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Examples of Assessment by Institution |
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Hampden-Sydney Collge: For 30 years, the Rhetoric Program at Hampden-Sydney College has focused on developing students' writing skills. Rhetoric courses emphasize written communication of concepts and information. The College has enjoyed considerable success in ensuring that a Hampden-Sydney College graduate knows how to communicate effectively, articulately, and persuasively.
In addition to the writing requirements associated with the Rhetoric Program, the students also write in virtually every other course they take at the College, with faculty emphasizing the same lessons in proper writing technique as covered in Rhetoric classes. Also, as a graduation requirement, all students must pass the Rhetoric Proficiency Exam (RPE), a test not linked to any particular class. The RPE is a timed essay in which students write, in the three hours allowed, a well-crafted essay that is effective in support of a clear thesis. Using a holistic rubric that was developed and fine-tuned by the Rhetoric Program staff, two independent readers score the essays. This system provides regular feedback to the program staff on the effectiveness of instruction in Rhetoric, as well as on the scoring of the RPEs by both those faculty who teach Rhetoric and those who do not. |
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Hampden-Sydney College |
