English BA / 1
STUDENT LEARNING ASSESSMENT PROGRAM
SUMMARY FORM AY 2009-2010
Degree and
Program Name:
Submitted By:
PART ONE
What are the learning objectives? / How, where, and when are they assessed? / What are the expectations? / What are the results? / Committee person responsible? How are results shared?- English majors will think and read thoughtfully and critically.
Exit Survey:
Expectations are that a significant majority of responses will fall in the Exceptionally, Effectively, and Satisfactorily categories-i.e., well above the 3.0 mean) / Portfolio:
95% of senior portfolios were assessed in the top three categories. By limiting analysis to the highest two categories, an improvement from baseline to senior portfolios can be seen (64% of sophomore portfolios were scored in the highest two categories compared to 70% of senior samples).
Exit Survey:
A mean of 4.45 with no response below Satisfactorily. / Undergraduate Studies Director and Committee. Results have been shared through department-wide discussions of curriculum revision and will continue to be shared as new curriculum is implemented.
- English majors will write clearly, analytically, and expressively.
Expectations are that a significant majority of responses will fall in the Exceptionally, Effectively, and Satisfactorily categories-i.e., well above the 3.0 mean) / Portfolio: 97% of senior portfolios were assessed in the top three categories. By limiting analysis to the highest two categories, an improvement from baseline to senior portfolios can be seen (58% of sophomore portfolios were scored in the highest two categories compared to 76% of senior samples).
Exit Survey:
A mean of 4.25 with no response below Satisfactorily. / Undergraduate Studies Director and Committee. Results have been shared through department-wide discussions of curriculum revision and will continue to be shared as new curriculum is implemented.
- English majors will interpret literary texts using appropriate critical theories and aesthetic vocabularies.
Exit Survey:
Expectations are that a significant majority of responses will fall in the Exceptionally, Effectively, and Satisfactorily categories-i.e., well above the 3.0 mean) / Portfolio: 98% of senior portfolios were assessed in the top three categories. By limiting analysis to the highest two categories, an improvement from baseline to senior portfolios can be seen (53% of sophomore portfolios were scored in the highest two categories compared to 62% of senior samples).
Exit Survey:
A mean of 4.475 with no response below Satisfactorily. / Undergraduate Studies Director and Committee. Results have been shared through department-wide discussions of curriculum revision and will continue to be shared as new curriculum is implemented.
- English majors will understand and be able to situate literary texts in diverse literary cultural, and historical contexts.
Exit Survey:
Expectations are that a significant majority of responses will fall in the Exceptionally, Effectively, and Satisfactorily categories-i.e., well above the 3.0 mean) / Portfolio: 97% of senior portfolios were assessed in the top three categories. By limiting analysis to the highest two categories, an improvement from baseline to senior portfolios can be seen (60% of sophomore portfolios were scored in the highest two categories compared to 63% of senior samples).
Exit Survey:
A mean of 4.22 with one response below Satisfactorily. / Undergraduate Studies Director and Committee. Results have been shared through department-wide discussions of curriculum revision and will continue to be shared as new curriculum is implemented.
- English majors will become skilled in using appropriate technologies and research methods.
Exit Survey:
Expectations are that a significant majority of responses will fall in the Exceptionally, Effectively, and Satisfactorily categories-i.e., well above the 3.0 mean) / Portfolio: 97% of senior portfolios were assessed in the top three categories. By limiting analysis to the highest two categories, the results are 76% of sophomore portfolios were scored in the highest two categories compared to 65% of senior samples.
Exit Survey:
A mean of 4.085 with two responses below Satisfactorily. / Undergraduate Studies Director and Committee. Results have been shared through department-wide discussions of curriculum revision and will continue to be shared as new curriculum is implemented.
PART TWO
Describe what your program’s assessment accomplishments since your last report was submitted. Discuss ways in which you have responded to the CASA Director’s comments on last year’s report or simply describe what assessment work was initiated, continued, or completed.
