Assessment Report – 2011
Evidence collected in spring & fall 2010
Report due March 31, 2011
Directions: Please complete a form for each of the programs within your department. This form was designed to provide a format for
assessment reporting and should not be used to limit the amount of information provided. Each box that is attached to each of the sections is
designed to adjust to varying lengths. If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Bea Babbitt at x51506 or via email.
***Email form to assessment@unlv.edu (Academic Assessment/UNLV)
Program Information:
Program Undergraduate
Sociology
Department(s)
Liberal Arts
College
Jennifer Keene
Program Assessment Coordinator
Report submitted by Jennifer Keene 895-0239; jkeene@unlv.nevada.edu
(include phone/email)
March 31, 2011
Date Submitted
1. Student Learning Outcomes for the program. List the Student Learning Outcomes for the program. Number for later reference.
The sociology graduate will have knowledge of:
1. the key concepts, debates, and trends in sociology
2. the major sociological paradigms and theories
3. the variety of methods used in sociological research
Sociology students will be able to:
4. show evidence of the development of a sociological imagination by applying sociological knowledge in their own projects—whether intellectual,
personal, and/or political.
5. Exhibit confidence in expressing ideas orally and in writing.
2. Planned assessments: Methods, Instruments and Analysis. According to the Assessment Plan for this program, what were the planned
assessments to be conducted during the Spring & Fall 2010 Academic Semesters?
For Spring 2010 and Fall 2010 we were under the guidelines from the previous assessment plan. In these semesters we planned to assess
student learning outcomes 1-3.
Assessment Instrument (e.g., survey, exit exam)
Learning outcome(s)
assessed (list by #)
Expected Measures (results that would indicate success)
Soc 101 102 post tests
1-3
Scores above 80
Senior Exit Survey
1-3
Scores above 80
3. Results, conclusions and discoveries. What are the results of each planned assessment listed above? Is the outcome at, above, or below
what was expected? What conclusions or discoveries do you draw from the results? Describe below or attach to the form.
Soc 101/102 Pre and Post Tests
Each semester we ask several of our Soc 101 and 102 instructors to administer a standardized 25 question multiple choice quiz to their
students. We ask them to do this twice: first, as early in the semester as possible, weeks 1 or 2, and second, as late in the semester as possible,
weeks 15 or 16. The same instrument is used at both times. The goal is to get a sense of how much of the core sociological concepts students
are gaining and retaining over the course of the semester and to assess learning outcomes 1, 2, and 3. Since each instructor has their own
teaching style and emphases, we are cautious about interpreting the results. Nonetheless, we do see that for Spring 2010, the three sections of
101 did significantly improve their scores on the test at the end of the semester—improvements ranging from 6 to almost 20 percent increases
on the assessment. In Fall 2010 we see significant gains as well, yet these results merit a bit of discussion. First, the section of 101 that we
assessed was taught by a senior, experienced instructor who takes significant pride in how s/he teaches Soc 101. To that end, the instructor
modified our assessment somewhat to focus specifically on the concepts and terms that s/he emphasizes in the course. This instructor’s
emphases are not out of the mainstream of sociology, but s/he stresses the integration of the various theories and paradigms, much of which is
beyond what is captured by a multiple choice test (in fact, unlike most of our 101 instructors, this particular instructor does not use multiple
choice tests in class). Thus, this section improved considerably in their knowledge of sociological concepts, theories, and methods, and this is
not surprising since this section is taught by one of best teachers. The other course we assessed in Fall 2010 were two sections of Soc 102,
Contemporary Social Issues, which is very similar in nature to Soc 101 and draws on the same concepts, theories, and methods that are taught
in a 101 course. The same standardized tool was used for these courses and, again, we found significant improvements. These trends are
gratifying and are consistent with the data from previous semesters, which suggests to us that we are effectively teaching the core sociological
concepts in our 101 courses.
Table 1. Pre and post tests for Sociology 101 courses.
