Global/Cultural Context
Spring 2014
GE Area
Spring 2012
Exceeds
Meets
Does not
meet
Overall
35.2%
54.9%
9.9%
Exceeds
47.9%
Meets
36.2%
Does not
meet
16.0%
A: Nat Sci
11.0%
78.0%
11.0%
57.7%
30.8%
11.5%
B: Soc Sci
29.6%
52.0%
18.4%
38.1%
34.4%
27.5%
C: Human
48.9%
49.6%
1.4%
55.6%
25.0%
19.4%
D: Lang &
Rat
57.3%
32.9%
9.8%
51.5%
46.3%
2.2%
Spring 2014
# Participants
475
Spring 2012
# Participants
420
127
52
125
160
141
72
82
136
Only two reports indicated that future actions needed to be taken (loop opened):


To reduce/revise the number of learning outcomes and to revise CR GE by removing course
from CR GE but keeping it as CSU and UC GE requirements.
To reach out to colleagues at another location to brainstorm about how to create more space
for situating US culture into global discussion in current time.
Most of the report summaries indicated satisfactory outcome attainment:
Summary
nine of ten students met or exceeded expectations on this material. I am pleased with this outcome. The
student who did not meet expectations also did very poorly on the rest of the material tested on. I will
continue to cover this material and look for new ways to engage students.
This test question was the result of vigorous class discussion in the days leading up to the exam. Each of
the answers A, B, and C all have merit, but are only part of the story. A small group of the students (10%)
opted for one of the incorrect responses that were at least partially correct. The great majority of
students in this large sample size demonstrated the ability to identify each of the first three answers as
partially correct, but not the whole story. The complex global and cultural context in which this
fundamental question was discerned makes it a great demonstration of the GE objective. The fact that
90% of the respondents answered correctly is a sign that this outcome was achielved in this context. As
an added note, I assessed my three other sections of this class in the same manner and found those
large samples to show a 89%, 90%, and 100% success rate as well.
A sample of student writing was review for this outcome from one section of Psych 33- Personal Growth
and one section of Psych 3- Psychology of Sexuality.
In Psych 33 an essay question on the midterm was included asking students to compare and contrast
two psychological theories from different times in history and in different cultural contexts. Of the 22
artifacts included in this assessment 17 met expectations for the outcome, 3 exceeded expectations and
2 did not participate. In this course students are asked to learn psychological concepts and theories and
then apply them to self. This applying of concepts to self development appears to aid students in
understanding other's context for learning.
In Psych 3 two essay questions were included on the midterm exam to assess the GE outcome of cultural
and global context. The first question asked students to explain how perceptual experiences in sexual
response can be due to culture/learning. Seven artifacts were included in this portion of the assessment.
Four of these artifacts met expectations and three exceeded expectations, one response did not meet
expectations. Six individuals involved in the class did not respond to this prompt. The second essay
question included in this assessment asked students to consider how gender roles and expectations are
related to environment and culture. Of the ten artifacts assessed for this outcome six met expectations
and four exceeded expectations. Six individuals in the class again did not respond to the prompt.
Both of these Psychology courses are General Education courses. The results of this current assessment
indicate that most, almost all, students are able to analyze course content through multiple
perspectives, through a historical context and are aware of the environmental influences on human
behavior.
9 of 12 students exceeded or met the learning outcome. This shows that the course is conveying the GE
learning outcomes and the students are able to articulate their mastery of this outcome.
76% of students met or exceeded expectations. For students who did not meet expectations, the typical
issue was giving an incomplete answer. Students meeting expectations were able to describe the
different theories, and gave the strengths and weaknesses of each on their own merits. Students
Summary
exceeding expectations did all of the above plus engaged in a comparative analysis. In order to analyze
issues from multiple perspectives, it is necessary to a) know the perspectives, b) apply them to a
concrete situation, and c) know how they compare to one another. Future instructional methods and
assessment methods can focus on improving the latter ability.
69% of students in this virtual section for SOC 1 met or exceeded expectations. For students who did not
meet expectations, the typical issue was giving an lack of comprehension of the individual theories.
Students meeting expectations were able to describe the different theories, and gave the strengths and
weaknesses of each on their own merits. Students exceeding expectations did all of the above plus
engaged in a comparative analysis. In order to analyze issues from multiple perspectives, it is necessary
to a) know the perspectives, b) apply them to a concrete situation, and c) know how they compare to
one another. Future instructional methods and assessment methods can focus on improving all of these
abilities.
For Spa 1A-I found the oral presentation assignment was an effective way to assess the students’ ability
to locate and discuss, in Spanish, the different cultures that make up the Spanish-speaking world. Since
each student in each given section did their presentation on a different country, it created a variety of
perspectives within the classroom and gave each student a broad knowledge of the different cultures
that make up the Spanish-speaking world.For Spa 1B-I found the oral presentation assignment was an
effective way to assess the students’ ability to locate information about and discuss, in Spanish, the
different cultures that make up the Spanish-speaking world. Since each student in each given section did
their presentation on a different country, it created a variety of perspectives within the classroom and
gave each student a broad knowledge of the different cultures that make up the Spanish-speaking
world. Students seemed to do this assignment pretty easily and I will make the assignment more indepth and require more information in the future to challenge students more and provide a better
opportunity for them to learn about the Spanish-speaking world. For both courses-I found that students
who met or exceeded the expectations had various characteristics in common: good attendance, high
completion rates of homework, full access to the required materials, took full advantage of auxiliary
materials and actively participated in class. Those who exceeded had significant previous experience
with studying Spanish either in high school, growing up speaking the language or travel.Those who did
not meet the expectations had low levels of attendance, didn’t complete all the homework, didn’t utilize
the services provided to them through tutoring or recognized that they had other learning needs. In
spite of these challenges, these students still acquired some knowledge of the Spanish language and
culture. I will continue to assign this presentation and give students the opportunity to learn more about
the Spanish-speaking world. I will also continue to edit students’ rough drafts to ensure a higher level of
success on their presentations.
Eleven students answered the question perfectly. Two students showed a correct steps but made a
mathematical error in the process. One student answered one part correctly but the second part and
final answer incorrectly without showing steps and therefore did not meet expectations. The question
was posed in a straightforward way and reasonably prescriptive in how to do the analysis, but the actual
analysis was up to the student. Students usually approached the solution with simple right triangle
identities, but some used the law of sines instead, which also works. This question involves the
relationship between humans and their natural environment. This assessment demonstrated that this
class was very able to relate the trigonometry studied to a question of human perception.
Out of the participating students, 74% exceeded the standard, and 26% met it; none failed to meet it.
No further action is required at this time.
75% of respondents achieved a satisfactory or better response (33% satisfactory and 42% greater than
Summary
satisfactory). These results suggest to the instructor that students adequately comprehend the historical
perspective of pollination biology and grasp the pioneering research that Darwin performed, well ahead
of his time for this imporant field of botanical research.
A quiz was given in order to assess this outcome, specifically the student’s ability to analyze issues from
multiple perspectives and express an awareness of cultures in a diverse global community. There were
ten multiple-choice questions, two true-false questions, and one short answer/essay question. The
questions follow.1. When examining group member diversity, you should consider members’ a. race.b.
gender.c. age.d. sexual orientation.e. All of the above2. To someone from a collectivist culture, a U.S.
communicator’s style and behavior may be viewed as selfish, arrogant, antagonistic, power-hungry, and
impatient. a. True b. False3. Jake is very outgoing and tends to talk more than others during group
discussions. He enjoys working in the group and encourages others to get involved. Which MyersBriggs® personality trait best describes Jake?a. Thinkerb. Extrovertc. Feelerd. Introverte. Sensor4. Even
when everyone else in the group is upset or confused, Anthony stays cool, calm, and objective. He
doesn’t mind making tough decisions and can’t understand why other group members get upset about
things that are not relevant to the issue under discussion. In most situations, Anthony thinks it is more
important to be right than liked. Which Myers-Briggs® personality trait best describes Anthony?a.
