Fall 2010 Assessment, Department of History
Courses: History 111
This assessment is the first phase in a project that will eventually incorporate all
courses taught in the history department.
Members of the history department constructed a Final Exam essay question
designed to assess student learning outcomes. The students were graded on their
ability to:
1) Communicate effectively through writing, by demonstrating ability to
critically interpreting texts and use writing to clarify meaning;
2) Use analytical reasoning to identify issues and problems and evaluate
evidence in order to make informed decisions, by demonstrating the ability to
evaluate the quality of evidence, differentiate between facts, assumptions, and
conclusions in the formulation of a proposed solution or answer, and describe and
compare the way questions, issues, or problems are formulated within history; and
3) Use historical perspectives to examine formation of ideas, human behavior,
or social processes, by demonstrating the ability to use historical facts to provide
context for understanding information, and interpret information to analyze
historical events.
A) The topics for final exam question:
History 111 (Medieval and Early Modern History): Reformation
B) The department used the same grading rubric per course (see attached).
C) The number of students and sections included in the assessment:
# of sections
History 111 (Modern and Early modern)
8
# of students
277
D) The history department’s assessment of student outcomes yielded the
following result:
Percentage of students demonstrating at
least minimum proficiency level
History 111 (Medieval and Early Modern):
85.7%
Grading Guideline
Essay Questions
A
B
C
Abundant
specific
examples are
provided,
excellent context
and explanation
on why they
were significant
Essay is
extremely well
organized, highly
logical, very well
written and
displays obvious
evidence of
having read the
textbook
Many specific
examples are
provided, good
context and
explanation on
why they were
significant
Some specific
examples are
provided, fair
context and
explanation on
why they were
significant
Essay is well
organized,
logical, well
written, and
displays
evidence of
having read the
textbook
Essay is fairly
well organized,
somewhat
logical,
acceptably
written, and
displays
possible
evidence of
having read the
textbook
D
Very few
specific
examples are
provided, poor
context and
explanation on
why they were
significant
Essay is poorly
organized, not
logical, poorly
written and
displays very
little evidence
of having read
the textbook.
F
No specific
examples are
provided, no
context and
explanation on
why they were
significant.
Essay lacks any
organization or
logic, very
poorly written
and displays no
evidence of
having read the
textbook.