PHIL 4 - Knowledge and Its Limits - Stage 4 - Stephan Johnson
Assessment
| Assessment Methods | Analysis of exam, quiz, or homework items linked to specific SLOs |
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| Assessment Description | Major Learning Outcomes Assessment Philosophy 4 The following outcomes have been identified as major for this course. As a means of determining your proficiency in these outcomes, we are administering the following short quiz. This quiz is to be taken anonymously and will not count for or against your grade. It’s purely a means for us to determine how these outcomes are being taught. Outcomes Assessed F. Demonstrate a fluency with philosophical argumentation, both in writing and in oral contexts, including, but not limited to the presentation and evaluation of arguments in explicit premise/conclusion form A. Demonstrate the ability to identify and evaluate the major moral theories of sustaining influence For each of the following items, bubble in on your Scantron the correct choice. The following passage is from David Hume: A miracle is a violation of the laws of nature; and as a firm and unalterable experience has established these laws, the proof against a miracle, from the very nature of the fact, is as entire as any argument from experience can possibly be imagined. Why is it more than probable, that all men must die; that lead cannot, of itself, remain suspended in the air; that fire consumes wood, and is extinguished by water; unless it be, that these events are found agreeable to the laws of nature, and there is required a violation of these laws, or in other words, a miracle to prevent them? Nothing is esteemed a miracle, if it ever happen in the common course of nature. It is no miracle that a man, seemingly in good health, should die on a sudden: because such a kind of death, though more unusual than any other, has yet been frequently observed to happen. But it is a miracle, that a dead man should come to life; because that has never been observed in any age or country. There must, therefore, be a uniform experience against every miraculous event, otherwise the event would not merit that appellation.... The plain consequence is (and it is a general maxim worthy of our attention), 'That no testimony is sufficient to establish a miracle, unless the testimony be of such a kind, that its falsehood would be more miraculous, than the fact, which it endeavours to establish....' When anyone tells me, that he saw a dead man restored to life, I immediately consider with myself, whether it be more probable, that this person should either deceive or be deceived, or that the fact, which he relates, should really have happened. I weigh the one miracle against the other; and according to the superiority, which I discover, I pronounce my decision, and always reject the greater miracle. If the falsehood of his testimony would be more miraculous, than the event which he relates; then, and not till then, can he pretend to command my belief or opinion. 1. The conclusion of this passage is a. Miracles are impossible b. Miracles are possible, but we can prove they don’t happen c. Miracles are less likely than false reports of them d. If Miracles did happen, we’d hear more about them than we do 2. Which of the following, if true, would pose a serious threat to Hume’s argument? a. People are generally unreliable in their reports b. People are generally reliable in their reports c. Miracles are, by definition, rare d. The rarer something is, the more accurate people are about it |
| Learning Outcomes | F. Demonstrate a fluency with philosophical argumentation, both in writing and in oral contexts, including, but not limited to the presentation and evaluation of arguments in explicit premise/conclusion form A. Demonstrate the ability to identify and evaluate the major moral theories of sustaining influence |
| Number of Sections | 2 |
| Number of Instructors | 2 |
| Number of Students | ~70 |
Data Analysis
| Data Shared With | Instructors of the same course (at CCSF) |
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| Data Sharing Methods |
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| Data Summary | On question 1, 57% of the students answered correctly On question 2, 76% of the students answered correctly |
| Analysis Summary | Given that this was a novel passage which students were to answer questions on and given that this passage is written in a fairly difficult, for the average person, style, we found the results to be overall positive. |
| Next Steps Planned | We will work to incorporate more analysis of original philosophical work in our courses in the future. As for timelines, this is being incorporated into several sections at present, and the rest should follow soon. |
| Learning Outcomes | ALL |
Tentative Future Plans
| Term | Fall 2013 |
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| Activities |
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| More Details | We plan on making the assessments perhaps more accessible to students by moving away from the analysis of somewhat arcane argumentation. In addition, we plan on revising courses to include more argument analysis throughout the semester. |
SLO Details Storage Location
ELECTRONIC COPY - In my electronic filing system (hard drive or web server)