UC San Diego - WASC Exhibit 7.1 Inventory of Educational

UC San Diego - WASC Exhibit 7.1

Inventory of Educational Effectiveness Indicators

Academic Program

(2)

What are these learning outcomes?

Where are they published?

(Please specify)

(3)

Other than GPA, what data/evidence is used to determine that

graduates have achieved stated outcomes for the degree? (e.g.,

capstone course, portfolio review, licensure examination)

(4)

Who interprets the evidence?

What is the process?

(5)

How are the findings used?

Department:

Literature

Major:

B.A. in Literature/

Composite Major

B.A. in Literature/

Cultural Studies

B.A. in Literatures

in French

B.A. in Literatures

in Russian

B.A. in Literatures

of the World

(1) Have formal

learning outcomes

been developed?

Yes

(6) Date of last

Academic Senate

Review?

2012-13

The Department of Literature is virtually unique in that

it offers courses in most world literatures and many

languages in a comparative context that allows students

to choose from ten different undergraduate major tracks.

Literature majors develop skills and perspectives that

prepare them for diverse careers such as education and

numerous professions. The writing, analytical and

cultural breadth of majors makes them attractive for

professional schools in law and medicine as well as

advanced graduate studies. Their skills in foreign

languages also prepares them for work in international

business, advertising, editing, publishing, journalism,

communications, mass media and related professions.

Students graduating with a degree should be able to:

1. write effectively, marshalling textual evidence in their

engagement with complex and diverse ideas.

2. read texts and other cultural productions in a

nuanced manner, sensitive to factors of historical

context and aesthetic form.

3. develop a critical vocabulary and framework that

would promote and facilitate their engagement with

texts.

4. work at an advanced level in a second

language/literature.

5. read, evaluate and apply secondary sources to their

analyses of primary texts.

6. develop a life-long appreciation of the subtleties of

cultural texts and the ongoing need to engage with

and evaluate their meanings.

Learning outcomes published:

 UC San Diego General Catalog:

http://infopath-1.ucsd.edu/catalog/

 UCSD Website: http://literature.ucsd.edu

 Department of Literature website:

http://literature.ucsd.edu

 Department of Literature handouts: major

“bookmarks”, planning sheets, etc.

Data/Evidence:

 All UCSD students must fulfill a basic writing

requirement (Subject A) before admission to the

campus. Further, each of the six undergraduate

colleges at UCSD requires their students to complete a

writing program.

 All Literature majors must complete at least one

undergraduate three-course sequence before advancing

to the upper division classes in the major. Each

sequence focuses on a national or ethnic literature,

specific periods, genres or a combination of these

categories.

 Students in every literature class must produce at least

2,500 words of writing at the lower division and 4,000

words of writing at the upper division levels.

 All majors must fulfill a second language requirement

that includes at least one upper division class taught

exclusively in that language. Obviously, students

majoring in one of the foreign language literatures

must complete many more upper division courses

taught in those languages.

 Every major program within the department requires

its students to organize their courses within specific

groupings that insure both breadth and depth in the

particular literature.

 Each major is encouraged to complete course planning

forms for review and approval by faculty and staff to

ensure that their progress within their program

adheres to requirements. Students also are expected to

consult faculty advisers and/or staff periodically as

they move towards graduation.

 All student writing is evaluated by faculty/teaching staff

and responded to with detailed comments to optimize

students’ learning progress.

 Most upper division courses require student

participation in discussions and activities in order to

improve communication skills and build a community

of scholars within each class and the broader cohort of

majors.

 Every course offering is

evaluated and approved by the

campus Committee on

Educational Policies and

Courses (CEP)

 Every course is evaluated by

students. Most classes are

evaluated by both the campus-

wide Course and Professor

Evaluation (CAPE) survey, and

an intradepartmental survey

hosted by Zoomerang.

 Syllabi for every Literature

course are submitted to the

Department and are evaluated

for both content and forms of

student assessment (papers,

exams, etc.) when faculty are

reviewed.

 On a wider level, many

Literature majors go on to

graduate and professional

schools, emphasizing the quality

of the Department’s outcomes.

 The Curriculum Committee

meets regularly to set the

course and teaching schedule

for the following year and

consideration is taken

regarding the courses that

must be offered regularly and

which courses are the most

popular and highly rated by

students.

