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Degree
Program Assessment Plan
I.
Goals
The major
goal of our program is to give students seeking degrees in History a broad
understanding of the varieties of ways of examining the past.
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Students should have the ability
to read and understand primary and secondary sources, including archival
documents, journal articles, monographs and textbooks.
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Students should have the ability
to communicate multiple ways of understanding the past, both in written and
verbal form, to others.
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Students should have a basic
understanding of the workings of historiography.
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Students should be able to apply
historical reasoning and knowledge of the past to other disciplines.
II.
Methodology
The
Department of History uses several methods to assess students. A major
instrument of assessment is the use of student portfolios, containing exams,
short essays, and research papers from all levels of History courses. Students
also include a resume and an essay assessing their own work and reflecting on
their learning experiences as history majors.
Surveys of
alumni are also chief instruments of assessment. Periodically, a survey is
taken of students who majored in History. We will institute that this survey
will occur every three years.
III.
Process
The
Department of History meets once a year to analyze the assessment information
collected. Faculty members discuss the results of their reading of student
portfolios to gain an understanding of what students are learning in their
history courses. Attention is paid to both content and skills, especially in
regards to analytical and critical thinking skills, as well as writing skills.
Starting in the Spring 2007, the Department of History will conduct also an exit
interview of graduating Seniors with questions about program requirements,
course offerings, advising, etc. Changes to the department’s degree programs,
including curriculum and scheduling of courses, are considered in light of the
accumulated assessment data. Further, the assessment plan itself is discussed
and, if necessary, revised at this meeting.
IV.
Participation
All
full-time members of the department participate in the analysis and discussion
of assessment data, as well as the revision of the assessment plan. In the
Spring 2007, the department will start to survey all Seniors taking the
Proseminar (capstone course) to enable them to participate in assessment. This
survey will provide the opportunity to suggest changes to the curriculum or
degree programs. As noted above, alumni as well as current students are
involved in the assessment process.
V.
Records
Starting in
the Fall 2007, the Department of History will keep all the portfolios that
students turn in during an academic year until the end of the Spring semester.
After the assessment data is discussed by the faculty at the end of the academic
year in question, students will be able to get their portfolio back. The
Department of History will keep also an archive of the Senior exit interviews,
alumni surveys, any other assessment data collected, copies of all assessment
reports, and copies of its assessment plan on file in the department office.
Copies of the assessment plan and reports will be placed on the departmental web
page in a downloadable electronic format.
Revised
March 2007. |
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