General Education Outcomes were developed and approved for Sinclair in 2004.  These measurable outcomes directly relate to each of the General Education competency areas.  Students are expected to have acquired and be able to demonstrate these outcomes by the completion of the associate degree.

The outcomes appear on page 74 of the Course Catalog 2010-11.  Through the Curriculum Management Tool (CMT), these outcomes are attached to all courses across all departments.  For evaluation and assessment purposes, periodic measurement should occur in all courses, as required by North Central Association Higher Learning Commission and our AQIP reaccreditation process.

Attached are rubrics for measuring Sinclair’s General Education Outcomes.  A rubric is a scoring tool that lays out the specific expectations for an assignment and can be used for grading many different assignments and tasks, including papers, discussion participation, lab reports, portfolios, group work, and oral presentations (Stevens & Levi, 2005).

Drawn from Stevens and Levi (2005), the parts of a rubric include:
• the task description (the specific assignment)
• a scale of some sort (to determine levels of achievement)
• the dimensions of the assignment (a breakdown of the skills/knowledge involved in the assignment)
• description of what constitutes each level of performance (specific feedback)

For each rubric, space has been provided for instructors to fill in the task description (specific assignment, for example, research essay, oral presentation, lab report, or group project).  It may be that one assignment (such as a research essay) could be the task description for the general education outcomes of information literacy, written communication, and critical thinking.  Thus, any assignment could be measured using multiple (or combined) general education rubrics.  Additionally, parts of any rubric could be utilized for a particular task.  To those ends, a blank rubric is included to allow for cutting and pasting.

Reference: Stevens, D. D., & Levi, A. J. (2005). Introduction to rubrics. Sterling, VA: Stylus.

Blank Rubric Form

Computer Literacy Form

Problem Solving and Critical Thinking Form

Information Literacy Form

Oral Communication Form

Values/Citizenship/Community Form

Written Communication Form