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Further Information
Primer of Statistical Tools
Section One: Defining General Education
Defining general education is a complex and difficult process. At the present time both
the General Education Enduring Purpose Team (GE-EPT) and the General Education
Subcommittee of Student Outcome Assessment Committee (SOA) use the model of general
education as summarized in the College of DuPage catalog:
The aims of general education are to enable students to understand and appreciate
their culture and environment; to develop a system of personal values based on accepted
ethics that lead to civic and social responsibility; and to attain the skills in analysis,
communication, quantification, and synthesis necessary for further growth as a
lifespan-learner and productive member of society.
This statement can be separated into seven competencies that may be taken as an
operational definition of general education at College of DuPage. It has been a
foundation of general education delivery that these competencies are not the result of any
single course or set of courses, but rather that general education occurs throughout the
curriculum.
Since each of us plays an essential role in student development of general education
competency, we ask that faculty members think about how they see their individual teaching
activities and their discipline contributing to this development. Section One contains
Worksheet 1 and asks faculty to consider the relationship of general education
competencies to student success in their courses and discipline.
How important is the relationship between each of
these general education competencies and student success in your courses and discipline?
1. An aim of general education is to
enable students to understand and appreciate their culture
Average Rank 3.6
Not important 10%
Somewhat important 8%
8%
Moderately
important 13%
13%
Very important 50%
2. An aim of general education is to
enable students to understand and appreciate their environment
3.7
Not important 5%
Somewhat important 5%
10%
Moderately
important 20%
15%
Very important 43%
3. An aim of general education is to develop
a system of personal values based on accepted ethics that lead to civic and social
responsibility
3.8
Not important 5%
Somewhat important 10%
0%
Moderately
important 20%
15%
Very important 50%
4. An aim of general education is to
attain the skills in analysis (critical thinking, scientific reasoning)
necessary for further growth as a lifespan-learner and productive member of society.
4.7
Not important 0%
Somewhat important 0%
3%
Moderately
important 5%
13%
Very important 80%
5. An aim of general education is to
attain the skills in communication necessary for further growth as a
lifespan-learner and productive member of society.
4.7
Not important 0%
Somewhat important 0%
0%
Moderately
important 10%
8%
Very important 83%
6. An aim of general education is to
attain the skills in quantification necessary for further growth as a
lifespan-learner and productive member of society.
3.5
Not important 8%
Somewhat important 3%
13%
Moderately
important 28%
15%
Very important 35%
7. An aim of general education is to
attain the skills in synthesis necessary for further growth as a
lifespan-learner and productive member of society.
4.6
Not important 0%
Somewhat important 3%
3%
Moderately
important 8%
10%
Very important 78%
A
Summary Report on Responses to
Considering Course and Faculty Interaction with General Education:
An Asynchronous Workbook
