Component Description Program Mission Statement From your Program Plan (Statement should articulate the unit/ program mission in support of the institutional mission and include a clearly defined purpose appropriate to collegiate education.) The mission of the USC-Upstate history program is to provide history majors with the knowledge and skills necessary for further study or employment opportunities that draw upon historical methods, and to provide them with an understanding of the major historical developments in American and World History. In addition, the program's mission includes promoting global perspectives, diversity, and experiential learning among all USC Upstate students. Goal 1 From your Program Plan (Describe broad learning outcomes and concepts (what you want students to learn) expressed in general terms (clear communication, problemsolving skills, etc.). Goals should focus on discipline-specific outcomes relevant to the program.) Students will demonstrate a satisfactory level of general historical knowledge. Objectives SLO s (student learning outcomes) From your Program Plan (Describes the specific skills, values and attitudes students should be able to exhibit that reflect the broader goals. Objectives (student learning outcomes) transform the general program goals into specific student performance/behaviors that demonstrate student learning and skill development along these goals. 1.1 Students will develop general knowledge base of United States, European (from the late middle ages to the present), and Non-Western History. 1.2 Students will be able to identify the major historical eras and themes in each subregional history Methods From your Program Plan (Describes the measure(s) by which the department will know the students are meeting the departmental learning objectives. Includes both direct and indirect assessment. Each SLO should have at least one assessment method.) 1.1. Major field test and History Major Survey 1.2. Major field test and History Major Survey
Criteria Level of achievement you are targeting (Indicate benchmarks, scores on assessment instruments, etc that would indicate acceptable achievement under your plan) 70% correct on subtests; a C average is required in all history courses to county for major credit.
ETS discontinued the History MFT in 2010; in order to make assessment comparisons across several years of graduating seniors, the history faculty created a new exam using questions drawn from other ETS history exams. This replacement exam retains the same distribution of questions across subgroups so that we can continue to identify areas in need of improvement. The new test was administered for the first time in the 2011-2012 academic year. The 2009-2010 scores reported here reflect the percentage of correct answers; in the 2009-2010 assessment report, the percentile scores were reported. Results Actual results and data collected (Make sure to break down data by subgroups (e.g. other campuses or emphases). As appropriate, also include item or category analysis.) US History to 1800 61.3 67 70 US History 1800-1920 46.5 71 75.8 US History since 1920 60 72 74.5 Europe to 1815 61.3 72 73.5 Europe since 1815 46 70 70 World/Comparative 57 68 69 Compared with the previous years data, the results show improvement in all periods of US History; in most other areas, the results are comparable. In all but one of the subfields, students scored at or above the desired standard. Only in World/Comparative History did students fail to meet the standard, though very narrowly The questions from the World/Comparative sub-group are drawn from all non- US, non-european areas; a lack of faculty means that the department is able to offer non-western courses only in East Asian history, whereas previously we were able to offer East Asian, South Asian, and African history. Of graduating history majors, only 14% report having spent their entire academic career at USC Upstate; of the 86% who transferred to Upstate, none transferred from another 4-year school. Among transfer students, 100% report having taken all their upper-level history classes at USC Upstate. Among all history majors, the vast majority took all of the required 100-level courses before they transferred to USC Upstate. The vast majority of surveyed history majors (72%,) strongly agree that they have a deeper understanding of the past; the remaining 28% agree with that statement. All of the students (100%) also strongly agree that courses in the major have offered complex perspectives rather than just the facts.
Action Plan What actions or modifications have been or will be made based on this assessment? The History Major Test assesses content knowledge from across the entire discipline; because a significant percentage of history majors take all or most of their broad survey courses elsewhere (primarily at two-year schools), this portion of the major is being assessed on content taught elsewhere. The History faculty has thus decided to revise the curriculum to require a broader preparation in upperlevel courses. For at least the last fifteen years, history majors have been required to take only one upper-level course in each of the three broad subfields (US, European, World). In the future, students will be required to take two upper-level history courses, one from the period before 1815, and one that covers the period since 1815; two US history courses, one from the period before 1865, and one that covers the period since then; and two non-western history courses, one from East Asia, and one from elsewhere in the world. History is still badly understaffed, but we expect that this curriculum change will improve scores not only in the non-western portions of the test, but in all sub-categories. Implementation and Evaluation of Previous Years Action Plan How was the action plan identified in the previous year s report implemented this y ear, and what was the impact? A new rotation for HIST 300 and HIST 500 was drawn up, and while faculty resignations, sabbaticals, and administrative course releases have taken their toll, we made sure to spread the distribution of these courses around as evenly as possible in the circumstances. By doing this, we have ensured that upper-level course offerings in the various subfields have been as extensive as possible given the limited number of faculty members.
