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Gianluca Di Muzio
Chair
Department of History, Philosophy, Political Science and Religious Studies
gdimuzio@iun.edu; (219) 980-6669
REPORT
Assessing the achievement of the Breadth of Learning general education
outcomes in PHIL-P 100 and HIST-H 105
Purpose
In the Spring of 2012, I conducted a study on two sections (45 students) of PHIL-P 100 (Introduction to
Philosophy) and two sections (55 students) of HIST-H-105 (American History I), to determine whether our
students met at least two of our Breadth of Learning outcomes. The outcomes were the following:
Arts and Humanities IU Northwest graduates will:
 Articulate how intellectual traditions from diverse parts of the world shape present cultures.
 Demonstrate an understanding of a broad range of significant literary, philosophical, historical,
linguistic, or religious works and approaches.
Method
I designed two forms with tests to be administered at the end of each course (complete copies of the forms
are in the Appendix below). Each test consisted of four questions. I scored both tests on the basis of the
following scale:
Quality of Response
Very good knowledge
Good knowledge
Some knowledge
No knowledge, no answer, or facetious answer
Points
3
2
1
0
Findings for PHIL-P 100
Questions
1. In your journey through philosophy so far, what different people, places
and times have you become familiar with? For example: Socrates – Greece
– Classical Antiquity. Mention as many as you can.
2. List as many philosophical theories as you can remember. For example:
skepticism.
3. Mention your three favorite philosophical theories and give a brief but
complete summary of each.
4. Explain how philosophical ideas may influence the way we think and
live today.
Overall Average
Students’ Average Scores
1.64
2.33
2.06
1.95
1.995
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Findings for HIST-H 105
Questions
1. What different nations and cultures played an important role during the
establishment and development of the United States of America? Mention
as many as you can think of! (Example: Native Americans).
2. What ideas and currents of thought shaped the course of American
history and inspired American leaders? (Example: the French
Enlightenment)
3. Among the historical, literary, philosophical, or religious documents you
have studied for this course, which ones struck you as the most
important? Discuss the significance of at least three documents below.
4. What was the role and significance of religion in the development of
American life and politics?
Overall Average
Students’ Average Scores
2.03
1.63
1.76
1.52
1.735
Analysis and Plan for PHIL-P 100
The results for PHIL-P 100 were encouraging. The overall average is extremely close to 2, which is equivalent to
good knowledge in the scale I used. Question 1 had a significantly lower average than the other three. This
indicates that our students have some difficulty arranging philosophers in a timeline and placing them in their
respective geographic areas. My plan for the future is to ask all PHIL-P 100 instructors to incorporate a timeline
assignment in all sections of the course. By assigning each philosopher to his or her proper time and place,
students will become better able to relate philosophical ideas to historical events. They will also form a better
understanding of the role of culture in the formulation of philosophical theories.
Analysis and Plan for HIST-H 105
In HIST-H 105, answers to questions 2, 3, and 4 displayed mildly disappointing averages. Many student answers
suffered from a lack of specificity. For example, in answering the fourth question, several students stated that
religious ideas had a very significant impact on the development of the American nation, but could not provide
specific examples. The average for question 2 seems to indicate that some students had difficulty relating
historical events to the ideologies that played a role in shaping them. My plan is to work with all our HIST-H
105 instructors to craft some new learning experiences for our students. These experiences should be
designed to help students form a more precise understanding of the role of ideas in the origin and early
development of the American nation. For example, students could be asked to complete a “what if”
assignment, imagining the direction American history could have taken if completely different ideas had made
their way into the Constitution and into the political debate of the late 1700s and the early 1800s.
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APPENDIX
Form used for PHIL-P 100
Greetings PHIL-P 100 Students!
I am the Chair of Philosophy and I have asked your instructor to have you do this extra credit assignment. The
questions on this sheet are designed to help us measure how well we are helping our students meet IU
Northwest’s General Education Requirements. Thank you for your help as we strive to provide all IU Northwest
students with an enriching and satisfying educational experience.
Gianluca Di Muzio, Ph.D. – Chair – Dept. of History, Philosophy, Political Science and Religious Studies
(219) 980-6669 – gdimuzio@iun.edu
First, some information about you (please circle your answers):
Gender:
Male
Female
Age:
18-22
22-30
30-40
40-50
50 and above
Year:
Freshman
Sophomore
Junior
Senior
Other
Major:
______________________
Current GPA:
___________
First generation college student?
Yes
No
Now some questions about what you are learning in this course:
1) In your journey through philosophy so far, what different people, places and times have you
become familiar with? For example: Socrates – Greece – Classical Antiquity. Mention as many as you
can!
Person
Socrates
Place
Greece
Time
Classical Antiquity
2) List as many philosophical theories as you can remember. For example: skepticism.
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3) Mention your three favorite philosophical theories and give a brief but complete summary of each.
4) Explain how philosophical ideas may influence the way we think and live today.
5
Form used for HIST-H 105
Greetings HIST-H 105 Students!
I am the Chair of History and I have asked your instructor to have you do this extra credit assignment. The
questions on this sheet are designed to help us measure how well we are helping our students meet IU
Northwest’s General Education Requirements. Thank you for your help as we strive to provide all IU Northwest
students with an enriching and satisfying educational experience.
Gianluca Di Muzio, Ph.D. – Chair – Dept. of History, Philosophy, Political Science and Religious Studies
(219) 980-6669 – gdimuzio@iun.edu
First, some information about you (please circle your answers):
Gender:
Male
Female
Age:
18-22
23-30
31-40
41-50
51 and above
Year:
Freshman
Sophomore
Junior
Senior
Other
Major:
______________________
Current GPA:
___________
First generation college student?
Yes
No
Now some questions about what you are learning in this course:
1) What different nations and cultures played an important role during the establishment and development of
the United States of America? Mention as many as you can think of! (Example: Native Americans).
2) What ideas and currents of thought shaped the course of American history and inspired American leaders?
(Example: the French Enlightenment)
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3) Among the historical, literary, philosophical, or religious documents you have studied for this course, which
ones struck you as the most important? Discuss the significance of at least three documents below.
4) What was the role and significance of religion in the development of American life and politics?