 During deliberations on

evaluating

assessment/outcomes the

Department’s curriculum

committee identified two

areas that need immediate

attention.

First, our catalog copy needs

a more detailed description of

outcomes we expect our

students to attain. This

concern will be addressed in

the very near future in our

electronic catalog copy and in

the 2010-11 printed catalog.

Second, some of our ten

majors/tracks have been

spurred to make changes in

requirements and move

towards a clearer process of

assessment. In some cases

this means the development of

a portfolio requirement for

graduating seniors and in

other cases the creation of

capstone courses for seniors.

This discussion will hopefully

culminate in specific changes

by the end of fall quarter

2009.

Third, the development of an

exit survey for seniors has

been proposed and is being

considered as another means

of assessment.

Department:

Literature

(continued)

 Majors are encouraged to study abroad in one of the

UC Education Abroad Program’s many affiliated

universities or on an exchange program based in other

US universities or study abroad consortia. Up to five

classes taken abroad can be applied to any of the

Department’s nine major programs, and six can be

applied to the Composite Major. Participation in these

programs results in greater facility with the language

and culture of the host countries and, thereby,

broadens majors’ skill sets and knowledge in their

specific concentrations.

 All students who have achieved at least an overall 3.5

GPA and a 3.7 GPA in the major by the end of their

junior year are invited in the fall of their senior year to

join the Department’s Honors Seminar. This entails

taking part in two quarters of advanced work, first in a

winter quarter seminar (LTWL 191) then a quarter of

independent work on an honors thesis that will be

defended before a three person faculty committee at the

end of spring term.

UC San Diego - WASC Exhibit 7.1

Inventory of Educational Effectiveness Indicators

Academic Program

(2)

What are these learning outcomes?

Where are they published?

(Please specify)

(3)

Other than GPA, what data/evidence is used to determine that

graduates have achieved stated outcomes for the degree? (e.g.,

capstone course, portfolio review, licensure examination)

(4)

Who interprets the evidence?

What is the process?

(5)

How are the findings used?

Department:

Literature

Major:

B.A. in Literature/

Writing

(1) Have formal

learning outcomes

been developed?

Yes

(6) Date of last

Academic Senate

Review?

2012-13

Students graduating with a degree should be able to:

A. Write clear expository prose.

B. Work at an advanced level in a second

language/literature, including the ability to complete

at least one upper division course in literature, film,

etc. taught exclusively in that language.

C. Produce original works of fiction, poetry, or non-

fiction.

D. Demonstrate in-depth familiarity with the literary

history of their chosen genre, including canonical

and alternative texts across some breadth of time.

E.. Develop a critical vocabulary for understanding,

discussing, and evaluating literary techniques and

aesthetic arguments while honing editorial skills.

F.. Become active, sophisticated, articulate consumers

and producers of a variety of texts.

Learning outcomes published:

 We will change our catalogue and website to reflect

these goals.

Data/Evidence:

Our students must complete three introductory writing

courses before declaring the Writing major. These

courses – 8A (Writing Fiction), 8B (Writing Poetry), and

8C (Writing Non-Fiction) – are intended to do several

things. Students are expected to read and discuss works in

the respective genres, to produce works of fiction, poetry,

or non-fiction themselves, and to learn the terminology

and concepts used to discuss or evaluate such texts.

Students typically take tests on the academic material

presented and produce portfolios of creative work.

After declaring the Writing major, students are required

to take twelve upper division courses in the Literature

Department. At least six of these courses must be writing

workshops; while two must be literature courses outside

the writing section. Students take workshops in such

topics as writing fiction, writing poetry, screen writing,

science writing, distributing literature, writing for

children, etc. These courses are taught by recognized

experts in the various writing genres. While no course

work can guarantee that a student will become an

important novelist, for instance, these workshops give

students the experience to proceed into careers involving

writing or into graduate writing programs. Students are

also required to complete one of the 140-148 sequence

courses which include Stylistics and Grammar, Teaching

of Writing, and Theory for Writers. In all Writing

courses, students produce a portfolio of creative writing

or critical papers, depending on the content of the course.

All student writing is evaluated by faculty/teaching staff

and responded to with detailed comments to optimize

student learning. In workshop classes, students also

benefit from learning to provide and receive peer critique.

Writing students demonstrate learning by revising their

creative work.

