Dear Area E Course Coordinators,
For Spring 2014 semester we are conducting a coordinate assessment of general education Area E (Humanities) courses,
specifically gathering data from assessing one of five general education outcomes:
 Exhibit an understanding of the ways in which people through the ages in various cultures have created art
 Demonstrate an aesthetic understanding
 Make informed value judgments
 Create an example of linguistic expression or philosophical reasoning
 Contribute to the disciplines of fine and performing arts and analytical or creative writing
You are receiving this email because in the previous assessment reports, you indicated you were a course coordinator for
an Area E course and also were planning to conduct assessments during the Spring 2014 semester. You also mapped one
or more of your course SLOs to the above GE Outcomes. In the Spring 2014 assessment progress reporting forms, we are
hoping you will report on your assessment, by providing details of the assessments that happened and results if they are
available. (It is also likely that you will not have your results until you have had time at the beginning of Fall 2014 to
collate them and analyze them. We will thus continue to collect these data through Fall 2014 reporting.)
Regardless of the method you plan to assess mapped course SLO(s), we need to gather your results in a way that allows
us to share and discuss them collectively across multiple courses. That means translating results to a common rubric or
language as shown below.
Level
Proficiency
Developing
No Evidence
Description
Students meet or exceed meeting this outcome. (A passing ability.)
Students show evidence that they are partially meeting this outcome, but not completely. They
are en route.
There is no evidence that students have developed this outcome.
On the end-of-semester online reporting form, we will ask you to:
 Re-enter your mapped SLO(s)
 Enter the total number of students (across all sections and instructors) that were assessed.
 Enter the total number of students (across all sections and instructors) assessed at each of the above levels.
 Review the criteria you used to determine the levels of your students.
 Provide any extra details, comments, or notes that we can use to better understand the challenges our Area E
students face in achieving proficiency in this particular GE Outcome. You can also include here examples of
exemplary work.
*PLEASE NOTE* -- while we ARE collecting numeric data of proficiency levels, we are using those only to spark the
conversations that have real value toward improving student learning in the humanities. We have no current target of
what % we want to be at proficiency. We only want to start the conversations and work gradually towards improvement
and removal of the obstacles we know our students face.
To aid you in the rubric translation, what follows are some discipline-specific translations.
We are grateful for your extra effort helping us with this coordinated GE outcome assessment. We hope that you will be a
part of future conversations about shared challenges in the Area E courses (to be conducted in Fall). If you have any
questions or need any extra assistance, please contact the workgroup Chair _____________.
Thank you for your cooperation!
More information on the Area E GE Outcomes work group
http://www.ccsf.edu/NEW/en/about-city-college/slo/reports/sloc/geo_area_e.html
Some specific examples from multiple disciplines:
COURSE: TEST 111
GEO: Exhibit an understanding of the ways in which people through the ages in various cultures have created art
Course SLO: Analyze how gemstones are used by different cultures and how the regard held for a particular gemstone may change
due to varying influences of history, art, folklore, technology, mining and marketing.
Level
Description
Criteria
Student can identify and interpret how culturally different
Students score 6 out of 10 points on the SLOProficiency
uses of gemstones are affected by multiple factors.
specific class assignment.
Students may understand that there are culturally different
Students score between 2 and 6 out of 10 points
Developing
and distinct uses of gemstones but cannot relate those to
on the SLO-specific class assignment.
external influences.
Students cannot identify cultural differences in gemstone use,
Students score 1 or no points on the SLONo Evidence
and cannot identify influences that might produce differences.
specific class assignment or failed to complete it.
COURSE: Fr5
GEO: Contribute to the disciplines of fine and performing arts and analytical or creative writing
Course SLO: Analyze the issues of various literary periods within their cultural context.
Level
Proficiency
Developing
No Evidence
Description
Analyze the issues of various literary periods (within their
cultural context) with clarity. The ideas are organized, the
vocabulary used is sophisticated and the structure is solid.
The discussion is not elaborated and the syntax lacks
complexity.
The language does not allow the reader to understand the
development and the ideas.
Criteria
Students score 7 out of 10 points on the SLOspecific class assignment.
Students score between 4 and 6 out of 10 points
on the SLO-specific class assignment.
Students score 3 or less on the SLO-specific
class assignment or failed to complete it.
COURSE: ARCH 32, Bay Region Architectural History
GEO: Exhibit an understanding of the ways in which people through the ages in various cultures have created art.
Course SLO:
IV.B. Assess the significant similarities and differences between each period and style in terms of their ability to satisfy the needs of
their users and use a basic architectural and construction related vocabulary;
Assessment Method:
IV.B.: Quiz that assesses student knowledge and comprehension of the characteristic differences and similarities between Bay Region
architecture influenced by Renaissance Revival and the Beaux Arts styles; and correlates these two styles with the lifestyle needs and
cultural values of their market niche.
Level
Description
Criteria
Student can ….
70% or more correct answers
Proficiency
Students may understand … 50% or more correct answers
Developing
but cannot ….
Students cannot …., and
less than 49% correct answers
No Evidence
cannot …..
Course SLO:
IV.C. Summarize how social, economic, political, religious, technological, and creative forces shaped the Bay Region architecture of a
particular period;
Assessment Method:
IV.C.: Written research paper that identifies the technological and creative forces that shaped the Modern Bay Region style.
Level
Description
Criteria
Student can ….
7 of the 10 technological and creative forces are credibly and relevantly
Proficiency
identified, discussed, and accurately correlated with aspects of the Modern Bay
Region style.
Students may understand … 1 to 6 examples
Developing
but cannot ….
Students cannot …., and
no substantive and accurate correlations are provided
No Evidence
cannot …..
Course SLOs:
IV.D. Evaluate the influences that significant architects and planners had on the evolution of Bay Region architecture;
Assessment Methods:
IV.D.: An in-class discussion of the impact of Eichler Homes on the evolution of the Bay Region Style and how Joseph Eichler
responded to the changing domestic life of Bay Area residents.
Level
Description
Criteria
Student can ….
Each student cites at least one different example of how Eichler Homes changed
Proficiency
the Bay Region Style and correlates this example with Eichler's response to a
domestic need of his intended market niche
Students may understand … the students contributes at least one different example, but fails to accurately
Developing
but cannot ….
correlate how this is related to satisfying a growing need.
Students cannot …., and
no contribution to the discussion.
No Evidence
cannot …..
Course SLOs:
IV.E. Appraise the significance that Bay Region architecture has on the lifestyle of these local communities; and
Assessment Methods:
IV.E.: Written final examination focusing on how the contemporary Bay Region Style is related the particular nostalgic sensitivities of
Bay Area communities; and how the ongoing evolution addresses universal human needs.
Level
Description
Criteria
Student
can
….
70% or more correct answers indicates
Proficiency
Students may understand … 50% or more correct answers
Developing
but cannot ….
Students cannot …., and
less than 49% correct answers
No Evidence
cannot …..
Course SLOs:
IV.F. Predict how Bay Region architecture will evolve further in the future.
Assessment Methods:
IV.F.: Written research paper that predicts how the Bay Region architecture will evolve in the next decade based upon social,
economic, and technological forces in play today.
Level
Description
Criteria
Student can ….
at least 3 predictions are made and substantively supported with compelling
Proficiency
evidence.
Students may understand … at least 3 predictions are made, but support is weak
Developing
but cannot ….
Students cannot …., and
predictions are not credible nor supported in any relevant way
No Evidence
cannot …..