General Education Assessment

In Spring, 2010, the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater governance bodies endorsed the LEAP initiative (Liberal Education & America's Promise) from the Association of American Colleges & Universities as a way to define the baccalaureate learning outcomes for all UW-Whitewater students. LEAP includes a list of Essential Learning Outcomes that all students should achieve, beginning in the general education curriculum and continuing at deeper levels through each student's major and minor.

The LEAP Essential Learning Outcomes provide a framework for assessing student achievement in general education and beyond.  

• Essential Learning Outcomes

LEAP also provides a full set of assessment rubrics that correspond to the Essential Learning Outcomes. The rubrics are a product of the AAC&U VALUE project: Valid Assessment of Learning in Undergraduate Education.

The VALUE Rubrics:

• Inquiry & Analysis

• Critical Thinking

• Creative Thinking

• Written Communication

• Oral Communication

• Reading

• Quantitative Literacy

• Information Literacy

• Teamwork

• Problem Solving

• Civic Engagement

• Intercultural Knowledge & Competence

• Ethical Reasoning

• Lifelong Learning

• Integrative Learning

Assessment rubrics are also being created on our own campus, and these can be excellent resources as assessment tools and to stimulate discussion about teaching and learning at UW-Whitewater.

• Writing Matters

• Speaking Well