History Department Assessment Plan
Department Mission: The History Department’s mission is to provide a historical and
analytical foundation for lifelong learning.
Department Goals: The History Department’s goals are to offer instructive classes that
build knowledge and skill sets necessary for lifelong learning, to advance citizenship
education (including fulfilling Missouri’s constitution competency requirement), to
illustrate the science and application of history, and to advise students.
Entrance & Exit
Assessments
Pre-Requisite:
1. Completing English
Composition I with a
grade of C or better.
2. Measuring pre-course
student knowledge of
history via objective
testing techniques
embedded into a
course’s foundation
examination.
Requisite: Completing
Missouri’s constitution
competency requirement
via objective testing
techniques.
Post-Requisite:
Measuring post-course
student knowledge of
history via objective
testing techniques
embedded into a
course’s final
examination.
Educational Objectives
Required Objectives
1. Building content
knowledge and skill sets.
2. Completing Missouri’s
constitution competency
requirement.
3. Satisfying the general
education competencies
of writing and valuing.
Content Objectives
1. Identifying the cultural,
economic, social, and
political elements that
shaped history and
communicating why the
elements shaped history.
2. Analyzing historical
decisions & actions and
communicating why the
decisions & actions have
influenced modern times.
Skill Objectives
1. Improving thinking,
reading, writing, listening,
and speaking skill sets.
2. Applying history to
analyze current issues,
decisions, and actions.
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Assessment Method &
Criteria
Method: Evaluating
knowledge/skill
development, constitution
content mastery, and the
general education
competencies via student
conferences, objective
testing techniques, and
written, oral, and group
projects.
Criteria: Evaluating
knowledge/skill
development, constitution
content mastery, and the
general education
competencies for clarity,
completeness, cogency,
and correctness.
Specific assessment
methods and criteria will
be left to discretion of the
instructor.
Course Standards: The History Department will provide a common syllabus for each
course to all faculty members (including adjunct and dual credit instructors). Each
History faculty member will have the flexibility to personalize the syllabus within
professional standards and to add material beyond the required educational objectives.
Course Assessment: Various assessment techniques are employed to measure
content mastery and skill development. Course assessment tools might include topical
objective exams or quizzes, written essays or quizzes, student conferences, oral
presentations or debates, and group projects. Such assessment tools are used for the
following courses: HI 1103 United States History to 1877, HI 1203 United States
History since 1877, HI 2203 World Civilization I, and HI 2303 World Civilization II.
Multiple sections of the same course will be assessed with a final examination
composed of common elements. The History Department will review the results of
those exams, and an annual analysis will be filed with the Office of Institutional
Research. Every three years, the History Department will evaluate the assessment
data; if necessary, the faculty may revise curriculum, instruction, and/or learning tools to
address problematic issues.
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