STUDENT OUTCOMES ASSESSMENT PLAN: ANTHROPOLOGY
2009
University of Northern Iowa
Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Criminology
Bachelor of Arts: Anthropology
I.
Departmental Philosophy of Student Outcomes Assessment: Anthropology
The Student Outcomes Assessment Plan for the Anthropology Program is designed to help
Anthropology faculty identify strengths and weaknesses in the overall program on the basis of
student achievement. The Student Assessment Plan centers on evaluating skills and perspectives
that are not easily evaluated through successful course completion alone. These include skills
and understandings that have applications related both to responsible living and to success in the
working world, regardless of whether or not the student plans a career in anthropology. Our plan
helps to guide us as we make program changes to enhance the learning of our students.
Our SOA plan is twofold. It uses both an indirect and a direct method of assessment. Each year
one or the other of these methods will be implemented. At the end of each academic year the
anthropology faculty will meet to determine which of the two methods will be used during the
upcoming academic year. Our decision will be based on our evaluation of what we have learned
from the most recent assessment. Each year one faculty member will volunteer to direct the
assessment procedure for that year, from beginning to end.
The indirect method utilizes a questionnaire given to advanced students. This is followed by a
group discussion with the faculty members. We used this procedure from 2003-2008. Our
direct method is a pre-test/post-test procedure that evaluates improvement in anthropological
understanding as students enter our program and as they complete it. We began this procedure
during the 2008-2009 academic year. Because we have a small number of majors, we expect to
implement the direct procedure for several years, as we did the indirect procedure. This
repetition will produce data on a large enough sample of our students so that we may assess their
overall achievement with confidence and make plans accordingly.
II.
Methods of Assessment
A. INDIRECT METHOD OF ASSESSMENT:
A QUESTIONAIRE AND DISCUSSION WITH FACULTY (2003-2008)
Our Student Outcomes Assessment Plan involves an indirect method that uses a two-part
approach to collect information from senior anthropology majors. One faculty member will
organize this evaluation and write up the results.
PROCEDURE: During the semester of assessment, anthropology faculty members will identify
the class that has the greatest number of senior anthropology majors in it. First, the students in
this class will complete a questionnaire (Appendix 1) explicitly designed to help assess their
achievement of each of our four Anthropology Program Outcomes. The questionnaire also
identifies students by class level, major and minor fields, and level of interest in graduate study.
In addition, a space is provided for students to write comments about their experiences as
anthropology students. Second, anthropology faculty members will lead these students in a
discussion that emphasizes the four outcomes of the Anthropology Program. They will pose
some questions that expand on questionnaire items and others that are open-ended to give
students the opportunity to discuss aspects of the program that they feel are good or to freely
express their concern regarding areas that need improvement. One faculty member will
volunteer to take notes on this discussion. These will be summarized and given to faculty
members in preparation for their follow up meeting (see below).
B. DIRECT METHOD OF ASSESSMENT:
A PRE-TEST/ POST-TEST (first implemented 2008-2009)
The pre-test/post-test program is a supplement to our SOA procedure of administering a
questionnaire to advanced students, followed by a discussion with students and faculty members.
The questionnaire/discussion procedure provides an indirect measure of student outcomes and
the pre-test/post-test procedure provides a direct measure.
The anthropology faculty has devised a single pre-test and post-test (Appendix 2) to be
administered anonymously to beginning, intermediate, and advanced students in anthropology
classes. This test is a multiple-choice test of 20 questions representative of all four subdisciplines of anthropology: biological anthropology, archaeology, linguistic anthropology, and
cultural anthropology. Correctly answered questions by advanced anthropology students reflect
success in the achievement of certain of the outcomes and competencies described in Section IV,
and tabulated in Appendix 3.
PROCEDURE: Early in the fall semester we will administer this test as a pre-test to all of our
students in our introductory classes in anthropology: Human Origins (990:010) and Culture,
Nature, and Society (990:011). Students with no courses in anthropology serve as our control
group. Late in the spring semester we will administer the same test as a post-test to all students
in advanced classes in anthropology.
As indicated in Appendix 2, all students will identify themselves by class (Freshman,
Sophomore, Junior, or Senior). They also will indicate whether or not they are majoring or
minoring in anthropology. They will note how many anthropology classes they have had.
