Closing the loop 2005

Desired Outcome:

English majors are able to write a critically insightful essay with a well supported thesis and clear purpose.

Data Collection:

Evaluate a random sample of senior thesis.

Interpretation of the Data:

• A few students were unable to probe a topic with the kind of depth of understanding expected, most could however.
• Some students lacked a clear thesis, although most thesis did have clearly articulated thesis.
• A few students did not defend their claims strongly and lacked the ability to apply complex arguments.
• All students understood the writing process and had developed flexible strategies for generating, revising, editing and proofreading papers.
• Most students were able to take historical and cultural contexts into account, understand a text’s technical merits and meanings, and recognize the ways in which literature expresses and confronts moral, ethical, economic, social, and political issues.

Changes to implement:

• Faculty members will integrate discussions of writing into all major classes.
• Explore the idea of instituting a junior level research paper.