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Take Survey | Manage Surveys | New Survey | Data Cleanup | Style Templates |
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Teaching HIST 231: Introduction to History and Historiography as an ETW Class
Submitted on Behalf of the History Discipline
By
Dr. Marc Becker, Principal Investigator
Dr. Sylvia Ojukutu-Macauley, Faculty Associate I
Dr. Dan Mandell, Faculty Associate II
December 1, 2004
Table of Content
Appendix 1: Survey of history faculty attitudes toward 231
Appendix 2: Responses to history faculty survey
Appendix 3: Survey of student attitudes toward 231
Should the History discipline continue to offer HIST 231 Introduction to History and Historiography as an Extended Truman Week (ETW) class? Demand for the course outstrips supply, which has negative ramifications for students, the major, and the university in general. Offering this course to first-semester students who are declared History majors was an experiment to see if doing so would put the students at a relative advantage and improve retention to the major and the university, with advantages accruing to both the History discipline and the university.
After offering this course three times and with the first class now entering their Senior year, it is time to evaluate the success of this experiment to see if it should be continued. This evaluation will be done through surveys and interviews of students (both those who have taken the ETW class and those who have not) and of professors, in an attempt to evaluate the relative benefits of the course and to address whether it should be continued. The immediate audience for this project will be for an internal evaluation of this course within the History discipline. The results will also be shared with the admissions office to understand whether such programs in majors might be used as an effective recruitment tool. The results will also be available to other disciplines in order to share experiences whether offering courses as ETW classes in an appropriate and effective model at a liberal arts institution.
The ultimate purpose of this project is to improve the quality of student learning and development at Truman, and to enhance the culture of assessment through faculty and staff participation in assessment research and scholarship. Back to top
The purpose of this project was to answer the following questions: a) has the 3-year experiment of teaching HIST 231: Introduction to History and Historiography as an Extended Truman Week (ETW) enhanced student success in the major?; and b) has that success translated into better student retention to the University, in general, and the History major, in particular? Although the quantitative data we collected seems to indicate that this variant of the class does not enhance student success and retention, the general consensus of both students and faculty is that it provides a valuable experience. As an experiment, we have decided to expand our HIST 231 ETW offerings for the fall 2005 semester to two sections, but will continue to monitor and evaluate this class and its structure. Back to top
As a methods course taught at Truman State University since the early 1990s, HIST 231 is the introduction to the History major, and it is designed to achieve three main outcomes:
i. Understanding the ‘nuts and bolts’ of historical practice including an analysis of secondary and primary sources; documentation, organization and style; and use of library resources;
ii. Understanding of historiography as interpretation, debate or ‘conversation’ among historians, including gaining practice in writing historiographical papers;
iii. Understanding the basic components of historical research.
These are the foundational skills that are necessary for success in the history profession. Consequently, History majors are required to complete HIST 231 before enrolling in their third course of the major. Theoretically then, early completion of this course should facilitate swift progression through the major requirements. Prior to the discipline’s decision to start offering HIST 231 as an ETW class, there was a huge backlog of upper-level students needing the course but who could not be accommodated in the existing three, sometimes four, sections already being offered per semester. This, clearly, had negative ramifications for all concerned: the students, the major and the University. As a way of easing the backlog, the history faculty decided to add a new section of the course but, this time, to teach it exclusively with declared History majors among new first-year incoming students. It has now been four years since that experiment began and with the inaugural trial group now in their senior year, the history faculty decided it was time to evaluate the experiment and try to get concrete answers to some of the questions raised during discussions of the experiment at the time it was first proposed. Some of these questions include: would offering major-only courses as ETW classes serve to isolate students from the broader interdisciplinary liberal arts culture of the university? Would it create a stronger identification with the major thereby improving retention both to the major and the University? Would it overwhelm first-semester students, being that HIST 231 was designed as a sophomore-level course and is conducted at that level? Or, would it provide a relative advantage to students who, having mastered the methods of history during their first semester, would be ready to sail through the upper-level major courses and satisfy the major requirements sooner?