Extrovertb. Sensorc. Intuitived. Thinkere. Perceiver5. Collectivist cultures place greater value on a.
uncertainty.b. esteem and self-actualization needs.c. personal freedom.d. collaboration and
cooperation.e. All of the above6. Which of the following cultural dimensions is ranked very high in the
United States?a. Individualismb. Collectivismc. High power distanced. Low power distancee. High
context7. According to your textbook, people who believe that their culture is better than other cultures
or that their culture should be the role model for other cultures would be classified asa. ethnocentric.b.
stereotypical.c. prejudiced.d. discriminatory.e. racist.8. People who have biased beliefs about group
members that are not based on direct experience and firsthand knowledge or have irrational feelings of
dislike and even hatred for certain groups would be classified asa. ethnocentricb. stereotypical.c.
prejudiced.d. discriminatory.e. racist. 9. Kim is people-oriented. She wants everyone in the group to get
along. She often spends extra time helping other group members. Which Myers-Briggs personality trait
best describes Kim?a. Thinkerb. Extrovertc. Feelerd. Introverte. Sensor10. Jason appears to be a very
private person. He carefully thinks about what he is going to say before speaking. He enjoys the group
but would prefer to work alone. Which Myers-Briggs personality trait best describes Jason?a. Thinkerb.
Extrovertc. Feelerd. Introverte. Sensor11. In high-context cultures, messages area. implicitb. explicitc.
objectived. factuale. extraverted12. A culture is a learned set of shared interpretations about beliefs,
values, and norms, which affect the behaviors of a relatively large group of people. a. True b. FalseShort
answer 13. Explain why the Ethics in Groups feature declares that “The Golden Rule May Not Apply in
Diverse Groups”? Identify and describe 2 strategies that can help group members learn about cultures
other than their own. (3 points)Sample responses that addressed question thirteen satisfactorily
follow:“The Golden Rule is based on Western cultural values, and since not all cultures share the same
values one should not assume that everyone will have the same expectations, view or behaviors. One
could study other cultures and be open minded, but simply asking others during the forming process of
group development about the norms of the group would help.” (Student #1)“ The Golden rule may not
apply because different cultures are taught different ways to act and treat others. Group members can
learn about other cultures by asking each other about their backgrounds. Group members can also do
research to find out about other cultures.” (Student #4)Students exceeded expectations if they
answered all of the questions correctly or missed up to two questions. Students met expectations if they
missed three to five questions. Students failed expectations if they missed six or more questions. All of
the students answered questions 1 2, 3, 6, 7 and 12 correctly. Three students missed questions 4 and 8,
Summary
two students missed questions 5, 9 and 10, four students missed question 11 and ten students did not
fully address all of the components of question 13. In order to answer question 11 students needed to
know the difference between the vocabulary words “explicit” and “implicit.” While this was discussed in
class, some students kept getting the terms mixed up. If I had elaborated on the meaning of these words
in the quiz, it is likely that more students would have correctly connected the type of message with the
cultural dimension. As a class we had some rich discussions around issues of diversity and the quiz did
not adequately capture the depth of experiences and understanding expressed during these discussions.
I often have students reflect on prompts in writing before discussions and for subsequent assessments
of this outcome I will look at collecting these responses or other additional tools to add more fullness to
the data.
A quiz was given in order to assess this outcome, specifically the student’s ability to analyze issues from
multiple perspectives and express an awareness of cultures in a diverse global community. The first six
questions were essay or short answer and last three were multiple-choice questions. The questions and
sample student responses follow:1. What does it mean that an audience is diverse? (All 14 students who
took the quiz answered this question satisfactorily) a. Sample responses – i. “An audience is made up of
many different people with a wide variety of experiences, backgrounds and attitudes that affect the way
they interpret the information presented.” ii. “This means that an audience is made up of people that
come from different walks of life. More specifically, people that come from different ethnic and racial
groups, age, gender and sexual orientation.”2. What should be the concerns of the speaker when
speaking to a diverse audience? (13 out of 14 students who took the quiz answered this question
satisfactorily) a. Sample responses – i. “Remain true to one’s self while adapting one’s message to the
goals, values and attitudes of the audience. ii. “To not exclude anyone group like age, gender or
ethnicity and to respect everyone’s beliefs, whether they agree or disagree.”3. How does the difference
between connotative and denotative meaning related to inclusiveness? (12 out of 14 students who took
the quiz answered this question satisfactorily) a. Sample responses – i. “Denotative is more literal and
precise, while connotative includes all the feelings, associations and emotions that a word touches off in
different people.” ii. “In order to maximize audience inclusion, the speaker must be aware of both the
precise and subtle meanings of the language they use.”4. The text identifies four inclusive language
principles; avoiding the use of “he,” “man” stereotyping jobs and roles, and using names that groups or
individuals use to self-identify. Explain why speakers should employ these principles. (All 14 students
who took the quiz answered this question satisfactorily) a. Sample responses – i. “By using inclusive
language the speaker avoids alienating the audience and keeps the audience engaged.” ii. “…the U.S.
