general education assessment plan. Based on the system-wide general education goals, students will:

1. Write effectively and responsibly and understand and interpret the written expression of others.
2. Communicate effectively and responsibly through speaking and listening.
3. Understand the structures and possibilities of the human community through study of the social sciences.
4. Understand and appreciate the human experience through arts and humanities.
5. Understand and apply fundamental mathematical processes and reasoning.
6. Understand the fundamental principles of the natural sciences and apply scientific methods of inquiry to investigate the natural world.
7. Understand and be sensitive to cultural diversity so that they are prepared to live and work in an international and multicultural environment.

Based on the goals set for Dakota State University's institutional graduation requirements, students will:

1. Find, evaluate, and use information effectively in written communication in the social sciences.
2. Understand the importance and holistic nature of personal wellness and fitness.

Based on the goals set for Dakota State University's information technology / literacy requirements, students will:

1. Be knowledgeable and competent users of computer technology. 
2. Use technology appropriately to understand processes and concepts in math and science, and to solve problems in those disciplines.

General Education Assessment - Procedures and Activities:    Since 1989, DSU students have completed the Collegiate Assessment of Academic Proficiency (CAAP)., composed of five standardized tests: Writing Skills, Mathematics, Reading, Critical Thinking, and Science Reasoning.  Because DSU students need high-level computer skills, they also complete an on-line computer assessment activity.  The Computer Skills Assessment Project (CSAP) is a locally developed, on-line assessment tool, designed to measure students' competencies in software applications and programming and their knowledge of computer technology.  The faculty in the College of Business and Information Systems developed this assessment project in 1994, have continuously reviewed student performance, and have updated the exam.  In addition to these exam-based assessment activities, students report their satisfaction in nine areas related to the general education goals.  During 1999-2000, students participated in the pilot test of a new computer competency exam (Tek.Xam) being developed by the Virginia Foundation of Independent Colleges.  The Tek.Xam, developed to measure students' skills in five areas, closely matches areas tested in DSU's locally developed computing skills exam.  During Fall 2000, the Assessment Committee will again review the Tek.Xam to decide whether the locally developed exam or the Tek.Xam best measures DSU students' general education computing skills.

The South Dakota Board of Regents initiated a statewide proficiency testing program in Spring 1996.  Following a two-year pilot phase, the BOR selected the CAAP as the proficiency exam and set minimum performance levels in four areas: writing, reading, science reasoning, and mathematics.  (Because DSU was already using the CAAP as part of the general education assessment process, this BOR mandate required very little adjustment in DSU's general education assessment plan.  The most significant change was dropping the critical thinking exam.)  The BOR-mandated, proficiency testing process is designed to ensure quality in the system-wide general education curriculum.  Students and their advisors receive copies of the students' individual test results.  The institution also receives data summarizing the performance of all DSU students in a particular test group.  The group results are used as one means of assessing DSU's general education curriculum.  Figure 1: Collegiate Assessment of Academic Proficiency (CAAP) – Comparison of DSU and National User Norms (below) compares DSU students' CAAP scores to the national user norms for the period of 1999-2000.

Figure 1: Collegiate Assessment of Academic Proficiencey (CAAP) Comparison of DSU and National User Norms.

One primary area of interest in assessment is the link between students' entry-level skills and the skills they acquire as they progress through the general education curriculum.  To document this linkage, Enhanced ACT scores and CAAP scores are compared in a value-added report prepared by the ACT research department.  The Assessment Office produces an annual report that includes this data along with information on the other assessment activities. This information is used to determine whether the assessment criteria for each of the general education goals have been met.  The Assessment Coordinating Committee reviews this data and prepares a summary report for the general faculty.  The summary highlights the areas of strength and concern and includes a request for recommendations or comments.  When the recommendations include curricular changes, the committee forwards them to the appropriate faculty groups and/or committees. 

Academic Changes Based on General Education Assessment Data: The information systems / computer science faculty revised the programming section of the CSAP after the first two test administrations.  Although students' scores improved on the revised version, students' performance is still not as high as expected in the segment of the on-line exam which covers programming.  The faculty and the Assessment Coordinating Committee continue to review student performance relative to faculty expectations and may revise general education goals and outcomes associated with programming.  Student achievement on the CSAP also prompted the College of Business and Information Systems to increase CSC 105 Introduction to Computers from two to three credits, beginning in Fall 1999.  Assessment data from the employer survey and from the Tek.Xam  prompted the faculty who taught CSC 105 to incorporate topics related to hardware and networking into the course.  After reviewing assessment data from the last three years, the faculty from the College of Liberal Arts recently revised the format of the English courses to provide more intensive writing help for students.  In addition, the reading development course will incorporate more timed readings to increase the students' success on the CAAP reading test.