Student Learning Outcomes for English Majors in the Bachelor of Arts Program at Kansas State University

[Approved 9/24/03, revision approved 12/08; revision approved 11/16/11; revision approved 5/7/14; revision approved 1/29/15]

The English Department at Kansas State University is an academic community of professors and students who are committed to creative and analytical work in English, and dedicated to the primary goals of a liberal education: the ability to reason well, to think critically, to communicate effectively, and to appreciate excellent writing and thinking.

Upon completion of the Bachelor of Arts degree, English majors should be able to do the following:

Generate a close reading of a text: recognize, understand, and explain a text's elements—for example, word choice, imagery, form, and connotations.
Draw on relevant cultural and historical information to analyze and interpret a literary text.
Demonstrate familiarity with literary traditions pre- and post-1800, including prominent authors, genres, literary movements, and styles.
Analyze underrepresented experiences and cultural diversity, including issues of race, gender, class, sexuality, and ethnicity, through the study of ethnic minority or non-Western texts.
Research and write focused, convincing analytical essays in clear, grammatical prose.
Demonstrate integrative and independent thinking, originality, imagination, experimentation, problem solving, or risk taking in thought, expression, or intellectual engagement.
Tailor writing for various audiences and purposes.
Participate in discussions by listening to others' perspectives, asking productive questions, and articulating original ideas.

Assessment for Academic Year 2022-23

In 2022-2023, the English Department assessed Outcome # 4: “Analyze underrepresented experiences and cultural diversity, including issues of race, gender, class, sexuality, and ethnicity, through the study of ethnic minority or non-Western texts” and Outcome #5: “Research and write focused, convincing analytical essays in clear, grammatical prose.” These outcomes were assessed in our 300-level introduction to the English major, in two 600-level literature courses, and in our 600-level capstone course.

For Outcome #4, 96% of the total number of students directly assessed by faculty for this outcome met minimum expectations. 92% of the total number of assessed students met advanced expectations. 56% met exemplary expectations. In Fall 2022, 80% of the graduating seniors who participated in exit surveys [indirect evidence] felt that they were “well prepared” to analyze underrepresented experiences and cultural diversity. In Spring 2023, 53% of the graduating seniors indicated that they were well prepared to analyze underrepresented experiences and cultural diversity as described by Outcome # 4.

For Outcome #5, 95% of the students directly assessed by faculty met minimum expectations. 62% met advanced expectations. 22% met exemplary expectations. 62% of the graduating seniors who participated in exit surveys in Fall 2022 [indirect evidence] felt well prepared to meet this outcome. In Spring 2023, of the seniors who were interviewed, 69% indicated that they felt well prepared to research and write analytical essays.

While faculty identified specific strategies for improving their assignments and enhancing student learning, they do not feel that either outcome needs to be altered. In 2023-2024, the Department will continue to assess Outcome #5 while also turning to Outcome # 6, “Demonstrate integrative and independent thinking, originality, imagination, experimentation, problem solving, or risk taking in thought, expression, or intellectual engagement.”

Alignment Matrices

English Major: Literature Track

English Major: Creative Writing Track

English Major: Literature / Teaching Certification

English Minor: Literature

English Minor: Writing

English Minor: Children's and Young Adult Literature and Culture

Student Learning Outcomes for the Master of Arts Program in English at Kansas State University

The Master of Arts Program in English at Kansas State University is an academic community of professors and graduate students who are intellectually engaged, committed to creative and critical work in English, and dedicated to advanced research in the discipline as well as the primary goals of a liberal education: the ability to reason, think critically, communicate effectively, and appreciate excellent writing and thinking.

The Program values:

Critical writing, carefully honed and revised, informed by current research in the problem or field, and aware of its own critical assumptions
Creative work, carefully honed and revised, informed by the reading of other writers, including contemporary authors, and aware of its own exigence and aims
Careful explication of texts
Breadth of reading and breadth of historical and cultural knowledge
Critical engagement with expressions of cultural diversity and underrepresented experiences
Collaborative, interactive, and meaningful learning and instruction

It is the expectation of the Program that its students will join this academic community and share these intellectual and disciplinary values. Though no specific pieces of knowledge can define the Master of Arts in English for every student, upon completion of the Master of Arts degree, graduate students in English are expected to demonstrate the ability to do the following:

Read carefully, with historical and contextual perspective
Conduct research within the field of English
Think analytically and critically about literature and language
Recognize and analyze the perspectives and assumptions that they and other readers and critics bring to texts and interpretations
Write well, with an understanding of audience and purpose
Exhibit substantial knowledge about literature and language in the context of specialization
Demonstrate integrative and independent thinking, originality, imagination, experimentation, problem solving, or risk taking in thought, expression, or intellectual engagement

Mid-Cycle Graduate Program Review 2009-13

During the evaluation period (2009-2013), assessment data was collected for 104 M.A. students. Faculty evaluated student performance through the Oral Exam rubric, which assesses the M. A. Program’s seven student learning outcomes. In addition, each student’s Major Professor completed a “Final Writing Project or Thesis Oral Examination Report,” which offers a descriptive summary of the student’s accomplishments of our learning outcomes, along with specific consideration of two of our SLOs. Results demonstrated that the vast majority of students met or exceeded proficiency for each learning outcome. Particularly strong results were recorded for SLO 2, “Conduct Research within the Field of English” and SLO 7, “Demonstrate Integrative and Independent Thinking, Originality, Imagination, Experimentation, Problem-Solving, or Risk Taking.”