Arts & Letters - General Education
2004 - 2005 Assessment Plan

 

 

 

 

 

I.

ANNUAL REPORT FOR YEARS 2003 - 2004

 

Mission Statement
The Division of Arts annd Letters offers coursework in English, Art, French, Spanish, Theatre, Public Communication, Journalism, and Music and endeavors to assist in the USC Sumter's mission to develop respect for this diversity and an awareness of individual, societal, and global responsibilities. Various disciplines within the Division strive to teach our students to communicate through effective writing and articulate speech, to use quantitative competence, creative, and critical thinking, and to integrate knowledge. Classroom experiences and programing provide opportunities for cultural enrichment, leadership development, intellectual growth, and interpersonal relationships contributing to a sense of self-reliance and self-esteem.

 

 

Goal 1.
Written Communication: Students will communicate clearly in written English, demonstrating their comprehension, ability to analyze, and critical interrogation of a variety of written texts.

 

Curriculum
ENGLISH 101: Composition

 

 

Learning Outcome 1.

 

 

 

Students' writing will demonstrate/reflect: (A) Knowledge of the subject. (B) Awareness of the reader. (C) Organization appropriate to the purpose and to the interaction between writer and reader. (D) Format appropriate to the writing situation. (E) Use of punctuation to establish and clarify meaning. (F) Control of sentence structure to establish and clarify meaning. (G) Style, personal voice, and coherence as a communicator. (H) Description, analysis, and synthesis of data, ideas, or information appropriate to the purpose.

 

 

Criteria

 

A 0-4 scale will be used: 4 Outstanding 3 Effective 2 Adequate 1 Inefective 0 Not at all

Methods

 

The English faculty will supply a random sample of student papers from English 101 and the corresponding assignment sheet and other supporting materials will be collected. A reader other than the instructor of record will assess each student portfolio.

Results

 

(A) Knowledge of the subject: Score 2.86, Rating Effective. (B) Awareness of the reader: Score 2.61, Rating Effective. (C) Organization appropriate to the purpose and to the interaction between writer and reader: Score 2.71, Rating Effective. (D) Format appropriate to the writing situation: Score 3.07, Rating Effective. (E) Use of punctuation to establish and clarify meaning: Score 3.0, Rating Effective. (F) Control of sentence structure to establish and clarify meaning: Score 2.54, Rating Effective. (G) Style, personal voice, and coherence as a communicator: Score 2.18, Rating Adequate. (H) Description, analysis, and synthesis of data, ideas, or information appropriate to the purpose: Score 2.5, Rating Effective. Analysis of Results Our random, anonymous sampling provided us with a full range of scores. Scores ranged from 1-4 on Learning Outcome 1A, C-H and from 2-4 on Learning Outcome 1B indicating that we sampled a varied cross-section of our students. The average scores on each question ranged from 2.18-3.07 suggesting that by the end of English 101 our students are performing average to above average work. Our students’ strength in 101 is using the appropriate format for the writing situation and using punctuation to clarify meaning. The largest weakness seems to be style, personal voice, and coherence as a communicator. This particular weakness is most likely addressed in English 102.

Use of Results

 

Planned Action To properly evaluate how well USC Sumter students grasp the objectives, we will conduct our survey methods on our 102 courses.

 

Goal 2.
Oral Communication: Students will communicate orally in a manner that unites theory, criticism, and practice to produce an effective communicator.

 

Curriculum
SPEECH 140: Public Communication

 

 

Learning Outcome 1.

 

 

 

Students' oral communication will demonstrate: (A) Knowledge of the subject. (B) Awareness of the audience/group. (C) Organization appropriate to the purpose and to the interaction between speaker and audience. (D) Vocal delivery that encourages listening. (E) Physical presentation and use of body language, appropriate to the speaking situation. (F) Appropriate sentence structure and word choice.

 

 

Criteria

 

A 1-5 scale will be used: 5 Outstanding 4 Effective 3 Adequate 2 Ineffective 1 Not at all

Methods

 

Speech faculty in conjunction with another Arts and Letters faculty member will collect 1) syllabi for Speech 140 to see if the components of Objective 1 are being stressed; 2) blank grading rubrics from speeches 2-5 to check that the components of Objective 1 are being evaluated; 3) a random, anonymous sampling of evaluated student speeches from each Speech 140 class to calculate if the students are indeed demonstrating the components of Objective 1.

