General Education Assessment

The General Education curriculum enriches the lives of the students as they acquire the knowledge, skills, and competencies to be successful in their chosen fields and as lifelong learners. The General Education curriculum is developed, owned, and reviewed by the RIT faculty. The curriculum is designed to provide a rigorous and engaging experience. The skills and knowledge derived from the General Education curriculum and the program of study combine to form an effective undergraduate education.

Learn more about General Education

The General Education framework is designed to complement RIT’s mission and values and support contemporary liberal education. This framework is outcomes-based and promotes integrated learning.

Communication and Critical Thinking are Essential Elements of RIT’s General Education Framework, and every General Education course provides learning experiences designed to achieve at least one student learning outcome from each of these elements.

Additionally, there are seven Perspective course categories that promote different ways of knowing about the world. Courses in these categories introduce students to the fundamentals of liberal arts and sciences (methods, concepts, and theories) while emphasizing a General Education student learning outcome.

Students also have an opportunity for deeper study and integrative learning experiences through Immersion in a series of related courses, and General Education elective courses may be specified by programs to support the major field of study.

One of the keys to the design of the framework was to ensure that all RIT students have the opportunity to demonstrate achievement of the General Education Student Learning Outcomes. The General Education Student Learning Outcomes are mapped to the following components of the Framework: Critical Thinking, Communication, and Perspectives. 

Undergraduate courses from all academic units on campus can be considered for inclusion in the General Education curriculum if they meet NYSED’s definition of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Additionally, all general education courses at RIT must address:

• At a minimum, at least one of RIT’s Communication General Education Student Learning Outcomes
• At a minimum, at least one of RIT’s Critical Thinking General Education Student Learning Outcomes
• For perspective status, courses must meet the General Education Student Learning Outcomes identified under the perspectives category. 

See a list of approved General Education courses

RIT is committed to the implementation of a comprehensive assessment plan that uses:

• Multiple forms of data with a focus on direct measures of student learning 
• A combination of evaluators, including faculty, employers, and students
• Faculty involvement in the assessment process

A comprehensive General Education Assessment Plan and a corresponding Schedule for assessment of all student learning outcomes were developed to facilitate assessment that is sustainable, meaningful, and manageable. Courses approved as General Education are included in RIT’s General Education assessment process. Faculty teaching General Education courses will routinely be asked to participate in this process. Each semester, a sampling procedure is used to select courses (approximately 10-20% of courses mapped to the outcome), Department Chairs and Directors review selected courses, and the faculty teaching selected courses receive a notification at the start of the semester.

• The General Education Assessment Plan provides a background for the principles that are used to guide the assessment process at RIT.  
• A General Education Faculty Kickoff Presentation describes the faculty role in assessment of General Education courses.
• The General Education Assessment Schedule outlines which outcomes will be assessed each semester and year. Each student learning outcome is assessed once every four years.
• 2024-2030 Assessment Schedule
• 2020-2026 Assessment Schedule