Course Renewal
Course renewal is an essential part of the assessment process; it documents the changes and improvements departments and schools make in response to assessment results. This process fulfills HLC requirements and helps ensure a quality program for UA students.
The University of Akron is in the final year of the first cycle of the General Education course assessment and renewal process.
| Area |
Assessment of student work |
Course Renewal Report Due |
| Tier I: Writing | Spring 2016 | Spring 2018 |
| Tier I: Speaking and Quantitative Reasoning | 2016 - 2017 | Spring 2019 |
| Tier II: Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences, Natural Sciences | 2017 - 2018 | Spring 2020 |
| Tier III: Domestic Diversity, Global Diversity, Complex Systems | 2018 - 2019 | Spring 2021 |
| General Education Renewal | 2019 - 2020 |
The second cycle of course assessment and renewal process will begin in AY 21-22 and follow the cycle below.
| Area |
Assessment of student work |
Course Renewal Report Due |
| Speaking, Writing, Math/Statistics/Logic | 2021-2022 | Fall 2023 |
| Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences, Natural Sciences | 2022-2023 | Fall 2024 |
| Domestic Diversity, Global Diversity, Integrated and Applied Learning | 2023-2024 | Fall 2025 |
- All renewal requests will be due on the final Friday of instruction of the fall semester.
- Note that the assessment/renewal cycle has been shifted forward by one year due to the disruption in courses due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Renewal Templates
Frequently Asked Questions
Directors and chairs will receive information via email. They will distribute this information to the appropriate faculty (course contacts, lead faculty). All renewal materials should be collected and submitted in the appropriate assignment folder on Brightspace. The deadline is the Friday of instruction of the fall semester noted. Extension may be granted by contacting Katie Cerrone, Coordinator of General Education, at kc24@uakron.edu or 330-972-2574.
For courses to remain in the General Education program, they must participate in the assessment/renewal cycle. Courses that had strong student performance, at or exceeding 80% for all learning outcomes, are not required to complete a course renewal.
The General Education Advisory Committee (GEAC) will review all renewals by the end of the spring semester following submission.
Departments and schools must demonstrate that they:
- Understood and addressed the assessment results
- Implemented actions to improve student learning
- Have an ongoing plan to communicate with all faculty teaching this course
Departments and schools will receive feedback from GEAC in the spring semester. If the renewal plan was not accepted, information will be provided about revision and re-submission. Resubmissions will be due on as soon as possible following notification of the request for revision.
There are several reasons why a course may not have been assessed: the courses may not have been offered during the year of assessment; there may have been a data collection problem or the course may have just recently been added to the program. If you did not get an assessment report, contact Katie Cerrone (kc24@uakron.edu), Coordinator of General Education, to make a plan to ensure your course will be assessed in the next cycle.
Yes, you can complete your Diversity renewal a year early if you choose. Please contact Katie Cerrone (kc24@uakron.edu), Coordinator of General Education, for more information.
Unless your course met the 80% benchmark for all learning outcomes, you still need to complete a report. Our program operates under the philosophy that there is always room for improvement.
Contact Katie Cerrone, Coordinator of General Education, at kc24@uakron.edu or 330-972-2574.