Student Achievement Assessment Committee
French
Learning Outcomes
1. Write, listen and converse proficiently about French and Francophone literary works, movements, and genres; about the civilizations of France and the Francophone world.
2. Master reading comprehension, terminology and basic research tools appropriate to literary and cultural analysis.
3. Demonstrate language proficiency through standardized examinations.
4. Engage in rational, civil discourse in a manner respectful of others and the cultural diversity of the Francophone world.
Annual Report
Learning Outcomes assessed this year
Our goals were to assess outcomes 1, 2, 3 and 4, as well as student satisfaction with the program both on-campus and while on our AYA programs in France and Burkina Faso.
Assessment Methods and Procedures
Outcome Assessment
Our 2 Fall 2005 graduates, 3 Spring 2006 graduates and 1 prospective Summer 2006 graduates in French, Arts and Sciences were asked to submit the following materials:
• an outcome portfolio consisting of one paper from one of their earliest classes as a French major and one paper from a more recent class that represented their best work, in their opinion;
• a short analysis in English of their views on their progress in the French major, based on the comparison of the two aforementioned papers. They were asked to address in particular the improvement of their overall critical thinking skills, their knowledge of French and Francophone literatures and cultures and the improvement of their oral and/or written skills in French (Outcomes 1-2);
• a completed program evaluation form providing their feedback on the French major.
Students were also asked at that time to schedule an appointment to retake the Grammar and Reading Comprehension sections of the 901 C version University of Wisconsin College-Level Placement Test, which they had initially taken at the beginning of French 356, the first course in the major (Outcome 3).
Finally, they were asked to schedule a portfolio review meeting / exit interview with the undergraduate advisor and one other faculty member. During this interview, students were asked the following questions (all in French):
• Could you tell us in general terms about your experience in the French program at BGSU?
• Do you think that the fact that you have studied French has prepared you for the job market? Do you feel competent in your abilities in French?
• Are you planning to emphasize your knowledge of French when you do a job search? If so, what has given you confidence to do so? If not, why are you hesitant to do so?
• Do you feel that your French studies have contributed to your
intellectual development? If so, in what way?
• In your opinion, what role did the AYA program play in your learning of the French language and/or your understanding of French culture?
• In your opinion, what are the strengths and areas needing improvement in this program?
• What would be your advice to an incoming Freshman who wishes to study French and to study abroad?
This interview enabled us to explore their progress with respect to Outcomes 1 and 4.
Mid-Term Assessment
In addition to this outcome assessment for the French major, we have completed phases 1 and 2 of our 3-phase AYA program assessment, which serves as a mid-term assessment for the French major. Since students do not follow a strict sequencing of course work in the French major, this is our best option for tracking the linguistic improvement, cultural awareness and goal achievement of our majors before the end of their program.
Phase 1: Language Development, Part 1
We administered the University of Wisconsin Listening Comprehension test (30 minutes, multiple choice) and 96M version Grammar and Reading Comprehension Tests (60-minutes, multiple choice) to the 6 AYA 2005-2006 students both at the beginning and at the end of their academic year in France.
Phase 2: Intellectual and Personal Development
As part of the AYA/France application, students submit an essay in which they address the following issues:
• Why do you wish to study abroad in Tours and/or Burkina Faso?
• What are your goals during your time abroad?
• What do you hope to gain personally and intellectually as a result of this experience?
• Why do you feel that you are a good study abroad candidate?
• How do you believe that study abroad will increase your intercultural knowledge/literacy/understanding?
Three to four weeks after their return to the U.S., students evaluated their goal fulfillment and self-expectations using our quantitative and qualitative survey (Appendix A).
Phase 3: Language Development, Part II
We had hoped (see our 2004 assessment) to conduct the final phase of the AYA assessment plan this year. It was supposed to consist of oral interviews at the beginning and end of the academic year in France. They were supposed to be conducted by our on-site director, and would have followed the format of the ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview (O.P.I).
