To: All Instructional Faculty
From: Alix I. Gitelman, Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs
Date: September 24, 2025
Dear Faculty Colleagues,
With the launch of Core Education, we are now turning to the work of assessing student learning in specific Core Education categories. As you are likely aware, the Faculty Senate’s Core Education Committee established the Core Education assessment process to assess the category specific learning outcomes.
The process involves collecting student work submitted for essential assignments. All identifying information from the student work is redacted since the assignments are only used for internal assessment purposes. In addition, student work is not tied to specific instructors, and assessments will be reported in aggregate by category. Faculty assessment fellows with subject-area expertise in each category will work with the assessment team to evaluate student learning based on these assignments.
Ultimately, these assessments will facilitate ongoing improvements to Core Education categories and courses. In addition, the assessments will provide data for university accreditation.
In the 2025-26 academic year the assessment team will collect essential assignments in five categories:
- Arts and Humanities (both General and Global)
- Difference, Power, and Oppression (both Foundations and Advanced)
- Transitions
If you are teaching a course selected for data collection this fall, you will receive a detailed message from the assessment team with more information and resources about steps you need to take in Canvas to support the assessment process (some of you may have already received this outreach). Students enrolled in Core Education courses may see learning outcomes appear in a rubric attached to their essential assignment in Canvas. Please reassure these students that there is no action required by them and that their grade will not be affected by the presence of these outcomes.
Your participation in this assessment work is important both for ensuring OSU delivers on the promise of Core Education and for maintaining institutional accreditation through the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.
More information about Core Education assessment, help linking essential assignments in Canvas, and brief instructional videos are available on the Faculty Resources for Core Education Assessment Page.
Please contact Nancy Barbour, Assessment Coordinator, with any questions about Core Education assessment. Many thanks to Kristin Nagy Catz, McKenzie Huber, Kelsey Emard, and Brian Mills for their assistance with this message.
Best wishes for the start of Fall term,
Alix Gitelman, Senior Vice Provost, Academic Affairs
Core Education assessment collaborators
- Kristin Nagy Catz, Director of Assessment
- McKenzie Huber, Director of Core Education
- Kelsey Emard, Co-chair of Core Education Committee
- Brian Mills, Co-chair of Core Education Committee