The purpose of this project was to answer the following questions: a) has the 3-year experiment of teaching HIST 231: Introduction to History and Historiography as an Extended Truman Week (ETW) enhanced student success in the major?; and b) has that success translated into better student retention to the University, in general, and the History major, in particular? The project had two goals. First, to compare retention and performance of students in the major who took HIST 231 as ETW versus those who took it as a regular course. Second, to develop survey instruments that would measure students’ and the history faculty’s perceptions of the advantages of the former taking the course early relative to their subsequent performance in the major. The methods we proposed to employ included marshalling assessment data on student retention over the last five years from the VPAA’s office; getting that data disaggregated for History majors and ETW versus regular HIST 231 students; developing survey questions based on that disaggregated data and the course’s outcome statements; designing and administering questionnaires via TSU’s survey web page to both ETW and regular HIST 231 students and history faculty; and analyzing the results of the survey. Back to top
We began by requesting assessment data for the University for the last five years from the VPAA’s office and then having ITS disaggregate the data into, first, history majors versus non-majors, and, then, ETW versus regular HIST 231 students. Using the disaggregated data, we did a preliminary analysis of the GPAs as well as retention to the major and to the university for history majors to see if there is a trend for ETW versus regular HIST 231 students. An initial perusal of that data does not bode well for the effectiveness of continuing HIST 231 as an ETW class. In the first three years, 40 students have enrolled in the ETW class. 75.0% are still History majors, with an average GPA of 3.24, and 87.5% were still enrolled as Truman students in Spring 2004. This contrasts with 229 students who took HIST 231 as a non-ETW class. 98.7% are now (or graduated as) History majors, with an average GPA of 3.29, and 94.3% graduated or were still enrolled as Truman students in Spring 2004. In all three indicators, it appears that students who enroll in an ETW section of HIST 231 lag behind those of history majors as a whole.
Based on this data, we designed survey instruments for both the history faculty and history majors (see appendices 1 and 3). The results of this data are reported in appendices 3 and 4. The data from history faculty would seem to indicate that we have too small of a data sample to understand the full impact of teaching HIST 231 as an ETW, and as individuals we have never really reflected on how the ETW influences instruction in later courses.
The data from the student survey is included in Appendix 4. Of 51 respondents (less than a 25 percent return rate), about 3/5 took HIST 231 as a regular semester course, 1/5 as an ETW, and 1/5 had not yet taken the class. Of those who took the class as ETW, more than 2/3 believed it helped facilitate the completion of their major. A similar percentage recommended the continuation of HIST 231 as an ETW course, though a significant ¼ advised against it. Those who did not take HIST 231 as an ETW were evenly split on whether they thought they could have benefited from taking it as such or not knowing whether they would have; few people felt as if it would have hurt them.
More useful than this raw data are the comments from the students reacting to their experiences. One student writes “I don't think it matters if the course is an ETW course or not” because “it is difficult for an underclassmen to get into other history courses after 231” due to enrollment pressure on history major classes. Alternatively, another person wrote “I think taking HIST 231 as an Extended Truman Week Course would have helped me get to know more history majors right off the bat - helped me feel more a part of a community in regard to history.” Student responses are often directly contradictory. For example, here are 2 comments:
· I honestly don't think that taking this class, especially during Truman Week prepared me for the major. This class is extremely difficult and I think the sheer shock of it intensity is something that many freshman students shouldn't be subjected to.
· Offering 231 as an ETW course to ALL incoming history majors would be highly beneficial in helping them decide whether it is the major for them. For those of us who have had this introductory course almost halfway into our college career it was more of a hoop to jump through in completing the major than a boon in preparing us for upper level writing courses. If this is going to remain a required class it needs to be more accessible to students during their first two semesters at Truman.
