Presentation, APSA Teaching and Learning Conference, Capital University, Columbus, Ohio, C. Jones – Track 7
1
A PowerPoint presentation will be made at the conference. The PowerPoint presentation will
summarize information contained in this document. The presentation will contain information on the
department of political science’s plans to assess the performance of political science majors. The
presentation contains three distinct and important components. First, the goals of the program will be
presented. That will be followed by a presentation of the outcomes associated with the goals of the
department. Finally, performance measures that are associated with the goals and outcomes will be
presented.
The information provided here has its genesis in two sources. First, in 2003, Capital University
mandated that all academic divisions and units prepare and present an assessment plan for evaluate
their students’ performance. A very short deadline was given for departments to prepare and submit
their plan to the University. This short deadline necessitated a search for a model that the political
science department could follow. The University provided no discipline specific model. A member of
the political science faculty was able to locate a model in the experiences of Milliken University.
Millikin University’s experience with assessment serves as the second source of the information
presented here. As a result, this presentation is guided by the goals of Capital University and the
experiences of Millikin University in translating goals into outcomes that can be measured.
An important shortcoming should be noted in the presentation of this document. The document
is submitted in landscape format. This is unavoidable. Information for this presentation cannot be
presented in the conventional paper format. Many tables of necessity are presented. Without resorting
the landscape format, the information presented in these tables would be unreadable.
The goals, outcomes, and measures for students’ assessment in the department of political
science are presented in different forms on the following pages. Part I provides the goals that guide the
Convention