General Education

The Wheel To ensure that educational experiences at CMU engender the ideals incorporated in the mission and vision statements, the faculty, administration, and trustees adopted new university wide learning principles and associated outcomes in the Spring of 2016.

Six of the nine outcomes will be used to assess the general education program (the first two outcomes listed for each principle). The remaining higher order outcome will be assessed at the senior, graduating student level.

Communication (articulate, multimodal, professional)

Students are articulate, able to speak and write clearly and effectively.
Students are multimodal, able to interpret and express ideas through multiple modes of communication.
Students are professional, able to adapt to and interact with others in a confident, responsible, and engaged manner.

Curiosity (discover, analyze, create)

Students can discover, explore, and seek solutions based on accumulated knowledge and current research.
Students can analyze, evaluate, interpret, and summarize data.
Students can create and innovate using critical thinking and collaborative skills.

Community (serve, respect, lead)

Students have opportunities for service in their development as ethical and informed citizens.
Students will understand and respect diversity, including others' viewpoints, positions, and beliefs.
Students will lead creatively and collaboratively to produce positive changes in the broader world.

Assessment Planning

The current strategy of assessment for General Education and academic majors is based on the plan set forth in 2009. The educational goals for the University are intentionally broad statements that guide a culture of learning, but they are not themselves directly measurable with clearly defined learning outcomes. The University understands education to be concerned with the formation of the self, not merely with providing information to an individual who is unchanged by it. Liberal education is formative as well as informative.

The General Education program is intended to fulfill the mission of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences by providing a curriculum that enables students to reach the Educational Goals of CLAS through acquiring habits of mind, habits of heart, and habits of action that embody the good. The development of such habits requires both knowledge and mental discipline in many fields of study. The CMU curriculum is designed to help students make responsible life choices with deep concern for the common good.

The assessment tools used in the General Education program are diverse and address each of the academic goals.

General Education Sample Assessment Measures