Transfer-student status also will be tracked. Analysis of the results of this test along these
dimensions will give us useful information on student learning through their years at UNI. The
analytical procedures and tables from the SOA report of 2009 will be used as a template to make
reports comparable from year to year.
Our minimum expectation is that senior anthropology majors with multiple anthropology classes
taken should be able to pass this test with a 60% or better. After several years of administering
this test to our small number of advanced majors, we expect to see improvements in overall
scores as we take measures to address weak areas in student learning.
We have found our yearly discussion with advanced students helpful. Therefore, starting in
2010, we will add an open-ended discussion with our students to our assessment program. The
form of this meeting is described above, as the second step in the procedures of the indirect
method of assessment.
III. Follow Up for Both the Direct and Indirect SOA Procedures
During the spring semester, the faculty member who headed up the evaluation for that year,
whether it took the form of the direct or the indirect procedure, will compile the results to be
reviewed by all anthropology faculty members. The entire anthropology faculty will then meet
together to assess strengths and weaknesses that show up in the data and will make plans to
improve areas of weakness and to maintain and improve areas of strength. They will implement
any needed improvements in the program by the following semester. They will also discuss the
improvements that were made as a result of the assessment from the previous academic year. The
individual leading the assessment for that year will write a report that summarizes program
changes made since the previous year’s SOA, the results of the current SOA, comparisons with
the results of previous SOAs, and plans for program improvement. The full report will be sent to
the department chair who then will share it with the college dean. A copy will be kept in a file in
the departmental office so that progress can be evaluated through time.
At the beginning of each fall semester, we will meet as a faculty in a mini-retreat. We will
discuss many aspects of our program, including how SOA results will inform modifications in
our classes or curriculum.
III.
Outcomes and Competencies
OUTCOME I.
Anthropology students will understand the nature of the
anthropological perspective including the history, theory and methods of the four major
sub-fields (Cultural Anthropology, Linguistic Anthropology, Archaeology and Biological
Anthropology).
Competency 1.1
Be familiar with major anthropological theories and historical figures in:
Cultural Anthropology, Linguistic Anthropology, Archaeology, Biological Anthropology.
Competency 1.2
Be able to understand cultural relativism and the holistic perspective.
Competency 1.3
Have experience with the methods of anthropological research.
Competency 1.4
Be able to explain to an individual who has not studied archaeology why
the common practice of collecting artifacts found in the woods is wrong from a scientific, ethical
and often legal perspective.
Competency 1.5
human species.
Be able to articulate evolutionary change as it relates to the origin of the
Competency 1.6
Be able to give specific examples of how differences in communication
patterns can lead to cross-cultural misunderstanding or hostility.
OUTCOME II.
Anthropology students will be able to apply the anthropological
perspective to a critical understanding of themselves and the world in which they live.
Competency 2.1
Be able to articulate how studying anthropology has increased awareness
of how the student’s beliefs and behaviors are shaped by culture.
Competency 2.2
Be able to discuss how culture, biology and the environment interact in
shaping human behavior.
Competency 2.3
behavior.
Be critical when it comes to interpreting generalizations about human
Competency 2.4
Be able to relate and critically apply anthropological knowledge in a
variety of situations outside of the classroom.
OUTCOME III.
Anthropology students will be able to relate Anthropology to their
career and future goals.
Competency 3.1
Be able to explain to their prospective employers with confidence how
what they have learned in anthropology will help them do an excellent job.
Competency 3.2
To be well prepared to pursue graduate-level training.
Competency 3.3
goals.
To be able to use their anthropological knowledge to clarify their career
OUTCOME IV.
Anthropology students will possess the capability to conduct library
research, to communicate verbally and to write in the form according to the standards of
the discipline.
Competency 4.1
audiences.
Be able to produce a written document for a variety of appropriate
Competency 4.2
Be able to use a variety of library resources (both print and electronic) that
can be used to research anthropological topics.
Competency 4.3
Be able to orally present research or ideas comfortably and competently.
Appendix 1
ANTHROPOLOGY
STUDENT OUTCOMES ASSESSMENT QUESTIONNAIRE
This questionnaire seeks your input into how well our program in Anthropology is achieving its goals. Please
answer as honestly as possible; your individual responses will be kept confidential.
