Designing an embedded outcomes assessment for Spanish majors: Literary interpretation and analysis

Abstract

The assessment of student learning outcomes comprises two stages: designing and conducting the assessment and making use of the results of the assessment to improve the program. This chapter deals with the first stage: designing and implementing an assessment of the knowledge and skills in literary interpretation and analysis of graduating Spanish majors at the University of Iowa. We begin with background on the project and the student learning outcomes for the Spanish. We describe the process, grounded in Patton’s (2008) utilization-focused evaluation framework, of developing the assessment rubric, and we then report on its use in an operational assessment. In the discussion, we consider the impact of the assessment on the curriculum in the Spanish major and implications of this project for language program directors.