Program Assessment Plan
American University
CAS: Sociology - BA
CAS: Sociology - BA
Contact Person for Chenyang Xiao
Assessment:
Primary Department: Sociology
Does 2014 report reflect No
changes in your LOs? :
Are there any changes in your No
assessment method?:
Learning Outcome: 1
Understand major concepts in sociology such that the student will be able to:
a.Define and demonstrate the relevance of culture, social interaction, social change, socialization, stratification, social structure, and institutions
b.Apply the sociological imagination, sociological principles and concepts to their own life or larger social issues
Outcome Year: 2012-2013
2013-2014
2014-2015
Start Date: 09/01/2013
Outcome Status: Active Learning Outcome
Assessment Plan
Assessment Method
Target
Schedule/Cycle
Of sampled work, 80% of students will
Measurement Strategy:
achieve Exemplary or Excellent
A sample of student work from at least two 100-level courses will be selected for
ratings for assessment of their mastery of
evaluation. Given that some course assignments directly addressed only one part
of the objective at a time, instructors will identify which objective
Objective 1, according to the following
component(s) their assignments best assess. In combination, the selected assignments
criteria:
from those two courses will ensure both parts of the aim are assessed (e.g., an assignment
from one course assessing part A with an assignment from the other course assessing part
B, or an assignment from one course assessing both A&B with an assignment from the
other course assessing A &/or B, etc.).
Yes
Exemplary: demonstrates strong mastery of definitions AND application of more than
one identified sociological concept.
Excellent: either (a) demonstrates strong mastery of definition AND application of at
least one of the identified sociological concepts, OR (b) demonstrates strong mastery of
definitions OR application of more than one of the identified sociological concepts.
Acceptable: demonstrates adequate usage of definitions OR application of at
least one of the identified sociological concepts.
Unacceptable: demonstrates superficial, weak or uneven usage of definitions AND/OR
application of identified sociological concepts.
Measure Type:
Written Assignment
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Related Action Steps
* Supporting Assessment: NA
Description: The committee examined all syllabi for 100-level courses (representing 15
sections of three different courses ? SOCY 100, SOCY 110 & SOCY 150). From these syllabi, we evaluated whether, how thoroughly, and how varied these courses
were in their inclusion of this new learning objective. The assumption (and aim) was that all (100%) of the courses would incorporate multiple concepts from each
part of the objective - in both their descriptions of included course content and evaluation elements. From the ways those courses incorporated this aim, the
committee constructed the following target & rubric, which will be applied in the future to student work from these courses to assess mastery of Objective 1. Each
course incorporated content and assignments that would be appropriate to assess both parts of the objective; for some courses, separate assignments assess part A &
B, while others incorporate both elements into single assignments. The measures, target and rubric for this new Assessment plan is provided for Learning Objective
1.
Learning Outcome: 2
Understand sociological theory such that the student will be able to:
a.Define theory and describe major components of key sociological theories
b.Compare and contrast different sociological theories
c.Identify how theory can be applied to given topics of interest
Outcome Year: 2012-2013
2013-2014
2014-2015
Start Date: 09/01/2013
Outcome Status: Active Learning Outcome
Learning Outcome: 3
Understand research methods in sociology such that the student will be able to:
a.Compare and contrast methodological approaches for gathering data
b.Critically assess the methodology of published research
c.Identify how methodological approaches can be applied in relation to a research question
Outcome Year: 2012-2013
2013-2014
2014-2015
Start Date: 09/01/2013
Outcome Status: Active Learning Outcome
Learning Outcome: 4
Understand inequalities within and across societies such that the student will be able to:
a.Describe the various impacts of inequalities based on race/ethncity, class, gender, and sexualities
b.Discuss social factors that create and perpetuate inequalities
Outcome Year: 2012-2013
2013-2014
2014-2015
Start Date: 09/01/2013
Outcome Status: Active Learning Outcome
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Learning Outcome: 5
Use sociological knowledge to develop ways to address social inequalities.
Outcome Year: 2012-2013
2013-2014
2014-2015
Start Date: 09/01/2013
Outcome Status: Active Learning Outcome
Assessment Plan
Assessment Method
Target
Schedule/Cycle
The committee selected and examined a random selection of 10 capstone papers to
determine how well they met the "use" objective #5. Mastery of the objective was
assessed according to the following rubric criteria:
Exemplary: Evidence that the student has mastered objective is provided, convincing,
and at a high level.
Excellent: Evidence that the student has mastered objective is provided and is
convincing.
Acceptable: Evidence that the student has mastered objective is provided, but is
unconvincing or incomplete.
Unacceptable: Evidence that the student has mastered objective is not provided,
unconvincing or incomplete.
Measure Type:
Final Paper/ Final Project
80% of students reviewed will meet
"Exemplary" or "Excellent" standards for
mastery of the objective (see measure for
rubric description).
First step: Collection of samples of student Yes
presentations and student papers and
creation of rubrics for the assessment of
these measures by the undergraduate
assessment committee (during summer
2013)
Second step: assess the samples using the
rubrics and report assessment results by Oct
1, 2013
Related Courses
- SOCY-492 - Major Seminar in Sociology
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