UCF Humanities Program Assessment Plan, 2007-08

This is a draft of the revised assessment plan for the Humanities program at UCF. To look at a previous version of the assessment plan, along with more in-depth discussion about the formation of this plan, please go here. For some of my observations on the assessment process, you might want to take a look at this. Please note that on this page, the first table lists the outcomes and measures, and the second table summarizes them, so that it is clear where these measures need to take place. Those who need to take particular note are those who teach the following courses:

This plan has not changed much from the 06-07 plan. A few alterations were put into place on the measures, to make them work better with a particular instructor's pedagogy, but the outcomes and measures are substantially the same. I have made it clear throughout that although we are assessing the program, we are measuring the classes in which the measures occur. This is to ensure that we don't have to filter out the majors from the others. In some cases, this won't matter (e.g., senior seminar), but in others, it does matter. At some point we might want to filter the majors out and register only their numbers (our results might improve). But that's more work.

Bruce Janz janzb@mail.ucf.edu

 

Assessment Outcomes and Measurement Strategies

A. Communication

  • Outcome 1: Be able to develop and defend a thesis that relates to the analysis and critical discussion of a specific topic in the humanities. (Assesses all tracks and concentrations)
    • Final paper or project in Encountering the Humanities, reviewed for the quality and development of the thesis. 100% of the humanities majors and minors will achieve at least a B on their thesis development (this is not the paper grade, but the grade on this specific aspect of the paper). Thesis development includes the ability to state a clear thesis with an achievable goal, and to achieve the goal that was set.

    • Final paper in Encountering the Humanites, reviewed for the quality of the argument. Students must be able to produce a reasonable, sound argument to support a position. 100% of the students will achieve at least a B on their thesis development (this is not the paper grade, but the grade on this specific aspect of the paper).

    • Research paper in the Senior Research Seminar, reviewed for the quality and development of the thesis. 100% of the humanities majors and minors will achieve at least a B on their thesis development (this is not the paper grade, but the grade on this specific aspect of the paper). Thesis development includes the ability to state a clear thesis with an achievable goal, and to achieve the goal that was set.

  • Outcome 2: Be able to communicate verbally, with clear purpose, organization, and presentation style. (Assesses all tracks and concentrations)
    • Oral presentation or position paper in the Senior Research Seminar. 100% of the humanities majors and minors will achieve at least a B on their presentation.

    • Class participation in the Senior Research Seminar. 100% of the humanities majors and minors will achieve at least a B on their participation.


B. Critical Thinking

  • Outcome 3: Be able to critically analyze political and social systems (including systems of identity construction, including religious identity). (Assesses the Critical Humanities and the Philosophy, Religion and Popular Culture concentration.)
    • Embedded question in the midterm or final exam of Critical Theory. 100% of the students will achieve at least a B on this question.

    • In the "Philosophy, Religion, and Popular Culture" track: Analysis of major paper for this outcome in either Ways of Knowing or Ways of Living course. 100% of the students will achieve at least a B on their ability to analyze political and social systems. This is not the paper grade, but the grade on this specific aspect of the paper.


  • Outcome 4: Be able to critically analyze contemporary mass or popular culture, including religion. (Assesses the Critical Humanities and the Philosophy, Religion and Popular Culture concentration.)
    • Embedded question in the midterm or final exam of Critical Theory in which students apply critical theory methods to issues within contemporary mass or popular culture. 100% of the students will achieve at least a B on this question.

    • In the "Philosophy, Religion, and Popular Culture" track: Analysis of major paper for this outcome in either Ways of Knowing or Ways of Living course. 100% of the students will achieve at least a B on their ability to analyze mass or popular culture, including religion. This is not the paper grade, but the grade on this specific aspect of the paper.


  • Outcome 5: Be able to identify and critically analyze different artistic and intellectual forms from different historical periods. (Assesses the Classical Humanities concentration)
    • Embedded question or class presentation in the midterm or final exam of The Classical Ideal. 100% of the students will achieve at least a B on this question.