Component Description Goal 2 From your Program Plan (Describe broad learning outcomes and concepts (what you want students to learn) expressed in general terms (clear communication, problemsolving skills, etc). Goals should focus on discipline-specific outcomes relevant to the program.) Students will demonstrate the ability to identify and analyze research materials. Objectives SLO s (student learning outcomes) From your Program Plan (Describes the specific skills, values and attitudes students should be able to exhibit that reflect the broader goals. Objectives (student learning outcomes) transform the general program goals into specific student performance/behaviors that demonstrate student learning and skill development along these goals. 2.1 Students will locate and identify primary, secondary, and tertiary historical data. 2.2 Students will demonstrate the ability to analyze historical data 2.3 Students will evaluate the quality of historical data 2.4 Students will demonstrate the documentation techniques of the historical profession Methods From your Program Plan (Describes the measure(s) by which the department will know the students are meeting the departmental learning objectives. Includes both direct and indirect assessment. Each SLO should have at least one assessment method.) 2.1 Electronic portfolio submissions. Students will locate and submit copies of historical data that are appropriately identified. Students will also submit a reflective statement with each source describing the process by which the historical data was located. History Major Survey 2.2 Students will submit analyses of primary and secondary historical data to the electronic portfolio. History Major Survey 2.3 Students will submit an annotated bibliography which demonstrated the ability to evaluate data to the electronic portfolio. History Major Survey 2.4 Students will submit complete papers that employ the Chicago style of documentation, including footnotes or endnotes, and bibliography to the electronic portfolio. History Major Survey
Criteria Level of achievement you are targeting (Indicate benchmarks, scores on assessment instruments, etc that would indicate acceptable achievement under your plan) Students must meet expectations on a four-point rubric on each SLO. History Major Survey
Results Actual results and data collected (Make sure to break down data by subgroups (e.g. other campuses or emphases). As appropriate, also include item or category analysis.) Ten portfolios were chosen to reflect the distribution of grades in History 500 and were reviewed by an outside reviewer who has a PhD in history, and over twenty years of college teaching experience. At the suggestion of the reviewer, the rubric was revised to eliminate the confusing category below expectations but adequate. The revised rubric now contains the following categories: consistently exceeds expectations, above expectations, meets expectations, and fails to meet expectations. This is the first assessment report that utilizes the new rubric. 2.1 Locate and identify sources and 2.2 use of sources: Secondary Sources Consistently. Exceeds:: 2 2 1 Exceeds Expectations: 3 3 3 Meets Expectations: 2 4 4 Below but adequate: 2 1 N/A Fails to meet: 1 0 2 Primary Sources Consistently Exceeds: 3 1 1 Exceeds Expectations: 2 3 4 Meets Expectations: 3 4 3 Below but adequate: 2 2 N/A Fails to meet: 0 0 1 2.3 and 2.4 Bibliographies and Citations: Consistently Exceeds: 0 0 4 Exceeds Expectations: 0 2 6 Meets Expectation 9 7 0 Below but adequate: 1 1 N/A Fails to meet: 0 0 0 It is clear that history students continue to reach, if not exceed, an acceptable standard for the use of primary and secondary sources and proper citations and bibliographies. Students showed significant improvement on SLOs 2.3 and 2.4, in particular. No paper received more than one fails to meet expectations on SLOs 2.1-2.4; It is possible that those papers might have received below expectations but adequate scores in previous years. Students showed significant improvement on SLOs 2.3 and 2.4, in particular. Responses to the History Major Survey show that 100% of students responded that they have received either good or excellent preparation for performing independent research; 100% also said that they received either excellent or good preparation for written communication.
Action Plan What actions or modifications have been or will be made based on this assessment? In order to further increase the quality of student work and emphasize the importance of these standards, the history curriculum has been revised to limit the number of times students may attempt to take both History 300 and History 500, to two attempts each. The catalog has also been revised to make History 300 a prerequisite for History 500 for history majors. The History faculty expects that this change will increase the seriousness with which students approach the work in these courses, resulting in an improvement in scores on these SLOs. Implementation and Evaluation of Previous Years Action Plan How was the action plan identified in the previous year s report implemented this y ear, and what was the impact? The fact that all ten papers either exceeded or consistently exceeded expectations for bibliographies and citations indicates that the history faculty has successfully implemented the action plan from the previous assessment report.