Perhaps some of the fuzziness of the data is due to the perception that, as one student put it, “a student's view of 231 is directly dependent upon the professor.” This student proposes “that either all of the professors need to be more on the same page, or it should be taught by fewer professors for consistency's sake.” Back to top
After discussing this data at the September 13, 2004, meeting of the history faculty, we have decided to continue and even expand the experiment of offering HIST231 as an ETW class. Purely as an experiment, we will offer two sections of HIST231 as an ETW class the fall semester of 2005. Our thinking was that if this class was a positive experience for the students who took it we should attempt to provide this opportunity to more students. Marty Eisenberg has subsequently requested that we do not offer more than one section of this class, given screens that the Residential College utilizes for placing students in this class (we were not aware of such screens). Considering Associate Dean Eisenberg’s request, we might revert back to one ETW section in fall 2006.
By no means is this study the final word on the advisability of offering HIST231 as an ETW class. Indeed, we are continually rethinking, redesigning, and tweaking HIST231 in the context of attempting to improve the quality of instruction in the major. In the foreseeable future, we plan to continue to offer as least one section of this class every fall as an ETW. It appears to be neither an entirely positive nor an entirely negative experience for the students, the major, the history faculty, or the university. Nevertheless, it appears to provide a valuable service to some, and as such is an experiment worth continuing. Back to top
Appendix 1:
Survey of history faculty attitudes toward 231
We administered the following survey via email to the history faculty on August 7, with a follow-up email to non-respondents on August 24.
History Faculty,
If you remember, Sylvia, Dan and I received a grant to evaluate the effectiveness of teaching HIST 231 as an ETW class. We have a survey for students available at http://survey.truman.edu/takeSurvey.asp?surveyID=85 (you can view the survey if you like, but please do not take it). We would also like to survey you on your experience with this class. Please take a minute to reply to the following survey. Please let me know if you have any questions. Thanks--marc.
If you have NOT taught HIST 231 as an Extended Truman Week course, skip to question 5.
1. How many times have you taught HIST 231 as a ETW course? As a regular course?
2. Have you noticed a difference in the maturity and abilities of students in the two "formats"? If so, please describe.
3. Have you adjusted course content or pedagogy for ETW courses, and if so how?
4. Do you believe that students who have finished your HIST 231 ETW were as well prepared for upper-level HIST courses as those in your regular HIST 231 courses? Why or why not?
5. Have you tried, either systematically or occasionally, to determine which of your students in upper-level History courses have taken HIST 231 ETW and which have not? If so, have you noticed any distinctive pattern in the ETW and non-ETW students' performances in class? In class assignments? Please describe.
Appendix 2: Responses to history faculty survey
1. How many times have you taught HIST 231 as a ETW course? As a regular course?
1 and 2
2 and 10
I've never taught 231.
0
I haven't taught H231 as an ETW course.
2. Have you noticed a difference in the maturity and abilities of students in the two "formats"? If so, please describe.
No, however, the quality of the EFW students seemed a bit better, but the sample is too small to draw conclusions.
Yes, there is certainly a difference. The freshmen are much less familiar with the history jargons, and have more limited knowledge on different areas of history. So it takes more maneuvering and preparing them when teaching freshmen.
3. Have you adjusted course content or pedagogy for ETW courses, and if so how?
No.
Yes, as I said in #2, I have to have a slower pace and motivate them more.
4. Do you believe that students who have finished your HIST 231 ETW were as well prepared for upper-level HIST courses as those in your regular HIST 231 courses? Why or why not?
Comparably prepared since same material.
It is hard to say one way or another as we don't have any instrument to measure it.
5. Have you tried, either systematically or occasionally, to determine which of your students in upper-level History courses have taken HIST 231 ETW and which have not? If so, have you noticed any distinctive pattern in the ETW and non-ETW students' performances in class? In class assignments? Please describe.
Uh....no, never thought about doing that.
Never gave it a thought, but interesting.
No -- I have never thought to ask.
I have not done any study but it is my feeling that the upper classmen would perform better as they were more prepared to take 231. However, on the other hand, 231 as ETW could benefit those who are serious about history and having a history major.