Writing students who obtain a 3.5 GPA or better by their

senior year are able to participate in a department wide

Honors Seminar in which they produce a long creative

project under the direction of a chosen advisor.

We are considering adding a three course sequence,

Critical Foundations in Writing, to the requirements for

the major. The first and second quarters of this sequence

would help students gain an in-depth familiarity with

major canonical and alternative texts of fiction and

poetry. We would look at these texts from the writer’s

 Faculty and teaching staff

evaluate student progress in

every class. A capstone class

could provide a further

evaluation of student work.

We are considering instituting a

program of surveying Writing

majors who have graduated to

see if their degrees have proven

helpful in their subsequent

careers. We could attempt to

discover how many have been

accepted to MFA programs,

published their writing, or found

work in which their experience

with creative writing has been

helpful (i.e. high school English

teacher, technical writer, editor,

etc.).

Department:

Literature

Major:

B.A. in Literature/

Writing

(continued)

perspective, discussing how they are constructed as much

or more than what they “say.” The course would also

familiarize students with important theory and criticism of

special relevance to writers. These courses would allow

us to accomplish our stated goals D and E from section

two of this statement. The third quarter of Critical

Foundations would be a “capstone” class in which

students would work on advanced creative or critical

projects of their own choosing under the supervision of

the instructor. The work produced in this capstone class

would be part of the students’ permanent records. (The

capstone class might replace the department’s Honors

Seminar for Writing students.) Students would begin the

Critical Foundations sequence in their junior year and

take the capstone class as seniors.Majors are encouraged

to study abroad in one of the UC Education Abroad

Program’s many affiliated universities or on an exchange

program based in other US universities or study abroad

consortia. Up to five classes taken abroad can be applied

to any of the Department’s nine major programs, and six

can be applied to the Composite Major. Participation in

these programs results in greater facility with the

language and culture of the host countries and, thereby,

broadens majors’ skill sets and knowledge in their

specific concentrations.

All students who have achieved at least an overall 3.5

GPA and a 3.7 GPA in the major by the end of their

junior year are invited in the fall of their senior year to

join the Department’s Honors Seminar. This entails

taking part in two quarters of advanced work, first in a

winter quarter seminar (LTWL 191) then a quarter of

independent work on an honors thesis that will be

defended before a three person faculty committee at the

end of spring term.

UC San Diego - WASC Exhibit 7.1

Inventory of Educational Effectiveness Indicators

Academic Program

(2)

What are these learning outcomes?

Where are they published?

(Please specify)

(3)

Other than GPA, what data/evidence is used to determine that

graduates have achieved stated outcomes for the degree? (e.g.,

capstone course, portfolio review, licensure examination)

(4)

Who interprets the evidence?

What is the process?

(5)

How are the findings used?

Department:

Literature

Major:

B.A. in Literatures

in English

(1) Have formal

learning outcomes

been developed?

Yes

(6) Date of last

Academic Senate

Review?

2012-13

Students graduating with a degree should be able to:

 Identify major literary periods, the rationale for that

periodization, and the literary production of that

period.

 Identify and integrate knowledge of important ethnic

components of literatures written in English.

 Identify and integrate knowledge of the

interrelationship of the English-language literary

tradition with literatures with a non-Anglophone

world literary tradition.

 Understand and integrate a history of critical

traditions with basic historical survey knowledge.

 Analyze and critique literary production with

reference to current theoretical paradigms.

 Write effective papers of literary analysis and

critique.

 These requirements are published on the

Department’s website and in individual handouts and

materials furnished students by staff academic

advisors.

Learning outcomes published:

 Syllabi for major component upper- and lower-

division survey courses.

 Overview of course requirements for a concentration

in Literatures in English.

Data/Evidence:

 Students apply base knowledge of periods, etc.

acquired in lower-division courses to more

concentrated study in upper-division courses.

 Students are required to enroll in and complete at least

one lower-division course in ethnic literature.

 Students are required to enroll in and complete at least

one course in world literatures.

 Students are required to enroll in and complete at least

three upper-division courses in a secondary literature,

one of which is taught entirely in that second language.

 Students are required to enroll in and complete at least

one course in literary theory or literary history.

 Students are required to write papers totaling a

minimum of 2500 words in lower-division courses and

4000 words in upper-division courses.

