B.A. in English Program Assessment Plan

B.A. in EnglishProgram Assessment PlanJune 30, 2005Program Mission Statement:The Bachelor of Arts in English program aspires to help traditional and non-traditionalstudents establish a foundation for lifelong learning by broadening their exposure to literatureand the practices of writing. It seeks to foster an understanding and appreciation of the meaningand significance of literary works and their relevance to students’ lives; the ability to think andwrite critically; and the ability to write and edit for different audiences and media.Conceptual relationship among university, program, and course learning goalsand objectives:The goals of the program are consistent with the University-wide learning goals and, insome cases, directly support attainment of one or more such goals. While we recognize thatlearning occurs in a broader context than the classroom, this program attains its learning goalsprimarily through the courses it requires of students. We try to show these connections in amatrix.The learning objectives of individual courses always support the goals of the program butthis does not prevent them from supporting other goals. Learning objectives in an individualcourse are measurable. The capstone course examines all program goals. Therefore, theassessment of related learning objectives in ENGL 498, the capstone course within our program,enables us to ascertain how well the program goals are being met.It follows that the attainment of University-wide learning goals can be evaluated bylooking across the curriculum within this program at all the assessments that are related to thesegoals.Process for setting learning goals and objectives:The program faculty has focused on the programmatic goals and course learningobjectives since its inception. Faculty members have discussed both formally and informallywhat they hope to accomplish through the program and what they expect students to learn whilein the program.To develop this learning outcomes assessment plan the faculty met together and mutuallyagreed upon the set of program goals that will be emphasized at this particular time in history.These program goals and their operational definitions within various courses were agreed to bythe faculty.The goals and objectives are not cast in stone and will undergo ongoing development aspart of the annual review of assessment results.1

Program Learning Goals:Upon graduating from the B.A. in English program students will possess:1) An ability to analyze and interpret literary works in an insightful and persuasive way.2) An ability to write effectively for particular purposes, audiences, media, and/orpublication contexts.3) An ability to revise and edit their own and others’ writing.4) An ability to see significant connections and differences between texts, authors, genres,styles, and periods of literary history.5) An ability to understand the relation between texts and relevant contexts (e.g. literary,rhetorical, historical, cultural, technological).Courses Incorporating Learning GoalsContinued2

3Courses Incorporating Learning Goals, Cont’d.

Guiding principles for assessment:- The program is committed to assessment and to development of a unified, coherentprogram to evaluate its educational activities.- The program values the involvement of all students and faculty in the assessmentprocess.- The faculty of the program, given their accountability for the curriculum, haveprimary responsibility for the development and implementationof assessment activities.- Statements of desired educational objectives of the program shall originate with, and beapproved by, the faculty of the program.- Student learning will be assessed using both direct and indirect methods andquantitative and qualitative data.- The non-aggregated data gathered for assessment purposes shall remain confidentialand shall be used only for the purposes of assessment.- Assessment of student learning outcomes is about improving learning, not evaluatingfaculty.- Assessment is systematic, ongoing, and cyclic.- Assessment will be simple, doable, and consistent with the university’s mission.- The assessment program is dynamic and will evolve over time.Projected Assessment Activities: Year 1Course-Level Learning Objectives4

Indirect method of measuring attainment of program goals:In addition to the learning objectives assessed by the course objectives and rubrics listedabove, learning goals are also indirectly measured through an Undergraduate Exit Survey mailedby the College of Liberal Arts to graduating students, in all programs, each semester (Summer,Winter, and Spring). This general survey attempts to obtain information about attainment ofcompetencies thought to be important for students in all disciplines. In particular, thesecompetencies are related to University Learning Goals and help establish whether students arereaching these goals.Along with the general survey, each graduating student also receives a program specificsurvey which includes items that measure competencies related to their major discipline.Beginning in August 2005 this survey will reflect the program learning goals agreed upon byfaculty and listed in this assessment plan.How results will be used to improve student learning:The faculty will meet at least once each year to review the outcomes of assessment, tocompare outcomes to pre-established standards, and to decide on an action to be taken. Thisinformation will be contained in the annual assessment report.Some possible actions are:- No action is required; students are meeting the standard.- No action is required at this time; explore more fully the reasons why students didn'tmeet standard.- Increase the standard (e.g., from 75% to 80%)- Determine why there are such differences among the various sections of a course forwhich measurement has occurred.- Redesign the rubric/measurement tool; it does not seem to be measuring what we desire.- Work together as a faculty to redevelop the pre-requisites for a course; problems appearto be due to lack of preparation.- Meet as a faculty to discuss ways to teach a specific concept that seems to be eludingour students.Timeline for what will be measured and schedule of examining/reporting results:Year OneDevelop the first assessment plan.Detail the plan fully for the Capstone Course.Complete the assessment of two goals for this course.Meet to discuss the results of this assessment and determine what action, if any, will be taken.File first report with University Assessment Committee by February 1, 2006.Year TwoRevisit the assessment plan and make any necessary revisions.Detail the plan fully for the remaining goals of this course.Complete the assessment of these goals.Meet to discuss the results of this assessment and determine what action, if any, will be takenFile report with University Assessment Committee by February 1.5

Timeline, cont’d:Year ThreeDetermine what, if any, assessment will take place outside Capstone Course.If so, detail more fully.Who is responsible for plan implementation:The Faculty Program Director is responsible for implementing the assessment plan. Heor she must see that the agreed upon time line is adhered to, that assessment results are compiledand reports filed with the University Assessment Committee. The program director is alsoresponsible for integrating the results of assessment into the program and its curriculum. All ofthis will be done in a framework of collegial responsibility because the faculty, as a group, shareresponsibility for designing and delivering a curriculum that achieves the program’s goals.6