General Education Assessment

The General Education curriculum enriches the lives of the students as they acquire the knowledge, skills, and competencies to be successful in their chosen fields and as lifelong learners. The General Education curriculum is developed, owned, and reviewed by the RIT faculty. The curriculum is designed to provide a rigorous and engaging experience. The skills and knowledge derived from the General Education curriculum and the program of study combine to form an effective undergraduate education.

Communication and Critical Thinking are Essential Elements of RIT’s General Education Framework, and every General Education course provides learning experiences designed to achieve at least one student learning outcome from each of these elements. 

One of the keys to the design of the framework was to ensure that all RIT students have the opportunity to demonstrate achievement of the General Education Student Learning Outcomes. The General Education Student Learning Outcomes are mapped to the following components of the Framework: Critical Thinking, Communication, and Perspectives.  

Learn more about General Education

General Education Course Requirements

RIT is committed to the implementation of a comprehensive assessment plan that uses:

• Multiple forms of data with a focus on direct measures of student learning 
• A combination of evaluators, including faculty, employers, and students
• Faculty involvement in the assessment process

A comprehensive General Education Assessment Plan and a corresponding Schedule for assessment of all student learning outcomes were developed to facilitate assessment that is sustainable, meaningful, and manageable. Courses approved as General Education are included in RIT’s General Education assessment process. Faculty teaching General Education courses will routinely be asked to participate in this process. Each semester, a sampling procedure is used to select courses (approximately 10-20% of courses mapped to the outcome), Department Chairs and Directors review selected courses, and the faculty teaching selected courses receive a notification at the start of the semester.

• The General Education Assessment Plan provides a background for the principles that are used to guide the assessment process at RIT.  
• A General Education Faculty Kickoff Presentation describes the faculty role in assessment of General Education courses.
• The General Education Assessment Schedule outlines which outcomes will be assessed each semester and year. Each student learning outcome is assessed once every four years.
• 2024-2030 Assessment Schedule
• 2020-2026 Assessment Schedule