Assessment
at the University of Nebraska at Kearney

department assessment
    > Philosophy Program
    > Capstone Course

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ASSESSMENT PLAN
revised 1994-95
All 400 level PHIL courses are capstone courses for our minors. Their writings will build on all their earlier course work. We will encourage our minors to submit papers for presentation at conferences.

added 1998-99
Additionally, the awarding of the O.K. Bouwsma scholarships (awarded by the philosophy faculty based on superior papers)  to some of our minors will be an indication of the quality of student writing.



A senior seminar reexamining readings assigned earlier in the course of study. Papers from the earlier class would be compared with papers at the senior level.

2000-2001 ASSESSMENT
The quality of writing from our minors in these and other upper division courses continues to set a high standard. Papers from some of our students were, again, exceptional.

Two of our minors were awarded full scholarships from the O.K. Bouwsma Philosophy scholarship fund, and six others were awarded partial scholarships. Seven others were awarded one-course scholarships to take an upper division course in philosophy. Many of them have indicated that they wish to minor (or, if it were possible, to major) in philosophy.

Student papers were accepted at the Conference on Language and Literature, the National Association of Scholars’ Interdisciplinary Conference on Higher Education, the National Conference of Undergraduate Research, and for publication in the UNK undergraduate research journal.

One of our students was accepted (on the basis of written papers) to the PEW Summer Seminars at the University of Notre Dame, and was selected as an Honors Scholar by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute for a week long seminar at Oxford University.

1999-2000 ASSESSMENT
This year we again offered three 400 level courses. The quality of writing from our minors remained very high, some of the papers being exceptional, better than any we have seen in years. Two of our minors were awarded full scholarships from the O.K. Bouwsma Philosophy scholarship fund, and four others were awarded partial scholarships. Student papers were accepted at the Conference on Language and Literature, and for publication in the UNK undergraduate journal.

The desire for a major is growing among our minors, as well as frustration at not having the proposal approved.

1998-99 ASSESSMENT
Students minoring in Philosophy demonstrated a high quality of writing in all of our 400 level courses. Three 400 level courses were offered this year. Three of our minors were awarded full scholarships on the basis of their writing, and two others received partial scholarships. Students had papers accepted at the Conference on Language and Literature in Omaha and the Meeting of the Society of Christian Philosophers in St. Louis, MO.

There continues to be strong student demand for a philosophy major.

1997-98 ASSESSMENT
The minors did well in the capstone courses this year. They has papers accepted and presented at UNK's Student Conference on Language and Literature, the National Conference on Undergraduate Research in Salisbury, MD, and the Eastern division meeting of the Society of Christian Philosophers in Newark, Delaware.

Students continue to express appreciation for the quality of education that they receive in the program and continue to lobby the legislature for a major in Philosophy at UNK.

1996-97 ASSESSMENT
Our minors demonstrated in the capstone courses a good understanding of philosophical concepts and the ability to write about them.

Student work was presented at the Student Conference on Language and Literature at UNK as well as at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research in Austin, Texas.

1995-96 ASSESSMENT
Student writing in the capstone courses show that the minors are well prepared for this level of work.

Student work was accepted for presentation at the Missouri Shakespeare Conference. The program will continue to encourage students to submit their work for evaluation and presentation at conferences.

Students continue to support efforts to create a philosophy major at the UNK.

1994-95 ASSESSMENT
Student work continues to confirm that our students are showing definite improvement in their ability to read and comprehend philosophical works and are growing in the ability to critically examine ideas and present that work in written form.
Since students reported needing more courses with the Writing Intensive designation, all the 400 level Philosophy courses will become WI. Students also report that they would like a major in philosophy but as yet this has been impossible. The program will continue to pursue this goal.
1993-94 ASSESSMENT
The major has not been approved, so we have not created the senior capstone course at this time. When the major is approved we will do so.

We are currently assessing the students in our general studies courses through a series of writing assignments and an examination sequence structured such that the student has to move from explaining specific philosophical ideas to analyzing and applying, (e.g., use Aristotle's doctrine of mean to describe the various character in Hamlet). We find that our students profit from this writing intensive approach although there is much student resistance in the initial stages.

The faculty meets regularly to discuss and evaluate the students' progress. We will continue to use this writing intensive approach, and as a faculty work toward improving assignments that will facilitate the students' more complete assimilation of the material studied, in addition to mastering the ability to grasp the logic of different philosophical positions. We will also continue to be available to give individual help and encouragement to students as they work with philosophical ideas and their writing.

In our introductory classes we are encouraging students to keep their papers in a file which will be reviewed by the professor who will evaluate their progress over the semester.

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17 May 2005
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