Bachelor of Arts in Africana Studies

Assessment Report, 2015-2016

CLASS, Africana Studies

Assessment Identifiers

College / School
CLASS

Department
Social and Behavioral Science

Program / Major / Certificate
Africana Studies

Assessment Coordinator(s)
Dr. Christina L. Davis

Has there been a change to the Assessment Coordinator(s) since the last assessment plan?
No

Program Mission Statement

Africana Studies, or African American Studies, is an interdisciplinary program that provides students with opportunities for extensive study of the history and culture of Africans and African Americans. The program fosters an awareness and an appreciation of the contributions Africans and African Americans have made to world history. It uses both a subjective and objective approach by engaging the world from a black perspective while embracing all of the available scientific data. The program prepares students to pursue graduate studies in history, psychology, sociology, anthropology, political science, law and related fields. Africana Studies graduates are employed in schools, museums, libraries, archives, and other agencies committed to preserving African and African American history and culture.

Has this mission statement been revised since the last plan?
No

PSLOs

1. Information Literacy: Students will be able to demonstrate a general understanding of the history and experiences of people of African descent in the United States.

2. Knowledge of the field of Africana Studies: Students will be able to demonstrate their knowledge of the field of Africana Studies by identifying major founders, development, and theories of the field on exams, orally, and in written communication.

3. Analytical and Critical Thinking Skills: Students will be able to perform well on exams and written assignments that trace the history of the African American experience by identifying significant events, eras, and personalities.

LINK TO: Assessment Report, 2015-2016 – Supporting Documents

Assessment Results (PSLOs)

SSU Strategic Plan Goal	PSLO	Semester	Professor	Courses	Assessment Artifacts and Instruments	Target Levels	Results and Analysis of Results	Actions in Response to Results
Academic Engagement and Achievement	1. Information Literacy: Students will be able to demonstrate a general understanding of the history and experiences of people of African descent in the United States.	Fall 2015	C. Davis	AFRS 2000 (01) Intro to Africana Studies	Multiple Choice Quizzes - Answer Key	At least 70% of students will score at level 2 (satisfactory) or above on their knowledge of material	TARGET 1 MET 75% of students met the target.	OVERALL: TARGET PARTIALLY MET Description of the expected use of results that will be addressed in the 2016-2017 academic year: TARGET 1: Quizzes will continue to be administered throughout the semester to reinforce information presented. TARGET 2: Study guides will continue within the program. TARGET 3: Study guides will be used. More emphasis on the material included in the final exam and more AV materials next year.
		Fall 2015	C. St. Mark	AFRS 3301 African American History to 1877	Multiple Choice Final Exam - AFRS_PSLO # 1_History of African American Experiences	At least 70% of students will score at level 2 (satisfactory)	TARGET 2 MET 10/10 = 100% of students met the goal of 70%
		Spring 2016	C. St. Mark	AFRS 3312 African Americans in the 20^th Century	Multiple Choice Final Exam - AFRS_PSLO # 1_History of African American Experiences	At least 70% of students will score at 70% or above on the exam	TARGET 3 NOT MET Only 4/11 = 36% of students met the target. The lack of a study guide led to the missed target. I wanted to test if students could pass the exam based on classroom lectures and their own reading. It appears that students had difficulty determining what material to study most.
Academic Engagement and Achievement	2. Knowledge of the field of Africana Studies: Students will be able to demonstrate their knowledge of the field of Africana Studies by identifying major founders, development, and theories of the field on exams, orally, and in written communication.	Fall 2015	C. St. Mark	AFRS 3301 African American History to 1877	Multiple Choice Final Exam - AFRS_PSLO #2_Knowledge of Africana Studies	At least 70% of students will score at level 2 (satisfactory)	TARGET MET 100% of students met the goal of 70%	OVERALL: TARGET MET Description of the expected use of results that will be addressed in the 2016-2017 academic year: Study guides provided before the exam led to students’ success. This seems to be a successful measure for ensuring students’ passing the exam, for the future.
Academic Engagement and Achievement	3. Analytical and Critical Thinking Skills: Students will be able to perform well on exams and written assignments that trace the history of the African American experience by identifying significant events, eras, and personalities.	Fall 2015	C. Davis	AFRS 2000 (02) Intro to Africana Studies	Final Paper - AFRS_PSLO #3 Analysis of the African American Experience	At least 60% of students will score at or above level 2 (satisfactory) on writing skills and the proper use of sources	TARGET 1 NOT MET Students did not meet the target. Only 39% reached level 2 on properly citing sources; and 53% reached the target on the use of references.	OVERALL: TARGET PARTIALLY MET Description of the expected use of results that will be addressed in the 2016-2017 academic year: TARGET 1: Students will submit a draft of their essay, so their issues with the use of sources can be addressed earlier in the semester. TARGET 2: The detailed instruction sheet guided students to submit strong critiques. This will continue in the future.
Academic Engagement and Achievement		Spring 2016	C. Davis	AFRS 3111 The Africana Woman	Film Critique - AFRS_PSLO #3 Analysis of the African American Experience	At least 70% of students will score at level 2 (satisfactory)	TARGET MET 23/26 = 88% of students met the target

