UAF Department of Anthropology Outcomes Assessment Plan

Department of Anthropology

Student Learning Outcomes Assessment Plan

Date: November 2003

Certificate or Degree Program: Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science in Anthropology

Mission: The Department of Anthropology is a center for teaching and research in anthropology with a general focus on circumpolar regions as well as research projects and instruction covering a variety of world areas. Departmental research and teaching covers all four subfields of the discipline: archaeological, biological, social/cultural and linguistic anthropology. The undergraduate program aims to give students a solid introduction to the discipline, with the possibility to concentrate in subfields. The graduate program maintains an emphasis on empirical and applied studies in various parts of the world.

Goal: To assure that graduates are prepared either to successfully compete in the job market or to successfully compete for admission to graduate studies in institutions of their choice.

Objectives	Assessment Criteria	Implementation Procedures
1. Students will be attracted to declare their major in Anthropology, primarily in the 100X core anthropology course, and will be monitored closely as soon as the department is made aware of their declaration	Registrar’s Office submits list of Anthropology major declarations each semester	Undergraduate Coordinator monitors levels of undergraduate majors in the program annually and prepares report; department evaluates recruitment strategies and amends accordingly.
2. Students will have a basic understanding of the discipline of anthropology in its four subfields, including their various perspectives on culture, society, and human development through time.	B.A. requires successful completion of 3 out of 4 "core" courses covering the 4 subfields, as well as a “core” course in the History of Anthropological Theory. These courses are designed to build a strong foundation in the discipline of anthropology.	GPA in these “core” courses is monitored by Undergraduate Coordinator; Student performance in ANTH 411 Senior Seminar, our capstone course, is evaluated by the faculty instructor with these foundational criteria in mind.
3. Students will have an understanding of methods of anthropological data gathering and analysis, and of the practical applications of these.	Both the B.A. and the B.S. require successful completion of upper division courses that are more specialized and address methodological issues. These courses are designed to build upon the foundation gained in "core" courses and develop methodological sophistication. Students will be encouraged to take advantage of undergraduate research opportunities, including field schools.	GPA in these upper division courses is monitored by Undergraduate Coordinator; Student performance in ANTH 411 Senior Seminar, our capstone course, is evaluated by the faculty instructor with these methodological criteria in mind. Student achievements in research will be published on the department website and in its annual newsletter.
4. Students will exhibit effective skills in written and oral communication.	The discipline of anthropology places strong emphasis on writing skills, so good writing is an important component of all courses. Several Anthropology courses are designated as writing and/or oral intensive, designed to provide preparation in these skills. The required Senior Seminar capstone course is oral intensive, and involves writing a significant research paper.	GPA in these writing and oral intensive courses is monitored by Undergraduate Coordinator; Student performance in ANTH 411 Senior Seminar, our capstone course is evaluated by the faculty instructor with these criteria in mind.
5. Students will seek employment and be satisfied that their training in anthropology provided useful skills, and/or they will seek to continue their education at the graduate level, and/or they will be satisfied that their education has met other personal objectives.	Exit survey prior to graduation (with emphasis on student’s overall assessment of quality of education received in the anthropology program), and repeated as an alumni survey 1 year after graduation (with emphasis on student’s success in meeting life goals and how education in anthropology enabled this)	Departmental student data base is in place for maintaining records of current and past students. Both surveys and procedures for administering them are in place. Exit survey administered in Senior Seminar, and alumni survey administered by mail. Surveys results will be evaluated annually by faculty.Dept. Admin. Asst. will maintain, with assistance from Alumni Office, current records of graduate addresses. Department alumni will be kept on mailing list for department newsletter.

Date: November 2003

Certificate or Degree Program: Master of Arts in Anthropology

Goal: To assure that graduates are prepared either to compete successfully in the job market in a career related to anthropology, or to compete successfully for admission to Ph.D. programs in institutions of their choice.

Objectives	Assessment Criteria	Implementation Procedures
1. Students entering the M.A. program are expected to have an adequate knowledge of anthropological principles and be able to communicate those principles in oral and written form	Application for admission to program includes a CV and a written statement of goals that should reflect the student’s preparation	All faculty members review each incoming application for the quality of its statement and comment in writing. At a plenary meeting, faculty discuss each candidate and vote on acceptance.
	Student comprehensive exam consists of a written proposal for thesis research and a public, oral defense	Instructions to students for scheduling the public defense of the proposal are in place. Oral and written components of the comprehensive exam are evaluated by the student’s advisory committee.
2. Students will acquire a comprehensive understanding of their subfield of concentration including its history, current theoretical perspectives, and research methodologies.	As the Graduate Study Plan is drawn up, students with gaps in their preparation are assigned remedial coursework. All students must take 15 credits of 600-level coursework in a variety of graduate seminars, including a required “core” course, ANTH 629 Structures of Anthropological Argument	Comprehensive range of graduate level seminars is in place. Fulfillment of remedial coursework is monitored by the student’s advisory committee. Student performance in graduate seminars is evaluated by faculty instructors with these criteria in mind.
3. Students will be able to write fundable research proposals and produce professional reports and/or publishable papers and/or museum projects.	All students must take ANTH 652 Research Design and Professional Development Seminar and must demonstrate professionalism inside and outside of the classroom. Students will be encouraged to attend professional conferences and to publish their work.	Course is in place and student performance is evaluated by faculty instructor with these criteria in mind. Students are actively mentored in professionalism by their major advisors and advisory committees. Student achievements will be published on the department website and in the annual department newsletter.
4. Students will be able to independently design and conduct archival, laboratory and/or field research	All students must take ANTH 652 Research Design and Professional Development Seminar and must produce and publicly defend a research proposal. Upon completion of the research, all students must submit a written thesis and make a public oral defense of the thesis	Course is in place and student performance is evaluated by faculty instructor with these criteria in mind. Written proposal and oral defense of proposal, as well as written thesis and oral defense of thesis, are evaluated by the student’s advisory committee. Instructions to students for scheduling public defense of the thesis are in place.
5. Students will seek employment and be satisfied that their training in anthropology provided useful skills, and/or they will seek to continue their education at the graduate level, and/or they will be satisfied that their education has met other personal objectives.	Exit survey prior to graduation (with emphasis on student’s overall assessment of quality of education received in the anthropology program), and repeated as an alumni survey 1 year after graduation (with emphasis on student’s success in meeting life goals and how education in anthropology enabled this)	Departmental student data base is in place for maintaining records of current and past students. Both surveys and procedures for administering them are in place. Exit survey administered as a condition for signing off on final thesis, and alumni survey administered by mail. Surveys results will be evaluated annually by faculty. Dept. Admin. Asst. will maintain, with assistance from Alumni Office, current records of graduate addresses. Department alumni will be kept on mailing list for department newsletter.

