English Department
Departmental Assessment Report
B. A., Writing
Number of Majors:
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Level:
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Fall 2005
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Fall 2004
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Fall 2003
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Freshman
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37
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20
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14
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Sophomore
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28
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15
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18
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Junior
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44
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33
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21
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Senior
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44
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35
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32
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Graduate Student
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Number of Graduates in
2004-2005: 32
Student Learning Goals:
Students will be able to:
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1.
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Modify writing strategies
for different writing situations
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2.
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Recognize basic elements of
fiction, poetry, and nonfiction
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3.
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Demonstrate knowledge of
stylistic and genre conventions by creating texts in particular genres,
writing analyses of published texts, and engaging in conversation in class
and/or online
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4.
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Employ invention and
revision as acts of discovery
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5.
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Engage in conversation
about an evolving text, giving and using feedback in a workshop setting
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6.
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Find and integrate sources
appropriate to the genre using primary and secondary research methods
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7.
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Perform rhetorical analysis
and critique of a variety of texts
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8.
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Compose sentences using
principles of style, grammar, and punctuation appropriate to the genre and
audience, without errors that distract readers from understanding meaning.
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Assessment Plan:
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Assessment Measure:
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Goals Addressed:
(list by number)
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How is the information
used?
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1. Capstone portfolio of
writing completed in writing emphasis courses
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1-4, 6-8
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Each May, the Rhetoric and
Composition Discipline Director will organize faculty who teach writing
emphasis courses to review capstone portfolios and assess three different
learning goals each year. The results will be used to improve instruction
and/or to modify learning goals, and will be discussed at a meeting of all
writing emphasis faculty each fall term.
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2. Survey students in
lower-division writing classes (ENGL 201, 205, 206) and upper division
writing classes(ENGL 401, 406, 407)
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1-8
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The survey will address all
the learning goals, including #5, which is not assessable through a portfolio
of writing. Data will focus on differences between lower-division and
advanced students in achieving learning outcomes. Results will be tabulated
and then reviewed by all writing emphasis faculty during the fall meeting.
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3. Alumni survey three
years after graduation
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1, 4, 6-8
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This survey will be
distributed to graduates to assess how applicable the learning goals are to
the careers our graduates choose. It too will be discussed by faculty during
the fall term, and will be organized by the Director of the Writing Program.
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Once it is determined what
changes need to made in the curriculum, the Discipline Director will convene
a formal meeting of faculty who teach Writing Emphasis courses. In that
meeting, curriculum change proposals will be discussed (if warranted) before
submitting to the English Department Curriculum Committee; course syllabi
will be re-examined and revised to reflect the assessment information and
needed changes; faculty development workshops that focus on specific kinds of
improvement will be announced.
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Responses to the below
questions will wrap around as you type then tab to next item:
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What do the assessment
results tell you?
The results of the
portfolio assessment will tell us whether and how well students are achieving
the learning goals for the emphasis that can be demonstrated in texts. Every
year we will address three goals, determining how well all the portfolios
demonstrate those goals. For the goals in which students perform less well,
we will discuss changes that need to be made in individual courses and the
overall curriculum of the emphasis.
The questionnaire will
assess the same learning goals as the portfolio AND enable us to assess goal
#5, something that cannot be assessed through a text. The questions will
prompt students to demonstrate their learning in a fundamentally different
way than the portfolio, offering additional data as we consider which
learning goals students struggle with the most.
The alumni survey will ask
students about the kinds of writing they are currently doing in their jobs
and the skills needed for those careers, allowing us to determine how well
the learning goals for the Writing Emphasis prepare students for their
careers. We will then discuss and implement changes that need to be made.
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What are some examples
of changes made over the last two years based on assessment findings?
The assessment measures
have not yet been implemented. We hope to do so in Fall, 2008.
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What recommendations do
you have for improving the assessment process?
None at this time.
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Other comments:
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Last reviewed on 15 May 2008
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