Program - College Base
The General Education Assessment Program was originally established in 1991 in response to an accountability agreement with the State of Wisconsin which required all UW System institutions to develop a process for evaluating the general education knowledge and skills of their students near the end of their sophomore year. The Program was also an important component of the UW-Green Bay Comprehensive Assessment Plan, which was developed to provide evidence to the Higher Learning Commission that the institution is in compliance with the Commission’s five accreditation standards. All students, including transfers, who had earned between 54 and 72 credits at the end of a given semester were required to complete the UW-Green Bay General Education Assessment program. The primary assessment tool used in the General Education Assessment Program was the College Basic Academic Subjects Examination (College BASE). The College BASE was designed to provide students with an assessment of their general education knowledge and skills, independent of course grades. The test also provided the institution with feedback regarding the general education skills and knowledge of students as they begin their junior year at UW-Green Bay. Beginning in the Fall semester of 2014, the test was discontinued as campus leaders decided that we needed to move in another direction for General Education Assessment. The program evolved over the last 23 years with the most recent information below.
The program consisted of:
Orientation Session (optional). 15-20 minute online tutorial/survey. During this orientation, the purpose of the General Education Assessment Program and participation requirement was be explained. Students also completed a survey consisting of a series of questions about the exam and other research information.
Testing Session (required). Up to 2 hours. During this session, students took the College BASE, a criterion-referenced test that assessed general education knowledge and skills. Students were randomly assigned to complete two of the four subject area tests - Mathematics, Science, English, and Social Studies.
Feedback session (optional). 15-20 minute online tutorial/survey. The feedback session provided information about what the scores mean and how students could improve their general knowledge and skills. Students also completed a survey that included questions relating to their performance on the test.
For an idea of what was covered on the College BASE, and review sample questions at http://arc.missouri.edu/Content/CBASE/CBOUTSIDEMO_students.aspx. Also see the Students' Guide to the College BASE at http://arc.missouri.edu/PDFs/National%20student%20guide%202009.pdf
Students were notified by email and mail when it was time to complete the assessment. There was no cost for taking the exam. However, if a student failed to attend one of the regularly scheduled testing sessions, a fee was required for a make-up exam. Students who completed all three sessions (Orientation, Testing, & Feedback), and received total subtest scores on both subtests that were at or above the 25th percentile rank including one total subtest score that was at or above the 50th percentile rank, earned 1 free elective credit.
* Formerly, the Sophomore Assessment Program