The Office of Institutional Effectiveness & Evaluation (OIEE) created the following to aid instructors in selecting and/or designing assignments to assess Personal Responsibility.
¹ 19 Tex. Admin. Code §4.28 (2021).
Definition
The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board states that the Texas Core Curriculum objective of Personal Responsibility is “to include the ability to connect choices, actions and consequences to ethical decision-making.”¹ Personal responsibility includes the ability to identify an ethical issue, take a reasoned position, and evaluate the consequences of that position within its broader context. Courses in the following Foundational Component Areas are responsible for teaching and assessing Personal Responsibility: American History; Communication; Government/Political Science; and Language, Philosophy, & Culture.¹ 19 Tex. Admin. Code §4.28 (2021).
Personal Responsibility Rubric & Assignment Checklist
The Importance of Personal Responsibility
- Employers consider "exercise ethical judgment and reasoning" to be a "very important" skill when identifying strong job candidates.¹
- Employers consider certain mindsets and dispositions such as self-awareness as “very important” for success in the workplace.¹
- Fosters just and respectful interactions with others in society.
- Personal responsibility lays the foundation for integrity, accountability, and ethical decision-making in all areas of life including academic, professional, social, and personal contexts.
- Teaching personal responsibility reinforces Aggie Core Values such as integrity and excellence by fostering accountability, ethical decision-making, and follow-through on commitments in academic contexts.
¹ American Association of Colleges & Universities. (2023). The Career-ready graduate: What employers say about the difference college makes. https://dgmg81phhvh63.cloudfront.net/content/user-photos/Research/PDFs/AACU-2023-Employer-Report.pdf
Best Practices for Assessing
- Share the rubric with students and highlight components as necessary to be included in the assignment.
- Clarify expectations using rubric-based guidance, e.g., create a plain-language guide that explains what a “high score” looks like on each dimension. Instructors can translate rubric language into discipline-specific expectations to make it more accessible.
- Provide examples of strong and weak written communication; using class discussion or peer review to examine the quality of ethical issue identification, strength of position, and reasoning about consequences.
Recommended Assignment Types
- Scenario-based writing or speaking that ask students to address an ethical dilemma or ethically-complex issues
- Case study analysis that supports students in identifying an ethical issue, articulating a position, and analyzing consequences within a relevant context
- Informative or persuasive essays or presentations on an ethical issue
- Academic research essays
- Reflection essays
- Op eds on an ethical issue
