Program Assessment Plan
American University
CAS: American Studies - BA
CAS: American Studies - BA
Contact Person for
Assessment:
Katharina Vester, Director
Primary Department: Amer. Studies
Learning Outcome: Content Knowledge
Students will demonstrate mastery over the major issues, theories, and concepts within the field of American Studies, including traditional topics ("American dream," frontier, urbanization, multiculturalism) and cutting-edge themes (e.g. transnationalism, hybridity, diaspora, and globalization).
Outcome Year: 2012 or prior
2012-2013
2013-2014
2014-2015
Start Date: 11/01/2010
Outcome Status: Active Learning Outcome
Assessment Plan
Assessment Method Target Schedule/Cycle
Senior Capstone Seminar Evaluation of each student's end-of-term written essay, prepared for AMST-400 Interpreting American Culture:
In this essay, students apply "issues, theories and concepts" examined during the seminar to the analysis of a specified category of cultural representation in specified sets of
American cultural texts. In spring 2009, the category of cultural representation is sexuality and gender, and the cultural texts may include items from any three of the following: literature, film, television, music, fashion, photography, magazines.
The "issues, theories, and concepts" used to analyze the representations of sexuality and gender in the selected texts must be drawn from at least two distinct academic disciplines, and one other social force (race, class, global circulation, etc.) must be addressed in this analysis.
Measure Type:
Final Paper/ Final Project
Two thirds or more of the papers will satisfy the expectation of each learning outcome with an aggregate score of 3.0 or better.
Every spring semester.
When there is an AMST faculty member
The mean aggregate score for the student cohort is higher than the idealized (3.0) mean.
available who is not the instructor, the essays will be evaluated independently by the course instructor and the AMST faculty member at the close of the spring semester.
Each reader will assign the portfolio a 1-5 score (1--minimal evidence that outcome has been met; 5--ample evidence that outcome has been met) for each indicated learning outcome. Reader scores will be averaged to obtain an aggregate scoring for each outcome.
Active
Yes
12/01/2014 2:27 PM Generated by TracDat a product of Nuventive.
Page 1 of 6

Assessment Plan
Assessment Method
In AMST 400, students will evaluate their AMST learning experience in regard to the 5 learning outcomes (by questionnaire).
This is a qualitative and narrative self-assessment, consisting of an anonymous questionnaire and a discussion with faculty.
In the self-assessment students are asked to assess their own progress towards the learning outcomes and to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the program, and to suggest solutions.
The results will give us a better understanding of how students experience the AMST program, whether they feel the program meets its stated learning outcomes. We also hope to gain new insights into whether they understand themselves as a cohort and whether they are satisfied with their learning experience.
Target Schedule/Cycle
Every spring semester.
By the AMST director, shared with faculty.
The results are discussed and problems addressed by the AMST Advisory Board.
Active
Yes
Measure Type:
Survey
Students in AMST-206: American Dreams/American Lives will be giving a pre-test and post-test to measure the degree to which they understand key concepts in the field, including the definition of american studies, culture, and social location. They will also be tested to see if they know four fields or methods in American Studies.
Measure Type:
Quiz/ Exam
Students in the introductory course should not demonstrate mastery of the concepts.
Rather, they should demonostrate development of knowledge. Students should improve in from the pre-test, with more students getting correct answers on the exam at the end of the course.
This will be done in spring 2012 and then repeated, as necessary.
Yes
Related Courses
- AMST-400 - Interpreting American Culture
Learning Outcome: Textual Analysis
To apply AMST-related issues, theories and concepts to the analysis of a wide range of texts.
Outcome Year: 2012 or prior
2012-2013
2013-2014
2014-2015
Start Date: 11/01/2010
Outcome Status: Active Learning Outcome
Assessment Method
Assessment Plan
Target Schedule/Cycle Active
12/01/2014 2:27 PM Generated by TracDat a product of Nuventive.
Page 2 of 6

