Higher Education Institutional Transparency of General Education Competencies, Assessment Measures, and Analysis of Assessment Data

With general education coursework making up a significant portion of associate and bachelor\u27s degree curriculum, conveying the content and importance of student competencies to stakeholder audiences has never been more essential. Accreditation pressure and accountability measures are influencing a focus on improving the presentation of competencies aligned to their assessment measures. This study examines the extent to which institutions publicly and proactively disclose relevant information regarding assessment of the general education curriculum, thereby contributing to literature forming robust comparisons of general education assessment practices. It examines the websites of seventy-one higher education institutions, representing a range of public settings in all American regions. Results show variability in the alignment of objectives to measures and reveal current themes and an emphasis regarding how competencies relate to coursework. Recommendations for improving institutional presentation are provided