Central Washington University
Assessment of Student Learning
Department and Program Report
Academic Year of Report: 2013
Department: English
College: Arts and Humanities
Program: English Language and Literature Major
1. What student learning outcomes were assessed this year, and why?
a. Students will demonstrate their writing competence by successfully meeting the rhetorical needs of
situations requiring the application of a variety of genres and styles.
We assessed one very specific part of this outcome. Faculty who teach ENG 489, Senior Colloquium,
have noted that students in our Writing Specialization have difficulty finding an appropriate literary
analysis paper for their senior portfolio. Since the course involves revising papers, they are usually able
to expand a weak example that may come from one of our gateway courses, but the initial difficulty
suggests that students in the specialization may not be writing enough analytical papers during their
program.
b. Students will acquire lifelong learning skills, a wide-ranging appreciation for literature, and
the disposition to read and write critically.
This outcome was first measured in 2010-2011, the last year of our old curriculum. A major
curriculum went into effect for 2011-12, and we want to see if there have been changes.
2. How were they assessed?
a. We require a minimum of one literary analysis for the portfolio, and we tracked the number of Writing
Specialization students unable to produce a suitable example for their portfolio. Twenty-one Writing
Specialization students completed portfolios in the 2012-2013 academic year.
b. All students in our portfolio class are required to complete a senior survey. Four questions relating to
this outcome were included in the survey. Forty-two returned surveys were assessed for 2012-13,
including twenty English Language and Literature majors and twenty-two Writing Specialization majors.
Note: the 2011 results were from a much smaller sample, one section vs. four sections.
3. What was learned?
a. Out of twenty-one students, four had difficulty providing a suitable literary analysis for their portfolio.
There may be multiple reasons for this. First, students do not always keep papers from classes, despite
regular reminders that they should. Second, students in the Writing Specialization take two required
gateway literature courses and three electives from literature, film, and linguistics courses. Papers from
the gateway courses are less suitable because they do not reflect student abilities after completing a
substantial part of the program, and some approved electives do not require a literary analysis.
b. Our criterion for achievement is that 90% of our students will report that they will be more
likely or much more likely to engage in each of these reading and writing practices after they
graduate. The charts below show results for each question.
Comparison of 2011 - 2013 Results
Thinking back about your attitudes before entering the
program, are you currently more likely to:
16. Read critically, recognizing the impact of
ideology, culture, ethnicity, and gender in the
production and reception of texts?
17. Appreciate the formal and stylistic
achievements of authors from multiple traditions
around the world and from multiple periods in time?
18. Continue learning and reading widely after
you finish your degree?
About
Less
the
Likely same
2010-11
2012-13
3%
2010-11
2012-13
2010-11
2012-13
3%
2010-11
2012-13
11%
3%
6%
Much Comb.
More More More
Likely Likely Likely
34%
66% 100%
23%
32%
42%
74%
22%
44%
33%
77%
6%
22%
19%
45%
44%
6%
45%
33%
68%
90%
77%
74%
13%
22%
26%
67%
58%
89%
84%
Thinking again about your attitudes before entering
the program, are you now likely to spend more time:
19. Revising, editing, and proofreading your own
writing for clarity, style, and correctness?
2013 Results by Specialization
Thinking back about your attitudes before entering the
program, are you currently more likely to:
16. Read critically, recognizing the impact of
ideology, culture, ethnicity, and gender in the
production and reception of texts?
17. Appreciate the formal and stylistic
achievements of authors from multiple traditions
around the world and from multiple periods in time?
18. Continue learning and reading widely after
you finish your degree?
About
Less
the
Likely same
Lang &
Lit
Writing
Lang &
Lit
Writing
Lang &
Lit
Writing
Lang &
Lit
Writing
Much
More More
Likely Likely
Comb.
More
Likely
0%
9%
15%
27%
40%
27%
45%
36%
85%
64%
0%
9%
5%
5%
50%
41%
45%
45%
95%
86%
0%
14%
30%
5%
5%
9%
65%
73%
70%
82%
0%
5%
20%
5%
20%
36%
60%
55%
80%
91%
Thinking again about your attitudes before entering
the program, are you now likely to spend more time:
19. Revising, editing, and proofreading your own
writing for clarity, style, and correctness?
Given that the 2010-11 sample was very small, the differences between the two years may not be
meaningful. Two of the questions fall into the same range, and two are substantially different. Only one
of the questions reaches the criterion of 90%.
Breaking down the numbers by program may be more productive. It is perhaps unsurprising that English
Language and Literature students had higher numbers for questions about literary analysis, and that
Writing Specialization students seem to have developed a stronger ethos of revision. It is somewhat
surprising that fewer Language and Literature students said that they were more likely to continue
learning and reading widely after graduation, though one Language and Literature student remarked that
he or she read widely before starting the degree, and chose the degree because of that.
4. What will the department or program do as a result of that information?
a. We will address both possible causes. First, we will reinstate our department handbook, which is
distributed to students at the beginning of the program and explains the portfolio process. Second, we
will require that Writing Specialization students take at least one course from a list of courses that require
literary analyses.
Results will be distributed to the Writing Specialization committee for recommendations, to the
department as a whole, and to the Dean of Arts and Humanities.
b. These results will be presented to the Undergraduate and Writing Specialization committees for
discussion, and they will make recommendations to the department for improving the numbers. The
results will also be shared with the Dean of Arts and Humanities. Since we are converting the Writing
Specialization to a major, we may want to reframe the questions we ask for each program.
5. What did the department or program do in response to last year’s assessment information?
Assessment data has regularly indicated that some students need more instruction and practice in
mastering grammar and writing conventions. Last year, we attempted to create a two-credit intermediate
grammar course, ENG 220, but it was rejected by the curriculum committee as too basic. We have
revised the course and are resubmitting it to the curriculum committee. We will also reinstate a
diagnostic test in one of our gateway courses to determine whether new students need the intermediate
course.
6. Questions or suggestions concerning Assessment of Student Learning at Central Washington
University: