Colorado School of Mines
Annual Assessment of Student Learning Outcomes Report
For Academic Year 2013-2014 Undergraduate Programs
The purpose of assessment is to promote excellence in student learning and educational practices by
fostering a campus culture of self-evaluation and improvement. The annual assessment report enables
CSM to document engagement in continuous improvement efforts. Provide responses to the following
questions/items and email this completed document to kmschnei@mines.edu by September 13. Feel free
to expand the tables below as needed.
The Assessment Committee will provide written feedback in response to the department annual report,
using this rubric as the basis for their feedback. Components of this annual report that are specific to
ABET re-accreditation are noted below.
Department/Program: Division of Economics and Business/BS in Economics
Person Submitting This Report: Scott Houser
Phone: 2045
Email address: shouser@mines.edu
1. Describe your assessment plan (list not only the activities completed in the past year, but your
entire ongoing plan.)
Student Outcome 1: Students will demonstrate a depth of understanding in theoretical and applied
economics.
Direct assessment
measure(s)/methods
Comprehensive final
exam in EBGN301
EBGN303 research
project report
Instructor evaluation of
competence in
EBGN301 learning
objectives
Indirect assessment
measure(s)/methods
Survey
Performance criteria
80% of students will
achieve a score that
meets expectations in
the class
80% of students will
achieve a rating of
“satisfactory” for the
modeling portion of the
assignment
80% of students will
achieve a rating of
“satisfactory”
Performance criteria
80% will agree that
they achieved this
outcome before
graduating
Population/sample/
recruitment strategies
All students in
EBGN301
Frequency/Time of
assessment
Fall 2011, each
semester thereafter
All students in
EBGN301
Spring 2012, and
annually thereafter
All students in 400level economics
courses
Spring 2012, and each
semester thereafter
Population/sample/
recruitment strategies
All graduating seniors
Frequency/Time of
assessment
Fall 2012, each
semester thereafter
1
Student Outcome 2: Students will be able to use theoretical models to analyze economic issues.
Direct assessment
measure(s)/methods
Comprehensive final
exam in EBGN301
EBGN303 research
project report
Instructor evaluation of
competence in
EBGN301 learning
objectives
Writing-intensive 400level economics
elective research
projects
EBGN401 research
project
Indirect assessment
measure(s)/methods
Survey
Performance criteria
80% of students will
achieve a score that
meets expectations in
the class
80% of students will
achieve a rating of
“satisfactory” for the
modeling portion of the
assignment
80% of students will
achieve a rating of
“satisfactory”
80% of students will
achieve a rating of
“satisfactory” for the
economic analysis
portion of the
assignment
80% of students will
achieve a rating of
“satisfactory” for the
modeling portion of the
assignment
Performance criteria
80% will agree that
they achieved this
outcome before
graduating
Population/sample/
recruitment strategies
All students in
EBGN301
Frequency/Time of
assessment
Fall 2011, each
semester thereafter
All economics majors
in EBGN303
Spring 2012, and
annually thereafter
All economics majors
in 400-level economics
courses
Spring 2012, and each
semester thereafter
All economics majors
in EBGN437,
EBGN441, EBGN443
and EBGN470
Fall 2013, each
semester thereafter
All economics majors
in EBGN401
Fall 2012, annually
thereafter
Population/sample/
recruitment strategies
All graduating seniors
Frequency/Time of
assessment
Fall 2012, each
semester thereafter
Student Outcome 3: Students will be able to gather and analyze quantitative economic data using
appropriate empirical tools.
Direct assessment
Performance criteria
Population/sample/
Frequency/Time of
measure(s)/methods
recruitment strategies
assessment
EBGN303 research
80% of students will
All economics majors
Spring 2012, and
project report
achieve a rating of
in EBGN303
annually thereafter
“satisfactory” for the
data and econometric
analysis portions of the
assignment
EBGN401 research
80% of students will
Fall 2012, annually
All economics majors
project
achieve a rating of
thereafter
in EBGN401
“satisfactory” for the
data and analysis
portions of the
assignment
Indirect assessment
Performance criteria
Population/sample/
Frequency/Time of
measure(s)/methods
recruitment strategies
assessment
Survey
80% will agree that
All graduating seniors
Fall 2012, each
they achieved this
semester thereafter
2
outcome before
graduating
Student Outcome 4: Students will be able to understand and interpret written material in economics
Direct assessment
measure(s)/methods
Performance criteria
Population/sample/
recruitment strategies
Frequency/Time of
assessment
EBGN403 company
and agency report
summaries
80% of students will
achieve a rating of
“satisfactory” for
analysis of economic
reports provided by
companies and
agencies visited during
field session
Performance criteria
All economics majors
in EBGN403
Summer 2014, and
annually thereafter
Population/sample/
recruitment strategies
All graduating seniors
Frequency/Time of
assessment
Fall 2012, each
semester thereafter
Indirect assessment
measure(s)/methods
Survey
80% will agree that
they achieved this
outcome before
graduating
Student Outcome 5: Students will be able to write a well-organized, logical and technically sound
research paper or economic report.
