Introduction

The College of the Mainland General Education Assessment Committee was established in 2002.

To see how the General Education Assessment Committee fits into Institutional Effectiveness at College of the Mainland click on the following link:

IEC Organizational Structure IEC Organizational Structure (PDF, 37 KB)

Mission

The mission of the College of the Mainland General Education Committee is to coordinate assessment activities of the general education curriculum at College of the Mainland. Assessment activities at COM fall into three categories:

  1. Institutional Level
  2. Core Curriculum Program Level
  3. Course Level

I. Institutional Level

At the institutional level College of the Mainland has established eight General Education Competencies: listening, reading, multicultural awareness, critical thinking, speaking, math, computer literacy, and writing. These eight competencies are essential to the learning process in any degree plan. Although students come to higher education with some experience in these areas, they often need further development of these skills to meet college standards.

While some of these skills have been traditionally tied to specific courses (for example, English composition or math), no courses are tied specifically to skills such as critical thinking or multicultural awareness; therefore, if the core curriculum is to prepare students properly for transfer to a four-year institution or a career, it is imperative that these skills be incorporated into general education coursework. In addition, even for skills tied to specific courses, competency in these skills requires more than a single course or two. Competency in these skills requires an interdisciplinary approach and reinforcement through continued use and development of these skills throughout a student's entire higher education experience.

II. Core Curriculum Program Level

The core curriculum component of general education is assessed in the following programs:

  1. Social and Behavioral Sciences
  2. Communication
  3. Humanities and Visual and Performing Arts
  4. Natural Sciences
  5. Mathematics

III. Course Level

At the course level general education assessment occurs through Student Learner Outcomes (SLO) established by the faculty in each discipline.