OVERVIEW:
This is the tenth year since
the department completely revised the outcomes for the undergraduate program,
restructured the undergraduate major, and altered the assessment activities for
both the undergraduate and graduate programs.
This restructuring was based on the previous yearly assessments.
As we have done every year
since 1994-95 (except for 1997-98), the departmental assessment activities
consisted of: 1) a focus group with the senior seminar students; 2) secondary
reading of the senior seminar papers from the capstone course. This report is
organized by the student outcomes.
Within each "activities" and "results" section, the
report is divided into the assessment activities.
REVISIONS:
There were four major
revisions connected to our assessment activities in 2003-04. First, as noted in
the previous year's Assessment Report, the Department held a full day retreat
in August 2003 to examine the structure of the major. In October 2003 the
Department made extensive revisions to the major to 1) emphasize student
acquisition of skills rather than just mastery of content, 2) increase its
flexibility and breadth of coverage, and 3) provide students with the
opportunity for more upper division work. The department also revised the minor
to increase both its flexibility and the upper division credits required. The
revisions were based on the American Historical Association's
report, "Liberal Learning and the History Major," surveys of majors
in spring 2003, and the previous four years of assessment reports and senior
seminar interviews.
Second, Dr. Tom Isern
initiated a significant revision in the Senior Seminar (capstone) in the fall
2003 semester. The papers from this seminar have been the bedrock of our
assessment for the last ten years. Based on a lively discussion of the
conclusions of recent assessment reports and our goals for the major and this
course, Dr. Isern revised the course to provide greater coherence and focus.
Previously students could research a topic of their choosing, so long as they
used primary or first-hand sources. Although this freedom may have pleased
students, it did not encourage them to become a community of scholars and their
papers frequently lacked sufficient scholarly context for their research. In
response to these concerns, Dr. Isern decided that all students would
investigate either the archival records of county extension offices in West
River North Dakota or the Cass County Divorce files, both at the NDSU Institute
for Regional Studies.
Third, in December 2003 the
Department revised the existing Assessment Plan for the History major. First,
we added “demonstrate correct citation format” to Learning Outcome Three (Basic
Historical Thinking Skills) for History Majors. Second, we agreed to insert a
statement on all 300 & 400 level syllabi that Education majors should be
saving copies of their work for their INTACS portfolio and to note that they
may want to have both their draft and final graded copies of papers. Third, we will save a copy of each student’s
first paper in History 390: Historical Research and Writing and compare it with
the same student's paper in History 489: Senior Seminar. Fourth, we will give
students an open-ended pre/post test on some basic issues for historians in
History 390 and History 489 and compare their responses. Some sample questions
are: "What is a primary source for historians?" "What is a
secondary source for historians?" "How can you tell how reliable a
source is?" "What is historical interpretation?" and "What
are the most important characteristics of a good historian?"
Fourth, the Department also
created a New Assessment Plan for General Education History Courses. We agreed
to give pre-and post-tests of 3-5 questions that focused on General Education
Outcome 3: "Comprehend concepts and perspectives needed to function in
national and international societies." The same questions will be used for
any section of a class and will be based on the list of General Education
Concepts in History previously compiled by the department
OUTCOME
1: BASIC COMMUNICATION SKILLS
A. 2003-04 INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES: OUTCOME 1- BASIC
COMMUNICATION SKILLS
History majors will
demonstrate Basic Communication skills by writing one senior seminar paper and
at least one major essay in each 200 to 400 level history class. Each of these papers will demonstrate the
following two Basic Communication skills: 1) organizing ideas in a logically
coherent manner; and 2) using standard grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
B. 2003-04 ACTIVITIES:
OUTCOME 1- BASIC COMMUNICATION SKILLS
Professors Anderson, Norris,
and Peterson served as the Assessment Committee for 2003-04 and employed two
assessment activities for Outcome One: 1) a focus group with the senior seminar
students; and 2) secondary reading of the senior seminar papers. These same two activities were also used for
Outcomes Two, Three, Four, and Five.
1. FOCUS GROUP
Due to scheduling
difficulties, the department chair conducted a focus group with only five of
the students in the senior seminar/capstone course in December 2003. The same assessment instrument was used as
the previous eight years. Students were asked to write anonymous responses to
three questions. After they completed their written responses, they
participated in an open-ended discussion that was guided by a set of eight
questions. The department chair took notes on the discussion.
2. SECONDARY READING:
CAPSTONE COURSE PAPERS
The Assessment Committee
conducted a secondary reading of the nineteen papers for senior
seminar/capstone course, using the assessment instrument revised in December
2003.
