An Assessment Report on Students' General Education Development at College of DuPage.

This report quantitatively shows the progress of students in the area of general education development at College of DuPage (Illinois). The aims of general education are to promote students' understanding and appreciation of their culture and environment; to develop a system of personal values based on accepted ethics that lead to civic and social responsibility; and to attain skills in analysis, communication, and quantification, leading to development of lifelong learning. In response to assessment challenges, and to provide a means of comparison, the college randomly selected students to take one of the six College Assessment of Academic Proficiency (CAAP) area tests. A total of 1154 tests were administered to students at the beginning and towards the end of their studies. Slightly more than half of the examinees identified themselves as female, 76 percent were enrolled full-time, and roughly half of the students indicated that their primary goal was transferring to a four year university. Compared with national community college norms, the freshman appeared to be significantly higher in general education skills of essay writing and mathematics, but no different in writing, reading, critical thinking and science reasoning skills. DuPage sophomore students score significantly higher in mathematics and science reasoning but lower in reading than community college students nationally. Statistical tables and test models are included. (AF)