Academic Program Assessment in the Department of Anthropology, East Carolina University: Outcomes Assessment in the B.A. Program 2010 – 2011 & 2011 - 2012

I. Randolph Daniel, Jr.Department of AnthropologyEast Carolina UniversityEmail: danieli@ecu.edu

AbstractAcademic program assessment has been ongoing in the Department of Anthropology at East Carolina University for the past several years. The B.A. institutional learning outcome (personal growth) results for AY 2010 - 2011 and 2011 - 2012 are compared . Results indicate that a majority of our majors have experienced personal growth with respect to an increased openness to other cultures. Exactly how this greater cultural awareness relates to their future endeavors, however, is less clear. Consequently, a program by anthropology faculty is underway to more explicitly link a greater understanding of how various anthropological concepts (i.e., “soft skills”) can be generalized to any career.

IntroductionAnthropology offers a global view of human culture and human and

nonhuman primate adaptation and evolution to promote a better understanding of the archaeological, biological, and cultural aspects of human diversity (Figure 1). These studies foster respect for the biological as well as the ethnic and cultural diversity present in human populations toady. As a special emphasis, the department supports curriculum development and faculty research and service into the prehistory, history, and quality of life of eastern North Carolina.

The ECU Department of Anthropology has about 100 majors a year and resides in the Harriot College of Arts and Sciences offering both a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts degree in anthropology, as well an undergraduate minor in anthropology. Students may also pursue certificates in forensic anthropology and cultural resources management at the undergraduate level. While assessment reporting is conducted in both degree programs and certificates, only assessment in our BA program is highlighted here. In particular, we focus on institutional learning.

BA Assessment (institutional learning)

OUTCOME NAME: Leadership AY 2010 – 2011 & 2011 – 2012

Outcome description: Objective #3. Utilize reflection to promote personal growth.

Assessment method. Students were asked to respond to an essay question composed by a faculty committee and approved by the remaining faculty. The following question was administered in the Anthropology capstone course in the spring semesters of 2011 (with an enrollment of 24 students) and 2012 (with an enrollment of 21 students).

“How has your study of anthropology contributed to your personal growth while at ECU? Provide specific examples of changes in your attitudes or behavior towards others and why such changes have had a positive effect on your education.”

Criteria for Success: A faculty member read each essay coding the responses for key concepts identified with either 1) personal growth or 2) how their anthropology education relates to their future goals. With respect to the former, a successful student should recognize personal growth in a greater openness to other cultures and ideas. With respect to the latter, a successful student should recognize how the anthropological concepts they learned represent “soft skills” that could contribute to their plans for life after graduation. Examples of these concepts follow.

Table 1. Number of responses to key concepts

Personal growth comments:

• Relating to cultural diversity: “I believe anthropology brings to light the variety of people and cultures and celebrates [their] diversity rather than condemning it.”

• Increased open-mindedness: “understanding that differences in people don’t have to indicate flaws in them.”

• Increased self awareness: “Anthropology has contributed to my personal growth by forcing me to think critically.”

• Increased self awareness: “I came into this program with a vague understanding of myself and the world, and now—four years later—have grown into an awareness…of my personal biases, behaviors…and strengths and weaknesses.”

• Understanding of global complexity: “knowledge is needed on the different culture, values and religions of different populations in the modern world.”

Soft skills comments:

• Interpersonal skills: “If one is at least accepting of another’s differences, then they may learn something new that benefits both.”

• Increased desire to learn: “Taking anthropology courses has increased my desire to learn about others and travel to see it myself.”

• Interpersonal skills: “We need to have some knowledge of other cultures so that when one encounters an individual from another culture they do not unknowingly offend them.”

• Future plans: “I have an even deeper understanding and respect for others. I think this has had a positive effect on my education because this is something I will carry with me…into the job place.”

Results

On average, students identified two to three of the concepts in their essays. In brief, two patterns stand out in the data. First, with respect to the 2010 -2011 academic year, 75% or more student responses indicate an increased awareness of and open-mindedness to cultures other than their own. Moreover, students view this as a positive aspect of their personal growth at ECU. Second, it is less clear to students exactly how their anthropological knowledge (i.e., “soft skills”) relates to their future plans. With a single exception no more than about 20% of student responses reflected an understanding of how student’s anthropological knowledge relates to their future after graduation. The one exception, where 43% of students recognized how certain skills learned in the major apply to possible jobs, most likely derive from several “methods” courses in our curriculum. For example, courses in archaeological methods or forensic anthropology are directly applicable to the job market.

Actions TakenFaculty discussion regarding these results indicates that it is perhaps not

surprising that students recognized personal growth with respect to an increased awareness of cultural diversity which is the cornerstone of anthropology. Indeed, the concept of multiculturalism was defined by anthropology (long before it became the current fad in other areas of academia). Faculty also acknowledged that students were less successful in understanding how various anthropological concepts (i.e., “soft skills”) gained from their major relates to their future. Thus, in the following academic year (2011 – 2012) faculty made an effort through their teaching to make more explicit the link between anthropological soft skills and there applicability to various careers. The results of those actions seen in the 2011 – 2012 academic year reveal a modest change as only one indicator (i.e., better personal skills) saw any improvement (although it almost doubled in frequency) in the soft skills category (Table 1). As in the previous year, students more easily recognized the personal growth they experienced through their coursework.

Faculty discussion regarding the results for the 2011 – 2012 academic year suggests that a single year may not be time enough to see the desired change in our majors. Moreover, some consideration is being given to rewording at least a portion of the question to more explicitly ask students how their education relates to their future goals. In any case, for the current academic year, faculty will continue to emphasize links between soft skills and their real world application. In addition, the department has recently implemented an alumni lecture series whereby past graduates are invited to visit campus and share their job experiences with current anthropology students. In some cases these ECU graduates have careers that are not directly related to anthropology, yet they have found an anthropological perspective useful in their work. As such, presentations by our graduates should help students learn how the skills learned in the anthropology curriculum are applied to various careers. Our majors will be strongly encouraged to attend those lectures. The department’s goal is that by the time that current freshmen are seniors they will more clearly understand how anthropology contributes to their personal growth and future aspirations.

ConclusionsFinally, amidst the rubrics and rhetoric that constitute assessment, the

anthropology faculty will continue to do what they always have done with a passion: teach and generate new knowledge in anthropology. Because of its ability to inform students about human and cultural diversity, anthropology is arguably the most relevant program in the liberal arts curriculum. An understanding of the similarities and differences that constitute human lifeways—both past and present—remains critical to living in a modern global village (Figure 2).

Figure 1. The three major subfields of anthropology as taught at East Carolina University.

Anthropology

Cultural anthropology:

the study of contemporary

peoples in different cultures around the

world.

Physical anthropology:the study of

biological variation and the evolution of humans and the

other primates.

Archaeology:the study of the

human past through its

material remains.

Concepts/ IndicatorsAY 2010 -

2011 n= 24AY 2011-

2012 n =21Personal Growth Increased open-mindedness/broadened perspective 18 (75%) 14 (67%) Better understand, respect, and relate to diverse peoples 19 (79%) 15 (71%) Increased self awareness 0 8 (38%) Increased understanding of intercultural/global complexity 0 13 (62%)

Soft Skills Develop better interpersonal skills 5 (21%) 9 (43%) Develop transferabel skills 9 (43%) 0 More "well-rounded" 2 (8%) 0 Learned how to learn/increased desire to learn 5 (21%) 6 (29%) Understands how anthropology contributes to future plans 3 (13%) 3 (14%)

Figure 2. 2011 Anthropology graduates display their enthusiasm.