SLOs: Students will
- demonstrate understanding of United States’ society and/or history, including the diversity of individuals and communities that make up the nation;
- understand the role of individual participation in U.S. communities and government; and
- apply historical and contemporary evidence to draw, support, or verify conclusions.
In addition to providing information about the connection of the United States’ past to its present, courses in this category will focus on the role of individuals within communities, and developing civic understanding and other skills for engaging in the dynamics of the diverse and pluralistic society which comprises the public life of the United States.
Civic engagement is “working to make a difference in the civic life of our communities and developing the combination of knowledge, skills, values and motivation to make that difference. It means promoting the quality of life in a community, through both political and nonpolitical processes.” (Excerpted from Civic Responsibility and Higher Education, edited by Thomas Ehrlich, published by Oryx Press, 2000, Preface, page vi.) In addition, civic engagement encompasses actions wherein individuals participate in activities of personal and public
concern that are both individually life enriching and socially beneficial to the community. (AAC&U Civic Engagement Value Rubric)
| Learning Outcomes | Exceeds (10-9) | Meets (8.9-8) | Approaches (7.9-7) | Does Not Meet (6.9-0) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Knowledge - Knowledge of U.S. society and/or history, including the diversity of individuals and communities that make up the nation | Student demonstrates thorough and detailed knowledge of the basic narratives of American (political, economic, social, cultural) history; knowledge reflects the diversity of American society and student makes insightful connections between concepts/contexts. | Student demonstrates accurate knowledge of the basic narratives of American (political, economic, social, cultural) history; knowledge reflects the diversity of American society and student makes some connections between concepts/contexts. | Student demonstrates general knowledge of the basic narratives of American (political, economic, social, cultural) history; knowledge partially reflects the diversity of American society and student attempts to make connections between concepts/contexts, but they are unclear or misguided. | Student demonstrates inaccurate or incomplete knowledge of the basic narratives of American (political, economic, social, cultural) history; knowledge inadequately reflects the diversity of American society and student makes unwarranted or no connections between concepts/contexts. |
| Civic Engagement -Understand the role of individual participation in U.S. communities and government | Student demonstrates thorough and detailed understanding of the American democratic process, how American governments (local, state, federal) function, and the ways that individuals affect change inside and outside of formal governance. | Student demonstrates a mostly accurate understanding of the American democratic process, how American governments (local, state, federal) function, and the ways that individuals affect change inside and outside of formal governance. | Student demonstrates a weak understanding of the American democratic process, how American governments (local, state, federal) function, and the ways that individuals affect change inside and outside of formal governance. | Student demonstrates inaccurate or no understanding of the American democratic process, how American governments (local, state, federal) function, and the ways that individuals affect change inside and outside of formal governance. |
| Evidence - Apply historical and contemporary evidence to draw, support, or verify conclusions | Conclusions are well supported; they reflect student’s ability to comprehensively apply/analyze historical and contemporary evidence in context. | Conclusions sufficiently supported with an occasional lack of detail or minor confusion. Conclusions reflect student’s ability to adequately apply historical and contemporary evidence in context. | Conclusions lack support and reflect student’s difficulty in applying historical and contemporary evidence in context. | Conclusions reflect student’s inability to apply historical and contemporary evidence in context. |
Benchmark: 100% of students will meet or exceed the standards
Give students a score for each row of the rubric, convert it to a 100-pt. Scale and sort students into the appropriate category
Example:
| Learning Outcome | Score |
|---|---|
| Knowledge | 8.3/10 = 83 (Student meets) |
| Civic engagement | 7.7/10 = 77 (Student approaches) |