Component Description Goal 3 From your Program Plan (Describe broad learning outcomes and concepts (what you want students to learn) expressed in general terms (clear communication, problemsolving skills, etc). Goals should focus on discipline-specific outcomes relevant to the program.) Students will apply historical knowledge base, research methods, and appropriate writing skills to produce original scholarship. Objectives SLO s (student learning outcomes) From your Program Plan (Describes the specific skills, values and attitudes students should be able to exhibit that reflect the broader goals. Objectives (student learning outcomes) transform the general program goals into specific student performance/behaviors that demonstrate student learning and skill development along these goals. 3.1 Students will demonstrate the ability to conduct research and write an original research paper that employs historical data and adheres to the scholarly canons of the historical profession. Methods From your Program Plan (Describes the measure(s) by which the department will know the students are meeting the departmental learning objectives. Includes both direct and indirect assessment. Each SLO should have at least one assessment method.) 3.1 Students will submit un-graded copies of their final paper from History 500 to the electronic portfolio. History Major Survey Criteria Level of achievement you are targeting (Indicate benchmarks, scores on assessment instruments, etc that would indicate acceptable achievement under your plan) Students must meet expectations on a four-point rubric on each SLO. History Major Survey
Results Actual results and data collected (Make sure to break down data by subgroups (e.g. other campuses or emphases). As appropriate, also include item or category analysis.) Ten papers were reviewed by an outsider reviewer who has a PhD in history and over twenty years experience teaching at the college level. Ability to conceptualize a project: Consistently exceeds: 0 0 1 Exceeds expectations: 3 1 4 Meets expectations: 6 6 4 Below but adequate 1 1 N/A Fails to meet: 0 0 1 Ability to conduct appropriate research: Consistently exceeds: 0 0 0 Exceeds expectations: 4 2 3 Meets expectations 4 6 5 Below but adequate 2 2 N/A Fails to meet: 0 0 0 Ability to construct an historical argument: (Note: this question was new as of 2011-2012.) Consistently exceeds: N/A 0 1 Exceeds expectations: N/A 2 0 Meets expectations: N/A 2 8 Below but adequate N/A 2 N/A Fails to meet: N/A 0 1 Ability to situate argument in body of historiography: (Note: this question was new as of 2011-2012.) Consistently exceeds: N/A 0 0 Exceeds expectations: N/A 1 0 Meets expectations: N/A 7 5 Below but adequate: N/A 2 N/A Fails to meet: N/A 0 5 Academic integrity. Consistently exceeds: 0 0 2 Exceeds expectations: 3 2 5 Meets expectations: 6 7 4 Below but adequate: 1 1 N/A
Fails to meet: 0 0 0 The ratings for 2013-2014 are slightly higher in all but two categories than those from 2011-2012.. The two categories in which standards fell were in the relatively new categories of constructing a historical argument and situating that argument in the appropriate body of historiography. It is unclear whether papers that, in previous years, might have been judged as below expectations but adequate were now simply below expectations, or whether the students work on this was weaker this time. In general it is not surprising that, overall, senior seminar papers were rated as adequate or better; papers undergo multiple drafts, and students who do not keep up with the work typically drop the course rather than receive a failing grade. Responses to the History Majors Survey show that 100% of students responded that they have received either good or excellent preparation for performing independent research; 100% also said that they received either excellent or good preparation for written communication.
Action Plan What actions or modifications have been or will be made based on this assessment? After speaking with the outside reviewer, it became clear that part of the problem stems from the fact that our curriculum, unlike those at many liberal arts colleges (including those at which the reviewer has spent her entire career), does not include a separate historiography course in addition to the research methods course. None of the history faculty were taught historiography at the undergraduate level, and we have neither sufficient personnel nor room in the curriculum to add such a course. Furthermore, the geographic and/or chronological theme of the senior seminar course is chosen by the faculty member(s) assigned to teach it; prior to the 2014-15 catalog, the requirements for the major meant that it was not uncommon for students to enroll in a senior seminar course having had little or no upper-division coursework in that particular area. Consequently, the history faculty has voted to revise that question to read, able to incorporate appropriate secondary sources into argument, which still requires students to be able to identify and make appropriate use of secondary sources, but does not imply a mastery of a specific body of literature, which the earlier iteration of the question does. In order to ensure that students are adequately prepared to succeed on the revised rubric, faculty members to place more emphasis, where possible, on identifying the thesis in longer (book length) secondary sources. Though students are currently required to do this in numerous courses, including HIST 300, many still struggle with this in HIST 500. The addition of HIST 300 as a prerequisite for HIST 500 (for history majors), should also contribute to greater skill in this area. Students have always been advised and encouraged to take HIST 300 first, but in the first eight years that HIST 300 has been offered, there has always been at least one student who took the course after or even concurrently with HIST 500. The recent revision of the curriculum limiting the number of times students can attempt HIST 300 and HIST 500 should also contribute to improved scores in these areas. Knowing that such a limit exists both indicates to students the importance of these courses and the skills they require. Although all upper-level (and many lower-division) courses require students to construct and defend historical arguments, students are not always realize that the theses they create and support on papers and essay exams are, often historical arguments. Faculty members who teach HIST 300 have agreed to place additional emphasis on the distinction between historical and ahistorical arguments, so that students understand that something can be a thesis without it being a historical one
Implementation and Evaluation of Previous Years Action Plan How was the action plan identified in the previous year s report implemented this y ear, and what was the impact? The higher scores on conceptualizing a project and conducting research suggests that faculty have been more careful in choosing their senior seminar topics. Furthermore, the history faculty found a set of Hansard s Parliamentary Debates, series 1-4, 1803-1908 (790 vols., plus 8-vol. Index; the whole set requires over 110 linear feet of shelf space.) that another university was deaccessioning; the Library was able to acquire the volumes for the cost of shipping only. This has been and will continue to be an invaluable source for history majors, as it contains debates on issues such as child labor, slavery, the expansion of the franchise, and Irish independence, among other topics.