Student Achievement Assessment Committee

Learning Outcomes:
Upon completion of a degree, students in English Department programs are expected to:
• Use writing effectively—including current modes and evolving techniques and technologies—to explore subject matter and to communicate;
• Develop understanding of subject matter in relation to larger historical and/or cultural contexts, including multicultural contexts;
• Make connections between theory and practice. Students apply theory to understand texts, solve problems and teach effectively. Students generalize from experiences with texts, communication situations and teaching situations;
• Develop skills of creative and/or critical thinking.
These outcomes are the general ones for all Department programs, while assessment efforts within the various programs varied in terms of which outcomes were addressed, including both the general outcomes and the ways in which they are tailored specifically to different programs. This year I received no assessment update from MATESL; since the program was discontinued last summer, there seems little to be gained by investing resources in its assessment.

Annual Report

1. Learning (or Service) Outcomes assessed this year:

Literature
The Literature faculty continued to discuss a number of issues related to the program’s learning outcomes, particularly the ways in which our courses introduce students to the historical and cultural contexts of literature, when these concepts are best introduced into the curriculum, and how to best connect theory with practice (outcomes 2 & 3 above).

Following the revision of the MA Literature program as MA in Literary and Textual Studies, the faculty also discussed how the department’s learning outcomes might be implemented, and how students might be recruited for the new MA program.

Creative Writing
At both undergraduate and graduate levels, the Creative Writing continues to assess all of its learning outcomes – the general ones described above, plus the specific outcomes for the MFA program – that encourage students (i) to develop their own style; (ii) to produce a book-length manuscript; (iii) to understand the place of their work in contemporary literature; (iv) to gain first-hand experience in literary publishing; and (v) to develop college-level pedagogical skills.

Rhetoric & Writing
The Rhetoric & Writing Ph.D. program has tailored the learning outcomes above to provide much more specific goals for their program. In summary, the program’s learning outcomes are to prepare graduates (a) to teach a range of rhetoric and composition courses; (b) to work in computer environments; (c) to understand the rhetorical tradition; (d) to understand the impact of rhetorical history on contemporary rhetorical theory; (e) to be able to discuss competing theories and contested issues in the field; (f) to be familiar with research in a variety of methodological systems; and (g) to understand the role of scholarship in faculty work.
Since these outcomes form the goals of the Ph.D. program, the faculty assessed all of them to some degree. In fact, under particular scrutiny was the “Goals-Based Assessment Sheet,” which is their principal means of assessment of learning outcomes.

English as a Second Language
This year, ESL underwent an external review initiated by the College of Arts & Sciences and an internal review in response to its future following the cancellation of the MATESL program.

Scientific & Technical Communication
This year, the S&TC program addressed its graduate learning outcomes. The program has modified the general learning outcomes outlined above to be more discipline-specific. Their graduate programs outcomes are for students (A) to be able to communicate effectively to multiple audiences; (B) to be able to present information to multiple audiences verbally and graphically; (C) to be able to present information orally to multiple audiences; (D) to be able to understand the culture of business and industry; (E) to be prepared to communicate primarily within a single technical discipline of their choice; and (F) to be sensitive to and to be able to communicate with people from various ethnic and cultural backgrounds.

2. Assessment Methods and Procedures:

Literature
The BA in English requires a senior thesis capstone project, which provides us with a measure of how well the program’s learning outcomes have been achieved. This year we implemented a day-long senior literature conference at which students presented a section of their theses in conference format, and responded to questions about their work.

This year in selected courses we solicited student input on course effectiveness for the first time.

Faculty developed an exit survey that was distributed to graduating seniors to determine the strengths and weaknesses of the program and to help assess how our learning outcomes are achieved. Results of the survey will be used, in part, to revise the curriculum to better serve these ends.

Creative Writing
For the undergraduate curriculum, students continue to be required to submit a sample of work during ENG 209 for entrance into upper-level courses. This sample of work must also be accompanied by a self-assessment, in which the student reflects on his/her work in the context of the programs learning outcomes. Furthermore, in addition to the BFA thesis – the program’s capstone experience – students must again submit a self-assessment of their progress as writers and artists. These statements of self-assessment are considered closely by Creative Writing faculty members.

For the MFA program, learning outcomes (i)-(iii) continue to be assessed by the comprehensive oral exam, during which students defend their book-length thesis manuscript before a faculty committee. An ongoing survey of graduate students collects data on their publications. Other outcomes (iv) and (v) are assessed in consultation with the editors of Mid-American Review and ENG 633: Creative Writing and Desktop Publishing, and also through student teaching evaluations.

This spring saw the program’s first Distinguished Visiting Writer – Michelle Richmond – teach at both graduate and undergraduate levels. The Creative Writing program distributed a survey to students to assess the impact of the position on learning outcomes.

Rhetoric & Writing
Assessment of the learning outcomes delineated above occurred in several ways this year. All Rhetoric & Writing faculty reviewed applications for non-service fellowships, which documented the success of outcomes (c) and (f); participation in preliminary exams allows faculty to assess outcomes (c), (d), and (e); computer classroom teaching evaluations and work as staff members on Computers and Composition Online by students allow assessment of outcome (b); tracking of student publication and conference presentation allows assessment of outcome (g); and attention to the placement rate of graduate students allows assessment of learning outcome (a). These outcomes are also assessed through the Goals-Based Assessment Sheet that provides students with a basis for self-assessment as well as faculty with a basis for programmatic assessment.

