Assessment Report
Department of International and Global Studies
May 2015
In the spring quarter 2015 the Department worked on conceptualizing assessment plan
and on outlining steps for its implementation. The major goal was to create assessment
procedures that would be regular, productive, and not overly time consuming. Another
reason for conducting a new assessment plan was related to the Department’s rethinking
of its curriculum after changing its name and the need to address the increased student
interest in international and global studies. Evguenia Davidova was charged with
preliminary research and collecting materials, conducting interviews, drafting a
curriculum map, and scheduling Assessment Committee meetings.
In pursuing this goal, Davidova looked at three sets of existing resources: university-wide
learning outcomes; department’s previous work on assessment (a draft assessment plan
from 2012); other PSU departments’ practices with assessment. The latter included
conversations and consultations with colleagues in the Anthropology Department;
Women Studies Department; the Honors Program; University Studies; the Interim
Director and the new assessment specialist at the Office of Academic Innovation. In
addition, the Department collected the existing syllabi of core courses and created a
shared folder in a Google Drive. The most helpful suggestions and ideas can be
summarized as follows:





First, to include a mix of both general learning goals, such as communication
(written and oral); critical thinking (arguments, evaluation, and library research)
as well as specific to the Department expectations for student learning;
Second, to create a curriculum map that relates in a meaningful way the
departmental learning goals to core courses;
Third, to outline a plan for beginning the assessment cycle that is not cumbersome
and engages all faculty in reflecting on shared pedagogical practices and
conceptual approaches that benefit our students;
Fourth, to acknowledge that not every assignment and course will meet all aspects
of every goal;
Fifth, to understand that the UNST cross-listed and U courses require a different
type of assessment because they are offered to both INTL and non-INTL students
and need to address the four UNST learning goals.
The Assessment Committee (consisting of Kim Brown, Chip Long, Shawn Smallman;
joined by Evguenia Davidova) met on May 11, 2015 to discuss the initial steps (please
see below) and the draft of the curriculum map of the core courses. As a way to begin the
assessment process, the following steps were articulated:
1. Formulating INTL programmatic learning goals.
2. Linking those goals to INTL curriculum.
3. Connecting those goals to changed name and possible change of college home.
4. Creating a curriculum map, which explicitly and implicitly addresses basic skills,
competencies, and attitudes.
5. Choosing a goal to assess.
6. Selecting a core course to assess and create a class portfolio (syllabus; handouts
of all assignments and tests; 5 student work samples; grade distribution for that
particular assignment). Potential best candidates to begin the assessment cycle
are: INTL 201 or INTL 390.
7. Creating a rubric for that goal.
8. Evaluating the portfolio with this rubric.
9. Making modifications to goals, rubrics.
10. Writing a yearly report.
The Assessment Committee discussed and adopted an INTL Curriculum Map that
consists of 4 main goals and 5 subcategories. In the grid below the goals and the core
courses are connected in such a way that visually express what are our expectations for
student learning at the various programmatic levels. For each goal there will be a specific
assessment rubric. Communication and critical thinking are goals that are shared and
assessed in most departments across campus. Intercultural competency, though, is a more
specific to INTL learning goals and includes not only understanding and appreciation of
the value of each culture but also identifying the challenges that world cultures meet in
the era of globalization. Moreover, this goal involves acceptance of cultural difference,
tolerance of cultural ambiguity, and aspiration to become an engaged and responsible
“global citizen.” The last goal, Interdiciplinarity and comparative perspectives,
encompasses understanding economy, politics, history, culture, and society within a
global and comparative framework as well as the rich interdisciplinary academic field of
International Studies. All goals entail academic as well as professional/pragmatic aspects
encouraging students to continue their education at graduate level, to seek for internships,
and to find jobs in international, national, and regional settings.
Department of Global and International Studies Curriculum Map: Relating Departmental Learning
Goals to Core Courses
Skills and
Competency
Categories
Courses
Intl 201
Intl 2xx
Intl 390
Intl 396
Intl 407
Intl 471
Intl 499
Communication
a. Writing
Communication
b. Oral
Critical Thinking
a. Arguments
Critical Thinking
b. Evaluation
Critical Thinking
c. Library Skills
Intercultural
Competence
Now
Now
Now
Now
Now
Now
Future
Future
Future
Future
Future
Future
The Assessment Committee decided that the first goal to be assessed at the end of the
next academic year (2015/2016) would be writing. There was an agreement that student
writing needs more attention. The Committee decided to explore and possibly adapt the
existing UNST writing rubric. The Committee also chose INTL 201, as a course offered
throughout the year, to be assessed at the end of spring term 2016. We will create a
Interdisciplinarity
Comparative
Perspective
Now Future
portfolio, which will consist of all syllabi (the course is taught by multiple instructors),
handouts of all assignments and tests required in each course; and 5-student work
samples from one assignment from each course. Basically, the assessment process will
comprise two types of written documentation: the instructor’s materials and the student
samples.
At the end of the year all faculty will read these portfolios and will score them, according
to a specific rubric (please see below). After completing the assessment, we will discuss
if there is a need to adjust the rubric and/or the goal. We will also have a conversation as
to how this class fits into the curriculum map and our overarching goals. The yearly
reports will be posted on our web site.
The Assessment Committee (Kim Brown, Chip Long, Shawn Smallman; joined by
Evguenia Davidova) also met on June 2, 2015 and adopted elements from the UNST
writing rubric that fit to the INTL writing expectations.
INTL Writing Rubric
Context, Audience,
Purpose
Organization and
Structure
Grammar and
Mechanics
Does not meet (0)
Meets (1)
Exceeds (2)
In addition, the Committee discussed the editing of the INTL learning outcomes. It was
decided that the 11 outcomes in the draft to be collapsed into 5 or 6 and to be posted
separately on the INTL web site as a guiding tool for both instructors and students. Kim
Brown was charged with the task. The Committee discussed that it is desirable but not
required for faculty to include explicitly some of the INTL learning outcomes in their
syllabi.