Honors Program
Results of Assessment
2003-2004
(submitted
09/02/04)
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Student Learning Outcomes:
1. Skills
a. clear and compelling written expression
b. facility and confidence in oral expression, in both group
discussion and formal presentation
c. the thoughtful analysis of texts based on a close reading and
careful reflection
d. critical thinking that is open-minded, objective, and as free
as possible from prejudice and presupposition
e. the comprehension of abstract arguments and the ability to
move between the general and the particular
f. the ability to carry out a program of independent research
involving both library and web-based resources
g. the audacity to run the risk of creative thinking and
intellectual initiative
2. Intellectual Orientation
a. appreciation for the variety of ways to
express truths (scientific, artistic, religious, etc)
b. appreciation for the interrelationship of things, and the
multiple perspectives from which a subject can be addressed
c. an appreciation for the variety of human experience,
exploring both its universality and its diversity
d. a capacity to examine one's own perspective in light of
differing values or points of view
e. intellectual curiosity and an appreciation for increased
knowledge as a good in and of itself
f. an understanding of and appreciation for the various modes of
artistic expression
3. Communal Interaction and Involvement
a. collaboration on group projects or
activities
b. participation in the life of the campus
c. service to the larger community
d. informed interest in current issues and events
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The results of the four components of the Honors Program
assessment plan as measured against the curriculum grid are as follows:
1. Course Assessment.
At the end of each Honors course students were given a
list of the learning outcomes and asked to evaluate on a scale of 1-4, with 4
high, the degree to which their experience in the course helped them achieve
each particular goal. Averages for each course level were compiled. This
information will be shared with instructors teaching in the upcoming academic
year.
1000-level courses:
|
1a |
1b |
1c |
1d |
1e |
1f |
1g |
2a |
2b |
2c |
2d |
2e |
2f |
3a |
3b |
3c |
3d |
|
3.1 |
3.5 |
3.5 |
3.6 |
3.3 |
2.6 |
3.4 |
3.3 |
3.5 |
3.3 |
3.2 |
3.5 |
2.9 |
2.7 |
2.4 |
2.6 |
2.6 |
These courses are primarily designed to develop the basic skills in group 1
of the Learning Outcomes, and these scores reflect a substantial awareness on
the part of students that these courses helped them advance toward these goals.
The low score of 2.6 in category 1f is to be expected, in that independent
research does not play as great a part in these general education courses as it
will in subsequent courses. None the less, this is a decrease from last year’s
average of 2.8, and perhaps requires that next year’s instructors focus more
on these skills, in order to prepare students for the more research-intensive
courses to come. The scores for category 2 suggest that these students also felt
that they made progress toward the broad-minded and critical thinking that the
outcomes of this category embody. As is always true, the averages in 3b (campus
involvement) and 3c (community service) for all 1000-level courses conceal the
fact that the average scores for these items in the three sections of the
Introduction to Honors class (HNRS 1110) were a healthy 3.5 and 3.7. This course
is intended to introduce and foster all of the overall goals of the programs, of
which involvement and service are major components. The good news, therefore, is
that the introductory course is meeting this goal; less satisfactory is the
degree to which students perceive that they are maintaining this involvement in
subsequent Honors course work. For the coming year, instructors have been
encouraged to incorporate service learning components in their classes, and
several have indicated a willingness to do so.
2000-level courses:
|
1a |
1b |
1c |
1d |
1e |
1f |
1g |
2a |
2b |
2c |
2d |
2e |
2f |
3a |
3b |
3c |
3d |
3.2 |
3.4 |
3.4 |
3.6 |
3.7 |
3.2 |
3.4 |
3.3 |
3.9 |
3.9 |
3.9 |
3.9 |
3.0 |
2.6 |
2.4 |
2.5 |
3.2 |
A primary goal of these courses (entitled Great Ideas of the West, and
Great Ideas of the East) is to further the student’s appreciation for
diversity of viewpoint, and the variety of human experience. The high scores
recorded in this group for category 2 are therefore particularly encouraging,
and represent an improvement over last year’s results.
3000-level courses:
|
1a |
1b |
1c |
1d |
1e |
1f |
1g |
2a |
2b |
2c |
2d |
2e |
2f |
3a |
3b |
3c |
3d |
3.9 |
3.5 |
3.8 |
3.9 |
3.5 |
3.9 |
3.9 |
3.9 |
3.9 |
3.9 |
4.0 |
3.9 |
3.3 |
2.9 |
2.8 |
2.0 |
3.3 |
The results of this group of evaluations must be viewed with some caution,
since it consists of very few courses with few students. On the basis of two
rather unsuccessful courses, last year’s averages were unusually low.
Conversely, on the basis of three very successful courses, this year’s
averages are extremely high. None the less, these scores do suggest that the
colloquia are successful in their goal of incorporating all elements of the
Honors program into a unified educational experience.
2. Student Portfolios / Exit Interviews
Student portfolios, which are to include examples of students’ work and
documentation of their progress toward the goals of the program, were
instituted two years ago. Beginning in the next two years we shall therefore
be able to begin using portfolios of graduating seniors to assess their
experiences during their years in the Honors Program. In the meantime, we have
been using exit interviews with graduates for this purpose.
A major and repeatedly expressed concern that we heard from last year’s
graduates concerned the learning environment in Honors classes, which several
of them saw as too informal, with instructors sometimes failing to enforce
rules about lateness, attendance, decorum, and the timely submission of
written work. As a result of these concerns, written comments were distributed
to all subsequent Honors instructors, alerting them to some of the special
challenges presented by the informal atmosphere and sense of community that
the Honors Program tries to create. This information seems to have served the
purpose well, as we heard very few such complaints from students this year.
As in the past, they repeatedly mentioned small class size, personal
interaction with faculty, and the congenial nature of he Honors center and its
staff as the strongest features of the program. A weakness that persists is
the degree to which they have been able or willing to take advantage of the
range of presentations, social and cultural activities, and service projects
offered by the program. Lack of time and work schedules are most frequently
cited as the reason. Our hope is that the use of the portfolio to keep an
ongoing record of participation in Honors activities will have a positive
effect on student awareness of the importance of this aspect of the program,
as well as on their incentive to find the time to participate more fully.
3. Senior Project
No assessment data were collected from senior projects in 2004.
4. Post-graduate data.
Apart from its general goal of preparing students to be life-long learners
and informed and open-minded citizens, it is a particular aim of the program
to prepare them for graduate study. Based on the information available to us,
half of last year’s Honors graduates are either enrolled in graduate
programs or planning to do so in the near future.
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Honors Graduates 2004 |
|
Danielle Blaisdell |
Departmental Honors Communications |
Working in the WSU Recruitment & High School
Relations Office |
|
Elisa Lynn Gardner |
BIS |
Working in Alaska |
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Chrysalis Jiri |
Departmental Honors Criminal Justice |
Working on Masters in Criminal Justice at WSU |
|
Joshua Jones |
University Honors |
Working for Ogden City Planners |
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Cory Martin |
University Honors |
Teaching LDS Seminary |
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Katie Nelson |
University Honors |
? |
|
Lucas Rentschler |
University Honors |
Texas A&M working on Masters Degree |
|
Christopher Rogers |
University & Departmental Honors in Criminal
Justice |
Working on Masters in Criminal Justice WSU |
|
Tyler Stott |
University Honors |
Graduate School in Creative Writing |
|
Branagan Webb |
University Honors |
Working to earn money towards graduate school |
Mission Statement /
Student Learning Outcomes
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Grid / Assessment Plan /Contact Person |
