PSYC 22, 23 - Psychology of Race and Ethnic Relations - Stage 3 - Danilo Begonia
Assessment
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| Assessment Description | Instructors graded student's research paper on a culture not based in the USA. Student's work was evaluated on their ability to describe and distinguish between culture and ethnicity and their ability to recognize the influence of culture and ethnicity on one's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. The course had two exams which assessed the student's ability to analyze and discuss how prejudice, privilege, social power, and racism shape the patterns and dynamics of intergroup relations across and within racial and ethnic groups in society. The exams included objective questions, required short essay questions, and several options for extra credit essays. One of the two exams described above focussed on the psychological effects of oppression and on individual and group coping strategies. Students were required to answer objective and essay questions pertaining to these topics. Note: Psy 23 students are additionally required to conduct research and write an APA style research paper that involves the use of scholarly resources, critical thinking and analysis. The topic researched is individually negotiated with the instructor and falls within the parameters of the course SLO's. |
| Learning Outcomes | All. Note: The original course contained 10 SLO's labeled # A to J. After considerable discussion during Fall 2012, it was determined that the overlap and redundancy of the original 10 SLO's could be remedied by consolidating them into 3 primary SLO's. SLO's # E, F, & G best captured the thrust of the course. Therefore, "All" refers to only these 3 SLO's, which were the ones assessed for Spring 2013. |
| Number of Sections | ~3 |
| Number of Instructors | ~2 |
| Number of Students | ~68 |
Data Analysis
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| Data Summary | Assessment Outcome E: Describe and distinguish between culture and ethnicity and recognize the influence of culture and ethnicity on one’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Assessment Method for Outcome E: Conduct a research paper on ethnic group’s culture in countries other than the USA. Psy 23 students wrote papers compliant with APA style standards. Assessment Result for Outcome E: 76% of Psy 22 students wrote a paper that received a passing grade. 71% of Psy 23 students wrote APA style research papers that received a passing grade. Assessment Outcome F: Analyze and discuss how prejudice, privilege, social power, and racism shape the patterns and dynamics of intergroup relations across and within racial and ethnic groups in society. Assessment Method for Outcome F: Group work and 2 exams Assessment Results for Outcome F: 80% of the students actively participated in group discussion and group project demonstrating their understanding of the concept of power, privilege, prejudice, and racism. In addition, 85% of the students received a passing grade on 2 exams Assessment Outcome G: Describe how people are affected psychologically by oppression and identify coping strategies. Assessment Method for Outcome G: One of the 2 exams in outcome F Assessment for Outcome G: 80% of the students receive at least a passing grade on one of the aforementioned exams. |
| Analysis Summary | Approximately 80% of the students were able to comply with the three outcome expectations of the course. Students had the greatest difficulty in writing essays for the exams, extra credit options, and the research paper. Some of the writing problems are mechanical and organizational; some are related to their inability to express theoretical perspectives concurrent with their tendency to focus on the concrete and personal rather than the abstract. 15% of Psy 23 students had difficulty complying with the standards of APA style research papers. |
| Next Steps Planned | Assign more more essays, but which are shorter and which encourage students to capture the abstract essence of the topic in question. Encourage students in class/group discussions to encapsulate their thoughts more abstractly by helping them to frame personal experiences within a theoretical framework. Devote more time in class to explaining and illustrating APA standards for writing research papers. Encourage students to enlist the help of faculty during office hours in expanding their understanding of APA standards and requirements. |
| Learning Outcomes | All |
Tentative Future Plans
| Term | Fall 2013 |
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| More Details | In Fall 2013, we will modify some of our lectures to include more simplified presentations of complex psychological theories. We will then analyze students overall performance on exams and papers that require abstract and theoretical responses. We will also increase the frequency of writing assignments and discussion sessions that promote this skill. We will also incorporate additional teaching strategies that will help Psy 23 students become more competent in writing APA standard research papers. Psy 22 Course Outline: The plan is to continue to revise the official course outline to reflect this new emphasis. |
SLO Details Storage Location
- HARD COPY - In my personal filing system (my office)
- ELECTRONIC COPY - On a department web server or shared document system