AnnualAssessmentReport

AcademicYear:    2014/15

Department:     LiberalStudies

Program(s):      LiberalStudies:AllOptions(Quaternity,EnvironmentalStudies,GlobalandMulticulturalStudies


WhatWas Done

InFY2013/14weevaluatedlearningoutcomes5-­‐8.  TheseoutcomesaddresstheEnvironmentalStudiesandGlobalandMulticulturaloptionsinLiberalStudies.

 

Outcome4:EnvironmentalStudiesoption:  Studentswillbeabletoapplynaturalscienceperspectives

toproblemsofnaturalresourceandenvironmentalmanagement.

 

Outcome5:EnvironmentalStudiesoption:  Studentswillbeabletoapplysocialscienceperspectivestoproblemsofnaturalresourceandenvironmentalmanagement.

Outcome6:  GlobalStudiesoption:  Studentswillbeabletoanalyzemulticulturalliteratureorresearch

usingtechniquesfromliteraryorsocialfieldsofstudy.

 

Outcome7:GlobalStudiesoption:Studentswillbeabletoexplaintrendsandinter-­‐relationshipsamongglobal,economicandpoliticalsystemsandtheireffectsonsocialchange,qualityoflifeandinequalities.

WhatDataWereCollected

Theseoutcomesrequiredustocollectpapersfromstudentsforcoursesofferedindifferentdepartments.  Werandomlyselected20studentsinEnvironmentalStudiesandrequestedthatthey sendusawritingassignmentfromthepastyearinoneoftheirupper-­‐divisionnaturalscienceandoneoftheirsocialsciencepolicycourses.Inresponsetothatcallwereceivedthefollowingnumbers ofpapers:

 

Numberofstudents

NaturalSciencecoursepapers

SocialScienceCoursepapers

4

4

4

3

3

0

6

0

6

    3

(reportedthattheydidnot havepapersintheirLS NaturalorSocSciCoursesin thelastyear).

0

0

     4

(neverrespondedtoour request)

0

0

  Totals

7

10


WeusedasimilarselectionprocesstocollectpapersfromtheGlobalandMulticulturalStudiesoptionstudents.  Weaskedthattheysenduspapersfromamulticulturaland/orareastudycourses.  Inresponsewereceivedthefollowingnumbersofpapers:

 

Numberofstudents

MulticulturalCoursepapers

AreaStudiespapers

8

8

8

4

4

0

5

0

5

3(neverrespondedtoour request

0

0

Totals

12

13

 

 Weanalyzedthepapersusingrubricsdesignedtoassesseachlearningoutcomeinthefollowingtable:

 

LearningOutcome

#

papers

# of reviewers

Possible rangeof scoresonrubric (1=excellent, 2=meets expectations, 3=below expectations.)

 

Actualscores (1=excellent, 2=meets expectations, 3=below expectations.)

 

 

 

 

 

1

2

3

applynatural

7

2

1-­‐3

Depthof

43%

57%

0%

science

Understanding

 

 

 

perspectivesto

 

 

 

 

problemsofnatural

 

 

 

 

resourceand

Application

14%

43%

43%

environmental

management.

applysocialscience

10

2

1-­‐3

Depthof

50%

50%

0%

perspectivesto

Understanding

 

 

 

problemsofnatural

 

 

 

 

resourceand

 

 

 

 

environmental

Application

30%

40%

30%

management

analyze

12

2

1-­‐3

Depthof

33%

50%

17%

multicultural

Understanding

 

 

 

literatureor

 

 

 

 

researchusing

 

 

 

 

techniquesfrom

Analysis

25%

50%

25%

literaryorsocial


 

Fieldsofstudy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

explaintrendsand

13

2

1-­3

Depthof

54%

46%

0%

inter-­‐relationships

Understanding

 

 

 

amongglobal,

 

 

 

 

economicand

 

 

 

 

politicalsystems

Analysis

23%

31%

46%

andtheireffectson

socialchange,

qualityoflifeand

inequalities.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What  WasLearned

Outcome4:EnvironmentalStudiesoption:  Studentswillbeabletoapplynaturalscienceperspectives

toproblemsofnaturalresourceandenvironmentalmanagement.