Results

[ VIEW COMMENTS ]

not done

1) The instructor for the course has amply demonstrated the effectiveness of the overall course structure and design. 2) The grading rubrics clearly demonstrate that Learning Outcome 1A-F are being evaluated appropriately throughout the course. 3) (A) Knowledge if the subject: Score 4.2, Rating Effective. (B) Awareness of the audience/group: Score 3.8, Rating Effective. (C) Organization appropriate to the purpose and interaction between speaker and audience: Score 3.55, Rating Effective. (D) Vocal delivery encourages listening: Score 3.75, Rating Effective. (E) Physical presentation and use of body language, appropriate to the speaking situation: Score 4.83, Rating Outstanding. (F) Appropriate sentence structure and word choice: Score 4.6, Rating Outstanding. The random sampling of student persuasive speech five clearly demonstrates, with above average to excellent scores for Learning Outcome 1A-F, the successful fulfillment of those objectives.

Use of Results

 

Clarification and adjustment of the assessment procedure is planned.

 

 

Learning Outcome 2.

 

 

 

Students' oral communication will demonstrate: Skill in listening and extracting information and meaning from oral communication.

 

 

Criteria

 

A 1-5 scale will be used: 5 Outstanding 4 Effective 3 Adequate 2 Ineffective 1 Not at all

Methods

 

In order to assess Objective 2, Speech faculty in conjunction with another Arts and Letters faculty member will examine a random sampling of evaluated student collected from each Speech 140 class to calculate whether or not students are successful at extracting information and meaning from oral communication.

Results

 

In the first two speeches, informative speeches 1 and 2, students are asked to engage in peer evaluation of each others’ presentations. This feedback is used to attune the students’ listening skills as well as benchmark for the speaker any possible flaws in learning outcome 1. All the peer shift forms in the random sampling of the class showed that the students understood the speakers’ theses and main points. Since the student is required to both comprehend and articulate the speakers’ thesis and main points, the student is required to develop critical listening skills through the exercise. This clearly demonstrates the completion of learning outcome 2.

Use of Results

 

Clarification and adjustment of the assessment procedure is planned.

 

Goal 3.
Electronic Communication: Students and faculty will have the opportunity to integrate electronic communication in their classes.

 

Curriculum
All Division of Arts and Letters courses

 

 

Learning Outcome 1.

 

 

 

The Division of Arts and Letters will provide: (A) Students with the opportunity to communicate electronically in the classes offered by the Division of Arts and Letters. (B) Faculty with the opportunity to use electronic communication in the classroom.

 

 

Criteria

 

There is no Criteria listed for this assessment.

Methods

 

Arts and Letters faculty will complete a survey of how students and faculty use electronic communication in their classrooms.

Results

 

(A) Students use technology to (1) type their papers (2) do power point presentations (3) find sources using library databases (4) take essay exams (writing center) (5) complete in-class assignments (6) share ideas with other students and workshop papers (Anderson Library’s Computer Lab) (7) use CD-ROMs that accompany texts (8) access publishers’ web pages for information and to complete exercises (9) work on graphic designs (10) present visual aids (11) do desktop publishing (12) complete language lab exercises (13) visit web sites (B) Members of the Arts and Letters Faculty (1) Use Blackboard to keep a record of student grades (2) Maintain web pages for courses (3) Use overhead projectors and document cameras to show • Models of writing and mechanical skills • Maps • Photos • Illustrations • Cartoons • Text transparencies with important class material (4) Play movies and clips using both VCRs and DVD Players (5) Show power point presentations (6) Create handouts on computers (7) Phtocopy handouts (8) Use scanners to edit student papers electronically (9) Use computer projections from the PC Carts, Smart Rooms, and Anderson Library’s Computer Classroom to show students how to • access the internet • do word processing • outline important ideas • show images from the Web • utilize CD-ROMs and DVD-ROMs that accompany texts • write collective examples i.e. introductions, body paragraphs, etc. (10) play music related to course material or establish a mood using either a CD or audiocassette player (11) communicate with students by email (12) use the internet to generate paper topics and demonstrate research strategies (13) work on computer-aided graphic designs (14) present visual aids (15) utilize desktop publishing In their classes, students and faculty are able to integrate technology in dozens of different ways.

Use of Results

 

To further integrate technology, the faculty would like to investigate the possibility of adding more smart rooms, including Smart Boards to the smart rooms, updating the language lab with more modern equipment, purchasing an illustrator program for the graphics lab, adding a computer classroom to the building, allowing students more access to the writing center computers, acquiring Coral Draw and Quark Express (or the most recent similar programs) and expanding server size.

