Example: Assessment plan
SOC 302 - Intro to sociology
Teaching Context
The purpose of SOC 302-Introduction to Sociology is to introduce students to the discipline of sociology and provide them with the analytical tools necessary to understand their social environment. The course is a prerequisite for upper division sociology courses and fulfills a social science requirement in the core curriculum. The course is also required for some applied majors outside of the liberal arts such as marketing, management, advertising, and communications.
Two-thirds of the students who enroll in the course are freshmen, twenty percent are sophomores and the remaining fourteen percent are divided equally between juniors and seniors. About five percent are international and sixty percent are female. Approximately five percent of students have declared sociology as their major or minor.
The course is typically taught in a sloped auditorium with fixed seating. The standard multimedia console is available and includes DVD and VCR capabilities. All course materials and lecture notes are posted on the courses’ Blackboard site. Course requirements include three multiple-choice exams, two short writing assignments, and a participation requirement for Blackboard discussion groups. I teach one section of the course every long semester.
Stakeholders
- Instructor (sponsor)
- Students
- Department/Chair
- School/Dean
- UT/Provost
Central questions
- What content are students learning and how are they learning it?
- How could my instruction be better?
- Does using Blackboard discussion groups improve students’ learning?
Assessment purpose and uses
The purpose of assessing SOC 302 is to determine what students are (and are not) learning and how they are learning it. I also want to determine if using Blackboard discussion groups helps students learn. I will also ask students for feedback on my lectures and assignments. I will use these findings to make mid-course adjustments where possible and to make changes in the course for the next time I teach it.
Assessment components
- Developing and administering an online mid-term survey of students in SOC 302 using the OCA system (after Exam 1).
- Conducting a document analysis to determine if course objectives in the syllabus match exam questions and assignments.
- Using minute paper and muddiest point feedback devices to
evaluate specific lectures.
Assessment timeline (assessment components shaded)
| Date | Topic |
|---|---|
Summer |
Conduct document analysis Revise course Plan assessment activities and course schedule Write survey questions/create OCA template |
Aug 26 |
Introduction to Course Minute Paper – What I want to know about society |
Aug 31 |
The Science of Society: How Sociology answers questions about society. |
Sept 2 |
Theoretical Perspectives |
Sept 9 |
Theoretical Perspectives Muddiest Point – What remains unclear about the lecture? |
Sept 14 |
Theory Review The Individual and Society |
Sept 21 |
The Individual and Society Muddiest Point – What remains unclear about the assignment? |
Sept 16 |
Social Roles Respond to questions about assignment |
Sept 21 |
Sociology of Everyday Life Theory Application Assignment Due |
SEPT 23 |
EXAM I |
Sept 28 |
Social Inequality Send OCA survey – study habits, Blackboard use, instructor practices |
Sept 30 |
Social Inequality Minute Paper – The most interesting thing about social inequality is: |
Oct 5 |
Racial and Ethnic Relations |
Oct 7 |
Racial and Ethnic Relations Discuss OCA survey results |
Oct 12-14 |
Gender and Society |
OCT 19 |
EXAM II |
Oct 21 |
Formal Organizations Minute Paper – Understanding formal organizations is important because: |
Oct 26-28 |
Work and Society |
Nov 2-4 |
Politics and Society |
Nov 9-11 |
Education and Society |
Nov 11-16 |
The Family |
Nov 18 |
Religion and Society |
Nov 23 |
Collective Behavior Muddiest Point – What remains unclear about the assignment? |
Nov 30 |
Collective Behavior Respond to questions about assignment |
Dec 2 |
Social Change Institutional Inequality Assignment Due |
DEC 8 |
EXAM III |
Jan |
Revise course based on assessment findings |