The English Department monitors undergraduate assessment primarily through its Undergraduate Studies Committee. During the 2009-10 academic year, the Undergraduate Studies Committee continued to build on the major assessment changes made the previous academic year (2009-10) and responded through discussion and action to plans reported in the 2008-2009 Summary and to suggestions from the CASA Director.
- Last year, the committee, through consultation with the department chair and Executive Committee, determined that the Department should implement senior exit surveys each semester through its senior seminar course (a required course for all majors). The exit survey was first implemented in spring semester 2007-08 on a trial basis. Based on three years of data and survey revision the Committee has determined that exit survey results are a valuable, valid indirect measure that complement the direct measure provided through portfolio evaluation; therefore, it is now a formal part of our Assessment Summary Part One. The committee also determined from its evaluation of the two assessment measures that the exit survey question related to Objective #5 needed further refinement in regard to phrasing of the questions on the survey. That revision was completed spring 2010.
- The current report clarifies our expectation that the English 2205 portfolio results provide a baseline for evaluation of 1) level-appropriate performance and 2) student progress at the senior level.
- Clarification with CASA Director that Objective 4 coheres with the university goal for students to “function as responsible global citizens.”
- Clarification with CASA Director of the relationship between the assessment of the B.A. in English and the B.A. in English w/Teacher Certification. The core major courses are assessed through the Summary provided under the B.A. in English report and a separate assessment of the Certification related courses is reported under the B.A. w/Teacher Certification report. A revised set of objectives for the Certification courses was completed by the Teacher Education Committee and reported to the Undergraduate Studies and Executive Committees.
- The Honors Program revisions reported in last year’s summary has been put into place, resulting in a number of sophomores enrolling in the Departmental Honors Program and in our first student completing the new Honors Independent Study course (which will provide students more curricular support, leading up to and culminating in the senior honors thesis).
- A Fall 2010 workshop was held for all English faculty on the university-wide undergraduate research initiatives, to provide, in part, a forum to discuss results of formal assessment results and to connect Department Goals with the University goals related to integrated learning.
- The committee evaluated the appropriate timing for and value of introducing additional assessment measures in light of the 2007-08 implementation of the revised English major. In 2010-11 the committee will construct an alumni survey targeted to reach students who have graduated under the revised catalog.
PART THREE
Summarize changes and improvements in curriculum, instruction, and learning that have resulted from the implementation of your assessment program. How have you used the data? What have you learned? In light of what you have learned through your assessment efforts this year and in past years, what are your plans for the future?
Based on its review of student portfolios and its senior exit surveys, the English Department continues to meet and exceed its target expectation goals for student learning. Further, data from the senior exit surveys—including students’ written responses on the surveys—reveal that senior English majors are pleased, by an overwhelming margin, with the curriculum, the diversity of classes offered, and classroom instruction.
The Undergraduate Studies Committee and department as a whole completed the following changes and improvements in an attempt to further refine our assessment and contribute to student achievement of Departmental Objectives:
- Exit Survey data shows a significant trend toward greater student confidence in their research skills, though portfolio assessment reveals that the Department needs to continually explore how students understand and engage in the every changing field of research. The committee addressed the issue in two ways. First, in order to ensure accurate assessment, both the portfolio rubric and exit survey questions related to research were refined to articulate more clearly the Departmental Objective. In addition, a significant emphasis on research was part of a Fall 2009 English 2205 experimental program built around student and faculty collaboration across sections. This approach will be repeated Fall 2010.
- Unique senior seminar topics and sophomore assignments led to an unusual number of "Not Applicable" responses. Portfolios percentages were calculated without "Not Applicable" responses to provide us with more accurate comparative results to previous year's responses.
- A new departmental committee on undergraduate research was approved by the English Department at a spring 2010 meeting. This committee will centralize, enhance, and increase departmental efforts to provide student achievement of all Departmental Objectives and will connect with university initiatives in the areas of undergraduate research and integrated learning.
- The Undergraduate Studies Committee began discussion of how best to access both senior level work for portfolios and seniors for exit survey distribution (given junior enrollment in 4000 level courses).
- The Undergraduate Studies Committee began discussion of the place of “speaking effectively” in our assessment goals.