 

Goal 4.
Humanities/Cultural: Students will become familiar with the diversity of a global culture marked by racial, ethnic, gender, and regional differences.

 

Curriculum
All Division of Arts and Letters courses

 

 

Learning Outcome 1.

 

 

 

Students’ course options will include: (A) Exposure to racially diverse texts. (B) Contact with texts that represent different ethnic groups. (C) An introduction to texts by male and female authors and that look at male and female issues. (D) Coverage of regionally diverse texts.

 

 

Criteria

 

There is no Criteria listed for this assessment.

Methods

 

Arts and Letters faculty’s course offerings will be monitored and syllabuses and readings will be analyzed to see that the components of Objective 1 are being integrated into courses.

Results

 

(A)CHART NEEDS REPRESENTED! All the different racial groups are represented in our English courses. No class offered has less than two racial groups included in the course readings. (B) Ethnicities/Nationalities Represented: 83 American authors, 61 British authors, 9 Irish authors, 4 Spanish authors, 3 French and Nigerian authors, 2 Germans, Greek,Polish,and Russian authors, 1 Argentine, Bermudian, Canadian, Chinese, Colombian, Costa Rican, Dominican, Indian, Italian, Jamaican, Norwegian, Pakistani, St. Lucian, and South African authors. English courses represent several different ethnicities. French and Spanish courses also stress the understanding of other cultures—one of the course objectives in Spanish 109 is to “increase our knowledge of the cultures of the Spanish-speaking world” and one of the course objectives for French 122 is to “understand the existence of basic cultural differences between our country and French-speaking countries, and to understand that learning the language of another country helps us better comprehend and interact with other cultures.” (C)CHART NEEDS REPRESENTED A survey of the readings from the courses offered by the Division of Arts and Letters show that both works by women and men are well represented. Some courses such as English 287-American Literature include anthologies of Women Writers and English 413-Modern English Literature states that one of the themes to be studies is “the feminist movement, including the fight for women’s suffrage.” (D) Regional Texts: 30 Northeastern authors, 11 Southern authors, 13 Midwestern authors, and 4 Western authors. Regionally, the American Northeast, Midwest and South are well represented in the course syllabi. The West is also represented. The courses pay attention to Southern Literature, which fits the needs of a University located in South Carolina.

Use of Results

 

The division will hold a workshop on diversity in the classroom and regularly offer a course on Southern Literature.

 

Goal 5.
Humanities/Cultural: Students will communicate orally (with the exception of Latin and Ancient Greek) and in writing in another language.

 

Curriculum
FRENCH 122: Basic Proficiency in French; SPANISH 122: Basic Proficiency in Spanish

 

 

Learning Outcome 1.

 

 

 

(A) Read in one foreign language and comprehend the topic and main ideas in written texts. (B) Understand spoken discourse and converse in a foreign language on familiar subjects.

 

 

Criteria

 

Pass/Fail rates and enrollment will be used.

Methods

 

Foreign Language faculty in conjunction with another Arts and Letters faculty member and Academic Affairs will monitor the enrollment of French and Spanish and the pass/fail rates of French 122 and Spanish 122.

Results

 

Three students were enrolled and passed French 122. Nineteen students were enrolled in Spanish 122; seventeen passed and two students withdrew from the course. The majority of the students enrolled in French 122 and Spanish 122 passed the course, with the exception of two students who withdrew form this course. The pass/fail rates indicate that the objectives for this goal are being met.

Use of Results

 

Continue to monitor the pass fail rates and work on increasing enrollment in the in French 122 and Spanish 122.

 

Goal 6.
Humanities/Cultural: Students will demonstrate an understanding of the contribution of the literary, visual, or performing arts and their cultural contexts and express informed personal responses to artistic creations.

 

Curriculum
All Division of Arts and Letters courses

 

 

Learning Outcome 1.

 

 

 

Students will demonstrate the ability to: (A) Develop an aesthetic response to at least one of the arts. (B) Express a personal response to works of art and relate the part(s) to the work(s) as a whole, using appropriate concepts and relevant information. (C) Relate art to the wider cultural context from which it emerges.

 

 

Criteria

 

There is no Criteria listed for this assessment.

Methods

 

Arts and Letters faculty will 1) monitor University and Division events that allow the students to develop the components of Objective 1; 2) estimate student attendance at those events; 3) survey how faculty members encourage their students demonstrate their ability to meet the components of Objective 1.

