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Institutional Research & Assessment

Southern Utah University
Language and Literature Department
Report of Assessment Plans for 2000-2001

In the space below, please indicate the department's success in implementing its assessment plan for 2000-2001. Please report the results by June 2, 2001. Should you have questions, please contact the Associate Provost's Office at 586-7706.

NAME: Kay K. Cook

DATE: June 4, 2001

E-MAIL: Cook@suu.edu

Assessment Criteria and Activities

Entire Department
1. A senior exit interview/survey tied to department goals

Was this assessment criterion implemented?[] yes [x] no
Was this assessment criterion achieved? [] yes [] no
What were the results?
We conducted informal exit interviews only, specifically from student teachers during Spring 2001. These students indicated that the English 4900 course was invaluable to them for their preparing to student teach, especially the requirement that they teach short units to their peers. Some students also indicated that they wished they had taken a broader array of classes, especially in the 19th and 20th centuries, since these literary periods are those most concentrated on in the secondary schools.

How will the results be used to improve the curriculum and/or pedagogy of the program?
1. We will form a curriculum committee to ascertain the specific needs of our secondary education language and literature majors and make recommendations toward changing requirements or toward more active advising of these majors.

2. The Department will work on a formal exit interview of our majors, based on exit interviews used in our sister institutions.

2. An alumni survey, already instituted.

Was this assessment criterion implemented? [] yes [X] no
Was this assessment criterion achieved? [] yes [] no
What were the results?
Currently, we track the status of our graduates by their professions. We also informally seek comments from them on the strengths and needs for improvement in our program, particularly after they have been in the workforce for some time. In addition, we conducted a formal survey in preparation for our last Commission on Colleges accreditation visit. We especially are interested in our graduates' graduate or professional school experiences. While we are close to 100% placement of our secondary teaching majors and also of those who apply to professional schools, we do not realize quite as high a degree of placement for graduate studies in English and the languages.

How will the results be used to improve the curriculum and/or pedagogy of the program?
1. The Department will work on an alumni survey, based on those used at our sister institutions.
2. We will develop ways to call together discrete groups of majors (each of the languages; creative writing; literature; secondary emphases in all areas) at the beginning of the academic year for advisement, especially for those who plan to attend graduate or professional schools, but also for our secondary majors. We would like to develop mandatory, but informal, meetings with students in all of these areas.
3. Since portfolio grading is currently considered the most effective way to track student progress, we will encourage our faculty to use this method by giving workshops, answering specific questions, and the like. In the coming year, for example, all Utah public school teachers will be required to submit teaching portfolios; we believe that it is our duty to prepare them for the portfolio requirement.
4. We will have a special meeting for students to discuss the GRE, ways to prepare for it, specific courses that will be most helpful for graduate school.

3. Course activities that enable students to demonstrate the specific skills they have learned.

Was this assessment criterion implemented?[] yes [] no
Was this assessment criterion achieved? [] yes [] no

What were the results?
Please see individual areas: composition; languages; literature; creative writing
How will the results be used to improve the curriculum and/or pedagogy of the program?
N/A

4. Senior thesis program implements in capstone courses.
Was this assessment criterion implemented? [] yes [] no
Was this assessment criterion achieved? [] yes [] no
What were the results?
Please see specific areas.
How will the results be used to improve the curriculum and/or pedagogy of the program?
N/A

Specific Areas:
1A. Composition. Course activities that enable students to demonstrate the specific skills they have learned.

Was this assessment criterion implemented? [x] yes [] no
Was this assessment criterion achieved? [x] yes [] no
What were the results?
1. Our greatest achievement in the teaching of composition was to increase the ACT score to 27 for a student's eligibility to take 2000-level writing courses. We also changed the name of our 1000-level courses to "Introduction to Academic Writing." These changes reflect the emphasis we wish to place on writing at the university level and will allow our instructors to use appropriate classroom activities for which they have been trained. At present, the workshop approach remains the most effective way for students to revise papers. The current emphasis on the research paper at the 2000-level also remains valuable for students' preparation in their given majors.
2. As is the case with other universities, composition instructors received plagiarized papers from a few students. Plagiarism has become a greater problem since the availability of papers on the Web.
3. Although not a class activity per se, our writing center works individually with students in our composition and other classes. This center remains an effective way to give one-on-on help to students and to employ our best Language and English majors as tutors.