C. RESULTS: OUTCOME 1- BASIC COMMUNICATION SKILLS
1. FOCUS GROUP: OUTCOME 1
The only relevant student
comment praised the addition of History 390: Historical Research and Writing,
"I am glad they now have Dr. Strom’s critical writing class in the
curriculum. That is something that I never took, but [it] would have helped me
in my writing skills earlier in my college…"
2. SECONDARY READING: OUTCOME 1
|
Outcome
1 |
%
Papers Meeting Outcome |
|
Organize ideas in a
logical manner |
89 |
|
Organize ideas in a
coherent manner |
84 |
|
Use standard grammar |
84 |
|
Use standard spelling |
95 |
|
Use standard punctuation |
58 |
|
Composite |
82 |
Although the composite score
for Outcome One: Basic Communication Skills was the highest composite, we were
somewhat surprised by fact that over 40% of the student papers had problems
with punctuation. We were pleased by how well organized almost all student
papers were, especially because that is a more conceptually advanced skill than
correct spelling.
D. PLANS FOR 2004-05: OUTCOME 1- BASIC COMMUNICATION SKILLS
History 390: Historical
Research and Writing became a required course for all majors entering fall 2003
and after. We expect this to help improve students’ skills in both
communicating and historical thinking. In 2005-06 we should have the first
group of students where we can compare papers in History 390 with those in the
Senior Seminar.
OUTCOME
2: CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS
A. 2003-04 INTENDED LEARNING
OUTCOMES: OUTCOME 2-CRITICAL THINKING
History majors will
demonstrate Critical Thinking skills by writing one senior seminar paper and at
least one major essay in each 200 to 400 level history class. Each of these papers will demonstrate the
following four Critical Thinking skills: 1) supporting conclusions with
specific evidence and examples; 2) demonstrating knowledge of major reference
and bibliographic resources; 3) illustrating knowledge of the complexities of
the topic; and 4) synthesizing information and perspectives from a variety of
sources.
B. 2003-04 ACTIVITIES:
OUTCOME 2-CRITICAL THINKING
Please see Outcome One.
C. RESULTS: OUTCOME 2-CRITICAL THINKING
1. FOCUS GROUP: OUTCOME 2
No student responses
provided evidence for this outcome.
2.
SECONDARY READING: OUTCOME 2
|
Outcome
2 |
%
Papers Meeting Outcome |
|
Support conclusions with
specific evidence and examples |
71 |
|
Demonstrate knowledge of
major reference and bibliographic resources |
82 |
|
Illustrate knowledge of
the complexities of the topic |
63 |
|
Synthesize perspectives
from a variety of sources |
84 |
|
Synthesize information
from a variety of sources |
100 |
|
Composite |
79 |
Overall, students did
surprisingly well in Outcome Two. The fact that they were least successful in
illustrating their "knowledge of the complexities of the topic" is
not surprising because they are professional novices dealing with an assigned
research topic they have not previously investigated.
PLANS FOR 2004-05: OUTCOME
2-CRITICAL THINKING
Please see Outcome One.
OUTCOME
3: BASIC HISTORICAL THINKING SKILLS
A. 2003-04 INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES: OUTCOME 3-BASIC
HISTORICAL THINKING
History majors will
demonstrate Basic Historical Thinking skills by writing one senior seminar
paper and at least one major essay in each 200 to 400 level history class. Each of these papers will demonstrate the
following four Basic Historical Thinking skills: 1) understanding major
historical methods (such as evaluation of sources, textual interpretation,
qualitative and quantitative analysis); 2) understanding major historical
issues (such as interpretation, objectivity); 3) evaluating the strengths and
weaknesses of alternative explanations for historical events and phenomena; 4)
interpreting primary and secondary materials to form valid and defensible
conclusions; and 5) demonstrating correct citation form.
B. 2003-04 ACTIVITIES:
OUTCOME 3-BASIC HISTORICAL THINKING
The activities differed
slightly from Outcome One. Due to miscommunication in the Assessment Committee,
only thirteen of the nineteen papers were evaluated for Outcome Three.
C. RESULTS: OUTCOME 3-BASIC HISTORICAL THINKING
1. FOCUS GROUP: OUTCOME THREE
One student comment provided
evidence for our goal of helping students to understand historical
interpretation (i.e. the causes and significances of events). That student
praised Dr. David Danbom's classes as "challenging, in that he wanted his
students to leave his class with more than just facts. Students needed to
understand the significance behind the facts and events. . ."
2. SECONDARY READING: OUTCOME THREE
|
Outcome
3 |
%
Papers Meeting Outcome |
|
Understand major
historical methods |
85 |
|
Understand major
historical issues |
81 |
|
Evaluate the strengths and
weaknesses of alternative explanations |
69 |
|
Interpret primary
materials to form valid conclusions |
77 |
|
Interpret secondary
materials to form valid conclusions |
54 |
|
Demonstrate correct
citation form |
92 |
|
Composite |
78 |
The two aspects of Outcome
Three on which students performed most poorly ("evaluate the strengths and
weaknesses of alternative explanations" and "interpret secondary
materials to form valid conclusions") have been difficult for previous
students as well. As in Outcome Two, these difficulties most likely reflect the
students' inexperience, but the second one in particular is also no doubt due to time restraints and to
the focus of the seminar on archival research.