Results

 

1) Events held included: Fall Writer, Piano Recital, Fall and Spring Storytellers Performances and Two Fall Storyteller Workshops, MFA Fiction Reading, MFA Poetry Reading, Student Play, Summer Film Series, Scholar’s Tea, Robert Burns Lecture, and “For the Love of Poetry” Reading. The art exhibits in the three galleries included: Posters of the Great War Prints Textile Time Pieces (Sylvia Pickell) Quilts Selected Works from the Permanent Collection B-Sides and Rare Cuts (Mike Williams) Mixed Imagery of the Inner Self (Rose Metz) Oil Painter of Stuff Creative Works of Toil and Love (John Funk) Watercolor 1000 Beautiful Things (Kathleen Robbins) Photography installation 2004 Portraits and Abstractions: New Works (Mary Ann Reames) Mixed Places Dear To Me (Rex Deaton) Oil Stories, Lies Unanswered Questions (Chris Robinson) graphic artwork Home (Rebecca Rhees) Tin Type Photography The Digital Eye (juried show) Photography Inspired Musings (Bob Chance) Pottery Germinations (Bobbi Adams) Collage 2) Not available 3) Faculty members encourage their students to attend the events by (a) announcing the events in class (b) emphasizing the importance of the event and its relationship to the culture (c) offering extra credit opportunities for attendance and written responses (d) requiring attendance at events Analysis of Results On the USC Sumter campus, there were eleven events and fourteen different art exhibits that allowed students to develop an aesthetic response to at least one of the arts. Arts and Letters faculty put the events into their cultural context for their classes and encouraged students to express their opinion about the events either in written reviews or class discussion. However, we were unable to collect data for the student attendance for these events. The data was to be calculated from the number of student development transcript cards for each events multiplied by the ration of headcount/number of cards at the first event. When the totals for the cards were requested, it was learned that the data is entered for the individual students, but no collective data for the events is kept.

Use of Results

 

Find a new method to calculate student attendance at events while continuing to sponsor events on campus and encouraging student attendance. Also, assessment procedure need to be retooled to more directly address the Learning Outcome.

 

Goal 7.
Humanities/Cultural: Students will integrate insights from several disciplines and apply them to value choices and ethical decisions.

 

Curriculum
ENGLISH 101: Composition; SPEECH 140: Public Communications

 

 

Learning Outcome 1.

 

 

 

Students will be able to: Integrate insights from several disciplines in English 101 and Speech 140.

 

 

Criteria

 

There is no Criteria listed for this assessment.

Methods

 

English and Speech faculty will survey their course assignments and readings to see that other disciplines are being discussed in English 101 and Speech 140.

Results

 

English and Speech faculty report discussing the following disciplines: education, engineering, computer science, natural science, history, art, cultural history, communications, music, philosophy, sociology, law, biology, psychology, and political science. Composition and Speech classes allow students to study over a dozen different disciplines and, from that study, make value choices and ethical decisions in their papers and speeches.

Use of Results

 

No action planned

 

 

Learning Outcome 2.

 

 

 

Students will be able to: (2) Apply insights from several disciplines to value choices and ethical decisions in English 101.

 

 

Criteria

 

There is no Criteria listed for this assessment.

Methods

 

English faculty will survey their course assignments to confirm if insights from other disciplines are being applied to value choices and ethical decisions in English 101.

Results

 

According the instructors of record, the students’ papers applied the insights from these disciplines to value choices and ethical decisions. According the instructors of record, the students’ papers applied the insights from these disciplines to value choices and ethical decisions.

Use of Results

 

Find a way to more specifically monitor whether the insights are being applied.

II.

FUTURE ASSESSMENT PLAN FOR YEARS 2004 - 2005

 

Mission Statement

 

 

The Division of Arts annd Letters offers coursework in English, Art, French, Spanish, Theatre, Public Communication, Journalism, and Music and endeavors to assist in the USC Sumter's mission to develop respect for this diversity and an awareness of individual, societal, and global responsibilities. Various disciplines within the Division strive to teach our students to communicate through effective writing and articulate speech, to use quantitative competence, creative, and critical thinking, and to integrate knowledge. Classroom experiences and programing provide opportunities for cultural enrichment, leadership development, intellectual growth, and interpersonal relationships contributing to a sense of self-reliance and self-esteem.

 

 

Goal 1.
Written Communication: Students will communicate clearly in written English, demonstrating their comprehension, ability to analyze, and critical interrogation of a variety of written texts.