How will the results be used to improve the curriculum and/or pedagogy of the program?
1. Given the above changes, the Director of Composition will meet frequently with all composition faculty to address issues of concern and to make certain that all instructors accomplish the objectives for our composition classes. Instructors have a great deal of freedom with textbook selection and approaches, and we wish to maintain that freedom for them. Nonetheless, since our composition faculty are charged with producing quality academic writers, it is imperative that these classes are closely monitored.
2. The Director of Composition will work closely with instructors to suggest assignments that decrease the number of plagiarized papers. (Note: there was not a great number, but enough for us to develop policy and become concerned about the practice.)

1B. State-wide standard self-assessment writing assignment.
Was this assessment criterion implemented? [] yes [] no [] In progress
Was this assessment criterion achieved? [] yes [] no
On May 3, 2001, the Director of Composition at SUU attended the statewide composition meeting in Salt Lake City. The meeting was to make final plans for the assessment to occur. What were the results?

How will the results be used to improve the curriculum and/or pedagogy of the program?

The state-wide student self-assessment plan will occur during the 201-2002 academic year.

2. Senior level capstone courses for English majors

Was this assessment criterion implemented? [X] yes [] no
Was this assessment criterion achieved? [X] yes [] no
What were the results?
We taught approximately four capstone courses per semester. These courses represented a variety of authors, literary time periods, and special topics, such as Native American Literature.

How will the results be used to improve the curriculum and/or pedagogy of the program?
1. Actually, we have considered the possibility that four capstone courses per semester may place too great a strain on filling those classes. We will consider the possibility of offering fewer capstone courses, with a larger enrollment, although we are unwilling to compromise the senior-level experience of a seminar class with an enrollment much lower than our junior level classes, which average from 30-35 students.
2. Professors indicate that students have learned appropriate research and theory skills from courses required for the major. They suggested that continuity occur between he 2800 required critical theory course and all upper division courses.
3. A need for two courses, The Bible as Literature and History of the Language was identified.

3. Senior level capstone courses for language majors

Was this assessment criterion implemented? [x] yes [] no
Was this assessment criterion achieved? [x] yes [] no

What were the results?
This criterion is one that we wish to change for the assessment of languages. In reality, the junior-level language courses serve more as the capstone courses for the language major. Our language program focuses on proficiency, and it is at the junior-level that this proficiency is best measured, especially in the advanced conversation classes. A problem that occurs in all language classes is that of the fluency of missionaries of the LDS Church who have served their missions abroad. These students return quite proficient in the language, and, as a result, our "up through the ranks" students feel intimidated in conversation classes. This situation is really not the fault of those students who have been abroad, but it is clear that our "regular" students need to be better served.

How will the results be used to improve the curriculum and/or pedagogy of the program?
1. As of the coming academic year, returned LDS missionaries who sign up for a language spoken in the country in which they served will be steered toward other language courses. We will have conversation classes that consist of "through the ranks" students only.
2. As far as 4000-level classes are concerned, hiring in Spanish within the next year will assure that major literary periods are covered.
3. Language students would benefit by the addition of a course in research and bibliographical methods.

4. Students in creative writing will turn in a senior portfolio of work to be judged by a member of the creative writing faculty.
Was this assessment criterion implemented? [x] yes [] no
Was this assessment criterion achieved? [x] yes [] no
What were the results?
All creative writing students at the 4000-level turn in individual portfolios, but at this point, they are judged only by the professor teaching the class. We wish to expand this program so that senior portfolios will represent the student's writing career at SUU.
Also, graduating seniors participated in a senior reading and reception.

How will the results be used to improve the curriculum and/or pedagogy of the program?
1. Creative writing faculty will meet early in fall 2001 to begin planning for the larger student creative writing portfolio.
2. Creative writing faculty will meet with majors and minors to explain portfolio process to them.
3. The portfolio requirement will appear on creative writing faculty syllabi.
4. We will continue and expand the senior reading as part of the creative writing major's capstone experience.

Once you submit your report, it will be electronically mailed to the Associate Provost's Office. It will also appear in a new web documents that will be posted to the University's web site. You should print this page as your hard copy.

The Associate Provost will compile assessment reports for the Provost and for the University's assessment program.

Should the department wish to make any changes in the report for 2000-2001, feel free to write on a paper copy and forward any changes to the Associate Provost's Office by September 10, 2001

 

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Last Update: Friday, June 06, 2003