Unfortunately, we belatedly realized that according to the ACTFL guidelines for the OPI, the person doing the oral assessment interviews cannot be the interviewees’ instructor, advisor, etc. In other words, our plan involving the on-site director had to be scrapped.
We (primarily the on-site director and the Undergraduate Advisor in French) are now working on a proposal to be submitted to the French Section and the Chair of ROML. In this proposal an interview will be conducted at all stages of the assessment process. We would use the same questions, format, and time allowed as well as add to them a very interesting, legitimate, cultural comprehension factor based on current events, for example.
For instance, if the interview takes place at a time when there are mass strikes in France, strikes that have been receiving a lot of coverage in the local and national media in the USA, a sample (additional) would require the student being interviewed to respond to the following scenario: “imagine that on your first day as a new French teacher, your students want you to explain the logic of strikes in France—due to the fact that they are carried out and are based on reasons unlike those in most countries. Explain to your students such logic.”
We would then record such interview for a committee or someone to objectively assess, among others, the linguistic and cultural competence as well as the intellectual growth of the student being interviewed. Finally, we would compile recorded sample questions and answers from the various interviews and establish them as objective assessment guidelines.
We plan to implement this plan very new future, if all goes well next year.
A - Summary of Student Learning Outcomes
1: Without exception, the papers that students submitted illustrated their considerable (and in some cases remarkable) progress, both in terms of language level (syntax, accurate and appropriate lexicon, coherence of sentences and paragraphs) and thematic sophistication. Regarding the latter: in the earlier papers, students tended to focus on themselves, either to recount stories (e.g. falling out of a bunk bed at age 12) or to explain their personal opinions on relatively simple issues (e.g. how to be more environmentally conscious). Students’ increased awareness of themes in French and/or Francophone literature, culture and film was evident in the later papers (e.g. analysis of a marginal Francophone film character, socio-cultural analysis of a 19th-century French short story). In addition, their organizational skills (including strong transitions and conclusions) demonstrated their ability to introduce their own ideas and structure into their analyses.
2: As mentioned in 3.A.1., while students’ early papers showed relatively little analytical ability apart from self-analysis or description of immediate surroundings, the later papers continue to contain terminology related to the genre or discipline, demonstrated students’ ability to apply critical theory to particular works, and illustrated their awareness of the need to discriminate between what is and is not relevant to an analysis.
Moreover, students’ self-analyses continue to indicate that they were proud of the improvement that their papers demonstrated. One stated:
“Now looking at my new paper. . . I see the overall improvement of my French skills. I was able to use different tenses correctly and the paper flows better. While writing the paper I was able to think in French and the paper went so much faster since my abilities to think and write in French have greatly improved. My vocabulary has also significantly improved in which I do not constantly repeat the same descriptive word or use the verb “être” continuously.”
3: Improvement on the Wisconsin test varied from student to student, in part because some students had very strong skills when they entered the program and perhaps in part because not all students studied abroad for a long enough period of time. We are pleased that all student scores improved, even if slightly, and that the students who were weaker at the beginning of their French major are also those who made the most demonstrable progress. Here is a breakdown of student entry and exit scores:
Entry Score Date Exit Score Date
56/64 (88%) 8/28/2004 63/64 (98%) 4/19/06
4: In the course of the exit interview, we posed students questions (see 2.A.2. above) that allowed them both to show us how well they could express themselves and to gauge their perception and understanding of the French-speaking world. In almost all cases, students expressed themselves with ease and confidence. To our dismay, however, one of our students expressed herself with some difficulty or hesitancy at several points during the interview. All, nonetheless, stated that their cultural skills knowledge had developed tremendously as a result of their experiences overseas. The students offered positive feedback regarding our curricular diversity (i.e. courses on the entire French-speaking world as opposed to France alone) as a major strength of our program. Several, however, also lamented the fact that besides the required content courses for the major, we do not have culture, civilization, and literature courses at the 300-level. One suggested that we create courses on phonetics, liaisons, pronunciation, etc. to be conducted in the language laboratory. Regarding the future plans of our graduates, they include taking the year off to think about a career option, pursuing a degree in legal studies with special focus on immigration law, pursuing an MA in French at BGSU, apply for a position as a nurse with Lima Hospital, which has an ongoing relationship with Burkina Faso in which it periodically offers free care to patients in there.
