The impact of assessment on general education: A policy analysis of the responses of public universities in the state of Illinois to policies reviewing undergraduate education and assessment

The impact of assessment on the curriculum at public universities in Illinois was examined through investigation of changes in general education programs and academic policies resulting from the assessment movement of the 1980's. Five sources of information were used: previous studies of Dressel (1969); Blackburn (1974); and Toombs (1989); campus catalogs; policy documents; data books; and interviews.;Some changes to general education documented in this study are the direct result of assessment findings at public universities in Illinois. Other changes appear to have been only indirectly linked to assessment efforts or were stimulated by factors outside the assessment processes.;Between 1984 and 1992, the number of hours of general education at Illinois universities increased, as did the number of community colleges and universities requiring more than 40 hours of general education. Nine of the 12 public universities in Illinois reported curricular changes in response to assessment findings. The majority of these changes occurred in general education courses, particularly baccalaureate-level skills courses.;This study identified six factors that contributed to the extent of change in general education observed between 1985 and 1992: policies related to assessment and general education adopted by the Illinois Board of Higher Education; external support; institutional leadership; strong internal commitment; conversion to semester systems; and accreditation demands. In addition, the study found that the majority of institutions in Illinois were reluctant to use student outcome measures as part of assessment efforts. Institutional interest in assessment provided an opportunity to clarify program goals and objectives and created opportunities for change to occur.