This is not a test; we are seeking your opinion as to how well you think you have achieved or experienced the
program goals. With that in mind, please rate each of the following statements to indicate how well it describes you
or your experiences in the Anthropology program. Please circle your responses below. [SA for “strongly agree,”
A for “agree,” N for “neither agree nor disagree,” D for “disagree,” or SD for “strongly disagree.”]
1. I am familiar with some major anthropological theories and historical figures in:
- Cultural Anthropology
SA
A
N
D
SD
- Linguistic Anthropology
SA
A
N
D
SD
- Archaeology
SA
A
N
D
SD
- Biological Anthropology
SA
A
N
D
SD
2. I can explain why the holistic perspective is very useful for an anthropologist and I can use a
specific example to illustrate how the holistic perspective helps anthropologists in their research.
SA
A
N
D
SD
3. I understand what cultural relativism is and I can explain to my friends how cultural
relativism helps us appreciate cultural diversity around the world.
SA
A
N
D
SD
4. I have had experience with the following methods for doing anthropological research: (rate
each separately).
- participant observation
YES
NO
- interviews
YES
NO
- transcribing and analyzing speech events
YES
NO
- archaeological survey and excavation
YES
NO
5. I can explain to an individual who has not studied archaeology why the common practice of
collecting artifacts found in the woods is wrong from a scientific, ethical and often legal
perspective.
SA
A
N
D
SD
6. I can explain evolutionary change as it relates to the origin of the human species.
SA
A
N
D
SD
7. I can give specific examples of how differences in communication patterns can lead to crosscultural misunderstanding or hostility.
SA
A
N
D
SD
8. Studying anthropology has made me more aware of how my own beliefs and behaviors are
shaped by culture.
SA
A
N
D
SD
9. I can discuss how culture, biology and the environment interact in shaping human behavior.
SA
A
N
D
SD
10. When someone makes a generalization about human behavior, I think about whether their
statement is accurate for all human beings or only applies to people from Western or
industrialized nations.
SA
A
N
D
SD
11. I sometimes watch television shows, read books, magazines, journals or novels on my own
that relate to anthropology.
SA
A
N
D
SD
12. I can name at least three occasions when anthropological knowledge has helped me to
interpret the news, to discuss political or social issues, or to interact with someone from another
cultural group that is not my own.
SA
A
N
D
SD
13. If I were applying for a job outside of the field of anthropology, I could explain to my
prospective employers with confidence how what I have learned in anthropology will help me do
an excellent job.
SA
A
N
D
SD
14. I am well prepared to pursue graduate-level training.
SA
A
N
D
SD
15. Studying anthropology has helped me clarify my career goals.
SA
A
N
D
SD
16. I have been asked to complete several different types of writing assignments in my
anthropology courses (for example: annotated bibliography, abstract, literature review, library
research paper, analysis of data, or opinion paper)
SA
A
N
D
SD
17. For the research projects in my anthropology courses, I usually consult five or more
scholarly journal articles or books.
SA
A
N
D
SD
18. I am familiar with a variety of library resources (both print and electronic) that can be used
to research anthropological topics.
SA
A
N
D
SD
19. I am comfortable and competent at orally presenting my research or ideas.
SA
A
N
D
SD
20. Writing papers for my anthropology classes has significantly contributed to my learning.
SA
A
N
D
SD
21. Which of the four sub-disciplines first attracted you to anthropology?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Cultural anthropology
Linguistic anthropology
Archaeology
Biological anthropology
22. Which of the four sub-disciplines are you most interested in now?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Cultural anthropology
Linguistic anthropology
Archaeology
Biological anthropology
** Thinking about your overall experience in the Anthropology Program (please respond to both
of the following questions in the space below):
- What were the most valuable elements of your experience?
- What improvements would you suggest?
=====================================================================
What is your Major(s)?
What is your Minor(s)?
When is your expected date of graduation? Month
Year
What is your sex? (check one)
Female
Male
What is your (approximate) GPA?