Assessment Plan
Assessment Method Target Schedule/Cycle
Senior Capstone Seminar Evaluation of each student's end-of-term written essay, prepared for AMST-400 Interpreting American Culture:
In this essay, students apply "issues, theories and concepts" examined during the seminar to the analysis of a specified category of cultural representation in specified sets of
American cultural texts. In spring 2009, the category of cultural representation is sexuality and gender, and the cultural texts may include items from any three of the following: literature, film, television, music, fashion, photography, magazines.
The "issues, theories, and concepts" used to analyze the representations of sexuality and gender in the selected texts must be drawn from at least two distinct academic disciplines, and one other social force (race, class, global circulation, etc.) must be addressed in this analysis.
Measure Type:
Final Paper/ Final Project
Two thirds or more of the papers will satisfy the expectation of each learning outcome with an aggregate score of 3.0 or better.
The mean aggregate score for the student cohort is higher than the idealized (3.0) mean.
Every spring semester.
When there is an AMST faculty member available who is not the instructor, the essays will be evaluated independently by the course instructor and the AMST faculty member at the close of the spring semester.
Each reader will assign the portfolio a 1-5 score (1--minimal evidence that outcome has been met; 5--ample evidence that outcome has been met) for this learning outcome. Reader scores will be averaged to obtain an aggregate scoring for this outcome.
Active
Yes
In AMST 400, students will evaluate their AMST learning experience in regard to the 5 learning outcomes (by questionnaire) including the outcoome on application of AMST issues to analyzing texts.
This is a qualitative and narrative self-assessment, consisting of an anonymous questionnaire and a discussion with faculty.
In the self-assessment students are asked to assess their own progress towards this learning outcome and to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the program, and to suggest solutions.
The results will give us a better understanding of how students experience the AMST program, whether they feel the program meets its stated learning outcomes. We also hope to gain new insights into whether they understand themselves as a cohort and whether they are satisfied with their learning experience.
Every spring semester.
By the AMST director, shared with faculty.
The results are discussed and problems addressed by the AMST Advisory Board.
Yes
Measure Type:
Survey
Related Courses
- AMST-400 - Interpreting American Culture
Learning Outcome: Research
To develop effective research arguments, based on the analysis of texts, whose findings are summarized in effectively written academic papers or in effectively organized oral and visual presentations.
Outcome Year: 2012 or prior
2012-2013
2013-2014
2014-2015
Start Date: 11/01/2010
Outcome Status: Active Learning Outcome
Assessment Method
Assessment Plan
Target Schedule/Cycle Active
12/01/2014 2:27 PM Generated by TracDat a product of Nuventive.
Page 3 of 6

Assessment Plan
Assessment Method Target Schedule/Cycle
Senior Capstone Seminar Evaluation of each student's end-of-term written essay, prepared for AMST-400 Interpreting American Culture:
In this essay, students apply "issues, theories and concepts" examined during the seminar to the analysis of a specified category of cultural representation in specified sets of
American cultural texts. In spring 2009, the category of cultural representation was sexuality and gender, and the cultural texts may include items from any three of the following: literature, film, television, music, fashion, photography, magazines.
The "issues, theories, and concepts" used to analyze the representations of sexuality and gender in the selected texts must be drawn from at least two distinct academic disciplines, and one other social force (race, class, global circulation, etc.) must be addressed in this analysis.
Measure Type:
Final Paper/ Final Project
Two thirds or more of the papers will satisfy the expectation of each learning outcome with an aggregate score of 3.0 or better.
The mean aggregate score for the student cohort is higher than the idealized (3.0) mean.
Every spring semester.
When there is an AMST faculty member available who is not the instructor, the essays will be evaluated independently by the course instructor and the AMST faculty member at the close of the spring semester.
Each reader will assign the portfolio a 1-5 score (1--minimal evidence that outcome has been met; 5--ample evidence that outcome has been met) for this learning outcome. Reader scores will be averaged to obtain an aggregate scoring for the research outcome.
Active
Yes
In AMST 400, students will evaluate their AMST learning experience in regard to the 5 learning outcomes (by questionnaire) including the research outcome.
This is a qualitative and narrative self-assessment, consisting of an anonymous questionnaire and a discussion with faculty.
In the self-assessment students are asked to assess their own progress towards the learning outcomes and to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the program, and to suggest solutions.
The results will give us a better understanding of how students experience the AMST program, whether they feel the program meets its stated learning outcomes. We also hope to gain new insights into whether they understand themselves as a cohort and whether they are satisfied with their learning experience.
Every spring semester.
By the AMST director, shared with faculty.
The results are discussed and problems addressed by the AMST Advisory Board.
Yes
Measure Type:
Survey
Related Courses
- AMST-400 - Interpreting American Culture
Learning Outcome: Extramural Work
To explore the broad extramural opportunities available to American Studies students through participation in internship placements, study abroad programs, and other practical experiences.
Outcome Year: 2012 or prior
2012-2013
2013-2014
2014-2015
Outcome Status: Active Learning Outcome
Assessment Method
Assessment Plan
Target Schedule/Cycle Active
12/01/2014 2:27 PM Generated by TracDat a product of Nuventive.
Page 4 of 6

