Assessment Report Standard Format
July 1, 2009 - June 30, 2010
PROGRAM(S) ASSESSED _____Liberal
Studies_______________________________
ASSESSMENT COORDINATOR ___Dr. Valerie
Stoker_____________________________
YEAR ____1______ of a ____5______YEAR CYCLE
1. ASSESSMENT MEASURES EMPLOYED
Briefly describe the assessment measures employed during the year.
 What was done?
Exit interviews were held with students completing the program.
A sample of 16 papers submitted by our graduates was reviewed
by the committee.
 Who participated in the process?
Valerie Stoker conducted the exit interviews. She and Carol
Morgan and Lisa Morrisette (the Liberal Studies committee)
reviewed the portfolios.
 What challenges (if any) were encountered?
Getting the portfolio reviews completed and returned to me in a
timely manner.
2. ASSESSMENT FINDINGS
List the objectives and outcomes assessed during the year, and briefly
describe the findings for each.
The programs objectives (spelled out in the Oct. 19, 2004 assessment
plan) are as follows:
Graduates of this program will:
1. Be prepared to obtain employment in occupations related to their
concentrations and other coursework.
2. Be prepared to pursue graduate study in programs related to their
concentration and other coursework.
3. Have satisfied their desire for personal enrichment and
understanding based on the courses they chose as Liberal Studies
majors, and
4. Have enhanced their own self-understanding, the ability to deal with
the relationship between themselves and others as well as
understanding their own personal values.
Regarding the first objective, graduates often had employment prior to
graduation but it did not generally reflect their course of study. But
several exit interviewees said that the program had enabled them to
think more about their prospective career goals and plan better to
achieve them. Two students applied to and were accepted into
graduate programs. For the third program objective, many students
were pleased with the program’s flexibility but often because it enabled
them to graduate sooner. But for some students, this flexibility clearly
served them well intellectually as they were able to design a major that
was best suited to their interests.
The learning objectives are:
1.
2.
3.
4.
critical thinking/logical reasoning skills
effective writing skills
effective research skills
exposure to a variety of disciplinary perspectives
There was consensus on most of the papers. Out of 32 graduates, we
received 16 portfolios. The papers came from a range of disciplines
within CoLA as well as from the school of Psychology. In 10 out of 16
papers, students had a thesis and supported it throughout the essay.
In 11 out of 16 papers, they cited sources appropriately and used them
in a critical manner. There remain problems with grammar and general
intelligibility of the writing.
3. PROGRAM IMPROVEMENTS
List planned or actual changes (if any) to curriculum, teaching
methods, facilities, or services that are in response to the assessment
findings.
The Liberal Studies committee redesigned the major to comply with the
change to semesters and Valerie Stoker, the director, input the
changes into workflow. The program also has added an admission
requirement of a minimum 2.0 GPA. This was implemented to prevent
Liberal Studies from becoming a ‘last resort’ major for struggling
students and, thereby, to protect the academic integrity of the program.
4. ASSESSMENT PLAN COMPLIANCE
Explain deviations from the plan (if any).
None.
5. NEW ASSESSMENT DEVELOPMENTS
Describe developments (if any) regarding assessment measures,
communication, faculty or staff involvement, benchmarking, or other
assessment variables.
The program continues to grow along with overall enrollments at
Wright State. We currently have over 150 majors and only one full-time
advisor who is also the program director. Charles Long’s office has
been assisting with advising as has the Graduate Assistant.