Category 5 – Social Science (was previously Category 4) – Assessment plans

1994 review.

Student perception survey

GE Review Questionnaire for Students

1.  Which three of the following 13 courses did you take to satisfy the Gen Ed Social Science Category? If you have taken more than three of these courses, check only the three that you took to complete the “Social Sciences” GE requirement.

(students then refer to the specific course they took in the following questions)

2.  Why did you take this course?

  1. Advisor recommended
  2. Fit my schedule
  3. Student recommended
  4. Also satisfied a major/minor requirement
  5. Title or catalog description sounded interesting

3.  Which one of the following describes the size of the class you had for each course?

  1. 1-25
  2. 25-50
  3. 51-99
  4. 100 or more

4.  How would you rate the class size for each course?

  1. Much too large
  2. Somewhat too large
  3. About right
  4. Somewhat too small
  5. Much too small

5.  What was your student classification at the time you took each course?

  1. Freshman
  2. Sophomore
  3. Junior
  4. Senior
  5. Other

6.  What grade did you receive in each course?

  1. A or A-
  2. B+, B or B-
  3. C+, C or C-
  4. D+, D, or D-
  5. Other (specify:)

7.  What a theoretical framework offered to help you organize and interpret the facts which were presented?

  1. Yes, definitely
  2. Yes, somewhat
  3. Not sure
  4. No, not much
  5. No, definitely not
  6. Comments

8.  Did the course provide methodologies and skills to help you think critically and make informed choices about your role in society?

  1. Yes, very much so
  2. Yes somewhat so
  3. Not sure
  4. No, not much
  5. No, not at all
  6. Comments

9.  Did the course contribute to your knowledge and understanding of the society and world in which you live?

  1. Yes, to a great degree
  2. Yes, to some degree
  3. Not sure
  4. No, not a great deal
  5. No, not at all
  6. Comment

10.  Did the course cause you to change your views about the society and world in which you live?

  1. Yes, to a great degree
  2. Yes, to some degree
  3. Not sure
  4. No, not a great deal
  5. No, not at all
  6. Comments

11.  Compared to other General Education courses you have taken, how would you rate your degree of interest to each course?

  1. Much more interested
  2. Somewhat more interested
  3. About the same
  4. Somewhat less interested
  5. Much less interested
  6. Comments

12.  Compared to other General Education courses you have taken, was the instructor an effective teacher?

  1. Yes, much more so
  2. Yes, somewhat more so
  3. About the same
  4. No, somewhat less so
  5. No, much less so
  6. Comments

13.  Did the courses in the social science category contribute to your general education?

  1. Yes, to a great degree
  2. Yes to some degree
  3. No, not a great deal
  4. No, not at all

14.  What is your sex?

15.  What is your current student classification?

16.  Your major is within the college of_____

2002 Review Information:

SOA:

The SOA Subcommittee proposed the following directives for SOA for category 5

1.  That the first SOA of Category 5 take place during the 2003 fall semester and be coordinated by the Associate Dean of CSBS.

2.  That one component of the 2003 fall assessment be the positing of open-ended questions by selected Social Science faculty to samples of student who have completed the requirements of Category 4. The questions posed would seek to determine how well the students had absorbed the outcomes noted above.

3.  That a second component of the 2003 fall assessment takes the form of embedded questions in the examinations of selected Social Science faculty. These questions would solicit open-ended responses o students designed to determine how well students have absorbed some of the outcomes noted above.

4.  That the results of the 2003 fall assessments be assembled, reported to the Social Science faculty, and reviewed by the Associate Dean and an ad hoc committee of her choosing to see if the assessment procedures need to be modified in subsequent assessment iterations. This ad hoc committee should be encouraged to think creatively about assessment strategies for Category 4 and not be bound by either or both of the two methods proposed herein.

5.  That some form of SOA for Category 5 be conducted in the fall semesters of odd-numbered years, eg, 2003, 2005, 2007, etc.

Student perception survey used, similar to one used in 1994.

1.  Which of the following courses (up to three) have you completed to satisfy the LAC “Social Science Category” requirement? Please check the courses you took (includes option to select transfer course equivalents and other).

Considering these three courses as a group, please answer the following questions.

2.  Were you satisfied with the choice of classes that can be used to fulfill the Social Science Category?

3.  Did these courses contribute to your knowledge and understanding of the world in which you live?

4.  Did these courses change your perspective on the world and the society in which you live?

5.  Did these courses provide knowledge and skills that will help you be an informed and active citizen?

6.  Are you more likely than before you took these classes to read a book, newspaper report or magazine article that relates to issues you studied in class?

7.  Do you use ideas and information from these classes in discussions and arguments you have outside of formal class settings?

8.  Did you learn information or master skills in these classes that will be helpful in your career or work environment?

9.  Did you learn useful theoretical frameworks in these classes for understanding the social sciences?

10.  Did these course contribute to your sense of yourself as a well-educated person?

11.  gender

12.  classification

13.  college

SOA Plan/Report – supplement to review of 2002/3

Frequency of Assessment

The assessment of Category 5 will take place during the fall semester of every other year, starting Fall 2004.

Assessment Methods

The assessment will take the form of essay questions and be given 1) in one course from each A, B, and C groups of Category 5, 2) by professors who are willing to participate, and 3) to student to have completed at least two courses in Category 5.

The students will be asked to write on the essay questions for 30 minutes. The questions will be determined by the CSBS assessment committee (sample questions attached). There will be at least one question for each of the stated outcomes for Category 5. The essays will be collected and then a random sample determined. The sample can only contain essays by student who have completed two courses in Category 5.

Methods of Evaluating and Interpreting Results

Each question from the sample will be graded. A scoring rubric will be developed by the assessment committee. There will be a committee of three persons who will grade the essays, based on the rubric. Those persons will come from instructors in the liberal arts core and those who have a basic knowledge of the material. They will be given some example answers in to understand what is expected. They each grade the essays, keeping their results separate and average them only after all essays have been graded by all readers.