Weber State University   

Political Science

Results of Assessment

2000-2001 (submitted 03/22/02)

After getting off track in 2000-2001 with our program assessment, we are once again heading in the right direction in 2001-2002. Through our Senior Seminar we have plans to assess items 4 and 5 on our Outcomes list. Number four is "Students should be able to demonstrate critical thinking skills or formulate and defend a thesis in a written or oral format." Number 5 is "Students should be able to demonstrate the basic research skills necessary to write a paper in the discipline of political science." Both of these items will be assessed through portfolios that students taking the Senior Seminar will be handing in this semester. In addition, we will gather some qualitative information on these two items by asking the students to respond to questions regarding the extent to which they (the students) think our department was successful in achieving these outcomes. So, by the end of the this semester we will be able to put an "X" in the "results of prior year’s assessment" for 2001-2002.

For the 2002-2003 academic year we will assess items 1 and 6. We have data from an exit exam on item #1 ("Students should have a basic knowledge of the political institutions of processes of the government of the United States") that was conducted in 1999-2000. The ability to make comparisons with data across time should be helpful for determining if in fact this outcome is being met.

We failed to assess items 3 and 4 last year (due in part to Dr. Kuehls being on sabbatical). We are scheduled to assess them again in 2003 -2004. We will have to have some discussion as a department prior to then on the proper way to assess these two items, as some questions as to the effectiveness of the listed assessment measures have been raised.

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