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Academics

Assessment of the LSP

How Truman Assesses the Effectiveness of its General Education Program:

For three decades Truman State University has been a leader in higher education assessment. Truman currently uses reviews conducted under the direction of the Undergraduate Council, several nationally normed instruments, and some assessment programs developed locally to assess its General Education Program, which at Truman is called the Liberal Studies Program. These includSe:

Surveys:

  1. College Student Experiences Questionnaire (CSEQ) - nationally normed
  2. Cooperative Institutional Research Project (CIRP) - nationally normed
  3. National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) - nationally normed
  4. Graduating Student Questionnaire (GSQ) - developed locally
  5. Alumni Survey - developed by ACT and Truman
  6. Employer Survey - developed locally

Exams:

  1. Academic Profile - nationally normed
  2. College Assessment of Academic Proficiency (CAAP) - nationally normed

Other:

  1. Writing Assessment - local
  2. Liberal Arts and Sciences Portfolio - local

(Other instruments that may not be annually applicable to LSP assessment but are still relevant are the Student Interview Project and the Collegiate Learning Assessment.  Questions for the Interview Project change every year and the CLA was given only in FY 2005.)

How Truman Uses Assessment Results to Improve the General Education Program:

In Spring 2004, the Undergraduate Council began systematic review and assessment of the Liberal Studies Program (LSP) at Truman. The Council began with the Historical Mode of Inquiry and proceeded to the remaining seven Modes of Inquiry, the Essential Skills, and the Interconnecting Perspectives. Each component of the LSP has been or will soon be assessed for achievement of the student learning outcomes developed for the LSP components.

The Undergraduate Council formed several subcommittees to conduct the assessment of the LSP.  The process involved several stages beginning with the examination of existing assessment data.  This is where the surveys, exams, and other forms of assessment on campus are utilized.  Next, samples of course syllabi and student work were collected.  The subcommittees reviewed these samples to determine where the student learning outcomes were being achieved and to what degree.  In some cases, the faculty determined that the outcomes were in need of revision and recommended appropriate changes to the Council.

Improvement comes in different ways: curriculum improvement, improved outcomes, and faculty development.  Curriculum improvement is achieved through this review process because it necessitates a close look at course content and expectations.  Where certain assignments may not match the LSP outcomes, the faculty have the option of revising so that the outcomes are achieved more fully.  Furthermore, as mentioned above, the outcome statements themselves can be improved through this process.  Members of these Undergraduate Council subcommittees have remarked that the review opportunities have afforded them the chance for collegial discussions and self-reflection, which in turn enhances the curriculum and outcomes.

Truman State University has a historic commitment to creating a self-reflective environment and making changes guided by its Assessment Program.  In the preface to the University’s 1997 Master Plan: Affirming the Promise, then President Jack Magruder sums up Truman’s culture of assessment as follows:

“For more than twenty-five years Truman has been an innovative leader in the use of assessment data to foster improved student learning and a stronger teaching/learning environment on campus.  This remarkable achievement is rooted in the institution’s commitment to both its students and the citizens of Missouri to provide the best education experience possible” (p.viii).

Resources:

Assessment Almanac – a three-volume annual publication of the results of Truman’s assessment instruments
Assessment Web Site – visit the web site to read about Truman’s Assessment Program
“The Map” – a document developed by the Vice President’s Advisory Committee on Assessment that links Truman’s assessment instruments to the outcomes of the Liberal Studies Program
University Master Plan – read Truman’s goals for the ten-year period of 1997-2007

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