In addition to these ongoing efforts, the Rhetoric & Writing faculty brought to campus a prominent national figure, Douglas Hesse, a past president of the Council of Writing Program Administrators and the current chair of the Conference on College Composition and Communication, with the aid of a SAAC grant. Hesse consulted with both students and faculty about goals-based assessment work.

English as a Second Language
Principally the program was assessed by external reviewers, who met with students, faculty, department and university administrators, followed by the ESL program’s response. I have included the reviews as an appendix.

Scientific & Technical Communication
Students are required to test their communication abilities in the classroom through oral presentations and written assignments, which allows for the assessment of outcomes (A), (B), and (C) by course instructors. Furthermore, editing materials designed for publication or use in business/industry requires consideration by multiple, external audiences, and allows, in some cases, assessment of outcomes (D) and (E), which are also assessed by student performance in the required completion of internships in business/industry and academic units. Additionally, the program tracks students’ publication and presentation records as well as placement rates.

This year, the S&TC program also initiated a personal call survey of former graduates of the program, to assess how well the learning outcomes align with their professional responsibilities. Initially, the survey was targeted at minority and international students.

3. Inferences from Assessments:

Literature
The senior thesis conference was a remarkable success. Students demonstrated the integration of the learning outcomes listed above during their paper presentations, and also were called upon to integrate and develop these connections orally in question and answer sessions. We intend to repeat this activity annually.

An 80% response rate to the student survey indicated that, in general, students are satisfied with the literature program and the effectiveness of its faculty. In responses to questions designed to assess outcomes 2 & 3 listed above, students seemed fairly evenly divided in their preferences for theoretical and socio-historical approaches to literature, which we take to be an appropriate balance of diverse student interests. The usefulness of the capstone experience as an integrative tool was underscored by student response.

Creative Writing
Both ENG 209 portfolios and BFA senior theses demonstrate that learning outcomes are being fulfilled by the program. Representative statements from the students’ self-assessments for the BFA theses are included as an appendix to this document.

At the graduate level, the continued success of students’ work in refereed publications demonstrates that the stated learning objectives are being fulfilled. Generally, also, the high quality of theses produced in the MFA program, the increasingly competitive nature of the program’s applications, and the strong teaching evaluations received by MFA students in sophomore-level courses speak to the successful articulation of the program’s learning outcomes.

Responses to the survey reflecting on the impact of the Distinguished Visiting Writer are still to be collated.

Rhetoric & Writing
In general, assessment reveals that students achieve the learning outcomes that the program has established as its goals, demonstrated by the overall achievement of the students in the program coupled with the very high level of achievement of some students. Strong professional involvement in conferences and a 100% placement rate indicate that students succeeded in outcome (a), which, to a large extent, is a culmination of outcomes (b) – (g). Douglas Hesse’s feedback on his visit conforms these inferences. Areas that assessment has revealed need further development are addressed in section 4, below.

English as a Second Language
Overall, the reviews found that the ESL program will have to revise its structure to remain successful in the light of the cancellation of MATESL. Currently, though, the program meets the needs of its students and fulfills its learning outcomes.

Scientific & Technical Communication
Students in the program continue to publish parts of their research in refereed journals and to present at international conferences, and the program can claim 100% placement of its graduates in business/industry environments or in Ph.D. programs. These pieces of evidence suggest that the program’s learning outcomes are being met.

Response to the personal call survey were mixed. All international students responded to the survey and indicated satisfaction with the program’s abilities to prepare them for post-graduate responsibilities; none of the minority graduates responded, however, prompting further assessment.

4. Actions Taken/Program Improvements:

Literature
Some curriculum modifications were implemented as a result of faculty discussion and ongoing student input. ENG 202 will be changed to ENG 302 to better introduce students to theoretical approaches to literature. A new requirement to require two 400-level elective courses for the major was also approved by the literature faculty to, again, better advance the learning outcomes described above.

Considerable work was undertaken on web sites for both graduate and undergraduate programs that articulates requirements, course objectives and descriptions and faculty interests.

A new ENG 200 advisory committee was established to begin to address the particular needs (and much-needed revisions) of the department’s principal contribution to General Education.

Creative Writing
In addition to its ongoing curricular development, the Creative Writing program has recently elected to develop a capstone course similar to ENG 499 for Literature majors, to further develop the capstone experience for BFA majors. Also, the program will begin offering ENG 637: Pedagogy of Creative Writing on a regular basis, to further facilitate the graduate program’s learning outcome (v).

Rhetoric & Writing
Faculty planned to initiate several curricular revisions to facilitate success in learning outcomes. By offering more advanced seminars on a regular rotation, they hope to strengthen success in (a); by offering a seminar on “History of Written Discourse” in the first semester, they hope to improve student success in (c) and (d); by changing history offerings they hope to address outcome (e); and by making “Computer Mediated Writing” an annual offering, they have enhanced student success of outcome (b). Activities planned for next year include an ongoing revision of preliminary examinations as they impact on outcomes (c), (d), and (e), and on internal portfolio development with the initiation of the Goals-Based Assessment Sheet in a Blackboard environment keyed to last year’s SAAC grant.

English as a Second Language
An ESL committee, made up administrators from ESL, English, the College of Arts & Sciences, the Graduate College, the College of Continuing & Extended Education, students, and faculty, met during spring 2004 to determine the best future course of ESL. Recommendations will be implemented next year in ways that support the programs learning outcomes.

Scientific & Technical Communication
The S&TC faculty plan to initiate an exit survey of students graduating from their program to assess success of the program’s learning outcomes. Follow-up conversations and attempts to track graduates systematically will also be pursued. Further assessment of learning outcome (G) is necessary, also, through proposed questionnaires, focus groups, and case studies.