SOCIOLOGY ASSESSMENT PLAN
Techniques and activities that are used to assess whether these goals are met include:
1. Assignments, Effective Grading, & Departmental Assessment.
Specific assignments in each course examine students' learning in one or more
of the above program objectives. Faculty members make available to students the
criteria on which students will be evaluated for assignments then assay
student-learning outcomes relative to the Sociology Program curriculum. For
example, faculty members will be able to assess aspects of the curriculum
addressing mastery of statistics or survey methods by examining how students
complete course assignments or tests. Exams and papers from classes will be
utilized in coordination with the rubrics listedin Item 2
below in order to ascertain whether a course, or courses are meeting the
Sociology program goals and objectives.
2. Assessment
Rubrics: The purpose of using these two assessment rubrics
is to evaluate Sociology program success in meeting both goals and learning
objectives. The rubrics are based on
Mary J. Allen's Assessing Academic
Programs in Higher Education (2004).
Each spring, two three-member
Sociology Program Assessment Teams that will usually, but need not always, consist
of a separate Undergraduate Assessment Team and a Graduate Assessment team, will
meet and review 20 course papers, essay exams and/or other evaluative course
tools from each, the undergraduate and the graduate programs (separately). These papers will be solicited from Sociology
classes taught over the previous two semesters at each level of the curriculum,
undergraduate and graduate. Each member of
the separate Assessment Teams will rate the exams, tests or papers using two
rubrics that assess sociology goals and objectives. A score of four will indicate "exceptional"
and one will indicate "unacceptable." Scores (as well as evaluative information
including correlations between raters, known as inter-rater reliability) will
be utilized to provide program-wide feedback to instructors regarding the attainment
of learning goals and objectives.
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Sociology Goals |
Unacceptable: Evidence that the student has
mastered objective is not provided, unconvincing or incomplete (1) |
Marginal: Evidence that the student has
mastered objective is provided, but is unconvincing or incomplete (2) |
Acceptable: Evidence that the student has
mastered objective is provided and is convincing (3) |
Exceptional: Evidence
that the student has mastered objective is provided, convincing, and at a
high level (4) |
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1: Communicates ideas
effectively |
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2. Shows evidence of critical, analytical, & logical
thought about social issues & social problems. |
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3: Uses sociological principles,
concepts & theories to examine social issues |
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4: Understands & can
evaluate the application of sociological methods to social behavior &
issues |
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Sociology Learning Objectives |
Unacceptable: Evidence that the student has
mastered objective is not provided, unconvincing or incomplete (1) |
Marginal: Evidence that the student has
mastered objective is provided, but is unconvincing or incomplete (2) |
Acceptable: Evidence that the student has
mastered objective is provided and is convincing (3) |
Exceptional: Evidence
that the student has mastered objective is provided, convincing, and at a
high level (4) |
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1: Analyze personal experiences
using the sociological imagination |
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2: Apply sociological concepts
to the analysis of social issues and problems |
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3: Explain the effect that social
forces and social institutions have on individual and group behavior |
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4: Understand structural
inequalities based on race, class, and gender |
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5: Evaluate quantitative and
qualitative methods used in sociological research |
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6: Apply the methods and concepts of sociology to the
analysis of social issues, problems, and conflicts |
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For the Masters and Ph.D. level assessment
plans:
Each of the above two
rubrics applies for the graduate curriculum as well as for the undergraduate
curriculum. However, at the Masters and
Ph.D. level, expectations for each goal and each outcome are substantially
increased. At the Masters level the mission of the program is oriented to preparing
students to understand social behavior, theory and methodologies and preparing
them to conduct social science research with the supervision of senior
researchers or to serve in agencies or businesses with the supervision of
senior personnel. At the Ph.D. level,
students are expected to be able to perform as independent scholars and
researchers. Each rubric above should be
utilized for Masters level and Ph.D. level classes with these two, separate and
hierarchical expectations in mind. (The
format of similar qualities, but tiered expectations for different levels of
student accomplishment is a standard across U.S. sociology programs as can be
seen from Assessing Student Learning in
Sociology, Second Edition published by ASA, in 2006 (www.asanet.org/bookstore).
3.
Student Surveys. The Department surveys new and continuing
students from the Sociology Program to gather information about the factors
that influenced their decision to major in Sociology, their major areas of
interest, and their perceptions of how well the program is meeting its stated
objectives and achieving its goals. This is conducted on both a formal
and informal basis. Additional information regarding these issues is drawn from
formal sources such as narrative comments on course evaluations and from
informal sources such as "hallway talk" or discussions with faculty
during office hours.
4. Graduating Senior Exit Interviews. The Department Head uses
focus group methods to conduct interviews with a sample of graduating seniors at
the end of spring semester in alternating years. These sessions are designed to gather
information from students about their perceptions of how well the program meets
the above stated objectives, and how well other student needs have been met. As
is outlined elsewhere in this assessment overview, results of these focus group
interviews are carefully reviewed by faculty and used to guide discussions
regarding program effectiveness and possible program modifications.
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Table 1. Questions used in Focus Group of Sociology Seniors |
5. External Constituents' Input. The Department Head
prepares and distributes an annual department newsletter, and uses that
communication mechanism to solicit feedback from alumni, colleagues, and
friends of the department regarding their experiences in the department’s
various programs, and the success of those programs in helping them to pursue
career or other objectives.
6. Internal Feedback Mechanisms. The Sociology Graduate
Executive Committee (comprised of the Director of Graduate Studies and six
Sociology faculty) and the Sociology Undergraduate Committee (comprised of the
Sociology Undergraduate Program Coordinator and three additional faculty) meet
regularly to discuss program structure and curriculum issues. The full
Sociology faculty meets in the fall and spring of each academic year to discuss
student-learning outcomes, assess the program, and plan any necessary changes
to curricula or program structure based on our multiple assessment activities.
For example, this year's meeting focused on effective classroom management and
how to improve such management to the benefit of all students.
7. American Sociological Association. The ASA performs
surveys and provides reports of effective strategies for the teaching of
Sociology. It also provides feedback
from surveys to each participating university, and those data are included in
our assessments. The feedback is used to make programmatic changes where
possible. More importantly, in 2005, ASA included USU in a panel study of
Sociology majors and what happens to them post-graduation with a baccalaureate
degree. The results of the second wave
of the panel were published in January of 2008.
The results are reported here:
http://www.asanet.org/galleries/Research/ASAResearchBrief_revised.pdf
USU’s sociology undergraduate program has already aligned its curriculum in light of the results of the study. See the section on “Data-Based Decisions.”