  • Outcome 6: Be able to identify and critically analyze different artistic and intellectual forms from different religions. (Assesses the Multicultural Humanities and Classical Humanities concentrations.)
    • Critical identification and analysis of artistic and intellectual forms in different religions in a class paper in Contemporary Multicultural Studies. 100% of the students will achieve at least a B on their ability to critically identify and analyse different artistic and intellectual forms from different religions. This is not the paper grade, but the grade on this specific aspect of the paper.

    • Embedded question or presentation in The Classical Ideal. 100% of the students will achieve at least a B on this question.


  • Outcome 7: Be able to critically identify and analyze ways of approaching different cultural contexts using a variety of theoretical approaches (values clarification, border crossings, feminism, theory on race, environmental racism, queer theory, etc.). (Assesses the Multicultural Humanities concentration)
    • Analysis of a class paper in Contemporary Multicultural Studies. 100% of the students will achieve at least a B on their ability to critically identify and analyse ways of approaching different cultural contexts using a variety of theoretical approaches. This is not the paper grade, but the grade on this specific aspect of the paper.


C. Discipline specific knowledge, skills, values, and behaviour.

  • Outcome 8: Be able to recognize and generate appropriate (i.e., useful, interesting, researchable) questions in the humanities, and distinguish them from the questions central to other disciplines and professions. (Assesses all tracks and concentrations)
    • Graded prospectus for the final paper in Encountering the Humanities. 100% of the students will achieve at least a B on their ability to identify and generate good questions in the humanities, on the prospectus. This is not the paper grade, but the grade on this specific aspect of the paper.

    • Graded prospectus for the final paper in the Senior Research Seminar. 100% of the humanities majors and minors will achieve at least a B on their ability to identify and generate good questions in the humanities, on the prospectus. This is not the paper grade, but the grade on this specific aspect of the paper.

  • Outcome 9: Be able to use resources from sources in print, file, and electronic forms, properly and effectively. (Assesses all tracks and concentrations)
    • Graded library assignment in Encountering the Humanities. 100% of the students will achieve at least a B on their ability to identify appropriate research venues to gain critical scholarly information about specific research topics, on the prospectus. This is not the paper grade, but the grade on this specific aspect of the paper.

    • Graded prospectus including bibliography of scholarly sources for the final paper in the Senior Research Seminar. 100% of the humanities majors and minors will achieve at least a B on their ability to identify appropriate research venues to gain critical scholarly information about specific research topics, on the prospectus. This is not the paper grade, but the grade on this specific aspect of the paper.


  • Outcome 10: Be able to describe and apply interdisciplinary knowledge and interdisciplinary methods of investigation to questions in the humanities. (Assesses all tracks and concentrations)
    • Requirement & grading of interdisciplinary work in the final paper for the Senior Research Seminar. 100% of the humanities majors and minors will achieve at least a B on their ability to work with interdisciplinary sources, theories, and analytic or critical approaches. This is not the paper grade, but the grade on this specific aspect of the paper.

    • Requirement & grading of interdisciplinary work in the final paper for the Encountering the Humanities course. 100% of the students will achieve at least a B on their ability to work with interdisciplinary sources, theories, and analytic or critical approaches. This is not the paper grade, but the grade on this specific aspect of the paper.

 

Quick Reference for Location of Measures

 

Encountering Hum

Classical Ideal

Cont. Mult. St.

Critical Theory

Senior Seminar

P, R & PC
A. Communication  
1. Thesis & Argument Dev. Final Paper (x2)       Research Paper *
2. Verbal Presentation         Pres. & Partic. *
B. Critical Thinking  
3. Analyze Pol/Soc systems       Embedded question   Paper Analysis
4. Analyze Mass Culture       Embedded question   Paper Analysis
5. Historical Analysis   Embedded question/present.        
6. Religious Analysis   Embedded question/present. Paper Analysis      
7. Cultural Analysis     Paper Analysis      
C. Disc. Specific Knowledge  
8. Humanities Questions Prospectus       Prospectus *
9. Research Methods Library Assign.       Prospectus/Bib. *
10. Interdisciplinarity Research Paper       Research Paper *