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One area that came to light during the self-study process was the lack of a structured<br />
assessment plan in some of the liberal arts areas. While the accredited programs, as well<br />
as mathematics and sciences, have standard assessment timelines, English and social<br />
sciences do not. Administration supported the current VPAA in attending the Assessment<br />
Institute in Indianapolis in October 2018. VPAA Jahn was able to bring back a wealth of<br />
practical knowledge in the area and has been working on an assessment plan designed<br />
first for liberal arts courses, then moving to the liberal arts program as a whole, then to<br />
college-wide assessment.<br />
General Education<br />
The general education requirement is clearly outlined, as described above, in the Liberal<br />
Arts Core of <strong>RVCC</strong> that all associate degree programs must meet. The Liberal Arts Core<br />
directly informs and prepares students to meet the definition of the educated person as set<br />
out in the <strong>RVCC</strong> Philosophy. The Philosophy further identifies that students who graduate<br />
from <strong>RVCC</strong> should “[embrace] an understanding and appreciation of self in today's socially<br />
and technologically complex world, and through the stimulation of intellectual curiosity,<br />
learners will be able to improve their lives and contribute something of value to the<br />
community of which they are a part.” The goal of all programs, certificate or degree, is to<br />
prepare students to enter the world with increased skills relevant to their individual goals.<br />
All programs follow a developed program map which ensures that the general education<br />
requirements of the arts and humanities, science, social science, and mathematics inform<br />
and support the technical programs. Program Directors are thoughtful in their placement<br />
of the general education courses in their program maps and often general education<br />
courses are used as pre-requisite or co-requisites for technical program courses.<br />
<strong>RVCC</strong> follows the CCSNH BoT policy which requires a minimum of 20 credits in general<br />
education courses. Approximately 12-13 of these credits will come from the Liberal Arts<br />
Core, with the remaining credits being determined for each program depending on the<br />
need of that program, but coming from Humanities/Fine Arts/Language; Quantitative<br />
Reasoning; Science; or Social Science. The Associate of Arts Degree requires even more<br />
credits (37-40) in the general education subjects. The variability in credit load is a result of<br />
math courses being either 3 or 4-credit courses, and lab science having variable credit<br />
loads.<br />
Appraisal of General Education<br />
The general education requirements at <strong>RVCC</strong> follow the CCSNH System requirements and<br />
are designed to meet the standards set forth in River Valley’s definition of an educated<br />
person. The requirements ensure that students graduating from River Valley have<br />
exposure and meet minimum standards in English, math, science, social science, and<br />
humanities. Programs are allowed to fill electives as they see fit to meet the specific<br />
nature of the degree being awarded. This format allows for students to have some choice<br />
in their coursework while still allowing Program Directors the ability to ensure that the<br />
curriculum of study meets with the rigor and expectations of the industry they are<br />
preparing students for. For those students who intend to transfer to a four-year<br />
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