 Staff advisors track progress of

majors toward completing

required classes.

 Faculty sectional advisers are

available to consult with students

about structuring their

individual programs.

 Teaching faculty routinely

consult and offer guidance to

students who enrolled in their

classes. Frequently their

interpretation of a student’s

accomplishment of the aims of

the program are specifically

articulated in letters of

recommendation written in

support of a student’s

application to graduate or

professional school or for other

employment.

 Teaching faculty are required by

the department to provide

extracurricular mentoring

through programs such as the

McNair Program and the

Academic Internship program,

which give students one-on-one

training in advanced skills.

 A student is admitted to

graduate or professional

school comprises a significant

“proof” that a student has

completed a satisfactory

undergraduate preparation.

 A graduate is hired in a field

of employment that uses the

skills of analysis, critique,

writing, and research learned

in the major.

UC San Diego - WASC Exhibit 7.1

Inventory of Educational Effectiveness Indicators

Academic Program

(2)

What are these learning outcomes?

Where are they published?

(Please specify)

(3)

Other than GPA, what data/evidence is used to determine that

graduates have achieved stated outcomes for the degree? (e.g.,

capstone course, portfolio review, licensure examination)

(4)

Who interprets the evidence?

What is the process?

(5)

How are the findings used?

Department:

Literature

Major:

B.A. in Literatures

n German

(1) Have formal

learning outcomes

been developed?

Yes

(6) Date of last

Academic Senate

Review?

2012-13

Literatures in German is one of the ten majors offered

by the Literature Department. Students work closely

with the faculty of the German Section to develop a high

level of proficiency in reading, writing, and speaking the

German language, and in analyzing the aesthetic,

cultural, and historical dimensions of literary,

philosophical, and filmic texts. The major prepares

students not only for graduate study in German

Literature and German Studies, but for a wide range of

professional schools that require skills in critical

analysis and argumentative writing (such as Law and

International Relations). The major points students

toward international careers involving the German-

speaking countries and Europe in general.

Students graduating with a degree should be able to:

 Read, write, speak, and understand German with near-

native fluency.

 Analyze diverse texts with sensitivity for their

aesthetic, argumentative, socio-cultural, and historical

dimensions.

 Write effectively on a wide range of topics.

 Understand past and contemporary issues in the

German-speaking world with reference to their broad

cultural contexts.

Learning outcomes published:

 UC San Diego General Catalog:

http://infopath-1.ucsd.edu/catalog/

 http://infopath.ucsd.edu/catalog

 http://literature.ucsd.edu/

Data/Evidence:

 Completion of nine upper-division German courses

(LTGM), two of which are in literature written before

1850, with a grade of C- or better.

 Completion of three courses in a secondary language,

at least one of which is upper-division, with a grade of

C- or better.

 Completion of a total of twelve upper-division

Literature courses, with a grade of C- or better.

 Participation in one of the UC Education Abroad

Programs in Germany, or another study-abroad

program in a German-speaking country, is strongly

encouraged.

 Graduating seniors with a GPA of at least 3.5 may opt

to write a Seniors Honors Thesis of 30-50 pages. The

student defends the thesis at a one-hour oral exam

before a committee chaired by a member of the German

Section and consisting of three Literature faculty

members.

 Students develop their programs

of study in consultation with the

Literature Department

Undergraduate Advisor and the

German Section faculty.

 Students work closely in small

classes with German Section

faculty members, who develop

course material, supervise

student performance, and assign

all grades.

 Courses taken in Germany are

assigned grades by UC study-

center Directors. If petitioned

for use in fulfilling the

requirements of the major, they

are again reviewed by the Head

of the German Section at UCSD.

 Before student graduation, all

course work for the major must

be approved by the Head of the

German Section and the

Literature Department’s

Director of Undergraduate

Studies.

 Students anonymously evaluate

all courses and instructors.

 CEP conducts periodic

reviews of the major.

 Outside accreditation

committees conduct periodic

reviews of the major.

 The faculty of the German

Section and of the Literature

Department determine the

requirements for the major

and adjust them if necessary.

 Course instructors use student

and committee feedback to

modify and develop courses

and course offerings.

UC San Diego - WASC Exhibit 7.1

Inventory of Educational Effectiveness Indicators

Academic Program

(2)

What are these learning outcomes?