Date: November 2003

Certificate or Degree Program: Ph.D. in Anthropology

Goal: To assure that our graduates are prepared to successfully compete in the job market for careers in either applied or academic anthropology, with an advanced knowledge of anthropological theory and method that will enable them to become productive and highly professional authorities in their fields; many graduates find jobs in state and federal government agencies or non-governmental organizations, and the program remains committed to training that can support these career goals.

Objectives	Assessment Criteria	Implementation Procedures
1. Students entering the Ph.D. program are expected to have an advanced knowledge of anthropological principles and be able to communicate those principles in oral and written form. They should have a clearly defined research project in mind.	Application for admission to program includes a CV and a written statement of proposed study and research that should reflect the student’s preparation.	All faculty members review each incoming application for the quality of its statement and comment in writing. At a plenary meeting, faculty discuss each candidate and vote on acceptance.
2. Students will further develop and demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of their subfield of concentration including its history, current theoretical perspectives, and research methodologies, as well as an in-depth understanding of topics directly related to their planned research project.	As the Graduate Study Plan is drawn up, students with gaps in their preparation are assigned to remedial coursework. Student comprehensive exam consists of three written synthesizing papers, each reviewing the state of knowledge in a specified area of anthropological research relevant to student's project. Advancement to candidacy further requires public, oral defense of the written research proposal.	Fulfillment of remedial coursework is monitored by the student’s advisory committee. Student performance in courses is evaluated by faculty instructors with these criteria in mind. Comprehensive exam papers are read and commented on by all members of the student’s advisory committee. Instructions to students for scheduling the public defense of the research proposal are in place. Oral and written components of the research proposal are evaluated by the student’s advisory committee.
3. Students will be able to write fundable research proposals and produce professional reports, publishable papers, and books.	Students will be encouraged to attend professional conferences and to publish their work. Numbers of funded grant proposals, presented papers, published articles, submitted reports, and published books will be monitored both during the student's departmental tenure and after graduation	Students are actively mentored in professional productivity by their major advisors and advisory committees. Data on grants and publications will be collected by Dept. Admin. Asst. with help from student's major advisor. Student achievements will be published on the department website and in the annual departmental newsletter.
4. Students will be able to independently design and conduct archival, laboratory and/or field research.	Students must prepare a written research proposal and make a public, oral defense of it. Upon completion of the research, students must submit a written dissertation and make a public oral defense of it.	Written proposal and oral defense of proposal, as well as written dissertation and oral defense of dissertation, are evaluated by the student’s advisory committee. Instructions to students for scheduling public defense of the dissertation are in place.
5. Students desiring such will receive basic teacher training in classroom lecture and discussion settings to prepare them either for college-level instruction or for educational presentations in public and professional settings.	Students are encouraged to apply for teaching assistantships, in which faculty may give them opportunities to present class lectures. ANTH 100X is designed such that teaching assistants are given responsibility for weekly discussion sections, while being actively mentored by the faculty instructor. Student Opinion of Instruction surveys are conducted in these sections.	Teaching Assistants receive mentoring and feedback from faculty instructor. Student Opinion of Instruction surveys are monitored by faculty instructor as well as the Department Head and changes are implemented as needed.
6. Students will seek employment and be satisfied that their training in anthropology provided useful skills, and/or they will be satisfied that their education has met other personal objectives.	Exit survey prior to graduation (with emphasis on student’s overall assessment of quality of education received in the anthropology program), and repeated as a alumni survey 1 year after graduation (with emphasis on student’s success in meeting life goals and how education in anthropology enabled this).	Departmental student data base is in place for maintaining records of current and past students. Both surveys and procedures for administering them are in place. Exit survey administered as a condition for signing off on final dissertation, and alumni survey administered by mail. Surveys results will be evaluated annually by faculty. Dept. Admin. Asst. will maintain, with assistance from Alumni Office, current records of graduate addresses. Department alumni will be kept on mailing list for department newsletter.