SACSCOC Fifth Year Interim Report
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Assessment : 2011 - 2012 : Educational Programs :
Philosophy BA
Philosophy BA
3 Goals 4 Objectives 4 Indicators 6 Criteria 7 Findings 5 Actions
| GOAL: Improving Critical Thinking And Analytic Reasoning |
| Objective |
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| Critical thinking skills are an essential component of philosophical work. Students will be able to analyze arguments and draw conclusions from available information. |
| Indicator |
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| All students who take PHIL 2303 will be tested on their critical thinking skills. All faculty who teach PHIL 2303 will administer the Texas Assessment of Critical Thinking Skill (TACTS)s, an externally validated test of critical thinking skills, in a pre-test/post-test format. The TACTS is a broad-based assessment of critical thinking skills that goes beyond the current scope of PHIL 2303. This will allow the faculty to determine areas that may be added to our current curriculum in the future. A copy of the current TACTS is attached. A copy of the credited responses is attached. The Philosophy Program Coordinator, currently Dr. Fair, will be responsible for ensuring that all faculty who teach PHIL 2303 effectively administer the pre- and post-tests in every section of their course. One faculty member, currently Dr. Sanford, will be responsible for gathering pre- and post-test data from the faculty members who teach PHL 2303. |
| Criterion |
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| A paired two-sample t-test will be performed on the scores of all students who take the pre-test and the post-test. The philosophy program expects to see a statistically significant improvement from the pre-test to the post-test. |
| Finding |
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| A paired two-sample t-test on our sample of 471 student scores, for students who took both the pre-test and post-test, demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in their scores. Data and basic analysis are attached. |
| Criterion |
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| The data from the team that developed the TACTS show that a knowledge gap exists with respect to decision making when an outcome depends upon the conjunction of two probabilistic events. Their data show that less than 20% of those tested correctly answered the following question: "George is waiting for two of his customers, Fuzzy Logic Computers, Inc. and Stalking Horse Designs, to pay their bills. If either of them pays before the end of the month, then George can pay his supplier. But if neither of them pays, then George will have to take out a bank loan. George estimates that the chance that Fuzzy Logic will pay in time is 70% and the chance Stalking Horse Designs will pay in time is 60%. Assuming that his estimates are correct and that the two events are independent, what is the chance that George will have to take out a bank loan? (a) 12% (b) 40% (c) 65% (d) 42% (e) 88%"" 2011-2012 will be the third year that the Philosophy Program will expect all faculty to evaluate this type of reasoning as part of the critical thinking course. We will consider this initial effort successful if there is at least a 75% improvement on this type of question from the pre-test to the post-test. |
| Finding |
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| The sample is limited to only those students who took both the pre-test and post-test. For students whose pre-test score was reported, 81 out of 471 (17.2%) correctly answered the question. On the post-test, 183 out of 471 (38.9%) correctly answered the question. This represents a 126.2% improvement in the percentage of students who successfully answered the probability questions from the pre-test to the post-test and compares favorably to the 85.6% improvement seen in 2009-2010 and 106.5% seen in 2010-2011 yet, it remains a challenge to improve even further. |
Actions for Objective:
| Action |
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| Although our data showed a substantial improvement in calculating probabilities, it is expected that our faculty can improve on our third-year performance. All Philosophy Program faculty who taught PHIL 2303 during 2011-2012 will be invited to share their experiences with those who will teach PHIL 2303 during 2011-2012. In addition, input will be sought from other faculty who have experience teaching probability-based content. The goal will be to identify ways in which pedagogy in this area can be further improved without cutting back on the successful core of critical thinking skills we have regularly taught. It is expected that faculty will implement and evaluate new approaches during 2012-2013. |
| GOAL: Understanding Of General Philosophical Concepts |
| Objective |
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| As students progress through the Philosophy BA, they will acquire a basic understanding of metaphysics, epistemology, and moral theory. This basic information, provided by our introductory courses serves as the foundation for student success in upper-division courses. |
| Indicator |
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| All students in PHIL 2361 and PHIL 2603 will be tested on their knowledge of basic concepts in metaphysics, epistemology, and moral theory using a locally standardized pre-test and post-test for each course. Following a review of best practices for the teaching of these courses, a group of Program faculty chose the questions for the assessment. The questions asked cover the range of concepts that are taught in peer departments. Instruction on these concepts promotes a basic competence in metaphysics, epistemology, and moral theory. The attached documents provide the assessment instruments for PHIL 2361 and PHL 2603 as well as the credited responses for each. |