Assessment Results (POs)

SSU Strategic Plan Goal	PO Goal	Enabling Strategies	Measures	Targets	Results and Analysis of Results	Actions in Response to Results
Academic Achievement and Engagement	Maintain enrollment in the major	a. Recruitment activities such as participating in Open Campus Day (OCD) in the Fall 2015 and Spring 2016 b. Contacting undeclared majors on campus as well as other students enrolled in introductory courses in the program such as AFRS 1501 and AFRS 2000	i. Blackboard Analytics ii. Banner Data collected by Instructors in the program at OCD	Maintain the number of majors to a minimum of 10	TARGET NOT MET 8 majors for AY 2015-2016 The program did not meet the enrollment target. We enlisted two new majors but lost three to graduation, one in the fall and two in the spring. We did not participate in OCD both semesters because the second professor was completing a Ph.D. program.	OVERALL: TARGET NOT MET Description of any changes for improvements which were made during the course of the 2014-2015 academic year: We discussed changing the name of the program from “Africana Studies” to “African American Studies” or “Black Studies” to add clarity to perceptions of the focus of the program. Description of the expected use of results that will be addressed in the 2016-2017 academic year: While the number of students taking AFRS classes increased, the number of majors remains stagnant. The faculty have decided to undertake revisions to the curriculum in the coming semesters to make it more relevant and attractive to potential majors.
Academic Achievement and Engagement	Maximize course attendance by expanding course time slots and adjusting course scheduling	Scheduling: By reviewing past course schedules faculty will examine course offerings to determine the least congested times when classes have been offered and to schedule classes at those times that will eliminate conflicts for students wishing to enroll in AFRS classes	Banner	An enrollment of at least 90 – 100% in each course for maximum efficiency	TARGET PARTIALLY MET The targets were met for all AFRS courses except two. The first, a special topics course that targets majors. The second course that replaced a course that was scheduled late which did not give students sufficient time to register for it.	OVERALL: TARGET PARTIALLY MET Description of the expected use of results that will be addressed in the 2016-2017 academic year: The program will create a two-year schedule based on an examination of the class times and days of course offerings from previous academic years. The two-year schedule will enable more majors to move through the program more efficiently without class conflicts.
Academic Achievement and Engagement	Promote outreach and visibility of the Africana Studies program on campus and within the black studies scholarly community	a. Planning for the annual “Lorenzo Dow Turner Symposium on Gullah Geechee Culture,” a symposium that focuses on increasing awareness of African influences within African American culture b. Submit faculty proposals for presentations c. Become more visible and more active on campus and in scholarly activities through collaborations with fellow CLASS programs	i. Attendance at the symposium. ii. Faculty presentation at a national conference	i. 50 attendees at the annual symposium. ii. At least one conference presentation or proposal submission to an academic conference per year	TARGET PARTIALLY MET The attendance goals of the symposium were met. One faculty member presented two papers at the National Council of Black Studies 40^th Annual Conference in the spring.	OVERALL: TARGET PARTIALLY MET Description of the expected use of results that will be addressed in the 2016-2017 academic year: Lorenzo Dow Turner Symposium has become an annual event for AFRS on campus and it is well attended. We will continue to expand and publicize the symposium. Faculty decided to create a brochure to mail to potential majors to further our recruitment efforts. We have researched an internship opportunity for AFRS students to begin in the fall of 2017.

