Shared Learning Outcomes Plan Worksheet for General Education Courses

Shared Learning Outcomes Plan Worksheet for General Education Courses

Department:______HISTORY______

Course Number and Title:___1200 AMERICAN HISTORY______

Name of Faculty Member:__Bonnie Laughlin-Schultz______

List the Shared General Education
Learning Outcomes you and your colleagues have agreed upon for all sections of the course / Indicate Study (S), Demonstrate (D) or both* / Describe the types of class activities in which students will study and/or demonstrate the outcome in your sections of the course
Students will identify and analyze broad themes in American History, and they will apply these themes to current social and political debates. (Gen. Ed. goals 1, 4) / S & D / At the beginning of the course, students brainstorm themes of modern “American life.” I pose the question “what comes to mind when you hear the phrase ‘this American life’ on day 1, and students first write on a notecard and then share answers. Examples include civil rights (expansion and limits), the idea of progress, the American Dream (whatever that is), diversity, and consumerism. I make a big list on the board, and then post that on ASULEARN. We refer back to the list throughout the course. Students study and discuss these themes during course lectures, and the final exam has featured 1 essay question that asked them to choose one of the themes and trace it throughout American history.
Artifact 1: Students definitions from day 1, fall 2010
Students will understand the distinctions between primary and secondary sources and their value in understanding the past. (Gen. Ed. goal 2) / S & D / We talk a lot in class about primary sources—we define them on day 1, and almost every reading for the course besides the textbook is a primary document of some sort. We work on the “how-to” of source analysis in and out of class. Throughout the semester, students write 12 short analysis briefs of primary sources. For the first six, I provide a lot of questions to prod their analysis; for the last six, they provide a one-sentence summary of the documents (this really works on their ability to read carefully and get to the point), a bulleted list of things a historian can learn from the document, and a statement evaluating the usefulness of the source.
Students also write two longer essays in which they use primary sources to do the work of a historian: they interpret provided documents and write an essay making a historical argument. For the first essay they base their argument on Frederick Douglass’s 1845 narrative, and the second asks them to make an argument using a variety of documents relating to Cold War America.
Artifact 2: DAB Assignment Sheet & Tips for Success
Artifact 3: DAB Samples on “Inside the Hippie Revolution” and FDR’s Fireside Chat 6
Artifact 4: Essay 2—Cold War America—Assignment & Documents
Artifact 5: Essay 2 Student Samples
Students will grasp the basic chronology of the American past and understand its impact on the present. (Gen. Ed. goals 1, 4) / S & D / Students study basic chronology through lectures and textbook reading. Students demonstrate this learning objective on three tests throughout the semester. The tests have two parts: written identification (fill-in-the-blank) and essay questions. The written IDs demonstrate students’ basic grasp of chronology and pertinent information, while the essays ask them to think about big themes and ideas. Question 2 on test 2, for instance, asks them to write about the role of government in the late 19th and early 20th century—something critical for their understanding of the historical roots of modern American political discourse.
Artifact 6: Test 2 and Students Samples of Essay Questions
Students will understand the nature of history and the process of historical interpretation.
(Gen. Ed. goal 1) / S & D / In-class discussion and primary source based assignments expose students to both the nature of history and the process of historical interpretation. Artifacts 2-6 are all evidence of students putting their understanding of both to work.

* For each outcome, indicate whether students in your sections of the course will:

o Study (S) it in lectures, readings, discussions, or activities

o Demonstrate (D) their achievement of it in course assignments, exams, or projects

o Both study (S) and demonstrate (D) it