University of Nebraska Kearney

Modern Languages Graduate Program Assessment Plan 

Direct Measures

Comprehensive Examination

The Graduate Faculty of the Department of Modern Languages will assess the students’ progress toward each of the assessment goals in the following ways. The results will be reported annually to the Chair, and the Graduate Committee will meet every two years to discuss the results and to consider ways to improve pertinent aspects of the Graduate Program.

1. to demonstrate a high level of oral and written proficiency in the language chosen,
   
   During the Comprehensive Examination (over 6-7 areas), the candidates write
   essays and answer questions orally about their essays in the language of instruction
   used in the courses covered. The members of the Examination Committee will
   assess, particularly for the language of the specialization (French, German or
   Spanish), but also for English (in the case of the FORL classes), the candidates
   writing proficiency as demonstrated in the essays and speaking proficiency as
   observed during the oral exam. The Writing Proficiency Rubric and Speaking Proficiency Rubric will be applied.
    
2. to demonstrate a broad knowledge of and appreciation for the unique contributions
   of one or more of the cultures associated with the said language,
   
   For at least one of the areas of the Comprehensive Exam, the candidates will write
   an essay that is related to a particular aspect of the appropriate culture (e.g. the
   films of one or more countries, the culture of an ethnic group from the past or
   present). This essay, along with the others that have a literary or cultural
   dimension, will be assessed by the Examination Committee using the Cultural Rubric.
    
3. to display a detailed knowledge of the grammar and/or history of the language,
   
   The students in this M.A.Ed. program will write an essay in their Comprehensive
   Examination on comparative grammar for Spanish or the history of the language
   of their degree for French or German if they have included the said course in their
   graduate program. Furthermore the examiners will pay special attention to the correct
   grammatical usage of the language by the students in their written responses to the
   questions on the Comprehensive Examination. The Comprehensive Exam Committee
   will assess these aspects using the Language Structure/History Rubric, along
   with the Writing Proficiency Rubric.
    
4. to show a knowledge and understanding of at least three areas (periods, topics, etc.)
   of the literatures associated with the language,
   
   As part of their Comprehensive Examination, all students in this M.A.Ed. Program
   will write an essay on at least three of the advanced literature courses that they
   studied as graduate students. (If, for some reason, they did not take at least three
   such courses, they will read and be tested on an appropriate number of literary
   works from a reading list prepared by the Graduate Faculty of the language.) The
   Comprehensive Examination Committee will assess the results using the Literature Rubric and the Writing Proficiency Rubric.
    
5. to provide an example of individual research in one or more of these areas,
   
   All students will submit to the Comprehensive Examination Committee at least one
   research paper (approximately 10 pages), which will be assessed by the members of
   this Committee, who may choose to ask during the oral examination some questions
   related to the paper. The Literature Rubric and the Writing Proficiency Rubric will normally be used here. However, in specific cases, the students may present
   a research paper on comparative grammar, history of the appropriate language or
   even on language acquisition. In such cases, the Language Structure/History Rubric or the Language Acquisition Rubric will be used instead of the Literature
   Rubric.
    
6. to explain how one learns a second language and some of the ways in which such a
   language can be taught,
   
   The students in this M.A.Ed. program will write an essay in their Comprehensive
   Examination over the material covered in their required Second Language
   Acquisition course (FORL 810), as well as any other language teaching
   courses included in their program (FORL 872P, 800, etc.) The Comprehensive
   Examination Committee will assess the results using the Language Acquisition Rubric.
    

Indirect Measures

Exit Survey

At the time of their graduation, the students are asked to fill out a survey concerning their graduate work at UNK. The results will be compiled and examined annually by the Chair and Assessment Committee.

Previous Plan, Replaced Fall 2007