Undergraduate Degree Prgram Assessment Prgress Reprt Cver Degree: BA Prfessinal and Technical Writing Fr Calendar Year: 2014 (Date submitted t cllege cmmittee:) 2-20-2015 (Date psted n cllege assessment website:) By: Earnest L. Cx (elcx@ualr.edu) Overall Rating: Respnd t all six parts fllwing the Degree Prgram Assessment Prgress Reprt Instructins. Attach additinal pages as needed. (NOTE: Parts 1 thrugh 4 can be cpied frm the relevant sectins f yur assessment plan.) (1) Student learning gal(s) addressed this year: Key learning gals fr the BA in Prfessinal and Technical Writing: 1. Students shuld write well-rganized technical, persuasive, and nnfictin dcuments. (Cre cmpetency: verbal literacy) 2. Students shuld be able t design dcuments t meet the needs f specific grups f readers. (Cre cmpetencies: verbal literacy, critical thinking, scial and cultural awareness) 3. Students shuld be able t cnduct research using print, nline, and primary surces and dcument their research crrectly. (Cre cmpetencies: critical thinking, infrmatin technlgy) 4. Students shuld recgnize and respnd apprpriately t ethical prblems embedded in writing situatins. (Cre cmpetency: ethical and mral cnsciusness) 5. Students shuld edit and prfread dcuments effectively. (Cre cmpetency: verbal literacy) 6. Students shuld learn apprpriate and current technlgy t supprt their prfessinal gals. (Cre cmpetency: infrmatin technlgy) Our department s missin statement affirms ur cmmitment t prviding the highest quality f writing instructin at every level, intensifying and expanding literacy educatin in every UALR discipline, and develping human beings t their highest PVC 2/07-1 -
Undergraduate Degree Prgram Assessment Prgress Reprt Cver ptential. Our learning gals fr the BA prgram are direct extensins f that missin. (2) Learning utcmes/bjectives fr thse gals addressed this year: Objectives fr Gal #1: 1a. Students will arrange cntent within their dcuments using apprpriate patterns (such as spatial, chrnlgical, relatinal, and lgical) t develp ideas persuasively. 1b. Students will use reflective writing t discuss and justify their rganizatinal chices. Objectives fr Gal #2: 2a. Students will develp apprpriate cntent facts, examples, definitins, descriptins, testimny t meet the needs f specific readers. 2b. Students will frmat dcuments in a way that makes infrmatin accessible and usable t readers (such as using frmatting apprpriate t a dcument s genre, using headings t make infrmatin easy t lcate, chsing apprpriate typefaces and page layuts, etc.) 2c. Students will mdify vcabulary and sentence structure chices t be apprpriate fr specific grups f readers. 2d. Students will use reflective writing t discuss their assessment f the readers needs and the chices students made t address thse needs. Objectives fr Gal #3: 3a. Student papers cntain crrectly frmatted citatins fr print, nline, and primary surces. 3b. Students will use reflective writing t discuss hw they lcated and selected surces fr their research, specifically addressing why certain surces were chsen and what measures students tk t ensure their surces were credible. Objectives fr Gal #4: 4a. Students will use reflective writing t discuss hw they addressed ethical cncerns in the dcuments they prduce (including issues such as cpyright, writing abut human subjects, selective qutatin, analyzing surces fr bias, making infrmatin accessible t readers with disabilities, cnsidering the safety and well-being f readers, etc.) PVC 2/07-2 -
Undergraduate Degree Prgram Assessment Prgress Reprt Cver Objectives fr Gal #5: 5a. Students will accurately crrect mistakes in grammar, spelling, and punctuatin, bth in their wn wrk and in that f ther writers. Objectives fr Gal #6: 6a. Students will prduce dcuments that demnstrate prficiency with wrd prcessing and internet brwsing sftware; many students will als prduce dcuments that demnstrate skills in presentatin and graphics sftware. (3) Curses & activities where assessed: See attached Curriculum Assessment Map. (4) Methds used: a. Methds Senir Prtflis and Exit Interviews We assess all f ur bjectives using the senir prtfli. The prtfli is part f the cursewrk fr RHET 4190 Cllquium in Rhetric and Writing, which is ffered each semester and is a required curse in the degree prgram. Students graduating in the fall r spring submit their prtflis fr assessment ne mnth prir t their graduatin date; students graduating in the summer submit their prtflis at the same time as the spring graduates. Students are required t submit at least seven pieces f writing that they have cmpleted during their time in the majr. Six f the pieces usually cme frm ur required curses, althugh we allw substitutins when necessary; the seventh piece is a reflective essay that critically discusses the student s perspective n his r her wn learning. Students may chse t submit additinal pieces frm elective curses if they feel these pieces will help t demnstrate their prgress n ur learning bjectives. In develping the prtfli, each student is required t assciate ne r mre dcuments with each f the rubric categries that we use fr evaluatin. This requirement ensures that students are submitting materials that meet ur assessment gals. The rubric categries are listed belw: PVC 2/07-3 -