| Criterion |
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| A paired two-sample t-test will be performed on the scores of all students who take the pre-test and the post-test. Students in both courses will demonstrate a statistically significant improvement from the pre-test to the post-test. |
| Finding |
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| PHL 2361 students demonstrated a statistically significant improvement from the pre-test (M=6.8) to the post-test (M=10.7). Although statistically significant, the post-test mean is only 53.5% with 20 items. See the attached data. This is consistent with the 51% during 2009-2010 and 54.5% during 2010-2011 on the post-test. Additional innovative strategies for teaching basic concepts in metaphysics, epistemology, and moral theory are needed to ensure deep learning. |
| Finding |
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| PHIL 2603 students demonstrated a statistically significant improvement from the pre-test (M=10.32) to the post-test (15.08). While statistically significant, the post-test mean is only 60.3% of 25 items. See the attached data. Hence, basic concepts in metaphysics, epistemology, and moral theory must be addressed in inventive ways so that deep learning versus shallow learning is accomplished. |
Actions for Objective:
| Action |
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| The Program will undertake a targeted instructional effort aimed at improving student learning. In PHIL 2603, this effort will focus on improving students' knowledge of arguments related to the death penalty. In PHIL 2361, it will focus on Kantian philosophy. These efforts will be evaluated via pre-test/post-test analysis on specific questions related to their respective content. Additionally, as the Program revises the PHIL 3364/3365 curriculum, we will do this with an eye toward identifying additional opportunities to improve the overall presentation of general philosophical concepts to our students. |
| GOAL: Understanding Of General Philosophical Concepts |
| Objective |
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| Well-educated philosophy students will demonstrate appreciation for the arguments and positions of earlier thinkers. Because so much of what is written in philosophy is a reaction to the metaphysical and epistemological presuppositions of earlier thinking, it is the core of well-rounded philosophical education. |
| Indicator |
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| All students in PHL 364 and PHL 365 will be tested on their knowledge of general concepts in the history of philosophy. All faculty who teach these courses will administer a pre-test and post-test to all students. All Philosophy BA students are required to take PHL 364 (Ancient and Medieval Philosophy) and PHL 365 (Modern Philosophy). Together, these courses provide students with upper-level instruction covering the history of metaphysics and epistemology. Following a review of best practices for the teaching of these courses, a group of Program faculty chose the questions for the assessment. The questions cover the range of concepts that are taught in peer departments. Instruction on these concepts promotes a well-rounded understanding of the history of philosophy. |
| Criterion |
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| A paired two-sample t-test will be performed on the scores of all students who take the pre-test and the post-test. Students in both courses will demonstrate a statistically significant improvement from the pre-test to the post-test. In addition, at least 70% of students will correctly answer 70% of the questions on the post-test. |
| Finding |
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| The data reported by the faculty member who taught the only section of PHIL 3365 did not reflect the expected assessment of the course. The assessment coordinator is unable to report meaningful findings or draw conclusions from the data. Dr. Sanford acknowledged receipt of the spreadsheet containing the data without realizing that deficiency. By the time he recognized the problem, recovery of the data had become impractical. |
| Criterion |
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| A paired two-sample t-test will be performed on the scores of all students who take the pre-test and the post-test. Students in both courses will demonstrate a statistically significant improvement from the pre-test to the post-test. In addition, at least 70% of students will correctly answer 70% of the questions on the post-test. |
| Finding |
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| Students demonstrated a statistically significant improvement from the pre-test (M=0.18) to the post-test (M=6.73). Although statistically significant, post-test mean is only 35.4% with 19 items. This still represents a weakness in teaching the history of metaphysics and epistemology in modern philosophy |
Actions for Objective:
