Lindenwood University is committed to preparing its graduates for a world of increasing complexity, innovation, and change. Accordingly, developing and demonstrating the following Graduate Attributes is central to the educational spectrum at Lindenwood, including the general education curriculum, major programs of study, and co-curricular experiences.
Lindenwood adopted the Graduate Attributes in the fall of 2021 and is currently transitioning from the previous Institutional Learning Outcomes.
Adaptable Problem Solvers
Lindenwood University students will:
Lifelong Learners
Lindenwood University students will:
Effective Communicators
Lindenwood University students will:
Analytical Thinkers
Lindenwood University students will:
Responsible Citizens
Lindenwood University students will:
Ethical Decision Makers
Lindenwood University students will:
Global Advocates
Lindenwood University students will:
The Proposal to Adopt Lindenwood Graduate Attributes includes a timeline for developing an assessment plan for the new attributes. The proposed Three-Year Roadmap for General Education and Graduate Attribute Assessment can be found online at the General Education & Graduate Attribute Assessment page.
Lindenwood University uses a Communities of Practice model of assessment for its general education program. To read more about this approach, please visit our blogpost: "Harnessing Passion to Improve Learning: Building Communities of Practice to Assessment General Education" by Robyne Elder and Bethany Alden-Rivers.
What is a “Communities of Practice” approach to assessment?
A community of practice is a group of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do, and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly. This definition reflects the fundamental social nature of human learning (Source: wegner-trayner.com).
Starting in fall 2019, a Community of Practice for Written Communication formed to assess ILO 3.1, and in spring 2020, a separate Community of Practice for Spoken Communication convened to assess ILO 3.2. This work has continued with Communities of Practice for Diverse Perspectives in Fall 2020, Responsible Citizen in Spring 2021, Critical Thinking in Fall 2021, and Adaptive Thinking in 2022.
Each Community of Practice uses a validated rubric to score a stratified sample of student learning artifacts (assessments), which are extracted from Canvas (LMS). Each assessment is scored by at least two different members of the Community of Practice, and the data from this process are considered for learning improvement opportunities.
How does the shift to a Communities of Practice model affect the former General Education assessment process in Canvas?
Since Fall 2020, faculty were no longer required to score key assessments in Canvas. However, because the Communities of Practices will be using these assessments for their scoring, faculty will still need to include the key assessment in the course. As we transition to graduate attributes, we ask faculty to use a similar process and have a signature assignment aligned to the appropriate rubric to assess the graduate attribute that aligns to their course.
How will the Community of Practice know which assessment to use for their scoring?
Each general education course has continued to align with two ILOs, however as we transition to graduate attributes, each course will align to one graduate attribute. This work is being done through the Graduate Attribute Alignment and Assessment Committee.
If you have a question about the graduate attribute for your course, please contact the Graduate Attribute Alignment and Assessment Committee.
Moving forward, we will construct a curriculum map showing where graduate attributes are assessed across the general education curriculum which will be accessible for all faculty and staff starting in Spring 2023.
Institutional Learning Outcomes
The student learning outcomes pertinent to Lindenwood's general education curriculum were the Institutional Learning Outcomes (ILOs) approved in May of 2016. Those ILOs were as follows:
Graduate Attributes were approved in Fall of 2021 and were implemented in Spring 2023.
Every general education course has at least one content-related ILO and one skill-related ILO associated with it. All ILOs in every general education course are to be taught and assessed within those courses. Assessment results are posted in Canvas by the general education instructors. The collective results are then tabulated for pertinent year-end reports. Each academic School submits an annual general education assessment report. In addition, the Subcommittee on General Education Assessment submits an institutional general education assessment report.