General Education Program
Administrative or Educational Support Unit
Spring 2003
Assessment Period Covered
January 2004
Date Submitted
Expanded Statement of Institutional Purpose Linkage:
Institutional Mission/Goal(s) Reference:
Texas A&M International University, a Member of The Texas A&M
University System, is committed to the preparation of students for
leadership roles in their chosen profession and in increasingly complex,
culturally diverse state, national, and global society … Through instruction,
faculty and student research, and public service, Texas A&M International
University is a strategic point of delivery for well-defined programs
and services that improve the quality of life for citizens of the border
region, the State of Texas, and national and international communities.
Administrative or Educational Support Unit Mission Statement:
At Texas A&M International University, the Core curriculum introduces
students to academic disciplines which form the foundation of human thought…Our
Core is conceived to open new areas of learning for our students and to foster
skills necessary for success in higher education. As they move through this course
of study, students are encouraged…to develop the capacity to articulate and support
a thesis, to think critically, to synthesize their observations and to perceive
analogies and relationships between seemingly diverse ideas and intellectual
pursuits.
Intended Administrative Objectives:
1. Compose an essay concerning a current events topic or a literary topic
2. Read with understanding
3. Demonstrate basic mathematical skills
General Education Program
Administrative or Educational Support Unit
Spring 2003
Assessment Period Covered
January 2004
Date Submitted
Intended Administrative or Educational Support Objective:
1. Compose an essay concerning a current events topic or
a literary topic
First Means of Assessment for Objective Identified Above:
1a. First means of Unit Assessment & Criteria for
Success:
Upon completion of nine hours of core-mandated English, students
must take the University Writing Assessment (UWA), a locally developed
and scored writing assessment which students must pass prior to graduation
as determined by holistic rubric. 70% of students taking the UWA
for the first time after taking the nine hour core will pass on any
given administration of the examination.
1a. Summary of Assessment Data Collected
During the Spring 2003 administration of the UWA, 74 students who
completed the nine core English hours at TAMIU took the assessment for
the first time. Of these, 43 students or 58.11% passed the UWA.
1a. Use of Results to Improve Unit Services:
Results are not optimal though consistent with previous administrations
of the assessment (going back five years). One hundred randomly selected
essays were scored using an analytical rubric to provide data for improving
curriculum and test administration. Preliminary analysis of the data
suggests that the area of greatest difficulty on the test is in the development
of ideas and arguments. The decision was made to allow students to test
for the first time after six hours of the core instead of nine so that
students who are deficient in their writing skills can be identified
at an earlier point in their core sequence and can retest after the nine
hours of the English core. Results were shared with the Department of
Language and Literature and the University Assessment Committee.
General Education Program
Administrative or Educational Support Unit
Spring 2003
Assessment Period Covered
January 2004
Date Submitted
Intended Administrative or Educational Support Objective:
2. Read with understanding
First Means of Assessment for Objective Identified Above:
2a. Means of Unit Assessment & Criteria for Success:
Upon completion of nine hours of core-mandated English courses,
students will take the Reading module of the Collegiate Assessment
of Academic Proficiency (CAAP) examination. The average score of TAMIU
students will be at or above the national average.
2a. Summary of Assessment Data Collected
271 students took the Spring 2003 administration of the CAAP. The
mean for TAMIU students was 87.6 while the national mean was 62.9.
2a. Use of Results to Improve Unit Services:
The recommendation by the University Assessment Committee that the
CAAP be administered to TAMIU students taking PSCI 2306 was implemented.
The rationale was that student data would be more accurate and reliable
if the CAAP was administered as part of a course instead of being administered
at the same time as the UWA since student commitment to taking the CAAP
was likely diminished in that test setting.
General Education Program
(Administrative or Educational Support Unit)
Spring 2003
Assessment Period Covered
January 2004
Date Submitted
Intended Administrative or Educational Support Objective:
NOTE: There should be one form C for each intended objective
listed on form B. The intended unit objective should be
restated in the box immediately below and the intended objective number
entered in the blank space below
3. Demonstrate basic mathematical skills
First Means of Assessment for Objective Identified Above:
a. Means of Unit Assessment & Criteria for Success:
Students will take common course examination in College Algebra. 75% of
students taking the examination will pass with a 60.
a. Summary of Assessment Data Collected
A total of 103 students completed the course and sat for the
common final examination. Of these, 35 students (34%) had a score
of 60% or above. Approximately 50% of the benchmark has been achieved.
However, 76 students (74%) passed the course with a minimum of D
achieving the benchmark on the course pass rate.
a. Use of Results to Improve Unit Services:
Several faculty members will attend faculty professional development
workshop in the area of the teaching of college algebra (Contemporary
College Algebra Workshop) in May 2003. Furthermore, the following
proposals will be discussed through departmental meetings to be considered
for implementation: 1) making the common practice problems available
earlier in the semester and online; 2) faculty professional development
workshop in the area of the teaching of college algebra to be planned
for implementation in August; 3) requiring laboratory/recitation
hour; 4) assigning mini projects to motivate students; 5) testing
basic algebraic skills at the first class meeting of each semester
and collaborating with the tutoring services offered by Center for
the Advancement of Scholastic Achievement (CASA) to help students
who have lower algebraic manipulation skills; and 6) searching for
new textbook for the course.