 

Curriculum

 

 

ENGLISH 101: Composition

 

 

Learning Outcome 1.

 

 

 

Students' writing will demonstrate/reflect: (A) Knowledge of the subject. (B) Awareness of the reader. (C) Organization appropriate to the purpose and to the interaction between writer and reader. (D) Format appropriate to the writing situation. (E) Use of punctuation to establish and clarify meaning. (F) Control of sentence structure to establish and clarify meaning. (G) Style, personal voice, and coherence as a communicator. (H) Description, analysis, and synthesis of data, ideas, or information appropriate to the purpose.

 

 

Criteria

 

A 0-4 scale will be used: 4 Outstanding. 3 Effective. 2 Adequate. 1 Inefective. 0 Not at all.

Methods

 

The English faculty will supply a random sample of student papers from English 101 and the corresponding assignment sheet and other supporting materials will be collected. A reader other than the instructor of record will assess each student portfolio.

 

Goal 2.
Oral Communication: Students will communicate orally in a manner that unites theory, criticism, and practice to produce an effective communicator.

 

Curriculum

 

 

SPEECH 140: Public Communication

 

 

Learning Outcome 1.

 

 

 

Students' oral communication will demonstrate: (A) Knowledge of the subject. (B) Awareness of the audience/group. (C) Organization appropriate to the purpose and to the interaction between speaker and audience. (D) Vocal delivery that encourages listening. (E) Physical presentation and use of body language, appropriate to the speaking situation. (F) Appropriate sentence structure and word choice.

 

 

Criteria

 

A 1-5 scale will be used: 5 Outstanding. 4 Effective. 3 Adequate. 2 Ineffective. 1 Not at all.

Methods

 

Speech faculty in conjunction with another Arts and Letters faculty member will collect 1) syllabi for Speech 140 to see if the components of Learning Outcome 1 are being stressed; 2) blank grading rubrics from speeches 2-5 to check that the components of Learning Outcome 1 are being evaluated; 3) a random, anonymous sampling of evaluated student speeches from each Speech 140 class to calculate if the students are indeed demonstrating the components of Learning Outcome 1.

 

 

Learning Outcome 2.

 

 

 

Students' oral communication will demonstrate: Skill in listening and extracting information and meaning from oral communication.

 

 

Criteria

 

There is no Criteria listed for this assessment

Methods

 

In order to assess Learning Ouutcome 2, Speech faculty in conjunction with another Arts and Letters faculty member will examine a random sampling of evaluated student collected from each Speech 140 class to calculate whether or not students are successful at extracting information and meaning from oral communication.

 

Goal 3.
Electronic Communication: Students and faculty will have the opportunity to integrate electronic communication in their classes.

 

Curriculum

 

 

All Division of Arts and Letters courses

 

 

Learning Outcome 1.

 

 

 

The Division of Arts and Letters will provide: (A) Students with the opportunity to communicate electronically in the classes offered by the Division of Arts and Letters. (B) Faculty with the opportunity to use electronic communication in the classroom.

 

 

Criteria

 

There is no Criteria listed for this assessment.

Methods

 

Arts and Letters faculty will complete a survey of how students and faculty use electronic communication in their classrooms.

 

Goal 4.
Humanities/Cultural: Students will become familiar with the diversity of a global culture marked by racial, ethnic, gender, and regional differences.

 

Curriculum

 

 

All Division of Arts and Letters courses

 

 

Learning Outcome 1.

 

 

 

Students’ course options will include: (A) Exposure to racially diverse texts. (B) Contact with texts that represent different ethnic groups. (C) An introduction to texts by male and female authors and that look at male and female issues. (D) Coverage of regionally diverse texts.

 

 

Criteria

 

There is no Criteria listed for this assessment.

Methods

 

Arts and Letters faculty’s course offerings will be monitored and syllabuses and readings will be analyzed to see that the components of Learning Outcome 1 are being integrated into courses.

 

Goal 5.
Humanities/Cultural: Students will communicate orally (with the exception of Latin and Ancient Greek) and in writing in another language.

 

Curriculum

 

 

FRENCH 122: Basic Proficiency in French; SPANISH 122: Basic Proficiency in Spanish

 

 

Learning Outcome 1.

 

 

 

(A) Read in one foreign language and comprehend the topic and main ideas in written texts. (B) Understand spoken discourse and converse in a foreign language on familiar subjects.

 

 

Criteria