Western Carolina University
Literature Program
Department of English
College of Arts and Sciences
Annual Assessment Report for 2007-2008
Primary Contact Name/Info:
Dr. Annette Debo
404 Coulter Hall
adebo@wcu.edu
ext. 3919
Student Learning
Outcome(s) Assessed in
2006-07
The learning outcome(s) that the
program assessed in the 2007-08
assessment cycle are numbers 6
and 7 listed below.
Method(s) of
Assessment
Results of
Assessment
The Program relies on exit
interviews and the Senior
Seminar for assessment.
Because that course is no
longer required, Dr. Debo
created new written instruments
to formalize the exit interview
process. Additionally, the
Senior Seminar will be
reinstated as a requirement,
hopefully in the fall of 2009.
#6: Students praise the
individual attention they
receive in small classes taught
by enthusiastic and
knowledgeable professors.
They leave with a strong sense
of a long-term commitment to
literature. They appreciate the
department’s efforts to prepare
them for professions in English
but would like additional
professional preparation for
graduate school, professional
schools, and the working
world.
The Literature Program is currently
under revision, and plans are already
underway to offer students more
preparation for work and graduate
school. These results will be
disseminated to all faculty teaching
literature classes in the fall. The new
Senior Seminar will emphasize
professional life after graduation, as
will a new one hour sophomore-level
class that will ask students to think
about their professional life early in
their college career.
#7: Students universally
appreciate the Literary
Festival, which brings
nationally known fiction and
poetry writers to campus.
Student participation in the
festival (attendance at
readings, working with writers
in classes, having an
opportunity to meet and talk to
famous writers) helps them
gain an appreciation of the
creative and performing arts
not available in traditional
classroom settings.
The Literary Festival is a tremendous
benefit for our students. We will keep it
in place and encourage all students to
participate in it. The university funding
provided for this activity is crucial to its
success.
Implementation Plan
The Learning Outcomes of the Literature Program are to produce readers and writers who:
1. think critically, especially about the written word and rhetorical strategies
2. communicate effectively, especially in writing and about written texts
3. use and evaluate information appropriately and responsibly
4. use appropriate technologies to effectively perform goals 1-3
5. have developed a knowledge of literature in English (primarily English and American
literature in a global context) as it relates to historical period and cultural context
6. understand the discipline of English Literature both as a profession and as a field related to
life-long learning
7. appreciate the creative and performing arts, especially those arts that rely upon the use of
language