Where are they published?

(Please specify)

(3)

Other than GPA, what data/evidence is used to determine that

graduates have achieved stated outcomes for the degree? (e.g.,

capstone course, portfolio review, licensure examination)

(4)

Who interprets the evidence?

What is the process?

(5)

How are the findings used?

Department:

Literature

Major:

B.A. in Literatures

in Italian

(1) Have formal

learning outcomes

been developed?

Yes

(6) Date of last

Academic Senate

Review?

2012-13

Department:

Students graduating with a degree should be able to:

 demonstrate a cultural proficiency in Italian language

and literature. We define cultural proficiency as the

ability:

a. to read those texts that educated Italians read and

b. to articulate, in speech and writing, complex ideas

that would enable to students to develop

meaningful relationships with educated Italians.

 work at an advanced level in a secondary

language/literature, including the ability to

successfully complete at least one upper division

course in literature, film, etc.

 develop a critical vocabulary that facilitates the

interpretation and analysis of many types of data.

 develop and employ a broad bicultural literacy that

includes the ability:

a. to assess and appreciate ideas and texts from (at

least) two cultural perspectives (Italian and U.S.)

and

b. to understand nation-building and diasporic

processes and cultures.

Learning outcomes published:

 These outcomes are published partially in the UC San

Diego General Catalog (http://infopath-

1.ucsd.edu/catalog/ ), partially on our syllabi.

 This outcomes/assessment exercise has led us to

discuss and move to implement changes in catalog

descriptions, especially as they apply to the

description of expected student outcomes.

Data/Evidence:

 All Italian literature majors must complete two years

of language study (or the equivalent) before advancing

to the upper division classes in the major. At UCSD,

first year language courses have been taught in both

Linguistics and Literature. Professors Jed and De

Marchi Gherini developed the Literature department

first year Italian language sequence (LTIT 1A-B-C)

with the precise learning outcomes of the major in

mind. The second year Italian language sequence,

developed by Prof. De Marchi Gherini, has the dual

purpose of consolidating linguistic competence and

providing students with tools for developing a broad

proficiency in Italian culture.

 Students in every Italian literature class produce

between 2,500 and 4000 words of writing and work on

revising their writing after receiving feedback from the

instructor.

 All majors must fulfill a secondary literature

requirement that includes at least one upper division

class taught exclusively in that language. Students

majoring in Italian literature may choose English as

their secondary literature, but they may also choose

from the other literatures offered in our department

and even pursue a dual literature major (in, say, Italian

and Spanish).

 In order to insure both breadth and depth in Italian

literature, the Italian literature major requires the

following courses:

a. LTIT 100, Introduction to Italian Literature.

Typically, an Italian literature major will take this

course 2 or 3 times, each time focusing on different

authors or genres of the Italian literary canon.

b. LTIT 115, Medieval Studies. This course, which

focuses most regularly on the works of Dante

Alighieri, insures that students are exposed to an

early period of Italian literature.

c. LTIT 161, Advanced Stylistics and Conversation.

This course is most centrally engaged in training

students to articulate, in speech and writing,

complex ideas that would enable them to develop

meaningful relationships with educated Italians.

 Individual course instructors

regularly use student feedback

(CAPE and informal

feedback) to modify courses

from year to year.

 The program director

regularly solicits student

feedback for the planning of

curriculum.

 The program faculty is in

regular contact with the

Education Abroad Program

staff in Italy.

 This outcomes/assessment

exercise has led us to think

about more regular

curriculum meetings.

Literature

Major:

B.A. in Literatures in

Italian (continued)

d. one course in Italian North American Culture. This

course (that can be fulfilled by courses offered either

under the rubric of Italian literature or Cultural

Studies) is most centrally engaged in introducing

students to the problematics of nation-building and

diasporic processes and cultures.

 Each major must early on in the process fill out course

planning forms that are reviewed and approved by

faculty and staff to be sure that their progress within

their program adheres to requirements. Students also

are expected to consult faculty advisers and/or staff

periodically as they move towards graduation.

 All student writing is evaluated by faculty/teaching staff

and responded to with detailed comments to optimize

student’s learning progress.

 Most upper division courses require student

participation in discussions and activities in order to

improve communication skills and build a community

of scholars within each class and the broader cohort of

majors.

