Skip to main content Skip to navigation
Division of Academic Engagement and Student Achievement UCORE Assessment

Student Learning at the First-Year Level: AY 2015-16 Roots of Contemporary Issues [ROOT] Final Papers Assessment Project Results

As reported in the AY 2015-16 [ROOT] Final Papers Assessment Summary of Key Evidence for UCORE, assessment results indicated that 93% of first-year students partially met, met or exceeded expectations at the first-year undergraduate level at the end of their UCORE first-year experience [ROOT] course on rubric outcomes related to Critical & Creative Thinking. Additionally, 96% partially met, met or exceeded expectations for outcomes related to Information Literacy and 79% for Diversity.  » More …

World History Association: ROOTS panel in Belgium

Roots of Contemporary Issues (RCI) faculty Jesse Spohnholz, Karen Phoenix, Aaron Whelchel, and Instruction and Assessment Librarian Corey Johnson presented at the annual meeting of the World History Association, in Ghent, Belgium, on July 4, 2016. The four presented in a panel, “Teaching Historical Understanding of Contemporary Global Issues at Washington State University: A Model for General Education,” laying out the structures, assessment, pedagogy, and curriculum of the RCI model. » More …

Student Learning at the First-Year Level: AY 2014-15 Roots of Contemporary Issues [ROOT] Final Papers Assessment Project Results

As reported in the AY 2014-15 [ROOT] Final Papers Assessment Summary of Key Evidence for UCORE, assessment results indicated that 97% of first-year students partially met, met or exceeded expectations at the first-year undergraduate level at the end of their UCORE first-year experience [ROOT] course on rubric outcomes related to Critical & Creative Thinking. Additionally, 96% partially met, met or exceeded expectations for outcomes related to Information Literacy and 85% for Diversity.  » More …

Assessing Critical Thinking and Information Literacy at WSU: AY 2013-14 Roots of Contemporary Issues [ROOT] Final Papers Assessment Project

As reported in the AY 2013-14 [ROOT] Final Papers Assessment Summary of Key Evidence for UCORE, assessment results indicated that 97% of History 105 students performed at the “Developing First Year-Level” or higher on their ability to select and evaluate primary and secondary sources appropriate to a research paper and critically evaluate the nature of those sources. Additionally, 92% of History 105 students performed at the “Developing First Year-Level” or higher on their ability to use evidence necessary to construct an argument. » More …

Assessing Critical Thinking and Information Literacy at WSU: AY 2012-13 Roots of Contemporary Issues [ROOT] Pilot Final Papers Assessment Project

With WSU’s new General Education program (UCORE) inaugurated in 2012-13, the Roots of Contemporary Issues Final Papers Assessment Project was piloted for the first time, to provide [ROOT] faculty with information for program improvement, as well as assess student learning on two of the WSU Learning Goals (Critical & Creative Thinking and Information Literacy). Reported in the AY 2012-13 [ROOT] Pilot Final Papers Assessment Summary of Key Evidence for UCORE, pilot results indicated that the average student taking History 105 performed at a “Developing First Year-Level” or higher for all eight of the elements evaluated to assess Critical & Creative Thinking and Information Literacy.  » More …