 

Outcome5:EnvironmentalStudiesoption:  Studentswillbeabletoapplysocialscienceperspectivestoproblemsofnaturalresourceandenvironmentalmanagement.

Outcome6:  GlobalStudiesoption:  Studentswillbeabletoanalyzemulticulturalliteratureorresearch

usingtechniquesfromliteraryorsocialfieldsofstudy.

 

Outcome7:GlobalStudiesoption:Studentswillbeabletoexplaintrendsandinter-­‐relationshipsamongglobal,economicandpoliticalsystemsandtheireffectsonsocialchange,qualityoflifeandinequalities.

 

Theresultsofourefforttolookatavarietyofdifferentpaper/projectassignmentstaughtbydifferentdepartmentsacrosstheuniversitywerethatwelearnedwhatourstudentsareandarenotbeingaskedtodoinassignmentsinsomeofthemostpopularcoursesamongourmajors.  WediscoveredthatgenerallyourEnvironmentalStudiesandGlobalandMulticulturalstudiesoptionstudentsaremeeting  orexceedingexpectationsinsubjectcontentareas.  Inotherwords,theyshowamasteryofsubjectcontentperspectivesanddowellapplyingthetechniquesandmethodsofthosefieldsinresearchorscholarlypapers(80%ormoredoso).  Itislesscommonforassignmentstorequire(orforourstudentstomasterifitisrequiredintheassignment)anapplicationoftheseperspectivestorealworldproblemsandissues.  Wewouldliketoseeourstudentsinalloptionsintegratethevariousperspectivestheyarelearningintoabroaderandmoreencompassingviewpointthatdrawsfrommultipledisciplinaryperspectivesandmethods.  Sometimestheyareaskedtodothisintheircoursesandsometimestheyarenotdependingonthecourse.

How  WeResponded

WehavealreadyhadthreeintegrativeLiberalStudiescoursesapprovedintheLiberalStudiescurriculumandwehopethattakingsuchcoursesmightbetterhelpstudentsthinkmorebroadlyaboutimportant


social,political,literary,andculturalissuesfromavarietyofperspectives.  BasedonthisassessmenttherewassomediscussionaboutwhetherweshouldrequireLSmajorsineachoptiontotakeatleast1ofthesecoursespriortotakingtheLiberalStudiescapstonecourse.  Intheendwedecidedthatwearenotyetreadytoimposethatrequirement,butwediddiscussadvisingstudentswhoneedtopracticeintegratingperspectivestotakeoneofthesenewcoursesortoregisterforsomeofthecoursesthatwereviewedpapersfromthatseemedtobemosteffectiveatteachingcontentknowledgeandapplicationtorealworldproblems.


 EvaluationRubrics

 

 

Excellent

MeetsExpectations

BelowExpectations

Teamworkand collaboration(Grouporclassassessment):

 

 

 

Collaboration

Studentsprovide accurate,constructive andspecificfeedback ofthehighestquality tooneanother

Studentsprovide accurate,constructive andspecificfeedback tooneanother

Studentsareunable toprovideeffective feedbacktoone another

Teamwork

Student’sworkwell

Student’sworkwell

Studentsareunable

together,withall

together,withalmost

toworktogetherand

contributingtothe

everyonecontributing

unabletoachievethe

successofthegroup

tothesuccessofthe

goals.

group

 

 

 

 

Written Communication

 

 

 

Scopegivenassignment

Scopeshowsareal appreciationforthe contentandcoverage

Scopeofassignment isappropriatein contentandcoverage

Scopeisnotsufficient toassignment.

Strongandclear argumentmade whereappropriate

Argumentsarewell definedandcomplex.

Argumentsare defendableand discernable

Argumentsarenot factualandoverly simplistic

Reasons/Evidence

Evidenceisrelevant, logical,and appropriatelycited. Evidenceisprovidedfrommultiplesources appropriatetothe assignment.

Evidenceisrelevant andforthemostpart logical.Thereis minimaluseof fallaciousreasoning.

Littleorirrelevant evidenceprovideand isonlypartiallyor minimallycited.

Reasoningis fallacious.

Strongmechanics (grammar,citation, followeddirections, goodrevisions)

Mechanicsarestrong.

Mechanicsaregood anddonotdistract fromthecontent.

Mechanicsare problematictothe pointofdistracting fromthecontentofthepaper.