Undergraduate Degree Prgram Assessment Prgress Reprt Cver Reflective Essay Cntent Develpment Research and Dcumentatin Organizatin Skills Vice and Style Effective Cpyediting Prfessinal Frmatting The prtfli dcuments are als hlistically evaluated n an eighth categry listed belw, althugh students d nt assciate specific dcuments with this categry: Range f Writing Ability The prtflis are then rated by the BA Assessment Cmmittee, a grup f three faculty members, n a six pint scale. A rating f 6 is cnsidered excellent, 5 is very gd, 4 is gd, 3 is fair, 2 is belw average, and 1 is pr. We cnsider a rating f 4 t be acceptable. If we have many scres at 3 r belw, we feel that we shuld examine ur curriculum and pedaggy fr ptential truble spts. After the prtflis have been rated, the cmmittee meets with the graduating students fr exit interviews (cnducted with grups f 3-4 students at a time). We begin the interview by inviting students t discuss their wrk; cmmittee members then fllw up with questins. Thrughut the meeting, which lasts 60-75 minutes, the students and cmmittee members fcus n the published criteria fr a successful prtfli (listed abve). The exit interviews are als an pprtunity fr students t receive ral feedback n the pieces chsen fr the prtfli, including the reflective essay. Students and cmmittee members als discuss the students career plans and ways f imprving the PTW prgram. After the exit interviews, members f the assessment cmmittee write reprts analyzing the strengths and weaknesses f the prtflis and synthesizing their impressins frm the interviews. They submit these reprts alng with their individual prtfli rating sheets t the BA Assessment Cmmittee chair, wh cmpiles the findings int each year s assessment reprt. b. Design Students are nt required t take curses in ur prgram in any particular sequence, with the exceptin f 4000-level electives that have 3000-level prerequisites. As a result, we currently d nt have intermediate milestnes that we can use fr assessment purpses. Currently we cllect all ur data frm students wh are abut t graduate. We have als begun an effrt t track where ur majrs g after graduatin s that we can cntact them and their emplyers at regular intervals after graduatin. We began administering student alumni surveys in Spring 2012. The chair f the Department f Rhetric and Writing is PVC 2/07-4 -
Undergraduate Degree Prgram Assessment Prgress Reprt Cver respnsible fr cllecting and analyzing the infrmatin frm these surveys. c. Assessment Cycle We will use the senir prtflis and exit interviews t assess all f ur bjectives every year; this invlves reading apprximately 5-7 prtflis each semester. We cnsider that three years wrth f rating data is an apprpriate amunt t indicate majr trends in the prgram; we currently use this measure t determine when rating trends are significant enugh t act upn (rather than just shwing a temprary fluctuatin due t individual students). Therefre, barring any majr curriculum changes, we will revisit and revise ur assessment plan every furth year. In 2012, we re-evaluated ur plan, s we will revisit ur assessment plan in 2016 PVC 2/07-5 -
Undergraduate Degree Prgram Assessment Prgress Reprt Cver (5) What are the assessment plan findings? Hw did yu analyze them? Senir Prtfli Findings In 2014, we had 14 students submit their prtflis fr assessment and participate in exit interviews. The prtflis were rated n a six pint scale. A rating f 6 is cnsidered excellent, 5 is very gd, 4 is gd, 3 is fair, 2 is belw average, and 1 is pr. The average f ratings given by members f the Assessment Cmmittee fr the 2014 senir prtflis were as fllws: Reflective Letter 5.5 Cntent Develpment 5.3 Research/ Dcumentatin 4.9 Organizatinal Skills 5.3 Vice/ Style 5.3 Effective Cpyediting 5.7 Prfessinal Frmatting 5.8 Range f Writing Abilities 5.1 PVC 2/07-6 -
Undergraduate Degree Prgram Assessment Prgress Reprt Cver The average ratings were in the gd (4.9) t almst excellent (5.8) ranges, s we have n plans t make any majr changes t ur curriculum and pedaggy. Accrding t the prtflis, ur students are successfully meeting the bjectives fr the majr. Althugh rated in the high end f the gd categry, the lwest rated categry was Research and Dcumentatin This is a change frm last year s lwest categry f Effective Cpyediting. There was n change in the rating f Research and Dcumentatin frm last year. We are encuraged t see imprvement in the "Effective Cpyediting" categries which went frm being ur lwest categry in 2013 t ne f ur highest rated categries fr 2014. Overall, the ratings d nt call fr any substantial change in the writing prgram r the prtfli assessment prcedures. Exit Interviews Findings The exit interviews have becme a very infrmative methd f evaluating ur prgram. Exiting senirs cited