General Education Annual Course Assessment Form
Course Number/Title: KIN 169, Diversity, Stress & Health
GE Area
Results reported for AY
# of sections 5
2011-2012
S
# of instructors 3
Course Coordinator: Matthew A. Masucci
E-mail: matthew.masucci@sjsu.edu
Department Chair: Shirley Reekie
College: CASA
Part 1: To be completed by the course coordinator:
(1) What SLO(s) were assessed for the course during the AY?
Spring/Summer 2012 – SLO #1: “Students will be able to describe how identities (i.e. religious,
gender, ethnic, racial, class, sexual orientation, disability, and/or age) are shaped by cultural and
societal influences within contexts of equality and inequality.”
(2) What were the results of the assessment of this course? What were the lessons learned from the
assessment?
Spring/Summer 2012 – SLO #1 (Assessment Data: 4 sections Spring 2012 and 1 section Summer 2012)
Spring 2012 is the first semester of the current program planning cycle.
Assessment: One way students demonstrated mastery of SLO #1 was by successful completion of a written
paper (required by all instructors) which addresses issues of identity formation as related to the specified
cultural populations. The Personal Inequality Paper requires students to tell their own stories, and report on
the stories of others, as related to the origins of personal inequities (that are linked to one’s identity); the
social, economic, and political processes involved in experienced inequities; and interventions and social
actions taken to alleviate stress and diminish or alleviate the inequities. Another interactive small group/full
class activity that students seemed to find effective in better understanding how their identities have been
shaped within larger contexts of equality and inequality involves having students, in small groups, discuss
the ways that gender and sexual orientation identities are shaped during childhood through their
experiences of playing with gender-coded toys and engaging in gender “appropriate” activities. Regarding
gender and racial identity formation and structured inequities, instructors emphasized the importance of
the media as one of the primary means of socialization and identity formation in US society, and included
small-group discussions related to how, for instance, media images of men’s and women’s bodies contribute
to how students think about their own identities and behaviors.
Lessons Learned: Using the Personal Inequality Paper as the primary measure of successful mastery of SLO
#1; 92% (122 out of 132 students) completed the assignment with a grade of C or better. One explanation
for the high rate of success with SLO #1 may be the significant amount of class time and resources
(handouts) that are used to clarify the expectations of the assignment. While it can be a challenge for some
students to see the link between their own personal identity and inequality (if they feel as though they have
not experienced prejudice, for example), the second part of the personal inequality assignment, where they
interview another person, seems to help bridge the gap between personal experience and the (inequality)
experiences of others. Further, the assignment requires students to contextualize these experiences by
linking academic literature to an understanding of the issue of identity formation.
(3) What modifications to the course, or its assessment activities or schedule, are planned for the
upcoming year? (If no modifications are planned, the course coordinator should indicate this.)
Throughout the semester, it seems important to discuss the expectations for the paper(s), and to highlight
how the issues that are discussed in the class are historically, politically, socially and economically situated.
Connecting these fundamental concepts to how the students’ papers should be written may be beneficial to
draw a direct link between comprehension and communication of ideas. One faculty member suggested
providing an on-line handout that provides clear “sign-posts” for student expectations. Another strategy the
KIN 169 instructors employ is regular discussions of pedagogical techniques, particularly important with the
sensitive content covered in Diversity, Stress, and Health. Not only do these conversations serve a practical
purpose-to exchange tips and techniques about teaching the material (what works and what does not)-but
an added benefit is to foster a community of support among the instructors, thus enhancing “buy-in” for
working toward the larger aims of Area S.
Part 2
To be completed by the department chair (with input from course coordinator as appropriate):
(4) Are all sections of the course still aligned with the area Goals, Student Learning Objectives (SLOs),
Content, Support, and Assessment? If they are not, what actions are planned?
All sections of the course are aligned with the Area S Goals, SLOs, Content, Support, and Assessment. This is
facilitated by using a common green sheet and course reader. At least two common assignments are
required in all sections of the course including: A Personal Inequality Paper, and the Scholarly Research
Paper. Since only 3-5 instructors regularly teach KIN 169, coordination of the course has been fairly
uncomplicated. The instructors meet formally (pre and post-semester meetings) and informally to share
teaching strategies, discuss alignment with GE objectives, and plan assessment of the class. As new
instructors begin to teach KIN 169, a formal orientation will help to maintain the current level of
consistency. In addition, the department has a standing general education committee that meets regularly
throughout the semester and is tasked with administration of the departmental GE offerings.