B - Summary of Program Evaluation
In many cases, student remarks continue to echo those of the oral interviews. Among the positive comments were the following: students spoke very highly of our on-campus and overseas faculty, citing their knowledge, passion and approachability as major program strengths. They also appreciated the open and supportive learning environment of their often small classes, the availability and organization of study abroad and immersion opportunities, the variety in course topics, and the out-of-class French/Francophone cultural opportunities provided on the BGSU campus. Finally, all have taken the oral skills courses offered on campus (French 356) and they felt that this component of our curriculum helped to afford them more opportunities to improve their oral skills while on campus. They took FREN 451 (advanced oral skills) after studying abroad (which was our intention when we repatriated this class from France in 2002) and seemed more convinced of its contribution to their continued oral skill improvement than those who had taken it prior to their AYA experience. They had no suggestions for improvement as they felt that our curriculum was adequate.
In the written program evaluations, four students rated the program as “excellent” and one as “good”.
C – Summary of Mid-Term AYA Assessment
Seven students (six of whom are BGSU students, three of whom are French majors at BGSU) completed the entire AYA 2005-2006 program in Tours, France. All seven students participated in Phase one of the assessment; four of the six (from BGSU) participated in Phase 2.
Phase 1: Grammar, Reading Comprehension and Oral Comprehension
a) University of Wisconsin Listening Comprehension Test 96M
October 6, 2005 March 15, 2006
Entry Score Exit Score
Names and scores removed to protect student privacy
As in 2004, this year’s results confirm that there was real progress of our students. We continue to seek an appropriate Listening and Comprehension tool to help us make such a determination, a tool such as Authentik, produced by Trinity College of Dublin, a campus company. We plan to order a sample copy.
b) University of Wisconsin Grammar and Reading Comprehension
Test (version 96M)
October 6, 2005 March 15, 2006
Entry Score Exit Score
Names and scores removed to protect student privacy
As in our past reports, we used this testing tool again this year to challenge our hypothesis that a more rigorous testing tool is needed. This year’s results suggest that the current testing tool is adequate since no student earned 100%. We are satisfied at this time of our ability to measure student progress by continuing to use this test. Should this change in the future, Authentik would be a logical and probable source for a more rigorous testing tool.
Phase 2: Intellectual and Personal Development
This assessment survey (Appendix A) is comprised of 21 statements to which students assign a numeric value between 1 and 10 to indicate their agreement or disagreement, as well as a space after each statement for comments. Of the four students who completed the survey, three provided detailed comments.
a) Quantitative Portion: The average score was 186/210, with “210” indicating strong agreement with all statements and “0” indicating strong disagreement with all statements.
b) Qualitative Portion: Most comments were extremely positive, regarding linguistic acquisition, cultural sensitivity and personal growth. Here are a few excerpts:
“My sophomore year, I participated in the AYA program in France and Burkina Faso. Traveling abroad tremendously improved my speaking ability and I feel that being submerged in the French and French-speaking cultures was the way to learn about them.”
“I feel more confident with my French and I feel that BGSU has prepared me for whatever I choose to pursue in the future. If I would have entered the ‘real world’ after 5 years of high school French, I would have been completely lost, but now I am ready and prepared to admit that I speak French and apply it to my life and career.”
“When I started French at BGSU, I thought that knowing French was simply a matter of grammatical points, listening exercises, and oral proficiency. I soon learned that this was far from the truth. The depth of what I learned is so great that it would be impossible and impractical to detail all that I have acquired during my time at BGSU.”