has become more diverse which means that our language has evolved to reflect that diversity.
Audiences expect speakers to use inclusive language this is respectful of the different groups that make
up American society.”5. Based on information in Chapter 6 about demographics, what are other
language strategies or principles besides those mentioned in number 4 that you could use in an effort to
be inclusive? (12 out of 14 students who took the quiz answered this question satisfactorily) a. Sample
responses – i. “Identify the general demographic features of the audience and the important features of
particular speaking situations.” ii. “Be aware of your tone and the appropriateness of your speech
topic.”6. What are some cultural difference that might affect a public speaking situation for the speaker,
audience or both? (13 out of 14 students who took the quiz answered this question satisfactorily) a.
Sample response – i. “The geographical area that the speaker, audience or both are from, different
levels of education or experience as well as age.” ii. “Religion, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, or
cultural background and group membership.”7. “Police officers need extra life insurance to protect their
wives and children,” said city council member Heather Carpenter. Carpenter’s language violated which
of the guidelines for inclusive language discussed in your textbook? (12 out of 14 students who took the
Summary
quiz answered this question satisfactorily) – Multiple Choice8. “When you deprive a handicapped person
of the right to work, you deprive him of his dignity.” Which of the guidelines for inclusive language is
violated in this statement? (7 out of 14 students who took the quiz answered this question satisfactorily)
– Multiple Choice9. Elyse told prospective nursing students and their families, “ Today’s nurse is much
more than just a caregiver. She is a manager, a teacher, and a patient advocate.” Elyse’s language
violated which of the guidelines for inclusive language discussed in your textbook? (9 out of 14 students
who took the quiz answered this question satisfactorily) – Multiple ChoiceStudents exceeded
expectations if they answered all of the questions correctly or only missed one. Students met
expectations if they missed two to four questions. Students failed expectations if they missed 5 or more
questions. All of the students who took the quiz met or exceeded expectations. The chapter content
that related to this outcome was covered close to a holiday and a number of students were absent. A
high number of the students missed the last two multiple-choice questions. I plan on revising those
questions since most of the students were able to address the topic in short answer form, but not in
multiple-choice form. This assessment perhaps should be embedded in the final or a different
timeframe to increase the number of students who take it.
The results found 77% of the students met or exceeded expectations. These results are acceptable, but
should be improved. Given that this outcome is similar to a central organizing principle of the
psychological sciences, reliable measurement may require more than a single bonus question with the
final exam.
There were 9 out of 17 students participating in the assessment were able to meet or exceed the
expectation of making correct statements about parameter values of both graphs of functions and
equations of functions. The common characteristic in their written work was that equations were clearly
written out and they utilized a practiced technique to find the parameter values. These students were
able to make statements about the parameters using multiple perspectives. There were 8 out of 17
students participating in the assessment that did not meet the expectations of the assessment. Several
of these students were not able to make true conclusions regarding the graphs of polynomials. Some of
the students were unable to obtain the parameter values from equations they had obtained. Since these
students were not able to use multiple perspectives to make true statements, at the very least it is clear
that they did not have an understanding of the mathematical technique. This can serve as a reminder to
the instructor to reinforce the notion of using different techniques to analyze the characteristics of
functions.
The assessment results indicate that students successfully met or exceeded this general education goal
in this section of English 1A this semester. The overwhelming positive results of this assessment are
likely a result of the course design, which is explicitly engaged with studying health from a multicultural
perspective, as well as the nature of the assignment, which is a response to a book that has that theme
as its main focus. No changes to the course, assessment tool, rubric, or general education outcome are
based upon the results of this assessment.