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| The Program will focus on improving deep learning by looking for ways to improve the links between PHL 2361/2603 and PHL 3364/3365. The goal will be to provide greater continuity between the introductory and advanced courses with an eye toward improving students' long-term outcomes as they proceed through the Program's curriculum. Year-over-year data for PHIL 3364/3365 has not indicated the desired level of student achievement. For 2012-2013, the Program will undertake a thorough revision of PHIL 3364/3365. This revision will include a ground-up reconsideration of the texts used, pedagogical methods, and overall course design for both of the advanced history of philosophy courses. |
| Objective Supports Another 's Goals |
| Objective |
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Student's understanding of formal logic provides a foundation for rigorous analysis of arguments. All philosophy majors will demonstrate competence in propositional logic and predicate logic. Supports : Philosophy BA |
| Indicator |
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| All students who take PHIL 3362 (Introduction to Contemporary Logic) will be tested on knowledge of basic logical concepts, propositional logic, and predicate logic. All faculty who teach PHIL 3362 will administer a pre-test and post-test. These will serve as an indicator of student competence with the subject matter. Following a review of best practices for the teaching of this course, a group of Program faculty chose the questions for the assessment. The questions asked cover the range of concepts that are taught in peer departments. Instruction on these concepts promotes a an introduction to the concepts of formal logic, propositional logic, and predicate logic. The attached documents provide the sample questions similar to those used in the embedded assessments and the credited responses. Because some of these questions, particularly the logical proofs, have answers that could be memorized if the questions were known in advance, exam security requires that the actual questions not be posted in a public document. The Program faculty will use questions that are essentially similar but sufficiently distinct to limit the potential for academic dishonesty. A group of Program faculty has reviewed the particular questions that will be embedded each semester. |
| Criterion |
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| A paired two-sample t-test will be performed on the scores of all students who take the pre-test and the post-test. Students in both courses will demonstrate a statistically significant improvement from the pre-test to the post-test. |
| Finding |
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| PHIL 3362 students demonstrated a statistically significant improvement from the pre-test (M=.3) to the post-test (M=5.3). Although statistically significant, the post-test mean is only 38% with 14 items. See the attached data. While this represents a significant improvement the Program will seek innovative teaching methods to promote deep learning. Additionally, the Program is concerned about the quality of the data for this measure. Student participation in the pre- and post-tests for the on-line sections of this course were extremely low resulting in only 52 pairs of data points for analysis from 127 students. |
Actions for Objective:
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Professors Gardosik, Fair, and Sanford have met to discuss the low participation of on-line students in the pre- and post-tests for PHIL 3362. They have agreed to work with the instructional technology support staff to identify best practices for ensuring student participation in assessment data gathering. This committee will determine and implement an appropriate strategy for ensuring student participation. |
| Action |
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| The Program is satisfied that our students are making good general progress in PHIL 3362; however, there must be an effort to identify specific areas for improvement. As such, the Philosophy Program will undertake an item analysis of the PHL 3362 post-tests during 2012-2013 for this purpose. This will provide even more specific data. We must improve our overall student learning outcomes with respect to formal logic, propositional logic, and predicate logic. Because of the paucity of data concerning student outcomes during 2011-2012, the Program is concerned that any general judgments about specific strengths or weaknesses would be inappropriate at this time. As such, the Program will continue its efforts to identify specific areas of improvement after implementing measures to improve the quality of data available for making these judgments during 2012-2013. |
| Closing the Loop |
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The Program will focus on improving deep learning by looking for ways to improve the links between PHL 2361/2603 and PHL 3364/3365. The goal will be to provide greater continuity between the introductory and advanced courses with an eye toward improving students' long-term outcomes as they proceed through the Program's curriculum. By linking the content and presentation of materials in the lower-level courses to what is expected in the upper-level courses, the Program expects to improve student outcomes and deep learning as measured by improved performance by students in PHL 3364/3365. As part of this ongoing effort, the Program plans to implement targeted effort at improving student learning outcomes in PHIL 2361/2603 and undertake a full review/revision of PHIL 3364/3365 for 2012-2013. It is expected that these changes will take approximately two years to begin showing significant results in the upper-level courses.
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