Class
101
101
Semester
Spring 08
Spring 08
Spring 08
Pre
15.2
12.8
12.6
n
39
35
40
%
60.8
51.2
50.4
Post
18.4
17.5
17.4
n
30
30
38
%
73.6
70
69.6
percent
change
21.05%
36.72%
38.10%
101
101
101
101
Fall 08
Fall 08
Fall 08
Fall 08
15.3
15.1
16.1
17.2
42
48
41
49
61.2
60.4
64.4
68.8
18
17.5
18.2
19.1
39
47
49
44
72
70
72.8
76.4
17.65%
15.89%
13.04%
11.05%
101
101
101
Spring 09
Spring 09
Spring 09
16
14.8
15
46
94
46
64
59.2
60
18.5
16.4
17.6
28
32
43
74
65.6
70.4
15.63%
10.81%
17.33%
101
101
101
Fall 2009
Fall 2009
Fall 2009
8.13/12
16
16.7
47
40
46
68%
64
66.8
10.56
18
18.4
35
43
49
88
72
73.6
12.84%
12.50%
10.18%
101
101
101
Spring 2010
Spring 2010
Spring 2010
15.7
16.6
15.3
53
35
43
63
66
61.2
17.5
17.6
16.3
45
57
30
70
70.4
65
10.00%
6.25%
5.85%
101
102
102
Fall 2010
Fall 2010
Fall 2010
7.44/12
16.1
15.9
71
32
47
62
64.4
63.6
,11/12
20.5
22.4
68
19
32
92.6
82
89.6
49.35%
27.33%
40.88%
Senior Exit Exam
The Senior Exit Exam is used to assess general sociological knowledge of our majors upon graduation. Results from 2010 show that the
average scores on the 40 question survey were 66 in spring and 73 in the fall. These are about middle of the road scores compared with the
previous semesters. A look at the other descriptive statistics provided in the table below give us some more information about the trends in
our senior exit exam and also trends in the scores over time. The standard deviations for each semester express the average distance of
individual scores from the mean. Looking at the standard deviations for 2010 shows that we had some significant variation in how well
students do on this exit test, which also likely reflects the more general characteristics and abilities of the sociology students that we serve.
The scores on the exit survey reflect not only knowledge of the test-takers, but the validity and reliability of the test instrument itself. This
test instrument remains a work in progress as we compare questions asked on the instrument to substantive issues covered in the core courses
of the major. We also continue to reassess the instrument itself and by identifying poorly framed questions, for instance, by identifying
questions in which less than half of the upper 25% of test takers answered correctly. If those questions are deemed to have construction
problems, they will be reframed or replaced. Finally, as we accumulate more data we will analyze results across demographic variables to
determine if any patterns are detectable along those lines.
We will continue to use these results as a baseline for semester to semester comparisons and, ultimately, an indication of trends in
performance to use in assessing the overall effectiveness of the Undergraduate Sociology program.
Table 2. Descriptive Statistics for Senior Exit Exam Scores over time.
Fall 2006
Spring 2007
Fall 2007
Spring 2008
Fall 2008
Spring 2009
Fall 2009
Spring 2010
Fall 2010
average
72.5
69.16
70.68
62.36
63.55
51
74
66.25
72.3
n
13
15
11
18
19
28
7
12
13
st deviation
8.35
15.57
11.35
12.26
14.36
15.17
16.76
13.38
9.65
median
72.5
72.5
67.5
65
62.5
72.5
72.5
67.5
72.5
mode
77.5
77.5
62.5
72.5
62.5
80
95
65
60
4. Use of results. What program changes are indicated, and how will they be implemented? Include a description of who will review and act
on the findings. If none, describe why changes are not needed.
This undergraduate program assessment for 2010 is based on the assessment plan prior to our major new plan, which we formulated in fall
2010. Thus, although we will continue to assess the effectiveness of our 101 and 102 courses, the new assessment will use a newly
formulated instrument that allows us to examine how well we are meeting learning outcomes 1, 2, and 3 separately. In fact, we will be using
three different quiz tools in Soc 101 and 102 courses to directly assess students understanding of the key concepts and debates, sociological
theories, and sociological research methods independently. We will continue to use our Senior Exit Exam but will also be implementing
survey question items to allow for more qualitative feedback about our program’s strengths and weaknesses from the perspective of
graduating students (to address Learning Outcomes 1-5). Finally, we are in the process of designing a survey that will allow us to more
closely assess Learning Outcome 4 regarding students’ real-world sociological experiences.
5. Progress. Describe program changes that have been recommended in past reports. What progress has been made since the
recommendation?
None other than those outlined in #4 above.