Academic Assessment Nov Chairs & Program Directors meeting Disclaimer

Martin

Academic Assessment What will Middle States be looking for? Where does each department, program or minor stand in this process? How can we proceed?

Steering Committee plan We would like every department and program on board, with a plan and with data in-hand by the end of the 13SP semester. We are in the process of recruiting a consultant to review several of our existing assessment plans to help us determine where we stand. We may follow this with a workshop on how to improve our assessment efforts, if funds allow.

What should every department, program and minor have in place? Elements of assessment that Middle States will be looking for: – Mission statement – Goals – Assessable elements or objectives of the goals – Assessment tools – rubrics, etc.; direct (required) and indirect (optional) – Quantifiable data (systematized quant. or qual. data) from assessment outcomes – Signs of closing-the-loop

Examples of these elements from departments on campus.

Mission statement (Philosophy) Philosophy—traditionally at the center of the liberal arts—asks some of the most difficult and searching questions about human existence, the nature of the universe, right and wrong in human conduct, and the basis of our social and political arrangements. In so doing, it gives the mind the greatest possible leeway to doubt, probe, criticize, and build. The courses of the Department of Philosophy and Religion have four main purposes: (1) to acquaint the student with some of the great philosophical questions of the past and present and with leading attempts to answer them; (2) to exhibit the connections between philosophy and such related areas as art, business, law, literature, medicine, science, religion, and the environment; (3) to develop the student's capacities for clear thinking, critical analysis, and effective articulation/expression; and (4) to provide the basis for reflecting on right versus wrong and good versus evil in the present-day world. These aims are pursued in the atmosphere of diverse philosophical interests and approaches found among the staff of the department. At the same time, faculty are mindful of complementarities among these approaches in bringing students to the art of inquiry. Typically, students also bring varied concerns to their own explorations in philosophy and move on to careers in many diverse fields.

Mission statement (Economics) The mission of the Department of Economics is to prepare students to reason as economists, to evaluate facts and ideas analytically, to understand economic issues of historical and contemporary importance, and to gain the quantitative and presentation skills to communicate their insights for their careers, for future education, and for responsible citizenship.

Goals and Objectives Goals – What is essential to the study of your field? – What skills must your majors master in order for your department to feel that you are properly preparing them? Objectives – What are the measurable elements for each of your goals?

Goals (Economics) Based on this mission, the Department has the following goals: 1. Teach students the vocabulary, language, principles, and theories of economics. 2. Teach students to search and use the economic literature, analyze and evaluate facts and ideas within economics, and understand how facts and ideas are interrelated across subfields of economics. 3. Provide students with guidelines on how to conduct economic research, teach them to use the appropriate statistical and mathematical tools to analyze, present and solve economic problems and to conduct economic research, and train them to express themselves effectively concerning economics, both orally and in writing. 4. Teach students to think critically and creatively about economics, work independently within the discipline, and understand the ethical dimensions of the field. 5. Prepare students for graduate work in economics. 6. Prepare students for graduate work in related fields such as business, international studies, environmental studies, mathematics, history, political science, philosophy, law, sociology, anthropology, and geography.

Goals and Objectives (Philosophy – partial) 3) Philosophy majors should develop the intellectual skills characteristic of the discipline, including: –  Development of skills in the asking of philosophical questions, and in pursuing organized inquiry. –  Proficiency in the exposition of various philosophical positions. –  Proficiency in the critical assessment of various philosophical positions. –  Close, critical, and careful reading of texts in historical and cultural context. –  Independent research using primary and secondary sources. –  Construction and assessment of argument and its formal structure. –  Respectful and constructive oral philosophical argument. –  Ability to advance positions with critical textual analysis and rigorous argumentation. –  Ability to function smoothly in using patterns of valid argumentation, and with awareness of formal and informal fallacies. –  Ability to function smoothly in writing and in speaking with the application of Socratic method (and its variants). –  Clear, coherent, and effective philosophical writing.

Assessment tools How will you assess your objectives? – Using what tools? (SCE, assignments, standardized tests, exit surveys, etc) – In what classes will you assess given objectives? – How often will you assess each objective?

Assessment plan summary (Political Science – partial) 2. In gathering data, we will specifically target: a. The Senior Capstone Experience b. Several required courses of all majors i. POL 201 Theories of Peace and Conflict OR POL 202 Justice, Power, and Political Thought ii. POL 401 Empirical Political Research c. The Experiential Learning Requirement d. The Senior Class Exit Poll

Assessment plan summary (Biology – partial)

Assessment matrix (Biology lab skills)

Rubrics – direct assessment (Philosophy, SCE writing rubric)

Rubrics – direct assessment (Political Science, course content rubric)

Surveys – indirect (Economics comprehensive exam survey)

Surveys – indirect (Political Science externship survey)

How will you quantify your data? (Economics – comprehensive exams results)

How will you quantify your data? (Biology – SCE literature results)

How will you close-the-loop? Annual meeting to review assessment data - how might these data be used to move forward, improve certain outcomes, etc. Compare data from year-to-year to track progress of past changes and make new ones. Make changes to the assessment plan to strengthen weaknesses or address blind spots.

What we are NOT trying to do. We are not looking for 'perfect' assessment. Middle States does not mandate any particular methods, use what works for us. As long as we meet the basic model: – mission, goals, measurable objectives, data, using outcomes to inform improvements and planning. We do not need to create new assessment tools. – We are often already doing plenty of assessment, we just need to recognize that, define it and collect the data.

What we ARE trying to do. Provide useful tools to help us all improve our learning outcomes at the departmental/programmatic level. Provide data that will help inform decision making, resource allocation and strategic planning at levels beyond the department/program.

Where to next? Dale, I and the Steering Committee are here to provide help in whatever form we can. We will be working with a consultant to get some feedback on what we are, in general, doing well or poorly (from the perspective of Middle States). We need everyone to self-identify what progress their department or program has made and where they need improvement... then move forward in 13SP.

Timeline Any department or program without an assessment plan on record is required by the Provost to have one by start of the 13SP term. Any department or program that has not yet collected assessment data will be asked to do so during the 13SP semester. All departments and programs will be asked to provide updated assessment plans and reports by July 1, 2013.