Direct assessment
measure(s)/methods
EBGN303 research
project report
EBGN401 research
project
Writing-intensive 400level economics
elective writing
assignment
Indirect assessment
measure(s)/methods
Survey
Performance criteria
80% of students will
achieve a rating of
“satisfactory” for the
writing portion of the
assignment
80% of students will
achieve an overall
rating of “satisfactory”
for the research paper
80% of students will
achieve an overall
rating of “satisfactory”
for the paper
Performance criteria
80% will agree that
they achieved this
outcome before
graduating
Population/sample/
recruitment strategies
All economics majors
in EBGN303
Frequency/Time of
assessment
Spring 2012, and
annually thereafter
All economics majors
in EBGN401
Fall 2012, annually
thereafter
All economics majors
in EBGN437,
EBGN441, EBGN443
and EBGN470
Population/sample/
recruitment strategies
All graduating seniors
Fall 2013, each
semester thereafter
Frequency/Time of
assessment
Fall 2012, each
semester thereafter
Student Outcome 6: Students will be able to present a well-organized, logical and technically sound oral
report on an economic topic.
Direct assessment
Performance criteria
Population/sample/
Frequency/Time of
measure(s)/methods
recruitment strategies
assessment
Research project oral
80% of students will
All economics majors
Fall 2013, each
presentations
achieve a rating of
in EBGN437,
semester thereafter
“satisfactory” for the
EBGN441, EBGN443
3
oral report portion of
the assignment
Performance criteria
Indirect assessment
measure(s)/methods
Survey
and EBGN470
Population/sample/
recruitment strategies
All graduating seniors
80% will agree that
they achieved this
outcome before
graduating
Frequency/Time of
assessment
Fall 2012, each
semester thereafter
2. Map your assessment methods to your outcomes.
Table 1
Assessment
method 1:
Assessment
method 2:
Assessment
method 3:
Assessment
method 4:
Exit survey
for graduates
Common
comprehensi
ve final in
EBGN301
Rubric for
EBGN303
research
project
Rubric for
prerequisite
preparedness
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
Student outcome 1
Student outcome 2
Student outcome 3
Student outcome 4
Student outcome 5
Student outcome 6
x
Assessme
nt method
5:
Common
rubric for
written
and oral
reports
x
x
Assessment
method 6:
Written
summaries
of agency/
company
reports in
EBGN403
x
x
3. Map the student outcomes to courses and to the ABET outcomes. You may use check marks or
designate P=primary emphasis and S=secondary emphasis. If your assessment plan only includes
the ABET outcomes and you have no additional outcomes, you do not need to complete table #3.
Table 2
Core major course
Student outcome 1
Student outcome 2
Student outcome 3
Student outcome 4
Student outcome 5
Student outcome 6
2
0
1
X
X
X
3
0
1
3
0
2
X
X
X
X
X
X
Table 3
Student outcome 1
Student outcome 2
Student outcome 3
Student outcome 4
Student outcome 5
Student outcome 6
A
X
B
X
X
C
3
0
3
X
X
X
X
3
2
1
X
3
2
5
4
0
3
X
X
X
4
0
4
4
0
5
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
ABET Outcomes
D E F G H
I
X
X
X
X
X
4
J
K
4. Identify the assessment activities that your program has implemented in the past year.
1. Developed assessment tools for the revised economics field
session that was offered in Summer 2014
Direct measures:
2. Implemented a common rubric for the written reports in our
writing intensive 400-level elective courses (EBGN443, 437 and
470) during 2014-15.
3. Piloted a common rubric for the oral reports in EBGN437 and
EBGN409 during 2014-15.
