Increasing Faculty Resistance And General Education...

Decreasing Faculty Resistance to General Education Assessment The assessment of general education courses within the realm of higher education has been a topic of concern and some contention as external regulatory bodies, accrediting agencies, and donors have become increasingly interested in seeing quantifiable results from these courses. While universities strive to maintain effective assessment of their programs, one area that consistently falls by the wayside is the assessment of general education courses. These courses have been difficult for many universities to effectively assess due to a multitude of reasons, ranging from the large number of general education courses offered, to a lack of support and cohesion on the part of the†¦show more content†¦The anticipated outcome of the study will be a decrease in faculty resistance to assessment efforts in general education courses. Friedman Stone (2002) highlight an issue on this topic: that colleges and departments are receiving pressure, both externally, from regulatory and accrediting bodies, and internally, from board members and upper administration, to expand upon general education assessment efforts (Friedman Stone, 2002). This pressure is falling on the faculty who teach these courses. The faculty, in turn, are resistant to administrative efforts to dictate what, if any, assessments are being given in their classes. Although Friedman Stone address this resistance, more research must be done on how to effectively overcome it. In another article, Banta et Al. (1993), stated that, â€Å"there is tension between the two principle purposes of assessment: demonstrating accountability and improving curricula, instruction, and student services.† Governing and accrediting bodies are more concerned with demonstrating accountability since the stipulations of their investment in a university are measured through quantifiable program benchmarks. However, the teaching faculty value assessment in terms of curriculum improvement and as a way to refine instructional methodology. Banta et Al’s quote highlights this disconnect. According to another article published by Kramer (2006) the tension