2007-2008 Assessment

Statement for Syllabi:  From Department Assessment Co-Coordinator Greg Ahrenhoerster:  As you probably know, senate policy requires us to include a statement about assessment in our syllabus for each course.  Below is the statement about assessment that you can include in your fall 2008 syllabi, even if that course isn't being assessed this semester:    

ASSESSMENT: The UW Colleges-wide assessment program was established to enhance the quality and effectiveness of the curriculum, programs, and services of the institution.  The institution-wide assessment activities focus on analytical, quantitative, communication, and aesthetic skills because they are of primary importance in the general education of our students.  This semester, students in composition will be assessed on communication skills, specifically the ability to demonstrate a large and varied vocabulary.

Each department also conducts assessment activities that address discipline-specific learning goals.  This year, the English Department is researching the effectiveness of the English placement exam.  As a part of this project, students may be asked to complete one or two impromptu writing assignments.

 

2007-2008 Assessment

Assessment Handout from Fall 2007 English Department Meeting (What is assessment? Why do we do it?  Who does it?  What's required this semester?  Who can help if I have a question?)

Statement for Syllabi:  From Department Assessment Co-Coordinator Greg Ahrenhoerster:  As you probably know, senate policy requires us to include a statement about assessment in our syllabus for each course.  Below is the statement about assessment that you can include in your fall 2008 syllabi, even if that course isn't being assessed this semester:    

ASSESSMENT: The UW Colleges-wide assessment program was established to enhance the quality and effectiveness of the curriculum, programs, and services of the institution.  The institution-wide assessment activities focus on analytical, quantitative, communication, and aesthetic skills because they are of primary importance in the general education of our students.  This semester, students in composition will be assessed on communication skills, specifically the ability to demonstrate a large and varied vocabulary.

Each department also conducts assessment activities that address discipline-specific learning goals.  This year, the English Department is researching the effectiveness of the English placement exam.  As a part of this project, students may be asked to complete one or two impromptu writing assignments.

Spring 2008 Assessment Activities
 
Departmental Assessment:  For our departmental assessment this semester, we are continuing to assess how students use feedback from non-peer sources to improve their writing.  We are soliciting data on two levels (below). Thanks, and let me know if there are any questions. --Cassie Phillips, Department Assessment Co-Coordinator
  1. "Student Survey"--to be completed at the beginning of the semester.  All instructors should distribute this survey to one of their composition courses within the next week or two.  If you are not teaching a composition course, you do not need to distribute the survey.  We are hoping that the Associate Chair on each campus will make arrangements to collect the materials and mail them to Greg at:
    Greg Ahrehoerster
    UW Waukesha
    1500 N. University Drive
    Waukesha, WI 53188
  2. "Open-ended Survey"--Before the semester ends, please administer the attached survey in one section of composition.  As we have done in the past, please have each campus' Associate Chair collect the surveys for the campus and mail them to me at 1500 N. University Drive, Waukesha, WI 53188.  Five of you have agreed to administer a different, open-ended survey to one of your sections. If you are one of those five people, Cassie will send you a reminder and a copy of the survey.

Institutional Assessment, Spring 2008

Fall 2007 Assessment Activities

This year the English Department Assessment Committee is conducting a Scholarship of Teaching and Learning research project about how students perceive and use the feedback they get from non-peer sources.  The committee decided that it would be useful to get a "before" and an "after" picture.  From 9/10-9/14, faculty and staff with teaching positions of 40% or more administered the attached survey to the students in one of their sections of either 098, 101, or 102.  The committee tried to construct a survey that could be completed fairly quickly...nothing open-ended...mostly circling things or checking boxes. We hope this does not prove too big of a disruption. We will be asking you to survey students again near the end of the semester.   --Greg Ahrenhoerster, Co-Department Assessment Coordinator, English department

English Department Assessment Plan and Report Form 2006-2007

Institutional Assessment: Email instructions from English Department Assessment Co-Coordinator Greg Ahrenhoerster; The UW Colleges' Assessment website and the email from Laura Lee (the Institutional Assessment Coordinator) detailing Fall 2007 institutional assessment plans

General Education Assessment Rosters:  Information from Gregg Nettesheim (November 2 Email)

General Findings from Fall 2005-Spring 2007 Assessment Activities on Peer Review

2006-2007  Assessment Materials

Greg Ahrenhoerster (Greg.Ahrenhoerster@uwc.edu) and Cassie Phillips (Cassandra.Phillips@uwc.edu) continue as Department Assessment Coordinators ("Co-DACs"), so any questions should go to them. Cassie sent the following instructions:  The English Department will be assessing its courses on two levels:

