Psychology 101 Assessment Report and Results Fall 13
Course:
General Education
Objective:
Student Learning
Outcome:
Evidence:
Psychology 101: Introduction to Psychology
Use historical or social sciences perspectives to examine formation of ideas,
human behavior, social institutions, or social processes
Student will be able to define a meaningful issue (or problem) related to a
major psychological theory, formulate a position (or solution or argument) on
that issue, and communicate his or her position effectively to a professional
audience.
Students were required to respond to an assignment and apply psychological
concepts in Psychology. Students will be scored on:
1. The student will define a meaningful issue or problem
2. The student will apply the specified concept in Psychology to real
life examples
3. The student will formulate a position, solution, or argument on
the issue
Assignment:
Rubric:
4. The student will demonstrate his/her position to a relevant
audience in an effective manner
Students watched a movie about feral children and critiqued the video using
key concepts, ideas, or theories relevant to the course.
A rubric was used to assess student responses. Overall, the rubric will
include: Each category (i.e., defining the prob; applying the concept;
formulating a position; demonstrate position) will be scored on a scale from 1
to 4 with higher scores indicating better performance.
- A mean score of 3.5 ‐ 4 is considered exceeding expectations
- A mean score of 2.5 ‐ 3.4 is considered meeting expectations
- A mean score below 2.4 is considered failing to meet expectations
Evaluation:
Students in each section of Psychology 101 were given an extra credit assignment at the end of the
semester to watch a movie about feral children and critique the video using key concepts, ideas, or
theories learned in the course. The assignment was proctored via BlackBoard and the students were
given one week to complete it. The content of the evaluation included:
Instructions: Please watch the videos before answering the questions. The questions will relate directly to
knowledge learned in the class and from the videos. Please make sure your answers are thorough and
answering all parts of each question.
1. Define Meaningful Problem
After watching the videos, what concept, theory, or idea, would you use to discuss the videos?
Please only discuss one. Be sure to define and describe the problem.
1
2. Application
Using the answer you gave in question #1, how would you apply that concept, theory or idea to other
real life examples?
3. Taking a Position, Solution or Argument
Why do you think this concept, idea or theory you identified is relevant to the videos or examples you
provided?
4. Interpretation
What did Dr. Audriana Benzicano share about feral children?
Results:
Total number of completed assessments n= 31
A mean score of 3.5‐4 is considered exceeding expectations
A mean score of 2.5‐3.4 is considered meeting expectations
A mean score below 2.4 is considered failing to meet expectations
Performance
f
%
Exceeds
1
.03%
Meets
0
Fails to meet
30
96%
The mean student performance as measured by the rubric was 1.39. This indicates that overall most of the
students failed to meet expectations.
Summary:
The findings of the rubric data most likely reflect survey error, specifically question format and timing
of administration. The survey was assigned as an “extra” task at the end of the semester and, as an extra
credit task. Though most students completed the assignment, the responses were brief and not substantive,
reflecting a lack of attention to the assignment, which is uncharacteristic of the overall student performance
in the courses. Also, the wording of the questions and the level of specificity required in order to ascertain
the maximum number of points may indeed be beyond the reading level of the majority of students in the
course.
Overall, it seems the students did not take the assignment seriously nor were they able to rise above
a 2 on the answer scale. Moving forward it is important to consider the timing of the assessment and, how
the assessment is administered to the students. Perhaps if the instructions and
the rationale of the assessment were made explicit, then student performance might improve. Perhaps
clear instructions indicating the goals and implications of the assessment might also help increase
participation and substantive responses. In addition, reviewing the questions on the assessment for clarity
and increasing the familiarity to concepts by attaching this task to a class assignment may also boost
engagement and performance.
2