4) Actions Taken/Program Improvements:
As stated above, we will continue to develop the AYA assessment project as a tool for mid-program assessment, both by working to implement phase 3 in the near future and by continuing to monitor the need for and quality of a Listening Comprehension test tool for phase 1 and 2. Finally, we will continue to advise students to wait until after they have studied overseas to enroll in French 451 on the BGSU campus so as to assure them an opportunity to focus concretely on their language skill development after this experience.
Appendix A
AYA France 2004-2005
Intellectual and Personal Development Assessment
Please read through the following statements and circle the most accurate response
Intellectual Development
I have acquired a more extensive range of vocabulary while abroad.
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
strongly disagree neutral agree strongly
disagree agree
Comments:
I have obtained a level of reading comprehension exceeding my capabilities at the time of entry into the program.
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
strongly disagree neutral agree strongly
disagree agree
Comments:
I have developed a more effective writing proficiency and style
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
strongly disagree neutral agree strongly
disagree agree
Comments:
I have a more advanced understanding of the various genres of “écriture” (i.e. formal, informal, description, narration, persuasion) and can express myself accordingly.
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
strongly disagree neutral agree strongly
disagree agree
Comments:
I consider myself more proficient in terms of overall oral communication, being able to express myself much more naturally than before.
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
strongly disagree neutral agree strongly
disagree agree
Comments:
I have an increased fluency in conversational French, having overcome fears of failure in verbal expression due to the required dependency on French in everyday life.
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
strongly disagree neutral agree strongly
disagree agree
Comments:
Through my immersion and subsequent reliance on the language, I have developed an accent more closely resembling one of a native speaker.
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
strongly disagree neutral agree strongly
disagree agree
Comments:
I discovered weaknesses in the language, previously unknown or unrecognized, and then worked on improvement in those areas.
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
strongly disagree neutral agree strongly
disagree agree
Comments:
My increased understanding of the complexities of a history and culture that are not my own have helped me to understand more fully the French perspective on problems shared by the US and Europe.
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
strongly disagree neutral agree strongly
disagree agree
Comments:
I have capitalized on the educational resources not present in the United States, including art museums, landmarks, and other national treasures.
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
strongly disagree neutral agree strongly
disagree agree
Comments:
My time abroad has awakened curiosity that will encourage me to pursue cross-cultural dialogue and study in the future.
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
strongly disagree neutral agree strongly
disagree agree
Comments:
Personal Development
Through the study abroad experience, I have developed a greater sense of comfort and confidence in my language abilities.
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
strongly disagree neutral agree strongly
disagree agree
Comments:
In learning about the French language and culture, I have, in turn, improved my skills and understanding not only of the English language but of American culture.
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
strongly disagree neutral agree strongly
disagree agree
Comments:
I have acquired a greater sense of independence from the challenge of communicating exclusively in a foreign language.
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
strongly disagree neutral agree strongly
disagree agree
Comments:
During my time abroad, I have developed lasting relationships with individuals from other cultures.
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
strongly disagree neutral agree strongly
disagree agree
Comments:
I have learned to adapt to new surroundings and live successfully in an environment quite different from my own.
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
strongly disagree neutral agree strongly
disagree agree
Comments:
I have examined and opened myself up to a perspective at times contradictory to my previously deep-seated viewpoints.
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
strongly disagree neutral agree strongly
disagree agree
Comments:
I have attained a higher level of global awareness.
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
strongly disagree neutral agree strongly
disagree agree
Comments:
I made the most of the location and traveled beyond city, and possibly country, borders.
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
strongly disagree neutral agree strongly
disagree agree
Comments:
Looking toward the future, I have prepared for my anticipated profession while discovering greater career possibilities and opportunities.
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
strongly disagree neutral agree strongly
disagree agree
Comments:
I feel I became a more well-rounded person and broadened my horizons through this experience.
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
strongly disagree neutral agree strongly
disagree agree
Comments:
Any additional thoughts and/or comments:
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