The MavEd Framework requires all MavEd courses—both legacy (grandfathered) general education courses and newly approved MavEd courses—to participate in continuous assessment. This work supports ongoing improvement of MavEd, annual institutional reporting, and future course recertification. Although recertification is several years away, this evidence must be collected consistently over time. This page describes the assessment process until all courses have been certified as MavEd.
Why do we assess MavEd?
- To develop better courses for our students.
- To ensure the MavEd Courses are appropriate for the foundation of individual programs.
- To improve the MavEd Program through internal, rather than external feedback.
- To illustrate departments' needs by gathering evidence for the programs.
The MavEd Framework states:
General Education Assessment and Evaluation
Overview
- Continuous assessment. Courses satisfying general education outcomes must provide evidence of continuous assessment. Continuous is defined for this purpose as assessment of students during every semester in which the course is offered. Failure to provide evidence of continuous assessment may result in the course being removed from the general education curriculum. Units must also be prepared upon request by the General Education Committee to provide samples of student work that demonstrate alignment with the discipline-aligned outcomes.
- Transferable Outcomes. All courses must assess transferable student learning outcomes (1–3) using a common rubric derived from AAC&U VALUE rubrics. This rubric will be embedded in Canvas and available for download into individual courses. Faculty should consider using a signature assignment to assess student learning of these outcomes. A signature assignment is a substantial project that illustrates something essential about course content while providing an opportunity for students to demonstrate transferrable outcomes (1–3). A signature assignment also requires significant and intentional reflective elements to help students identify and articulate relationships between the course content, broader ideas, and their sense of community and self.
- Other Student Learning Outcomes. Content-specific student learning outcomes (4–13) can be assessed in a manner determined by academic units. The relevant assessment information must be submitted when courses are recertified/reapproved in accordance with section ‘F’ (Recertification/Reapproval of General Education Courses) below.
- Data Analysis and Feedback. Continuous program improvement involves regular and systematic data collection and analysis. In alignment with course recertification cycles (see below), the General Education Committee, in partnership with content area experts, will review assessment data, student artifacts, and other relevant information to determine the suitability of courses for continued inclusion in the general education curriculum. Courses that fulfill a general education outcome must be prepared to provide examples of assessment measures/tools and student artifacts that are used to evaluate student competence in the relevant general education outcome area.
Certified/Approved MavEd Courses:
To support this requirement, the Office of General Education has developed the MavEd Transferable Learning Outcomes Rubric based on the AAC&U VALUE Rubrics. Faculty teaching certified/approved MavEd courses must use the MavEd Transferable Learning Outcomes Rubric and collect assessment data each year. Faculty should embed this rubric in an appropriate Canvas assignment such as a signature assignment.
Legacy (Grandfathered) General Education Courses:
Faculty teaching legacy (grandfathered) general education courses may continue using the legacy assessment rubrics/outcomes embedded in Canvas until their course is certified/approved as a MavEd course or they can begin using the MavEd Transferable Learning Outcomes Rubric right away. Once the course is certified/approved as a MavEd course, faculty must use the MavEd Transferable Learning Outcomes Rubric and collect assessment data each year embedding this rubric in an appropriate Canvas assignment such as a signature assignment.
Note. Faculty teaching any MavEd course are encouraged to use the MavEd Transferable Learning Outcomes Rubric so they can become familiar with the new rubric now to prepare for that transition.
The MavEd Framework also states:
Recertification/Reapproval of General Education Courses
Following initial approval, all general education courses will need to be recertified/reapproved after a period of five years. If electing to continue with a course in the general education curriculum, the hosting unit will be asked to identify:
a) Assessment Results: What assessment data have revealed about how the course helps students achieve the designated learning outcome(s).
b) Course Improvements: How those data have been used to modify the course.
c) Certification Updates: Any changes in the course since certification was obtained.
d) Feedback: Response to any indirect assessment measures related to the student experience such as student surveys, advisor feedback, etc.
The General Education Committee (MavEd Committee), content area experts, and other campus stakeholders will review assessment data, student and faculty feedback, and input from campus stakeholders to determine whether to recertify a course.
The UNO MavEd Committee The committee was created to ensure the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO's) MavEd program is student-centered, aligned with specific Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs), and assessable.
For Academic Years 2028-2029 and Beyond
All of UNO’s general education courses must be certified/approved as MavEd, only the new MavEd Transferable Learning Outcomes Rubric embedded in Canvas will be used. MavEd Transferable Learning Outcomes Rubric data will be collected annually by the Office of General Education. MavEd courses will continue to rotate through the five-year recertification process providing more data and evidence of continuous improvement.
For more information, please contact any member of the committee, or email us at unomaved@unomaha.edu