D. PLANS FOR 2004-05: OUTCOME 3-BASIC HISTORICAL THINKING
Please see Outcome One.
OUTCOME
4: ADVANCED HISTORICAL THINKING SKILLS
A. 2003-04 INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES: OUTCOME
4-ADVANCED HISTORICAL THINKING
History majors will
demonstrate Advanced Historical Thinking skills by writing one senior seminar
paper and at least one major essay in each 400 level history class. In each of these papers for the senior
seminar and for 400 level classes a student will demonstrate the following two
Advanced Historical Thinking skills: 1) analyzing components of historical
events and phenomena and the relationships among them; and 2) using a variety
of data bases and bibliographical aids to find, identify, and assess appropriate
information to support, modify, or reject historical interpretations and
arguments.
B.
2003-04 ACTIVITIES: OUTCOME 4-ADVANCED HISTORICAL THINKING
The activities differed
slightly from Outcome One. Due to miscommunication in the Assessment Committee,
only thirteen of the nineteen papers were evaluated for Outcome Four.
C. RESULTS: OUTCOME 4-ADVANCED HISTORICAL THINKING
1. FOCUS GROUP: OUTCOME FOUR
No student responses
provided evidence for this outcome.
2. SECONDARY READING: OUTCOME FOUR
|
Outcome
4 |
%
Papers Meeting Outcome |
|
Analyze components of
historical events |
100 |
|
Analyze relationships
among components of historical events |
85 |
|
Use bibliographical aids
to assess appropriate information |
64 |
|
Composite |
75 |
The fact that about one
third of the students did not "use bibliographical aids to assess
appropriate information" is undoubtedly related to low scores on
interpreting "secondary materials to form valid conclusions" for
Outcome Three. Its causes are also probably similar: time restraints and the
focus of the seminar on research in primary sources.
D. PLANS FOR 2004-05: OUTCOME 4-ADVANCED HISTORICAL THINKING
Please see Outcome One.
OUTCOME
5: CAPSTONE HISTORICAL THINKING SKILLS
A. 2003-04 INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES: OUTCOME:
5-CAPSTONE HISTORICAL THINKING
History majors will
demonstrate Capstone Historical Thinking skills by writing one senior seminar
paper. In these senior seminar papers the student will demonstrate the
following two Capstone Historical Thinking skills: 1) understanding major
historical concepts (such as periodization and causation); and 2) applying
knowledge of basic historical methods and problems (such as causality,
objectivity, evaluation of sources, textual interpretation, types of evidence).
B. 2003-04 ACTIVITIES:
OUTCOME: 5-CAPSTONE HISTORICAL THINKING
Please see Outcome One.
C. RESULTS: OUTCOME 5-CAPSTONE HISTORICAL THINKING
1. FOCUS GROUP: OUTCOME FIVE
No student responses
provided evidence for this outcome.
2. SECONDARY READING: OUTCOME FIVE
|
Outcome
5 |
%
Papers Meeting Outcome |
|
Understand periodization |
63 |
|
Understand causation |
84 |
|
Apply knowledge of
causality |
89 |
|
Apply knowledge of
objectivity |
63 |
|
Apply knowledge of
evaluation of sources |
58 |
|
Apply knowledge of textual
interpretation |
68 |
|
Apply knowledge of types
of evidence |
89 |
|
Composite |
74 |
Some students' difficulties
in demonstrating their understanding of periodization may be related to the
lack of research in secondary sources seen in Outcomes Three and Four. The
seminar may need to refresh them on the debates about the dominant
characteristics of the eras (the Progressive Era and the Great Depression) for
their research in one of the two assigned topics: divorce in Fargo in the late
1800s or the NDAC Extension Service in western North Dakota in the 1930s. It is
not unusual for students to have trouble with objectivity, both because they
are novices and because in a post-modern era this can be a contentious topic
among historians. Those students who had difficulties demonstrating their
abilities in textual interpretation are the same students who had difficulties
with aspects of previous outcomes which required more subtle or sophisticated
thinking.
D. PLANS FOR 2004-05: OUTCOME 5-CAPSTONE HISTORICAL THINKING
Please see Outcome One.