the fllwing as strengths f the prgram: helpful and encuraging faculty, the prgram increased their cnfidence in shifting and adapting t diverse rhetrical situatins, the effectiveness f the prgram s nline curses, the availability f writing internships, especially internships in the University Writing Center, that allw them t gain real wrld writing experience while cmpleting their degree, the prgram increases the students' cmfrt level with using technlgy in their writing prcesses, students are mre cnfident in their individual writing prcesses and the develpment f their writing ability ver time, and The exiting senirs made the fllwing suggestins fr imprvement: cntinue t incrprate mre curse-apprpriate technlgy thrughut the majr and in all curses, revise RHET 4190 Cllquium in Rhetric and Writing curse t fcus mre n frmal prfessinal develpment and the jb ptins available fr students with Prfessinal and Technical Writing degrees. include mre research activities thrughut the prgram, and teach multiple dcumentatin styles, teach electrnic prtfli (e-prtflis) thrughut the prgram if cmputer classrms are available r in the Intrductin t Prfessinal and Technical Writing curse if cmputer classrms are limited, PVC 2/07-7 -
Undergraduate Degree Prgram Assessment Prgress Reprt Cver ffer mre nline curses, especially in the summer, advertise the University Writing Center mre fr students and ptential students f the prgram, imprve the Department f Rhetric and Writing facilities; the prgram needs a physical hme that is mre mdern and technlgically current, ffer mre variety f editing and nnfictin curses, ffer mre curses, bth technical, editing and nnfictin writing classes, in cmputer classrms. What cnclusins were drawn and what decisins were made as a result? Hw were stakehlder grups invlved? Cnclusins and Resulting Changes: In their interviews and in their prtfli cver pieces, mst students expressed satisfactin with the prgram and indicated their ability and cnfidence as writers evlved significantly thrughut their cursewrk. The writing samples themselves prvided evidence that students were able t write well in a wide variety f genres, that they were able t adapt their writing style and cntent t the needs f their audiences, that they were gaining prficiency in cpy editing, and that they especially were learning t critically reflect n their wn writing prcesses and written prducts. We als nted that students are seeing and experiencing mre cnnectins between the varius "tracks" f the prgram. The results f ur assessment activities fr 2014 suggest that the Prfessinal and Technical Writing undergraduate curriculum is successfully achieving mst f its gals, s n majr changes t the curriculum seem necessary. Stakehlder Invlvement: Faculty: Membership in the assessment cmmittee usually changes s that different faculty members can be invlved in the assessment prcess. These changes in assessment cmmittee memberships have recently been limited because f a number f retirements in the department. Once any new hires are brught int the department we will return t a prcess f rtating assessment cmmittee membership amng faculty. The annual assessment reprt will be distributed each year t the entire faculty fr cmment and discussin. Students: Students are allwed t ffer their wn impressins f their learning experience and f the prgram when they write their reflective pieces and participate in exit interviews. PVC 2/07-8 -
Undergraduate Degree Prgram Assessment Prgress Reprt Cver Emplyers and Cmmunity stakehlders: We are develping a system f finding and keeping track f ur alumni that might als enable us t cnduct emplyer surveys as a part f ur assessment prcess. PVC 2/07-9 -
Undergraduate Degree Prgram Assessment Prgress Reprt Cver Curriculum Assessment Map: Degree Prgram Assessment (BA in Prfessinal and Technical Writing, 45b) Gal #1: Organizatin Gal #2: Dcuments designed fr reader needs Curses and Activities RHET 3301 Editing fr Usage and Style Hw Outcmes are Addressed and Assessed Outcme #1a Outcme #1b Outcme #2a Outcme #2b Outcme #2c Outcme #2d Exams, prject RHET 3315 Persuasive Writing, prjects RHET 3316 Writing fr the Wrkplace r RHET 3326 Technical Writing, prjects, prjects, prjects, prjects, prjects, prjects RHET 3317 Intr t Nnfictin Writing, prjects RHET 4301 Theries f Rhetric and Writing, prjects, prjects Senir Prtfli PVC 2/07-10 -
Undergraduate Degree Prgram Assessment Prgress Reprt Cver Curriculum Assessment Map: Degree Prgram Assessment (BA in Prfessinal and Technical Writing, 45b) Gal #3: Research skills Gal #4: Ethics Gal #5: Cpyediting Gal #6: Technlgy Curses and Activities Hw Outcmes are Addressed and Assessed Outcme #3a. Outcme #3b. Outcme #2a Outcme #2b Outcme #2c RHET 3301 Editing fr Usage and Style Nne Nt assessed Exams, prject RHET 3315 Persuasive Writing RHET 3316 Writing fr the Wrkplace r RHET 3326 Technical Writing, prjects, prjects, prjects, prjects, prjects RHET 3317 Intr t Nnfictin Writing RHET 4301 Theries f Rhetric and Writing Senir Prtfli PVC 2/07-11 -