Student Achievement Assessment Committee

2002-2003 Academic year

Upon completion of their course of studies, students in popular culture at the graduate or undergraduate level with a major or minor are expected to:
1. Apply critical analysis to the popular culture environment, both in the present and in its various historical manifestations, in order to discuss such matters as how popular culture shapes/reflects our personal and social experiences, how popular culture shapes/reflects diversity in a multicultural society and how popular culture shapes/reflects American culture's relationship to global culture(s),
2. Explicate ways in which the materials of popular culture are shaped by aesthetic, social history and cultural forces, and how the materials of popular culture influence these forces as well,
3. Describe basic theories and methodologies relevant to popular culture scholarship, and apply those theories and methodologies in research,
4. Recognize the existence of alternative aesthetic systems, varying from genre to genre or from medium to medium, and that they are not intrinsically good or bad, but that each one is based on its own set of standards and has its own challenges,
5. Convey ideas orally and in writing.

GRADUATE PROGRAM (M.A.) ANNUAL REPORT

1. Learning Outcomes Assessed:

The Department measured Learning Outcome #3 and Learning Outcome #5.

2. Assessment Methods and Procedures:

The Department administered a 6-hour Comprehensive Examination as the primary assessment tool. The examination was administered “blindly.” That is, only a personally selected number written at the top of each exam section identified students during the evaluation by the faculty committee. The department secretary was the only individual who knew the identity of each exam-taker. The examination was available twice during the 2002-03 year (November and April). Five students took the exam in November 2002 and one student was administered the exam in April 2003. Four of our graduate faculty, three primary readers plus one alternate, evaluated the exams.

3. Inferences from Assessments:

All of the students passed the examination on their first attempt. Although the evaluators did not score any sections of the exams with “high pass,” each student achieved Learning Outcome #3 and Learning Outcome #5. They successfully described and applied basic theories and methodologies relevant to popular culture scholarship in their exam responses by conveying their ideas in writing.

4. Actions Taken/Program Improvements:

In past assessments, evidence has shown that our graduate majors have not achieved Learning Outcome #4: recognizing the existence of alternative aesthetic systems that are based on their own set of standards with their own set of challenges. During the 2003-2004 academic year, I will report this information to the graduate faculty and provide an opportunity for select graduate faculty to identify appropriate course readings to be incorporated into their seminars and request that they devise and report on specific plans that will address how they will incorporate these readings.

UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM (B.A.) ANNUAL REPORT

The Department for the past four years assessed the undergraduate majors and some undergraduate minors through the projects they complete in POPC480 Senior Seminar in Popular Culture, a seminar offered every Fall Semester for students with senior (or junior) standing in Popular Culture. However, the projects were not assessed this year, therefore no current information can be provided at this time.

1. Learning Outcomes Assessed:

In the past, the Department has assessed all of the Learning Outcomes for the undergraduate major and undergraduate minor in Popular Culture.

2. Assessment Methods and Procedures:

The standard method and procedure has involved assessing the projects written by students for POPC 480.

3. Inferences from Assessments:

No inferences can be made at this time.

4. Actions Taken/Program Improvements:

During the 2003-2004 academic year, three members of the Department will assess the senior projects completed in POPC480: the course instructor, Department Chair, and one additional faculty member. As in past years, all of the projects will be evaluated in relationship to all of the learning outcomes. The assessment will take place near the end of the Fall Semester 2003 or at the beginning of the Spring Semester 2004.

FALL 2002 BGX FIRST YEAR PILOT COURSE IN POPULAR CULTURE LEARNING OUTCOMES:

Students in courses focusing on critical thinking about values will:
1. Identify, using a vocabulary common to the first year courses, values embedded in or appearing in the application of the discipline;
2. Identify values conflicts within the discipline and/or between the discipline and the values of its audiences; and
3. Articulate and explain one’s position on particular value conflicts identified in the course.

GENERAL EDUCATION CURRICULUM (160, 165, 170, 220) ANNUAL REPORT

POPC 160 Introduction to Popular Culture was the only general education curriculum course assessed during the 2002-2003 academic year. One section of POPC 160 taught by Angela Nelson was selected as one of five First Year pilot courses in Fall 2002. This report will focus on the assessment of this particular section in relationship to the other BG Experience pilot courses and control group involved in the assessment activity. The control group consisted of two first-year undergraduate sections of the same course, UNIV 100.

1. Learning Outcomes Assessed:

All of the learning outcomes stated above were assessed.

2. Assessment Methods and Procedures:

The Development and Assessment team of the Fall 2002 BG Experience—Distinguished Teaching Professor of Psychology Dr. Stu Keeley and doctoral student Ms. Laura Edwards-Leeper—developed; tested, and administered a course assessment instrument designed to measure student performance with respect to achievement of the learning outcomes (2003). The assessment instrument entitled Thinking About Values Test (TAVT) presented students with one brief argument about a controversial issue in American society. The argument consisted of a conclusion followed by reasons that might be used by someone to support the conclusion. For the argument, the students answered four questions in an essay format concerning values such as “What values are reflected in or underlie the author's argument?” and “What conflicting values might motivate someone to disagree with the argument? Explain how those conflicting values would lead to a different conclusion from the author’s.”

Edwards-Leeper administered the test to POPC 160 BGX pilot course as well as to the control group and other pilot courses at about the 13th week of the 15-week semester. As an incentive for participation, students’ scores on the test determined how many times their name would be entered into a lottery with several cash prizes (i.e., a higher score equals more entries in the lottery). Students were allotted 45 minutes to complete the test, with most students taking approximately 20 minutes to complete the test. A trained rater scored all tests, an honors student who had extensive previous experience with the value concepts used in the test and had worked closely with one of the test developers in scoring other kinds of tests.

3. Inferences from Assessments:

Of the six total groups assessed, the POPC 160 pilot course was among the four lowest scoring groups. Table 1 by Keeley and Edwards-Leeper presents the means and standard deviations for all six groups, ranked from highest to lowest mean.

Table 1

Means and Standard Deviations for the
Thinking About Values Test

Popular Culture scored a mean of 6.24. The mean is only two points higher than the control group, which had no values education at all. While, in general, the results of the assessment activity demonstrated that it is possible to train students in critical thinking about values, the scores of the students in the POPC 160 pilot course suggests some difficulty in identifying higher level value conflicts and a struggle with an understanding of the meaning of the value concept as it was defined in the BGX training handouts and meetings.

4. Actions Taken/Program Improvements:

Values and beliefs are an important aspect of both understanding and experiencing popular culture. Therefore, training students in how to critically think about values in relationship to popular culture is central to the discipline of popular culture studies. In this regard, the Department is offering another BGX POPC160 course for Fall 2003 (Joe Austin will teach the course). Results from the assessment administered to the Fall 2003 section will be compared to those obtained from the Fall 2002 pilot course. Discussions between the two instructors, followed by reports to the faculty, will provide a basis for implementing proven teaching methods and strategies regarding values and popular culture in all of the sections of POPC 160 offered in the near future.

Works Cited

Edwards-Leeper, Laura and Stuart M. Keeley, “The Bowling Green eXperience:
Critical Thinking About Values Assessment Report.” Bowling Green State University, 23 February 2003.