HISTORY DEPARTMENT ASSESSMENT REPORT
FALL 2013
INSTRUMENT:
The instrument for assessment utilized by the History Department is the
Historical Literacy Assessment Tool. This instrument consists of a questionnaire
that contains 10 multiple-choice questions. The questions are designed to assess
the degree of historical literacy the students possess when they start the course and
when they complete it.
The questions of the HLAT are designed to gauge the students’ general
knowledge of important historical concepts and terminology as well as their ability
to became inference based on historical analytical skills. The HLAT is designed so
that it can be applied to all the introductory general survey courses (regardless of
their specific content). By comparing the results of the first and second
questionnaires, we seek to assess if 1)the students have acquired history-specific
semantic tools and 2) history-specific epistemological and analytical skills that
enable them to deduce the answers even if the material covered in class did not
specifically addressed the subject of the question.
ADMINISTRATION OF THE INSTRUMENT:
The first questionnaire is administered the first day of classes, and the
second test is administered the last day of classes. Students are given 15 minutes to
answer 10 multiple-choice questions.
RESULSTS:
Test 1: A total of 88 students took the test in three sections of History 111
(Medieval Civilization). The average score 4.4/10; the median was 5; the mode was
5; the range 9.
Test 2: A total of 73 students took the test in the same three sections of History 111
(Medieval Civilization). The average score was 5.15/10; the median was 5; the
mode was 5; the range was 9.
FOLLOW-UP:
The HLAT has been administered to three sections of History 112 (History of
Modern Civilization) at the beginning of the Spring 2014 semester. The second test
will be administered to the same sections on the last day of classes.
The HLAT will be converted to a SCANTRON format. We will start utilizing
the new format during the Fall of 2014.
The test will be given to all sections of History 127 (American History 1)
during the Fall of 2014, and to all sections of 128 (American History 2). The aim is
to implement the assessment process gradually and eventually administer the test
to all sections of out introductory surveys in order to have a significant sample of
students. At that point we will be able to analyze the implication of the statistical
results.
REVIEW OF HLAT:
We have already developed 6 different questionnaires, and we will continue
to develop more as the process of assessment continues.