Do you plan to attend graduate school? (check one)
Yes, I have applied
Yes, I have been accepted
Maybe
No, it is unlikely
Appendix 2
Anonymous Test of Achievement in Anthropology
Instructions for Students
The following test covers certain basic principles in anthropology. This is a survey test and will
not influence your grade. It has been devised to help faculty members assess the achievement
of anthropology students at U.N.I. and to make improvements where needed. Please answer
these questions as well as you can, but understand that you are not expected to know all of the
answers, particularly if you are a beginning student with little background in anthropology.
DO NOT PUT YOUR NAME ON THIS TEST. USE A #2 PENCIL.
PLEASE FILL IN THE “SPECIAL CODES” AS FOLLOWS:
K: CLASS RANK
0= OTHER
1= FRESHMAN
2= SOPHOMORE
3= JUNIOR
4= SENIOR
L: MAJOR OR MINOR
0= UNDECIDED
1= ANTHROPOLOGY MAJOR
2= ANTHROPOLOGY MINOR
3= OTHER
M: THIS CLASS IS
0= CULTURE, NATURE, AND SOCIETY
1= HUMAN ORIGINS
2= AN UPPER DIVISION ANTHROPOLOGY CLASS
N: NUMBER OF ANTHROPOLOGY CLASSES YOU HAVE TAKEN
0= NONE
1= ONE
2= TWO
3= THREE OR MORE
O: TRANSFER STUDENT STATUS
0= NOT A TRANSFER
1= TRANSFER FROM A COMMUNITY COLLEGE
2= TRANSFER FROM A FOUR-YEAR COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY
P: IS THIS AN HONORS CLASS?
0= NO
1= YES
ANTHROPOLOGY QUESTIONS
1. Which of the following materials is least likely to be preserved and found by
archaeologists?
a.
b.
c.
d.
beans from a storage-pit in a 1,000 year-old camp site in the Amazon
ceramic bowls from a Classic Maya burial in Mexico
700 year-old corn cobs from a cliff-dwelling in Arizona
10,000 year-old projectile points from a kill site in Colorado
2. Archaeologists have been especially successful in studies of which of the following
issues:
a.
b.
c.
d.
change over time in subsistence systems
cross-cultural differences in body language
the enigmatic extinctions of dinosaurs
the role of mythology in prehistoric cultures
3. The traditional archaeological theory concerning the earliest humans in the New World
suggests they migrated
a. from Africa about 1.3 million years ago, in simple, but effective, reed boats.
b. from Northeast Asia by about 15,000 years ago, on foot.
c. from South Asia (India/Pakistan), island-hopping by boat, and reaching
South America by about 2,000 years ago.
d. from Spain in 1492, when Columbus sailed the ocean blue.
4. The best archaeological technique for exploring a settlement system would be
a.
b.
c.
d.
coring.
excavation.
survey.
underwater exploration.
5. Which of the following characteristics is not necessarily present in complex
cultures (civilizations), as archaeologists traditionally define them?
a.
b.
c.
d.
centralized government
metallurgy
social stratification
specialization of labor
6. A holistic approach to the study of humans means that anthropologists
a.
b.
c.
d.
concentrate only on the social customs of the group under study.
study all varieties of people and all aspects of their existence.
limit themselves to the study of religious leaders.
only study literate societies.
7. Participant observation refers to
a. the use of a laboratory to standardize measurement.
b. the observation of how people interact in carefully contrived situations.
c. the employment of natives to gather information from their peers for
the anthropologist to study.
d. the practice of immersing oneself in the language and customs of a society.
8. For a human understanding to be cultural, it must be
a.
b.
c.
d.
innate.
learned and commonly shared.
unchanging.
independent of environmental or material influences.
9. The belief that one's own way of life is absolutely superior to all others is
a.
b.
c.
d.
ethnocentrism.
cultural relativism.
egocentrism.
ethnic-centeredness.
10. Every 5-10 years members of the Tsembaga have elaborate rituals that involve the
slaughter of hundreds of pigs. Pigs are seldom eaten, but they help keep residential areas clean
and help prepare the soil for planting. Problems arise when the pig population gets too large.
The periodic ritual killing reduces the surplus pig population. This analysis is based upon which
of the following explanatory frameworks:
a.
b.
c.
d.
historical particularism
cultural ecology
structural functionalism
sociobiology
11. The “Grammar of Context” is
a. a technique used in linguistic anthropology to describe and understand
speech events.
b. a technique used in archaeology to determine the location of artifacts.
c. a concept used in understanding child rearing patterns in different cultures.
d. a set of rules used to correct improper behavior in ritual cultures.
