Assessing General Education Programs,
M. J. Allen, Anker Publishing, 2006.
Reviewed by Mary Rose Grant, Director, Core Curriculum and Faculty Development, School for Professional Studies
Saint Louis University

As a faculty administrator whose responsibilities include, "Keeper of the Core Curriculum", I know all too well what Mary Allen means when she says: "the assessment of general education is more challenging than the assessment of single-discipline programs".  The number of courses, variety of faculty (many of whom are adjunct), and disciplines linked to a wide variety of learning outcomes is difficult to assess from the standpoint of any one discipline.  If only her new book, Assessing General Education Programs, were available when we started revising, assessing and, at times, defending, our liberal arts core, the process would have been more palatable and life much easier.

Mary Allen, former director of the California State University System's Institute for Teaching and Learning, brings her knowledge and experience in assessment to new dimensions with her practical, step-by-step guide to general education assessment.

Expanding on her 2004 primer for program assessment in higher education, she establishes the importance of foundational learning and stresses "the development and sustainability of assessment programs that monitor and improve this learning."  The book is a comprehensive reference, providing successful models and rich examples from dozens of other colleges and universities, to help readers plan, design, and implement their own general education assessment program.

In chapter 1, Allen establishes the broad context for general education programs, first year experience programs, and assessment. She also provides an excellent summary of recommendations from many professional organizations and accreditation agencies about the nature and value of undergraduate core curricula. She masterfully presents rational for assessing and improving these programs that provide the foundation for any baccalaureate major and "prepare students for work, citizenship and a fulfilling life".

Allen's book is a cover-to-cover read for any one involved in faculty development, first-year experience and general education assessment.

Allen guides us though the rest of the book with the same clarity of language, use of  bulleted points, lists and examples as she did in the first chapter. In Chapter 2, she provides advice about developing learning outcome goals and gives examples from over 45 institutions to demonstrate the full range of ideas, language and formats. This chapter is invaluable to anyone tasked with writing outcome-based curriculum. I particularly like her challenges, "What characteristics should all of your students develop because of your general education program?", and "If this is the only course in this area they will ever take, what do you want them to retain?"   These are questions I am going to ask this fall to other members of a college-wide committee to develop a common core.  Needless to say, this book will be a must read for my fellow committee members.

Throughout the book, Allen makes it very clear that the focus of assessment is on learning and that learning takes place in a socio-experiential as well as a cognitive context: "Systematic alignment of courses, pedagogy, grading and institutional support should provide students the learning environment they need to succeed."  She adds that "… alignment is a key concept in the design and assessment of general curricula." Then, she demonstrates how it is done using those factors.

The theme of collaboration between the institution, departments, faculty and staff thread throughout the book.  Student affairs professionals, advisors, tutors and counselors, as well as faculty and administrators, would benefit greatly from her insights on student success. I particularly like the concept of "course diaries" used in concert with first-year experience programs to test alignment of courses with student performance and institutions expectations.

Allen's strength lies in her simplicity and practicality.  She presents a remarkably complex and often unfavorable topic in terms that are easy to understand and easier to implement.  She insists: "Developing an assessment plan for your general education program should save more time than it takes to create".  Anyone, who wants to find out what is working in their general education programs and what needs improvement, will find this book filled with a myriad of strategies to use or modify. Note that part of the value of this book is her presentation of various approaches and examples to assist readers in developing programs for their own institution. One comes away with a repertoire of methods and techniques to try.

Allen has deftly led the reader through the assessment process with pragmatic and detailed "how to" information. Her sections on direct and indirect assessment techniques, discussion of portfolios, and design and use of rubrics are well worth the price of the book. Her inclusion of exemplary college and university websites is priceless. In the last chapter of the book, "Bringing it all together", she leaves us with a summary of friendly suggestions for developing "meaningful, manageable, sustainable, and productive general education assessment programs".

Allen's book is a cover-to-cover read for any one involved in faculty development, first-year experience and general education assessment.  It is one that will remain on my desk as a general reference for assessment and one I will discuss with colleagues about ways to improve learning and ensure student success.