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Any student who declares a major in French, German, or Spanish must participate
in the portfolio
assessment program as a requirement for graduation. This assessment program
has been adopted in response to: 1) a state mandate that the department regularly
evaluate the academic progress of its foreign language majors, 2) a national
awareness regarding accountability in higher education, and 3) the need to assess
the effectiveness of our teaching.
WHAT MUST THE PORTOLIO CONTAIN?
- A personal statement written in English (2-3 pages in length) which provides:
- an assessment of knowledge and skills in the target language as a result
of work in the program.
- a rationale for selection of specific samples of work included in the
portfolio.
- One paper written for a class assignment (minimum of 3 pages in length)
in the target language and on a cultural or linguistic topic.
- Note: At least one of the two papers included must include references
to sources and demonstrate mastery of MLA citation form, and at least one
must reflect computer literacy and use of the internet.
- One paper written for a class assignment (minimum of 3 pages in length)
in the target language and on a literary topic.
- A copy of the examination and exercises administered to all majors prior
to certification of their degrees. This includes:
- translation from the target language to English of a passage selected
by the faculty (native speakers of the target language will translate from
English into their native language).
- a written composition on a topic selected by the faculty.
- an oral interview with a member of the faculty (with written evaluation
by the faculty member). The interview may be recorded at the discretion
of the faculty member.
- a listening comprehension test.
Portfolio format requirements:
- The papers must be submitted in a binder or a folder which has the
student’s name and semester of graduation printed on the outside cover.
- All papers must be typed double-spaced on white 8 ½ by 11 inch
paper. Pages must be numbered, and the student’s name must be typed
in the upper right-hand corner of each page.
- Fresh, clean copies are required. No grades or instructor comments
should be visible.
- Each paper must have a cover sheet which indicates the course it was submitted
for and the semester and year it was submitted. The personal statement
precedes the other papers. The second and third papers should be arranged
chronologically. Academic advisers can help students in the selection
of papers and can answer format questions.
- Papers written in the junior or senior years are preferable to papers
written earlier.
Portfolios not conforming to the content/format requirements will not be
accepted. They will be returned to the student for correction and resubmission
before the degree will be awarded.
Portfolios are not assigned grades, but are reviewed by faculty of the program
and perhaps by an external evaluator. The student will receive no evaluation
of the portfolio, and it will not be returned.
When must the portfolio be submitted?
Complete portfolios must be submitted at the time of certification of the
major program by the department chair or designated representative. Failure
to submit a portfolio will delay certification of the major for graduation.
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