The
core competencies and
knowledge bases, the goals and outcomes of the core curriculum,
are the institutional goals for student learning that characterize
a liberal arts education distinctive to St. John's
University. Assessment of our students’ achievement of these
goals indicates how well students are meeting them in order to
inform decisions about how to improve learning.
The following information, developed by faculty and approved by
the University Core Curriculum Council, is a guide to
assessment of student learning in the common core curriculum. Core
competencies and knowledge bases may be assessed in
distributed core courses and in the student’s major program, as
appropriate, using the same or similar methods.
Course Syllabi
All core curriculum course syllabi should include the
course-designated competencies and knowledge bases as learning
outcomes as indicated in the curriculum maps.
- Curriculum maps of the competencies and knowledge bases for
each common and distributed core course in the degrees offered by
your College or School.
- Each indicates the competencies and knowledge bases that are
“essential” or “suggested”
Measurement of Core
Competencies
Rubrics have been designed to measure student learning in each of
the core competencies
(Click for further explanation and
downloadable copies of each rubric).
Spring 2008
- Faculty members teaching core common courses choose Critical
Thinking and/or Writing to evaluate a final assignment
- Use the online rubric scoring tool; data will be aggregated and
sent to departments for discussion
Online rubic scoring for Critical Thinking
and Writing
(Click for further information and
links to scoring tools)
- All faculty teaching core common courses during the
semester will be sent “links” to scoring tools
- Scoring tools will be in test mode for practice use
- Three weeks before the end of the semester, the scoring
tools will go “live” for the next five weeks
Measurement of Knowledge
Bases
Following are suggestions for Knowledge Base assessment in common
core courses.
- The Catholic and Vincentian Mission of St. John’s
University
- Philosophical Traditions and Concepts
- Christian Traditions and Contemporary Issues
- Processes of Scientific Inquiry
- Social and Psychological Dimensions of Human Behavior
- Emergence of Global Society
- Cultural, Literary and Aesthetic Components of Global
Traditions
- Diversity and Richness of New York City