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MSU Denver conducts regular assessment of the General Studies program to ensure students are achieving the learning outcomes the institution claims in each GS category. Assessment data are used to improve courses, rubrics, instructional strategies, and program policies over time. Faculty teaching General Studies courses are the primary assessors; no external review body evaluates individual student work.
The General Studies program operates on a seven-year assessment and course redesignation cycle. Departments seeking a GS designation agree to participate in assessment at least once per cycle. Contact the Director of General Studies for the current schedule of courses being assessed.
Assessment Process
Please note: the following steps are for Arts and Humanities, Social and Behavioral Science, and Natural and Physical Science categories. The remaining categories may use a different method due to the volume of students in those categories. Rubrics for all categories can be found below.
Step 1: Identify Key Assignment(s) that align with student learning outcomes in the General Studies category
- All courses undergoing re-designation addressed this in their course proposal in Curriculog under #4 and attached an example in the files.
- Training workshops will be available to help with this.
Step 2: Assign and Collect Student Work
- Faculty teach their course and scaffold the key assignment as they normally would, assign their key assignment to their students, and wait for submissions to come in.
Step 3: Assess Key Assignments by applying the category rubric
- Faculty will be asked to apply General Studies category rubrics to all students’ key assignment(s) in their course.
- Faculty can build a digital General Studies Assessment Rubric in Canvas using Outcomes. A workshop will support this effort.
- Rubrics were built for growth throughout the undergraduate experience, so we are expecting General Studies students will mostly get 1’s and 2’s (introductory and developing). 0’s are assigned in cases where no evidence is provided in the artifact by the student.
- Training workshops will be available to help with this and to develop inter-rater reliability.
Step 4: Report Findings to the General Studies Program through Canvas Outcomes
Beginning in 2025, MSU Denver transitioned from paper-based data collection to Canvas Outcomes, streamlining how faculty report GS assessment scores. Faculty score student work directly in Canvas using the GS Outcomes and Rubrics integrated into their course shell, alongside their regular grading in SpeedGrader. This transition has simplified data entry for participating faculty and has improved the efficiency of data aggregation by the General Studies Program. For details on setting up Canvas Outcomes in your course, contact Dr. Todd Laugen, Director of General Studies.
Step 5: Data Analysis and Sharing of Findings
- The General Studies Program leads will aggregate and analyze the data.
- Conclusions will be shared with faculty teaching in General Studies and reports will also be shared with leadership and accrediting bodies.
Step 6: Discussion and Reflection on findings to enhance student learning in the General Studies Program
- General Studies program leads will reach out to faculty teaching in the program to discuss findings and reflect on things that went well and areas that need more attention.
MSU Denver has developed four-level rubrics (scored 0–4: Not Evident, Introductory, Developing, Advancing, Capstone) for all eight General Studies categories. Rubrics are calibrated annually through faculty norming workshops. Contact the Director of General Studies for the combined rubric document.
Assessment data are aggregated and anonymized — individual student scores are never reported in a way that identifies a specific student. Data are used solely to improve the General Studies program and inform decisions about learning outcomes, rubrics, and course design. Faculty assessment scores are distinct from course grades and are not used to evaluate individual faculty performance.
The Director of General Studies offers a three-workshop sequence each academic year to support faculty participation in assessment:
- Workshop 1 (January): Review of GS program goals and SLOs; faculty identify or refine key assignments aligned with their GS category outcomes.
- Workshop 2 (Mid-semester): Rubric norming session using sample student artifacts; builds inter-rater reliability and clarifies the distinction between GS assessment and regular course grading.
- Workshop 3 (Fall — Reflection): Faculty reconvene to discuss findings, share observations, and identify implications for teaching and course design in the next cycle.
Contact the Director of General Studies
Mailing Address:
Metropolitan State University of Denver
General Studies Program
Campus Box 27
P.O. Box 173362
Denver, CO 80217-3362