Assessment of English Education
Background
English Education is one of three undergraduate programs within the department. At the beginning of each year, the faculty who teach in the English Education program review its mission and goals statement. The mission statement may be revised in light of national trends or evaluation information gathered in response to the program. During our quarter-to-semester transition (1996-1998), we established objectives for each program and for each course within each program. Objectives for each course are included in the syllabus and/or on-line description.
Annual Assessment Meeting
Annually, at the end of the academic year, English Education faculty--who make up the English Education curriculum committee--meet to discuss the program's effectiveness in meeting its stated objectives. We keep in mind that learning is complex and multidimensional, and evaluation may require data over several years. At this meeting we review program and course objectives to see how well we are meeting them. The questions we ask include the following:
* Are courses sequenced? If so, are students taking them in sequence?
* Are breadth or foundation courses providing a good gateway to depth courses?
* Are courses building upon skills students learn in University Studies? (E.g., communications skills, use of library, technology, quantitative reasoning)
* Are methods of inquiry appropriate for the discipline being taught?
* Are students being prepared for teaching careers?
To answer those questions, the committee gathers this evidence:
From the faculty who teach English education . . .
* We ask faculty to report on how their courses worked or didn't work and note revisions (or suggest revisions if more than one faculty member "owns" the course). They also compare notes on anecdotal evidence they have heard from colleagues or students.
* Faculty who supervise student teachers may have feedback on strengths and weaknesses they find in student teachers across the board; likewise, student teacher supervisors may hear evaluative comments from the cooperating teachers. * Some faculty may choose to conduct research projects in their own classrooms, either singly or collaboratively, drawing on teacher-researcher models.
From our colleagues who have administrative responsibilities . . .
* We ask the associate department head, responsible for scheduling classes, if classes seem accessible to students.
* We ask the department head to provide information from course evaluation forms about the course or program; the department head may also provide information from employers and alumni surveys and the college's senior exit interview
* We ask the undergraduate advisor for feedback.
* We ask the Student Teaching Office and/or Department of Secondary Education and/or the teacher of SecEd 5500 for feedback on our students as they complete the certificate phase of their education.
From our students . . .
* We may draw on information gathered from the local Student Chapter of NCTE.
* We require English Education majors to assemble a portfolio that reflects their work in the program. (See below)
From external consultants . . .
* We may ask teachers in the field for input.
* Department review teams offer input and recommendations; NCATE, our professional accreditation body, offers commendations and recommendations.
* We may look to organizations outside the classroom for information.
English education majors may be involved in learning that takes place outside the classroom. We encourage their participation in research projects (faculty-led or student-initiated), professional conferences, the local student chapter of NCTE, Sigma Tau Delta (the English honor society), publication, and social events.
Annual Reports
As a result of the review, we make specific course changes and specific program changes--e.g, deleting a course, adding a course, or bolstering the content of a course. Or we may find that we have identified some possible revisions but need more time to determine if we should implement them. We also note our successes as we find evidence of what is working well, and we determine to maintain particular courses, programs, and approaches. We communicate our findings to the department head, department colleagues, and the College Undergraduate Council.
* We communicate our findings with our students via our departmental web page and majors' meetings.
* The department head receives recommendations and uses the findings to feed into program planning and to make decisions about resource allocations both in the department and in requests to the college.
Our essential questions are "What do we want our students to learn?" and "Are we succeeding?" Our goal is to find out what we are doing well and improve what we are not doing well.
English Education Portfolios
English Education students compile a portfolio of at least four papers that reflect how they have developed the competencies expected of English Education graduates. This portfolio should include the following:
* One paper from Teaching Writing (ENGL 4500)
* One from Teaching Literature (ENGL 4510)
* One from an Upper Division Literature course.
At least one of the papers in the portfolio should address each of the following topics:
* Ethnic or multicultural issues
* Textual analysis
* Teaching strategies
* The structure and diversity of the English language
* Current theory and scholarship.
A single paper may fulfill more than one category requirement. The portfolio may include no more than two collaborative papers. Each portfolio should contain an introduction that explains the reasons for selecting each piece, how the pieces reflect the student's overall experience in the program, and (with reference to the program's goals and mission statement) whether the curriculum has achieved its objectives.
In every program course, English Education faculty help students build their own portfolios, evaluate their own work, and upload their portfolios onto an English department database. Before signing a student's graduation application, the Undergraduate Advisor checks to make sure that the student has submitted an English Education portfolio. At the end of every year, English Education faculty evaluate a statistically representative sample of portfolios from the year's graduates to see how they fulfill the program's mission and goals.