 Majors are encouraged to study abroad in one of the

UC Education Abroad Programs in Italy or on an

exchange program based in other US universities or

study abroad consortia. Up to five classes taken

abroad may be applied to the italian literature major.

Participation in these programs results in greater

facility with the language and culture of the host

countries and, thereby, broadens majors’ skill sets and

knowledge in their specific concentrations.

 Italian literature majors who have achieved at least an

overall 3.5 GPA and a 3.7 GPA in the major by the end

of their junior year are invited in the fall of their senior

year to join the Literature Honors Seminar. This

entails taking part in two quarters of advanced work,

first in a winter quarter seminar (LTWL 191) then a

quarter of independent work on an honors thesis that

will be defended before a three-person faculty

committee at the end of spring term.

 This outcomes/assessment exercise has led the Italian

literature faculty to discuss and move to implement

changes in catalogue descriptions, especially as they

apply to the description of expected student outcomes.

 Further, we are considering the addition of individual

portfolios or capstone courses for seniors in the Italian

literature major.

UC San Diego - WASC Exhibit 7.1

Inventory of Educational Effectiveness Indicators

Academic Program

(2)

What are these learning outcomes?

Where are they published?

(Please specify)

(3)

Other than GPA, what data/evidence is used to determine that

graduates have achieved stated outcomes for the degree? (e.g.,

capstone course, portfolio review, licensure examination)

(4)

Who interprets the evidence?

What is the process?

(5)

How are the findings used?

Department:

Literature

Major:

B.A. in Literatures

in Spanish

(1) Have formal

learning outcomes

been developed?

Yes

(6) Date of last

Academic Senate

Review?

2012-13

Students graduating with a degree should be able to:

 Have a basic understanding of Spanish and Latin

American literatures in their social and historical

contexts

 To write clearly and effectively in Spanish and be

capable of developing a coherent argument

 To be skilled at interpreting and analyzing literary

and other texts

 Have an understanding of and appreciation for the

cultural diversity of Spain, Latin America, and Latino

immigrant communities in the U.S.

Learning outcomes published:

 Department website

 UC San Diego General Catalog:

http://infopath-1.ucsd.edu/catalog/

Data/Evidence:

Students apply base knowledge of periods, etc. Building

on the writing and analytic skills gained in courses

required by UCSD colleges or, in the case of transfer

students, courses that articulate with UCSD courses,

students will develop a knowledge of Spanish and Latin

American literatures in their social and historical

contexts (LTSP 130A and B) and come to understand and

appreciate the cultural diversity of the Spanish-speaking

world , including U.S. Latino communities (all courses).

They will gain further experience interpreting literary

texts and writing clearly and effectively in Spanish (all

courses).

 Our curriculum map for majors (* = required):

*LTSP 50A: Introduction to Spanish Peninsular

literature, review of grammar and usage, essay writing,

and oral presentation

*LTSP 50B or C: Introduction to Latin American

literature, review of grammar and usage, essay writing,

and oral presentation

*LTSP 130A: Survey of Spanish Peninsular literature,

from 15

to 20

century, essay writing and literary

analysis

*LTSP 130B: Survey of Spanish Peninsular literature,

from 16

to 20

century, essay writing and literary

analysis

*Seven additional upper division LTSP courses, which

may include LTSP 170 Contemporary Theories of

Cultural Production and LTSP 173 Problems in

Spanish and Latin American Literary History

 Individual faculty not only assess

students based on their

performance in courses, but also

act as advisors as well as

instructors, guiding students in

improving their outcomes.

 The Spanish section

undergraduate advisor and

Undergraduate Office staff work

individually with students to

monitor their progress and guide

them in improving their

outcomes

 Some questions on course

evaluation forms concern some

of these outcomes. We will

propose revising course

evaluation forms so that they will

more closely match learning

outcomes.

 Student evaluations are

regularly used for mentoring

new teachers so that their

efforts in the classroom most

effectively produce the desired

learning outcomes.

 The Spanish section as a

whole meets annually to

review and if necessary revise

the curriculum and discuss

pedagogical matters. We will

focus these meetings around

the learning outcomes and

revise curriculum and

pedagogy accordingly.

 Individual faculty in the

Spanish section will be able to

use this assessment form itself

to focus their course planning

and pedagogical approaches

on the achievement of the

desired learning outcomes.