History 105

Using Final Papers Assessment Project Results to Improve UCORE First-Year Experience [ROOT] Courses

The Final Papers Assessment Project results provide Roots of Contemporary Issues [ROOT] faculty with information about students’ grasp of program outcomes. In this way, rubric scores from student papers evaluated by program faculty can be used to direct and improve instruction.  

Student Learning at the First-Year Level: AY 2015-16 Roots of Contemporary Issues [ROOT] Final Papers Assessment Project Results

As reported in the AY 2015-16 [ROOT] Final Papers Assessment Summary of Key Evidence for UCORE (PDF), assessment results indicated that 93% of first-year students partially met, met or exceeded expectations at the first-year undergraduate level at the end of their UCORE first-year experience [ROOT] course on rubric outcomes related to Critical & Creative Thinking. Additionally, 96% […]

World History Association: ROOTS panel in Belgium

Roots of Contemporary Issues (RCI) faculty Jesse Spohnholz, Karen Phoenix, Aaron Whelchel, and Instruction and Assessment Librarian Corey Johnson presented at the annual meeting of the World History Association, in Ghent, Belgium, on July 4, 2016. The four presented in a panel, “Teaching Historical Understanding of Contemporary Global Issues at Washington State University: A Model for General Education,” laying […]

Student Learning at the First-Year Level: AY 2014-15 Roots of Contemporary Issues [ROOT] Final Papers Assessment Project Results

As reported in the AY 2014-15 [ROOT] Final Papers Assessment Summary of Key Evidence for UCORE (PDF), assessment results indicated that 97% of first-year students partially met, met or exceeded expectations at the first-year undergraduate level at the end of their UCORE first-year experience [ROOT] course on rubric outcomes related to Critical & Creative Thinking. Additionally, 96% […]

Assessing Critical Thinking and Information Literacy at WSU: AY 2013-14 Roots of Contemporary Issues [ROOT] Final Papers Assessment Project

As reported in the AY 2013-14 [ROOT] Final Papers Assessment Summary of Key Evidence for UCORE (PDF), assessment results indicated that 97% of History 105 students performed at the “Developing First Year-Level” or higher on their ability to select and evaluate primary and secondary sources appropriate to a research paper and critically evaluate the nature […]

Assessing Critical Thinking and Information Literacy at WSU: AY 2012-13 Roots of Contemporary Issues [ROOT] Pilot Final Papers Assessment Project

With WSU’s new General Education program (UCORE) inaugurated in 2012-13, the Roots of Contemporary Issues Final Papers Assessment Project was piloted for the first time, to provide [ROOT] faculty with information for program improvement, as well as assess student learning on two of the WSU Learning Goals (Critical & Creative Thinking and Information Literacy). Reported […]