Program: German (BA)
Degree: Bachelor's
Date: Sat Oct 15, 2011 - 12:03:19 pm
1) Below are your program student learning outcomes (SLOs). Please update as needed.
1. Read and comprehend texts written in German from a variety of genres and contexts (e.g., magazine or internet articles, newspapers, literature).
2. Analyze and critique texts written in German from a variety of genres and contexts.
3. Engage in oral communication in German in various communicative contexts (e.g., everyday conversations, ordering in a restaurant, participating in class discussions, making a short presentation).
4. Engage in writing in German in various contexts and for various audiences (e.g., personal letters, emails, essays, etc.).
5. Conduct research on German language and/or culture using knowledge and skills learned in the program.
6. Demonstrate a familiarity with the current events, traditional and pop culture, and social structures of the society/societies in which German is spoken.
2) Your program's SLOs are published as follows. Please update as needed.
Department Website URL: Student Handbook. URL, if available online: Information Sheet, Flyer, or Brochure URL, if available online: UHM Catalog. Page Number: 
Course Syllabi. URL, if available online: NA Other: http://www.lll.hawaii.edu/eval/resources6_curricmaps.php Other: 3) Below is the link(s) to your program's curriculum map(s). If we do not have your curriculum map, please upload it as a PDF.
- File (03/16/2020)
4) For your program, the percentage of courses that have course SLOs explicitly stated on the syllabus, a website, or other publicly available document is as follows. Please update as needed.
0% 1-50%
51-80% 81-99% 100%5) For the period June 1, 2010 to September 30, 2011: State the assessment question(s) and/or assessment goals. Include the SLOs that were targeted, if applicable.
Our primary assessment goal was to determine whether BA students felt the SLOs were achieved, and how the BA program might be improved.
We also wanted to assess oral proficiency, in particular.
Our SLOs are:
1. Read and comprehend texts written in German from a variety of genres and contexts (e.g., magazine or internet articles, newspapers, literature).
2. Analyze and critique texts written in German from a variety of genres and contexts.
3. Engage in oral communication in German in various communicative contexts (e.g., everyday conversations, ordering in a restaurant, participating in class discussions, making a short presentation).
4. Engage in writing in German in various contexts and for various audiences (e.g., personal letters, emails, essays, etc.).
5. Conduct research on German language and/or culture using knowledge and skills learned in the program.
6. Demonstrate a familiarity with the current events, traditional and pop culture, and social structures of the society/societies in which German is spoken.
6) State the type(s) of evidence gathered to answer the assessment question and/or meet the assessment goals that were given in Question #5.
The college of LLL administered a survey to graduating BA students.
An ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview, funded by the College of LLL, was offered to our majors beginning in Spring 2011.
7) State how many persons submitted evidence that was evaluated. If applicable, please include the sampling technique used.
Three of four BA surveys were completed, representing a 75% response rate.
One of three students invited to take the OPI accepted the offer, representing a 33% participation rate.
8) Who interpreted or analyzed the evidence that was collected? (Check all that apply.)
Course instructor(s) Faculty committee Ad hoc faculty group Department chairperson Persons or organization outside the university Faculty advisor Advisors (in student support services) Students (graduate or undergraduate) Dean/Director Other: Associate Dean of LLL and her staff9) How did they evaluate, analyze, or interpret the evidence? (Check all that apply.)
Used a rubric or scoring guide Scored exams/tests/quizzes Used professional judgment (no rubric or scoring guide used) Compiled survey results Used qualitative methods on interview, focus group, open-ended response data External organization/person analyzed data (e.g., external organization administered and scored the nursing licensing exam) Other: 10) For the assessment question(s) and/or assessment goal(s) stated in Question #5:
Summarize the actual results.
Overall, the BA survey indicated that students were “somewhat satisfied” or “very satisfied” with many aspects of the program, including: the quality of instruction, faculty mentoring and advising, the faculty’s ability to keep pace with the field, the appropriateness of degree requirements, and student morale.
One respondent indicated (s)he was “somewhat dissatisfied” with the variety of courses, course availability and class size (anything over 12 was considered too big), and there were a few comments suggesting a need for more extra-curricular/cultural activities.
The individual who participated in the German OPI placed at the Intermediate-High level, indicating (s)he is able to effectively engage in various transactional tasks and social situations related to work, school, recreation, etc. Though the sample is very small, this an encouraging result.
11) State how the program used the results or plans to use the results. Please be specific.
We have created an informational/promotional flyer, as well as a letter from our faculty members, to send to private (non-university) organizations and clubs in an effort to attract outside funding to improve and strengthen our program. So far, it has been mailed to over 30 different individuals, clubs, institutions, etc., in Hawaii, the US and in a number of European countries.
We recently hired a new assistant professor of German with a specialization in Modern German Film, Literature and Culture. In addition to teaching new courses, our new professor is already helping to improve the variety and increase the number of extra-curricular activities we offer.
12) Beyond the results, were there additional conclusions or discoveries?
This can include insights about assessment procedures, teaching and learning, program aspects and so on.
The German faculty need to work harder to encourage our BA students to accept the offer of the ACTFL OPI and raise our participation rate.
13) Other important information.
Please note: If the program did not engage in assessment, please explain. If the program created an assessment plan for next year, please give an overview.
We plan to continue administering our BA survey, as well as offering the ACTFL OPI to all BA students who are willing to participate.