|
Examples of Assessment by Institution |
|
Stanford University has multiple assessment programs and projects ranging from discipline-specific assessment to program and department assessment. Here are two examples.
The Language Center offers instruction in 14 languages, as well as 30 Less Commonly Taught Languages. All undergraduates are required to achieve an Intermediate Mid-level of oral proficiency in the cognate languages (e.g., French) and Novice High in the non-cognate languages (e.g., Chinese). Similar standards are set for reading and writing. These proficiency levels are based on the national scale called the Foreign Service Institute/American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages scale. Since 1996, oral assessments have been performed to determine a pre- and post-language acquisition proficiency. As of Spring 2008, writing is also evaluated.
The Program in Writing and Rhetoric’s (PWR) mission is to create and sustain a culture of writing for all undergraduates. As a basic tool for communicating ideas and expanding on discourse, writing is a fundamental skill necessary to our students’ future success, irrespective of course of study. The first two courses taken in freshman and sophomore year focus on analysis and research-based argumentation, and writing, research and oral/multimedia presentation, respectively. The third component provides specialized direction by providing support in the context of a student’s chosen major. A five-year longitudinal study of PWR conducted from 2001-2006 laid the groundwork for this assessment activity through the collection of writing samples, interviews and surveys. A current study will focus on a pre- and post-evaluation of writing samples from first and second year courses. Subsequently, students will be followed through upper division writing courses and beyond to track further writing development. Their work will be assessed via a grading rubric and results will inform further curriculum development.
|
|
Stanford University |