Indirect measures:
1. Refined questions for one-on-one exit interviews with graduating
seniors. We had planned to begin these exit interviews in Fall
2013, but we delayed this activity until Fall 2014.
5. Describe how you have shared assessment results with faculty. Describe how faculty have
used assessment results to improve student learning, including the specific actions you have
taken or will take to facilitate students’ attainment of the student learning outcomes. (ABET
Criterion 4C.)
Table 4
Mechanisms for sharing
assessment results with
faculty:
Faculty who teach in the economics undergraduate program met during
Spring 2014 to discuss the assessment results and the assessment
plan for the 2014-2015 academic year. We plan to meet again in
October 2014.
Table 5
Action #1 taken:
Developed a common rubric for assessing student understanding and
interpretation of written material assigned in economics courses
Date action taken:
Basis for this action:
September 2014
Results from the survey of graduating seniors were inconclusive.
Concern that we did not have sufficient direct assessment measures
for this student outcome.
Student Outcome 4: Students will be able to understand and interpret
written material in economics
the survey of graduating seniors
Student outcome
impacted:
Specific assessment
measure(s) that motivated
action (if not described
above):
Measurement/assessment
of the impact of the action
that was taken:
Action #2 taken:
Rubric will be piloted in Fall 2014 and used in additional courses in
Spring 2015
Continued rebalancing of material in Intermediate Microeconomics
(EBGN301) to address prerequisite needs of 400-level economics
courses. Specifically, EBGN301 will add some additional content that
emphasizes analysis of general equilibrium. This material is essential
for the 400-level courses in public and regional economics.
5
Date action taken:
Basis for this action:
Student outcome
impacted:
May 2014
Review of data on faculty perception of preparedness and of
performance on common EBGN301 final exam from Fall 2013 and
Spring 2014.
Student Outcome 1: Students will demonstrate a depth of
understanding in theoretical and applied economics.
Student Outcome 2: Students will be able to use theoretical models to
analyze economic issues.
Specific assessment
measure(s) that motivated
action (if not described
above):
Measurement/assessment
of the impact of the action
that was taken:
see above
Action #3 taken:
Faculty discussed the revised economics field session and began
developing revised assessment tools.
Date action taken:
Basis for this action:
August 2014
Perception by graduating students and faculty that the current
structure of the field session is not appropriate for the smaller number
of economics majors and for the student outcomes developed during
the assessment process
All
Student outcome
impacted:
Specific assessment
measure(s) that motivated
action (if not described
above):
Measurement/assessment
of the impact of the action
that was taken:
We plan to review using the evaluation of student preparedness
during 2015-2016
Graduating student survey
Refinement of assessment tools used to evaluate the revised field
session conducted in Summer 2014. We will continue to use the
graduating senior survey to assess the effectiveness of the field
session.
Action #4 taken:
Faculty group established to develop formal assessment report for
EBGN201
Date action taken:
Basis for this action:
August 2014
Recommendation from the Assessment Committee that EB include
assessment for EBGN201 in our undergraduate assessment report
All
Student outcome
impacted:
Specific assessment
measure(s) that motivated
action (if not described
above):
Measurement/assessment
of the impact of the action
that was taken:
In process
6
6. Describe any changes that you are planning to make in your assessment plan for next year.
Table 6
Planned changes:





We plan to implement the graduating senior exit interviews beginning
Fall 2014 (delayed from Fall 2013).
We will revise assignments in EBGN303, 401 and 409 to include
opportunities for direct assessment of Student Outcome 4.
We will evaluate and revise tools used to assess the effectiveness of
the revised field session.
We plan to expand the use the common rubric for oral research
reports in additional EBGN courses.
We will develop a plan for additional assessment of EBGN201
7. Describe how you have used the feedback from the assessment committee in response to last
year’s report to improve your assessment efforts.
Table 7
Use of committee’s
feedback:
The committee provided very helpful feedback on last year’s assessment
report. We modified our assessment plan and activities in the following ways in
response to the committee’s feedback:
1. We will modify existing assignments and rubrics in certain courses to
include a more explicit focus on Student Outcome 4 with the goal of
adding direct assessment of this outcome to existing assessment tools
used for Student Outcomes 5 and 6.
2. We will work with Kay Schneider to develop a more formal report on
our assessment of EBGN201. We have focused our formal
assessment report on our undergraduate degree program. Now that
the BS assessment system is well-established, we plan to focus more
energy on including our assessment efforts for EBGN201 in our report.
7