Assessment Report Standard Format
July 1, 2009 - June 30, 2010
PROGRAM(S) ASSESSED Religion, Philosophy, and Classics
ASSESSMENT COORDINATOR: David L. Barr, Chair
YEAR 1 of a 5 YEAR CYCLE
1. ASSESSMENT MEASURES EMPLOYED
Briefly describe the assessment measures employed during the
year.
 What was done?
A. Exit Interviews.
Each graduate was given an exit interview and an assessment
questionnaire. There were a total of 22 graduates (12 in Religion, 6 in
Philosophy, and 2 in Classics). Each met with individual faculty
members and/or the chair to review and assess their satisfaction with
and performance in the major.
B. Transcript Evaluation
The transcripts of all graduates were reviewed for range of courses
and levels of accomplishment
C. Collection of Papers
Papers were collected and analyzed as part of the annual evaluation of
student writing abilities.
D. Assessment Meeting
Held as part of regular fall faculty meeting.
 Who participated in the process?
The chair and selected faculty did the interviews; all participated in the
Assessment Meeting.
 What challenges (if any) were encountered?
No new challenges were encountered.
2. ASSESSMENT FINDINGS
List the objectives and outcomes assessed during the year, and
briefly describe the findings for each.
Objectives
1. Graduates will be prepared to assume their roles as effective and
informed citizens of our pluralistic democracy.
Self-assessment on the questionnaire indicates that the students
feel well-prepared in this area: each respondent rated preparation
at either a 4 or a 5 on a scale of 1-5, with and average of over 4.6.
2. Graduates of the department will be broadly educated in the classical
liberal arts tradition in order to be effective employees in diverse
occupations.
Assessed by transcript review for range of course taken outside the
major discipline.
Findings: A review of transcripts of all 22 graduates shows mixed
results in this area. The native graduates averaged about 9 upperdivision Liberal Arts courses, although three had 5 or fewer. The
numbers are worse for transfer students, who averaged only 3, but
I suspect this is distorted somewhat by the way transfer courses
are recorded. We will continue to try to improve in this are through
advising (See Improvements below.)
3. Graduates will be prepared to pursue advanced study in their major
area.
Assessed by transcript review and exit interviews concerning future
educational plans.
Findings: All graduates took a suitable array of courses to prepare
for graduate study; and fifteen had GPAs above 3.3, considered
requisite for graduate school admission. On the other hand five
students graduated with a GPA below 3.0. Five students report
plans for graduate work and all five report feeling well-prepared
with suitable GPAs.
4. Graduates will be prepared to pursue graduate study in diverse fields
outside their major, such as law, medicine and counseling.
Assessed by transcript review and exit interviews.
Findings: Two students report plans to attend law school, with one
reporting acceptance to law school at the time of the survey.
Outcomes
1. Graduates of the program will be effective writers.
Assessed by an analysis of collected papers, looking for:
 Their use of proper documentation
 Their critical use of sources
 Clear statement of thesis
 Thesis supported with adequate arguments
Findings: Review of the collected papers shows less success than
last year in meeting these expectations. A summary: all papers
had a clear conception of their argument, though only less than half
had an explicit statement of thesis; about three quarters developed
adequate arguments; most (85%) used proper documentation; and
all showed at least some critical use of sources and the ability to
construct logical arguments.
2. Graduates will acquire knowledge of major figures, movements, and
traditions related to their major.
Assessed by transcript review and exit interviews.
Findings: All graduates took a suitable range of courses in their
majors. All students who returned questionnaires indicated an
increased ability to understand the world in which they live as a
result of their study.
3. Graduates will acquire knowledge of historical traditions and linguistic
contexts of the content of their majors.
Assessed by transcript review and exit interviews.
Findings: All graduates took a range of courses that explored major
philosophical ideas (Philosophy majors), the broad range of
religious traditions (Religion majors), and advanced knowledge of
Latin and Greek (Classics majors).
Philosophy majors averaged 6 courses emphasizing philosophical
ideas; Religion majors averaged 5 courses in diverse religious
traditions; Classics majors averaged over 10 quarters of language
study, having a firm foundation in at least one language. Analyzing
the last term language courses shows that the average GPA was
4.0.
4. Graduates will have strong critical thinking skills.
Assessed by transcript review, exit interviews, and papers.
Findings: Most graduates performed well in courses requiring
critical thinking skills. All papers submitted as writing samples
demonstrated the ability to think abstractly and critically about their
research.
3. PROGRAM IMPROVEMENTS
List planned or actual changes (if any) to curriculum, teaching
methods, facilities, or services that are in response to the
assessment findings.
The chair will convene a meeting of departmental advisors and
review our the degree to which we are achieving our goal of a
broad Liberal Arts experience, urging them to emphasis this to their
advisees.
The department curriculum committees will be asked to review our
instructions for writing intensive courses.
Redesigning majors for the Semester conversion will be informed
by these results. The Classics major will be slightly modified, the
Religion major will be substantially changed, and the Philosophy
major will be redesigned to insure a broader and more structured
encounter with the central currents in Philosophy.
4. ASSESSMENT PLAN COMPLIANCE
Explain deviations from the plan (if any).
None
5. NEW ASSESSMENT DEVELOPMENTS
Describe developments (if any) regarding assessment measures,
communication, faculty or staff involvement, benchmarking, or other
assessment variables.
None