Motlow State Community College
Program Student Learning Outcomes
Use of Assessment Results
Spring Semester 2011
Program Title: General Education, University Parallel Major
Course: ENGL 1020—Composition II
Expected Student Learning Outcomes:
1. Students will demonstrate clarity of purpose by writing an effective thesis statement,
developing the essay by using appropriate rhetorical patterns, and establishing a
relationship between ideas.
2. Students will show an awareness of the writing process through the use of outlining and
rough drafts.
3. Students will adequately support the thesis by utilizing information gathered from a variety
of sources, demonstrating an awareness of the differences between opinion, fact, and
inferences; in addition, students will clearly document sources.
4. Students will write an essay that is free of major grammatical errors (as indicated in the
“Guidelines for Written Assignments”).
5. Students will write an essay that is free of punctuation and mechanical errors.
6. Students will write an essay employing correct diction, syntax, and a variety of sentence
structures.
Performance Measure(s): Embedded assessment of a major research paper
Effectiveness Standard: At least 72% of the papers should meet or exceed the expected outcome of 3 in
any given learning outcome.
Assessment Results: Near the end of the semester, a 33% random sampling of the students enrolled in
all ENGL 1020 classes was taken, and the papers for those students were assessed for the six learning
outcomes. Instructors used a common rubric featuring scores from 1 (does not meet requirements) to 5
(substantially exceeds requirements). The total number to be assessed was 133. Both full-time and
adjunct faculty participated in assessing papers. The results are presented in the following table.
English 1020 Common Rubric Assessment Summary for Spring 2011
Criteria
LEVEL 1
INADEQUATE
Clarity of purpose
Outline and rough draft
Support Thesis
Essay free of major errors
Essay Free of mechanical errors
Essay employing correct diction
LEVEL 2
MINIMAL
2%
2%
2%
6%
5%
2%
LEVEL 3
LEVEL 4
LEVEL 5
COMMENDABLE
SUPERIOR
EXCEPTIONAL
7%
27%
29%
35%
7%
25%
33%
33%
8%
26%
28%
38%
20%
25%
24%
26%
17%
21%
29%
27%
10%
26%
31%
30%
133 students were assessed.
Use of Assessment Results:
The total average of the assessed papers is 83.83%; therefore, the department exceeded the minimum
desired outcome.
Although the assessment shows no deficiencies, the English faculty will continue to support student
success in the following ways:
1. We will address clarity of purpose by focusing on critical thinking skills strategies, such as the
reading and analysis of of texts, peer editing, and the writing of proposals or statements of
purpose.
2. We will require an outline and multiple drafts to be submitted with research papers.
3. We will put greater emphasis on the evaluation and documentation of sources.
4. We will address the final three outcomes by emphasizing student use of SmartThinking,
mywritinglab, or mycomplab.