Westminster English dept. assesses its effectiveness through graduating seniors

While classes were canceled at Westminster College on Tuesday, it was an assessment day that had juniors and seniors of various majors electronically assess their learning experiences at Westminster College. This also included group discussions with faculty members of their respective majors. As both junior and senior English Majors piled into room 126 of the Coulter Science Center to converse with the Professors of the English department, the conversation began with the students sharing their plans after they graduate from college.

Prompted by questions asked by Dr. Adams, a tenured professor at Westminster and head of the English department, students such as Justin Viesman was asked about his plans following graduation. Along with several other students, Viesman said "... he would like to become a novelist."

After all the students shared their goals following their graduation, some of which included attending grad school and Missouri University's Law School, Adams began a presentation pertaining to Senior Portfolios, a requirement in which English Majors must formulate a student portfolio consisting of various samples of their writings from during their years at Westminster. As the deadline for these portfolios is less than two weeks away, professors of the English department will select a few to send to a non-affiliated institution for an outsourced assessment.

Pertaining to the importance of assessment day, Dr. Brenegan, who recently received tenure and is the coordinator of Westminster's Women's Program, said "It's always a pleasure for the professors to get all the English majors into the same room for an informal chatting." As Adams continued to explain the requirements of the senior portfolio, pertaining to past assessments he said "... our assessment reports Westminster English majors on average do better." Adams also added "... we are doing the right thing in classes."

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