I've only taught 231 one time, like around 1996 or so. I haven't tried in any systematic way to measure upper-division students, but I do think it's easier to discuss historiography as a concept if they have survived 231. And I certainly assume they can build on 231 and a research course when I teach 400. I probably haven't been around enough students who have taken the ETW route yet.
I have queried students but have not discerned any kind of pattern. It's like course evaluations: some liked it, others didn't. I have not correlated performance.
Not systematically, but occasionally, I did actually have occasion to talk to students in my course (two students, as I recall, in a particular course, HIST 429, European Intellectual History, Spring 2004). When it came time to write rather large term papers for the course, they volunteered the information that they had been in the ETW section and that they understood what historiography was about (and there was a discussion about the difficulty in distinguishing primary from secondary sources in intellectual history). They impressed me that the 231 experience had been positive and successful and (against my own prejudices, I should add) that Truman Week was NOT too early to have at least some of our History Majors enroll in 231.
The answer to the first part of the question on number 5 is no, not even occasionally. Maybe, I will try to do this in the future.
I have not done this systematically but I do ask. My sense (and this is very vague) is that those students who have taken EFW 231 have a greater sense of community. They know a number of their colleagues very well and are comfortable discussing "history" things amongst themselves.
no, never thought to ask.
never asked or noticed differences in my students
Appendix 3: Survey of student attitudes toward 231
We sent the following email message to history majors on August 7, with a follow-up email on August 24. The survey was administered on the http://survey.truman.edu webpage, and is included below.
Dear History Major:
Several members of the History faculty are surveying History majors in order to decide whether we should continue to offer HIST 231: Introduction to History and Historiography as an Extended Truman Week (ETW) course. We are asking you to assist us by completing the following questionnaire. Your participation in this study is voluntary, and should take no more than a few minutes. If you choose not to participate there will be no effect on your grades in any class or on any service you might receive from the University in the future. If you choose to participate, the possible benefit of your participation is an improvement in the quality of education we provide at Truman. Your responses to this questionnaire will be completely confidential, and it is preferred that you do not identify yourself in any way on the survey. We are including the questions below, but please respond to the survey on the Truman website at http://survey.truman.edu/takeSurvey.asp?surveyID=85. The survey will be posted on Truman's survey site until August 31, but we would like to request that you complete it as soon as possible. If you have any questions please feel free to contact one of us. Thank you in advance for your assistance!
Marc Becker, marc@truman.edu, x6036
Sylvia Ojukutu-Macauley, macauley@truman.edu, x4663
Dan Mandell, dmandell@truman.edu, x6035
1. Have you taken HIST 231 Introduction to History and Historiography?
Yes, as an Extended Truman Week Course (proceed to question #2)
Yes, as a regular semester offering (proceed to question #4)
No (proceed to question #8)
2. Did taking this course during your first semester at Truman facilitate your completion of the major?
Yes No Don't know
3. Given your experience, would you recommend the continuation of HIST 231 as an Extended Truman Week course?
Yes No Don't know
4. What skills or knowledge have you gained from HIST 231 which helped you in subsequent History classes and in completing the major?
5. HIST 231 is designed to achieve three main outcomes: 1) understanding the technical ‘nuts and bolts’ of historical practice; 2) understanding historiography as a conversation among historians; and 3) understanding the basic components of historical research. On a scale of 1-5, with 1 being "very inadequate" to 5 being "very adequate" how well did HIST 231 prepare you for the major?
Very inadequate Inadequate Average Adequate Very adequate
Nuts and bolts
Historiography
Research components
6. On a scale of 1-5, with 1 being “easy” and 5 being “nearly impossible,” how would you rate the difficulty of your experience in HIST 231?
Easy Not hard Average Difficult Impossible
Difficulty
7. Did your experience in HIST 231 change your understanding of the requirements for being a successful History major, and if so how?
8. If you did not take HIST 231 as an Extended Truman Week Course, do you think you could have benefited from doing so?
Yes No Don't know Not applicable
9. Other comments?
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Appendix 4: Responses to history major survey
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