Assessment Plan
Assessment Method
All AMST students who participate in either AMST 491 (AMST internship) or in AU's service learning program are asked to self-assess their experience in a brief essay and to connect it to their studies.
With this measure, we expect to gain insight into how well students feel motivated and supported by the AMST program to act in a socially responsible way.
This is a qualitative assessment in which students evaluate their internship and the support and preparation they have received from the AMST program, as well as the academic tasks that accompany AMST internships. Feedback will be used to improve students' experience.
Target
No target identified. We need to see the overall profile of student scores for each learning outcome, before making further statements about the outcomes being met.
Schedule/Cycle
Every semester in which AMST students take AMST 491 or participate in servicelearning advised by AMST faculty.
Measure Type:
Field Work/ Internship
Faculty will evaluate end of the semester projects produced by students in one social media oriented class, and one non-social media oriented class. (See attached 2012 assessment report for details.)
Measure Type:
Field Work/ Internship
Active
Yes
A minimum of 75% of papers will satisfy the expectations of each learning outcome.
A pilot/feasibility study is conducted in fall
2012 for final projects from AMST 334
(Assessing Adoption) and AMST 296
(Health and Activism), a social mediaoriented class. The outcome of this review will be used to make the final determination of the speciric criteria used to evaluate projets as learning assessment tools.
Yes
Learning Outcome: Social Responsibility
To think and act, as American Studies Scholars, in the interest of social responsibility.
Outcome Year: 2012 or prior
2012-2013
2013-2014
2014-2015
Start Date: 11/01/2010
Outcome Status: Active Learning Outcome
Assessment Plan
Assessment Method Target Schedule/Cycle
Senior Capstone Seminar Evaluation of each student's end-of-term written essay, prepared for AMST-400 Interpreting American Culture:
In this essay, students apply "issues, theories and concepts" examined during the seminar to the analysis of a specified category of cultural representation in specified sets of
American cultural texts. In spring 2009, the category of cultural representation was sexuality and gender, and the cultural texts included items from any three of the following: literature, film, television, music, fashion, photography, magazines.
The "issues, theories, and concepts" used to analyze the representations of sexuality and gender in the selected texts had to be drawn from at least two distinct academic disciplines, and one other social force (race, class, global circulation, etc.) must be addressed in this analysis.
Measure Type:
Final Paper/ Final Project
Two thirds or more of the papers will satisfy the expectation of each learning outcome with an aggregate score of 3.0 or better.
The mean aggregate score for the student cohort is higher than the idealized (3.0) mean.
Every spring semester.
When there is an AMST faculty member available who is not the instructor, the essays will be evaluated independently by the course instructor and the AMST faculty member at the close of the spring semester.
Each reader will assign the portfolio a 1-5 score (1--minimal evidence that outcome has been met; 5--ample evidence that outcome has been met) for each indicated learning outcome. Reader scores will be averaged to obtain an aggregate scoring for each outcome.
Active
Yes
12/01/2014 2:27 PM Generated by TracDat a product of Nuventive.
Page 5 of 6

Assessment Plan
Assessment Method
In AMST 400, students will evaluate their AMST learning experience in regard to the 5 learning outcomes (by questionnaire).
This is a qualitative and narrative self-assessment, consisting of an anonymous questionnaire and a discussion with faculty.
In the self-assessment students are asked to assess their own progress towards the learning outcomes and to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the program, and to suggest solutions.
The results will give us a better understanding of how students experience the AMST program, whether they feel the program meets its stated learning outcomes. We also hope to gain new insights into whether they understand themselves as a cohort and whether they are satisfied with their learning experience.
Target
Measure Type:
Survey
All AMST students who participate in either AMST 491 (AMST internship) or in AU's service learning program are asked to self-assess their experience in a brief essay and to connect it to their studies.
With this measure, we expect to gain insight into how well students feel motivated and supported by the AMST program to act in a socially responsible way.
This is a qualitative assessment in which students evaluate their internship and the support and preparation they have received from the AMST program, as well as the academic tasks that accompany AMST internships. Feedback will be used to improve students' experience.
Since this is the first year we will carry out this assessment, we need to see the overall profile of student scores for each learning outcome, before making further statements about the outcomes being met.
Measure Type:
Field Work/ Internship
No target identified.
Schedule/Cycle
Every spring semester.
By the AMST director, shared with faculty.
The results are discussed and problems addressed by the AMST Advisory Board.
Active
Yes
Every semester in which AMST students take AMST 491 or participate in servicelearning advised by AMST faculty.
Yes
12/01/2014 2:27 PM Generated by TracDat a product of Nuventive.
Page 6 of 6