Document 2005762

 Program Outcomes and Assessment B.A. in Humanities June 2013 Creative and Critical Thinkers Effective Communicators Skilled Professionals Students will be able to develop and integrate knowledge from instruction and experience to better interpret human interrelationships from diverse cultures and their implications in today’s world. Contributing Courses: HUM 201/202, HUM 376, PHIL 110 Students will be able to analyze, evaluate, interpret, and compare ideas and arguments—through writing and speaking—within the arts, literature, philosophy, and history. Contributing Courses: HUM 250, HUM 376, PHIL 110, HUM 497R Students will be able to interpret and evaluate the arts and the validity of ideas, articulating the grounds upon which value judgments are formed. Contributing Courses: HUM 250, PHIL 110, HUM 376, HUM 497R Lifelong Learners B.A. in Humanities X X X X X X X X X X X X X Disciple Leaders Engaged Citizens Program Outcomes Assessment Plan B.A. in Humanities Direct Measures Indirect Measures Knowledge Outcome: Students will be able to develop and integrate knowledge from instruction and experience to better interpret human interrelationships from diverse cultures and their implications in today’s world. Creative & Critical Thinking Outcome: Students will be able to analyze, evaluate, interpret, and compare ideas and arguments—through writing and speaking—within the arts, literature, philosophy, and history. Aesthetics & Value Judgments Outcome: Students will be able to interpret and evaluate the arts and the validity of ideas, articulating the grounds upon which value judgments are formed. Exams Senior Exit Survey Alumni Survey Comparative analysis/research papers Senior Exit Survey Alumni Survey Analysis papers, Critical Reflections Senior Exit Survey Alumni Survey Assessment Data Creative & Critical Thinking Outcome Instrument: Writing Instrument: Speaking Distinguished Proficient 47% 24% 71% 36% 47% 26% Developing Unsatisfactory 11% 22% 0% 6% 7% 6% Sum 100% 100% 100% Distinguished: Excellent level of achievement; exceeds expectations Proficient: Good level of achievement; meets expectations Developing: Fair level of achievement; minimally meets expectations Unsatisfactory: Low level of achievement; fails to meet expectations Improvement Plan Since the formal creation of the Humanities B.A. degree in fall 2010, we have become concerned about our students’ overall deficiency in writing skills, as demonstrated from both actual work submitted and anecdotal evidence (main through informal exit surveys). Presented in the above table as the Writing instrument data (aggregated from recent semesters of HUM 250, 376, and 497R writing samples), the proficiency levels achieved for this specific instrument are glaringly inadequate, especially when considered independent of the outcome’s Speaking instrument. In other words, this latter instrument has inflated our Creative & Critical Thinking program outcome’s overall achievement levels. For the immediate future, therefore, our action plan will focus on the Writing instrument. We will also revisit the oral speaking instrument’s current requirements and assessment strategies in an effort to build consistency throughout the courses listed above. To address and strengthen our students’ current writing achievement levels, we have implemented specific changes in course pedagogy and overall program sequencing. As demonstrated in the graphic below, beginning from the basic analytic and interpretative skills emphasized in HUM 201/202, we have retooled HUM 250 (now known as Critical Thinking and Analysis in the Humanities) from its initial role as an introductory class for Humanities majors to a more pure writing course, one that is fundamentally centered on analyzing, evaluating, interpreting, and comparing works from across the various Humanities disciplines (i.e. art, music, film, etc.). In turn, most of our 300 level courses, and specifically HUM 376, now require writing competencies that build upon those achieved in HUM 250. Finally, our capstone 400 level course, 497R (Topics in the Humanities), has been restructured towards producing well-­‐written, larger research papers, and likewise builds on the proficiencies gained in the previous core classes. We strongly feel that this sequencing and renewed emphasis on the development and fine-­‐tuning of our students’ writing skills will significantly improve their ability to be better prepared for graduate studies or a life of learning, and more competitive in the job market. HUM 497 HUM 376 HUM 250 HUM 201/202 2
Refleccve Wricng Begin analyzing art, music, and literature through wricng Begin Thesis statement fomulacon Thesis Statements Make argument and counter posicons Trasicons between paragraphs and sentences Engaging wricng -­‐ avoiding cliches Comparacve Analysis Papers with a point Outline Large Papers Rewrite all papers required Small Argument Papers Research Paper (18-­‐20 pages)