SSU Strategic Plan Goal

PO Goal

Enabling Strategies

Measures

Targets

Results and Analysis of Results

Actions in Response to Results

Academic Achievement and Engagement

Maintain enrollment in the major

a. Recruitment activities such as participating in Open Campus Day (OCD) in the Fall 2015 and Spring 2016

b. Contacting undeclared majors on campus as well as other students enrolled in introductory courses in the program such as AFRS 1501 and AFRS 2000

i. Blackboard Analytics

ii. Banner

Data collected by Instructors in the program at OCD

Maintain the number of majors to a minimum of 10

TARGET NOT MET

8 majors for AY 2015-2016

The program did not meet the enrollment target. We enlisted two new majors but lost three to graduation, one in the fall and two in the spring.

We did not participate in OCD both semesters because the second professor was completing a Ph.D. program.

OVERALL: TARGET NOT MET

Description of any changes for improvements which were made during the course of the 2014-2015 academic year: We discussed changing the name of the program from “Africana Studies” to “African American Studies” or “Black Studies” to add clarity to perceptions of the focus of the program.

Description of the expected use of results that will be addressed in the 2016-2017 academic year: While the number of students taking AFRS classes increased, the number of majors remains stagnant. The faculty have decided to undertake revisions to the curriculum in the coming semesters to make it more relevant and attractive to potential majors.

Academic Achievement and Engagement

Maximize course attendance by expanding course time slots and adjusting course scheduling

Scheduling: By reviewing past course schedules faculty will examine course offerings to determine the least congested times when classes have been offered and to schedule classes at those times that will eliminate conflicts for students wishing to enroll in AFRS classes

Banner

An enrollment of at least 90 – 100% in each course for maximum efficiency

TARGET PARTIALLY MET

The targets were met for all AFRS courses except two. The first, a special topics course that targets majors. The second course that replaced a course that was scheduled late which did not give students sufficient time to register for it.

OVERALL: TARGET PARTIALLY MET

Description of the expected use of results that will be addressed in the 2016-2017 academic year: The program will create a two-year schedule based on an examination of the class times and days of course offerings from previous academic years. The two-year schedule will enable more majors to move through the program more efficiently without class conflicts.

Academic Achievement and Engagement

Promote outreach and visibility of the Africana Studies program on campus and within the black studies scholarly community

a. Planning for the annual “Lorenzo Dow Turner Symposium on Gullah Geechee Culture,” a symposium that focuses on increasing awareness of African influences within African American culture

b. Submit faculty proposals for presentations

c. Become more visible and more active on campus and in scholarly activities through collaborations with fellow CLASS programs

i. Attendance at the symposium.

ii. Faculty presentation at a national conference

i. 50 attendees at the annual symposium.

ii. At least one conference presentation or proposal submission to an academic conference per year

TARGET PARTIALLY MET

The attendance goals of the symposium were met.

One faculty member presented two papers at the National Council of Black Studies 40^th Annual Conference in the spring.

OVERALL: TARGET PARTIALLY MET

Description of the expected use of results that will be addressed in the 2016-2017 academic year: Lorenzo Dow Turner Symposium has become an annual event for AFRS on campus and it is well attended. We will continue to expand and publicize the symposium. Faculty decided to create a brochure to mail to potential majors to further our recruitment efforts. We have researched an internship opportunity for AFRS students to begin in the fall of 2017.