HIST 35A: Chinese history
Stage 5
Laurene McClain
Basic Information
| Number of Outcomes | 6 |
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| Number of Outcomes Assessed | 3 |
| Assessment Frequency | Every semester |
| Analysis Frequency | Every semester |
| Detail Link | Link |
Course Information
| Number of Course Sections | 1 |
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| Number of Instructors | 1 |
Improvement Details
| Details | The fall assessment procedure which differed from the pre and post surveys done previously, consisted of an essay which all students needed to complete on the following topic: "The Tang Dynasty had a more effective foreign policy than the Song Dynasty." Do you agree with this quotation? Be sure to support your conclusion with as much evidence as possible. |
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Assessment Methods
| Methods | In addition to quizzes, midterm exams, worksheet assignments, the students were required to write an essay which tested their ability to meet the institutional critical thinking SLO and the program SLO requirement of demonstrating their ability to critically analyze, evaluate, and synthesize historical evidence and interpretations and to use methods of inquiry and expression appropriate to the course. |
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Assessment Data Discussion and Analysis
| Term | Fall 2013 |
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| How and With Whom | faculty in the same program |
| Number Assessed | 23 |
| Data Summary | Out of a scale of 1 through 8, with 8 exhibiting exemplary ability to critically analyze, evaluate and synthesize historical evidence and interpretations and to use methods of inquiry and expression appropriate to the course, the students scored the following: No one scored "1"; two students scored "2''; five students scored "3"; four students scored "4"; four students scored "4"; eight students scored "6." The average score was 4.5. My benchmark goal was to have 70% of the students score "4" or better. this benchmark was met. |
| Planned Improvements | While most of the students knew facts, some students could not organize their essays in a logical way so that the opinion or conclusion was not clearly stated until the very end of the essay. Also some students could not weigh the relative importance of certain facts. Some students were more used to presenting their opinions than others in the class. Some students were able to express themselves in English more fluently than others. I would give students in the future additional writing assignments that emphasize critical analysis, with more emphasis on how to write a coherent history essay with as much evidence to support a conclusion as possible. I would distribute the best essays received (without revealing the authors' names) as examples of exemplary critical thinking analyses. |
| Program Review Link | No answer |
Future Plans
| Term | Spring 2014 |
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| Activities | Assessment (measurement) of outcomes, Analysis and discussion of assessment data and next steps, Implementation of planned changes and reassessment |
| Details | Please see previous responses. |
| Highlights | While I had some doubts about ESL students completing this assignment, I felt that many did, and did it well. The instructor needs to make corrections on spelling and grammar, but emphasize more the content of the student essays in determining whether or not they are satisfying the SLO being evaluated. |