Assessment and Rubrics

Assessment of students' learning in Essential Studies is done in several different ways. One is the revalidation process during which ES course instructors examine and report on student learning based on direct and indirect evidence gleaned from their course work. Another way is an annual review of student "work products" sampled from ES courses that is conducted by cross-campus faculty groups who look at a single learning outcome (e.g., critical thinking, written communication). A third way is use of the Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA), a standardized examination of critical thinking and written communication that is given to first-year and senior students across the nation. UND also uses other assessment strategies to examine what our students learn in their Essential Studies courses.

Assessment Rubrics for Essential Studies

These rubrics were developed by UND faculty teams to serve as tools to assess student learning in Essential Studies. Each rubric was designed to assess a particular learning outcome that part of the ES curriculum. The rubrics can serve multiple uses:

• Use as is, to assess student work.
• Use in a modified form to better match the instructor's or department's intentions.
• Use as a model for designing a different rubric.

UND scoring sessions, for the purpose of ES program assessment, use the rubrics "as is" since they were specifically and intentionally developed for use here. However, users are also welcome to use them in other ways if that makes for more effective assessment.