SUMMARY:
|
% |
Outcome |
Outcome
# |
|
54 |
Interpret secondary
materials to form valid conclusions |
3 |
|
58 |
Use standard punctuation |
1 |
|
58 |
Apply knowledge of
evaluation of sources |
5 |
|
63 |
Illustrate knowledge of
the complexities of the topic |
2 |
|
63 |
Apply knowledge of
objectivity |
5 |
|
63 |
Understand periodization |
5 |
|
64 |
Use bibliographical aids
to assess appropriate information |
4 |
Except for problems with
punctuation, the above student weaknesses display one of two common
denominators. First, some students do not use their time to consult standard
bibliographic sources to find appropriate secondary materials on their topics.
Second, some students do not deal as well with complexity. Although these have
been recurrent patterns in our assessment reports for several years, we are
optimistic that the restructuring of the Senior Seminar to provide a more
focused common experience for students and the new requirement of History 390
will lead to steady improvements.
The four general education
categories that are supposed to be embedded in every major will be addressed in
numerical order.
Category 9: Computer Usage Integrated in All Majors
All upper division classes
require students to use computers to locate primary and/or secondary historical
materials using the PALS system or the Internet. History 390: Historical
Research and Writing, required of all majors entering after fall 2003, is
taught in a computer laboratory in the library.
Category 10: Communication Activities in Upper Division Major
Courses
All history courses at the
200 level and above require students to write papers and take essay
examinations. Some classes require regular journals, oral presentations, and/or
group discussions.
Category 11: Comprehension of Personal and Professional Ethics
Integrated in Majors
Issues of professional
ethics are covered in two contexts. First, virtually all upper division classes
include information on avoiding plagiarism. Unfortunately, we still have
periodic instances of this. Second, the issue of repatriation of Native
American skeletons and artifacts is covered in both HIST 251: Introduction to
Public History and HIST 252: Introduction to Museum Studies.
Personal ethics are
integrated indirectly in class topics that discuss moral issues. Sometimes
these are examples of historical crimes, such as the Holocaust or slavery,
where the moral questions revolve focus on why and how individuals could
cooperate in such atrocities. In other classes the moral issues are ones in
which there is still considerable disagreement, such as the justification for using
atomic bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In both types of situations, department
faculty urge students to explore and understand the ethical frameworks of
people, even if they do not agree with those frameworks.
Category 12: Capstone Experience in All Majors
The required senior seminar
is the department’s capstone course.
Although the department
agreed to give pre-and post-tests of 3-5 questions that focused on General
Education Outcome 3: "Comprehend concepts and perspectives needed to
function in national and international societies," this was only
implemented in the two spring semester sections of History 102: Western
Civilization II. The questions were based on an agreed upon list of the key
concepts "needed to function in national and international societies"
that we covered in History 102, 103, and 104. The list of 75 concepts can be
subdivided as follows:
· 24 "political concepts"-- from
"anarchism" to "wars of national liberation"
· 21 "intellectual concepts"-- from
"cubism" to "transcendentalism"
· 15 "economic concepts"-- from
"class" (social-economic) to "wage slavery"
· 15 "social concepts"-- from
"assimilation" to "xenophobia"
Students were given an identical test at the
beginning and the end of class. The six question multiple choice test asked
them to correctly identify characteristics of the following: 1) the
Enlightenment; 2) industrialization; 3) the European class system; 4) European
imperialism; 5) Communism and Fascism; and 6) ethnocentrism. 167 students took the pre-test and
108 answered the post-test. Because the tests were anonymous, we
do not know how the composition of the two groups compares.
Table 1: % Correct Responses
to Questions
|
|
Enlightenment |
industry |
class |
imperialism |
ideologies |
ethnocentrism |
|
Pre |
63 |
71 |
63 |
61 |
44 |
61 |
|
Post |
73 |
83 |
69 |
81 |
69 |
70 |
|
Gain |
10 |
12 |
06 |
20 |
25 |
09 |
Given the caveat about group
composition, Table One seems to indicate that students who completed the course
increased their comprehension of "concepts and perspectives needed to
function in national and international societies." Not surprisingly, their
largest gains were in the material most recently covered, late nineteenth
century imperialism (# 4) and twentieth century ideologies (#5).
Table 2: % Students
Responding Correctly to Number of Questions
|
|
0-2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
|
Pre |
25 |
18 |
15 |
24 |
14 |
|
Post |
07 |
21 |
23 |
28 |
25 |
|
Gain |
-18 |
+03 |
+08 |
+04 |
+09 |
Again, given the caveat
about group composition, Table Two seems to indicate a substantial improvement
in the numbers of questions that individual students were able to answer
correctly about "concepts and perspectives needed to function in national
and international societies" by the end of the class.
D. PLANS FOR 2004-05: General Education Assessment
The department will make an
effort to use pre- and post-assessments in more general education classes and
to track individual student performance in order to hold group composition
constant.
There were no new activities
or progress to report.