12. Complimenting someone is an example of
a. communicative competence.
b. involvement politeness.
c. interactional sensitivity.
d. cultural relativism.
13. According to recent linguistic research, which is the primary cause of misunderstanding and
hostility between Korean-American retailers and their African-American customers?
a. The Korean-Americans are open and friendly with their own ethnic group but are
less open with members of other ethnic groups.
b. The African-Americans resent the Korean-Americans’ inability to speak English.
c. The two groups have differing concepts of politeness and friendliness, so each
group perceives the other as behaving rudely.
d. The two groups have different expectations of pause length, so that the AfricanAmericans feel they are constantly being interrupted.
14. Anthropological research with differing groups around the world has shown that
a. “baby talk” (simplified speech addressed to infants) is a human universal.
b. children who are not exposed to baby talk develop poor language skills.
c. the use of baby talk varies depending on cultural ideas about children’s
development.
d. baby talk is harmful to children’s language development.
15. Which of the following would be the most useful databases for finding information about
linguistic anthropology and speech communication in various cultural groups?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Education Full Text, ERIC, and ExpandedAcademicASAP
LLBA, PsychInfo, and ComAbstracts
Anthropological Digest and College Source Online
JSTOR, EthnicNewsWatch, and International Communication Index
16. Of the following names and concepts, which were the MOST influential to Darwin in the
development of his theoretical premise on evolution?
a. Malthus and his social study of population growth
b. Mendel and his theory of particulate inheritance
c. Weismann and his germ plasm theory
d. Paley and his argument by design
17. Speciation by means of natural selection is a result of
a. a constant struggle for existence by those who possess the most successful
god-given talents and pass them on through the act of parthenogenesis.
b. a fierce competition for social success by those organisms who possess the
most advanced and best traits and subsequently use them to survive and reproduce.
c. a monogenetic descent from a divine ancestral line.
d. environmental fluctuations followed by biological change in which adaptive
traits become inherited.
18. Paleoanthropological knowledge is BEST gained from studying
a. fossilized skeletal hominid remains and the social behavior of non-human primates.
b. the fossil and archaeological records of modern Homo sapiens.
c. ethnographic reconstruction based on experimental archaeology.
d. accounts of the past based on paleoecological reconstructions.
19. What are the major ecological events and physiological adaptations that have shaped early
hominid evolution?
a. continental drift, environmental diversification, bipedalism, increased cranial capacity
b. descending from the trees, dietary change to savanna habitat, large canines
c. tectonic activity, opposable thumbs and farming
d. a global cooling and drying trend lasting millions of years, binocular
stereoscopic vision
20. Lines of genetic, fossil and archaeological evidence corroborate
a. that anatomically modern Homo sapiens first evolved in Africa roughly two hundred
thousand years ago.
b. that anatomically modern Homo sapiens first evolved in Africa roughly two million
years ago.
c. that anatomically modern Homo sapiens first evolved in Asia roughly one million
years ago.
d. that Australopithecus africanus migrated out of Africa roughly two million years ago.
LINKS BETWEEN OUTCOMES
AND ASSESSMENT TOOLS
APPENDIX 3
OUTCOMES
Q
Q
P
P
P
P
P
P
3
5
10
12
16
20
6
9
1
4
7
11
12
18
18
19
20
14
18
19
OUTCOME 1
COMPETENCY 1.1
1
COMPETENCY 1.2
2
COMPETENCY 1.3
4
COMPETENCY 1.4
5
COMPETENCY 1.5
6
17
COMPETENCY 1.6
7
13
COMPETENCY 2.1
8
8
9
COMPETENCY 2.2
9
2
6
10
COMPETENCY 2.3
10
5
8
14
COMPETENCY 2.4
12
1
9
3
OUTCOME 11
OUTCOME 111
COMPETENCY 3.1
13
COMPETENCY 3.2
14
COMPETENCY 3.3
15
OUTCOME 1V
COMPETENCY 4.1
16
COMPETENCY 4.2
17
COMPETENCY 4.3
19
18
15
KEY: Q = QUESTION ON QUESTIONNAIRE
P = QUESTION ON PRE/POST TEST