General Education Assessment

General education serves as the foundation for future, program-specific learning, serving students by developing essential academic knowledge and skills needed for future academic pursuits. NSU’s faculty have developed a General Education course sequence which has these student learning outcomes.  

After completing the General Education core, students should demonstrate their ability to:

1. Communicate effectively through writing, listening, speaking, and reading;
2. Recognize and analyze works in the humanities (literature, art, music, philosophy, and religion) as expressions used to communicate perspectives on the human condition;
3. Identify and evaluate political, historical, and social forces that shape the past, present, and future;
4. Become globally-aware citizens through an understanding and appreciation of human and cultural diversity;
5. Understand physical and biological phenomena and their importance for the welfare of society;
6. Apply methods of scientific inquiry;
7. Use quantitative symbolic systems to solve problems and interpret data;
8. Understand and apply concepts and activities that promote good health and life skills; and
9. Use critical thinking to analyze and solve problems.

The general education core learning outcomes align to the Degrees of Excellence Institutional Learning Outcomes. Outcome assessments are embedded in general education courses. Results are reviewed by faculty and the general education committee.

After completing the General Education core, students should demonstrate their ability in the Degrees of Excellence Outcome I: Intellectual Skills, and Outcome 2: Integrative Knowledge.