As reported in the AY 2024-25 [ROOT] Assessment Summary of Key Evidence for UCORE (PDF), assessment results indicated that, on average, 71% of students met or exceeded expectations on the [ROOT] designator learning outcome performance criteria associated with Information Literacy. Additionally, on average, 81% of students met or exceeded expectations on the designator learning outcome performance criteria associated with Written Communication.
UCORE’s Roots of Contemporary Issues [ROOT] courses provide a common foundational first-year experience that prepares students to understand the world around them using historical approaches, sources, and modes of communication. [ROOT] courses advance designator student learning outcomes associated with five of the WSU Undergraduate Learning Goals (Critical Thinking, Information Literacy, Written Communication, Diversity, and Integrative Learning) by asking students to explore and understand the historical and global roots of various issues facing the world today. Incoming first-year students complete History 105 to satisfy [ROOT], while History 305 is intended for transfer students that need to fulfill the [ROOT] requirement.
Roots of Contemporary Issues [ROOT] Assessment is intended to provide [ROOT] faculty with information for program improvement, gauge student learning on [ROOT] designator learning outcomes for UCORE general education assessment, and provide evidence of UCORE’s contribution towards advancing the WSU Undergraduate Learning Goals. In fall 2024 and spring 2025, [ROOT] instructors completed an assessment report form to provide an evaluation of student achievement of two [ROOT] designator learning outcomes in their course (direct measure, using faculty expert judgement). For AY24-25, the [ROOT] assessment report form focused on two designator learning outcomes (Information Literacy and Written Communication).
Thirty-seven [ROOT] instructors participated in the AY24-25 assessment, representing 93% of [ROOT] instructors and roughly 96% of students completing [ROOT] courses in fall 2024 and spring 2025. Of the 4,168 [ROOT] students assessed in fall 2024 and spring 2025, roughly 94% were completing History 105 and 6% were completing History 305. From AY21-22 – AY23-24, [ROOT] faculty worked to develop, test, and pilot this new process for direct assessment. [ROOT] Assessment previously included the Final Papers Assessment (aligned with Critical Thinking, Information Literacy, and Integrative Learning) and the Diversity & Inequality Papers Assessment (aligned with Diversity and Written Communication). For additional information, see Roots of Contemporary Issues [ROOT] Assessment.