  1. Institutional Assessment:  Instructors teaching more than 40% will be conducting assessment on the institutional level.  The proficiency we are using is Communication Skills 2 (C2) in which we analyze our students’ ability to “Communicate clearly, precisely, and in a well-organized manner.”  Gregg Nettesheim's email has instructions on how to access your roster.  Most of us will be assessing our composition courses (102, 101, 098), but those who do not teach a composition course will be assessing a lit course.  Please choose either the last or second-to-last major writing assignment for the course and assess the students using the attached rubric as your guide, and email your completed roster to Gregg Nettesheim.  If you would like any more information, please let Cassie or Greg know.
  1. Departmental Assessment:     For our departmental assessment in the spring 2007, we will be continuing our study of peer review.  Like Fall 2006, we will conduct qualitative research that closely examines the peer review session.  We will be looking at drafts, student questionnaires, and revisions.  We will also be conducting textual analyses of those drafts and revisions.  Also like last semester, we need 10 volunteers to participate in this project.  We would like to thank our participants from last semester, and we encourage new volunteers this semester so as to increase our departmental representation. Your participation would involve collecting drafts and revisions and distributing a peer review record for one of your course's essays.  Attached is a copy of the peer review record.

Assessment Statement for Syllabi, Spring 2007

ASSESSMENT: The UW Colleges-wide assessment program was established to enhance the quality and effectiveness of the curriculum, programs, and services of the institution. The institution-wide assessment activities focus on analytical, quantitative, communication and aesthetic skills because they are of primary importance in the general education of our students. This semester, students in literature and composition will be assessed on communication skills, specifically the ability to communicate clearly, precisely, and in a well-organized manner.

Each department also conducts assessment activities that address discipline-specific learning goals. This year, the English Department is continuing a research project we began last year, gathering information about how peer review is used and perceived by students, in the hopes of improving how peer review is conducted. As a part of this project, students may be asked to fill out a survey or complete one or more assignments pertaining to peer review.

 Read this handout for answers to these questions:

Also, here is the general assessment information provided by Renee Gralewicz, the Institutional Assessment Coordinator

2005-2006  Assessment Materials

Spring 2006 Assessment Information
Participation in institutional and departmental assessment is required of all faculty and AS teaching 40% or more.  Email the Department Assessment Coordinators (co-DACs) with any questions:  Greg Ahrenhoerster (gahrenho@uwc.edu) and Cassie Phillips (cphillip@uwc.edu). Spring semester assessment will be similar to fall semester on many levels.  There are a few differences, however.  

1.  Institutional Assessment: This semester, we will be assessing primarily creative writing and literature courses (including English 201) using performance indicator D1 (Aesthetic Skills). Click here to access the D1 rubric.  If you are not teaching a creative writing or literature course, you will be assessing English 102, 101, or 098 using performance indicator A1 (Analytical Skills).  Click here to access the A1 rubric.You should use any regular class assignment/activity towards the end of the semester that allows you to make a determination about the performance indicator. You should use the same assignment/activity for all students. If a student does not complete the assignment/activity, he/she should get an NA on the assessment roster.  To access your roster, click here for instructions.  Return your completed roster to Gregg Nettesheim at gnettesh@uwc.edu.

 2.  Departmental Assessment:  This semester, departmental assessment will continue to examine the use of peer review on two levels:

  1. All instructors will complete a faculty survey.
  1. All instructors teaching at least one composition course will have at least one section complete a student survey. In one of your classes (probably a writing class) have your students complete the "student survey revised for spring."  For the student survey, you will have to print it out and make enough copies for the class. Note that the survey is longer this semester, so it will use up a bit more class time (sorry about that, but the questions kept multiplying).

Please send all completed surveys back to Greg Ahrenhoerster, UW Waukesha, 1500 N University Drive, Waukesha, WI 53188.  Please note that names should be left off of all surveys. This information is NOT being used to assess instructors or individual students. We are gathering information to assess the overall student perception of peer review.

Fall 2005 Assessment Information
The department assessment activity will be part of a scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) project undertaken by the Department Assessment Committee.  Look for explanatory emails from Greg and Cassie.  Click here to see the preliminary materials, as well as an article introducing SoTL.

2004-2005  Assessment Materials

Spring 2005 Assessment Rubrics and Explanation; English Department Report Forms 2004-2005 (departmental, institutional, plan and report form); Closing the Loop (strategies for improving teaching and learning, based on what our department learned from this year's assessment activities)

Fall 2004 Assessment Rubrics and Explanations

Rubrics developed by members of the English Department for ENG 101 and ENG 102 (not required for assessment)

2003-2004 Assessment Materials

Spring 2004 Department-Specific and General Education (Institution-wide) Assessment

Fall 2003 Department-Specific Assessment
Fall 2003 General Education (Institution-wide) Assessment

Past Assessment Committee Reports
English 101
English 250
English 278

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