Program Major:  English

Emphases within the Major:  Language and Literature, Secondary English Education, Language Arts (Elementary English Education)

College:  College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Authors of Plan:  Jill VanAntwerp, Unit Head and Secondary English Education Emphasis Coordinator; Pat Bloem, Language Arts Emphasis Coordinator; Rob Watson, Language and Literature Emphasis Area: Literature Coordinator; Laura VanderBroek, Language and Literature Emphasis Area: Language Coordinator; and English Department faculty

A. Overview of the Program

In the over forty years of GVSU's existence, the English Department has had several organizational structures. From the years of experimentation when GVSU was Grand Valley State Colleges through a period of substantial growth that saw the department begin to divide into strong emphasis areas, the English Department has proudly seen itself as a primary component of the liberal arts focus that characterizes a GVSU education. Many of the general education and theme courses are English courses.

In the fall of 2000, three faculty members left the department to form the Department of Classics. A second split occurred in the fall of 2001 when the Writing Department was created. Prior to 2001, the department, like many English Departments, focused heavily on freshman composition. While the English Department includes courses from both Writing and Classics in the majors and minor, the teaching of writing courses, especially freshman composition, is no longer a focus of the department. Another major shift occurred in the last decade as the faculty who teach methods courses in English and Language Arts education increased.

With the siphoning off of writing majors, the department settled into three emphasis areas: Language and Literature, Secondary Education, and Language Arts (elementary education). There are currently over 1500 majors of which approximately 75 percent are seeking teacher certification. The majority of those are in the Language Arts strand. In 2004, the Master's Degree in English was added. The first degree was awarded at commencement Fall Semester 2005. The program now serves 40 students, and growth is expected.

In 2005-2006, the department of English consisted of 38 tenured and tenure-track faculty, two affiliate faculty members, and two visiting faculty.   Eight of those faculty members, both affiliates, and one visitor are specialists in English Education.   Five faculty members are Linguistics professors. The remaining faculty members and one visitor specialize in the teaching of literature.

Currently all three emphasis areas require the same foundation of five courses. The vision of the English Department is to provide students in all emphasis areas with a coherent curricular framework and relevant, well-structured choices. With that vision in mind, the English Department has begun a study of the curriculum and is exploring a complete revamping of the foundation and the emphasis area requirements. This work is on-going. The changes in the department in the past, present, and future are reflected in the strategic plan that took shape in Winter semester 2006. It is presented below.

B. We, the English faculty at GVSU, are committed to excellence in teaching, scholarship, and service. We uphold the following mission, vision, and values.

Mission

The English Department strengthens the liberal education of students by developing a deepened understanding of language and literacy, the value of critical reading and effective writing, and the richness of literature, past and present.

Vision

We seek to foster knowledge and a love of literature and of language in our students. To this end we will provide students in all emphasis areas with a coherent curricular framework and relevant, well-structured course choices. We will teach a variety of literary, analytical, pedagogical, and theoretical skills. We will teach students to speak, read, and write effectively. We will encourage students to think deeply and to reflect on what they have learned. We will encourage a love of learning and an appreciation for a liberal education.

Values

We value the rigorous and comprehensive study of language, literacy, and literature.

We value the cultivation of critical reading and reflection.

We value the production of excellent writing in a variety of forms.

We value the ways the study of language and literature transforms our understanding of local, national, and international communities.

We value teaching that will lead our students to participate in society as informed, responsible citizens.

Goals and Objectives

Goal: We will enhance and encourage continual professional development of the faculty.

Objective: Each tenured and tenure-track faculty member will attend a minimum of one professional conference or professional development seminar per academic year in his/her teaching or research area or engage in a comparable activity.

Goal: We will increase involvement in and development of the English Department Scholars' Colloquia Series.

Objective: Faculty members who have received funds from the university for research or who have had a sabbatical will present in the Departmental Scholars' Colloquia Series within the following two years.

Objective:  Faculty members who have presented a paper or comparable session at a scholarly conference or who have had major publications will be encouraged to present in the series.

Goal: We will provide a curriculum that serves the needs of all three emphasis areas (Language Arts, Secondary Education, Language and Literature) by offering our students relevant course choices within a well-structured framework.

 Objective: We will design foundation courses that will give our students the literary, analytical, theoretical, and writing skills that they will need in order to succeed in upper-division English courses.

Objective: We will realign current categories/requirements for upper-division English courses in each emphasis area in order to provide students with relevant course choices and more electives within a well-structured framework.

Goal: Graduates with the English major will be critical thinkers on issues of language and literature.

Objective: Students will demonstrate the ability to engage in comparative analysis of texts.

Objective: Students will demonstrate the ability to understand various theoretical approaches and to apply theory in textual analysis.

Goal: Graduates with the English major will be competent writers in genres and registers congruent with the field.

Objective: Students will demonstrate a capacity to articulate and support their responses to a given text by engaging closely with the language of that text.

Objective: Students will demonstrate an ability to work within the accepted disciplinary conventions of writing about literature, including responsible use of research.

Goal: Students seeking an undergraduate degree in English with the goal of teaching in the secondary schools will practice reflective thinking as they consider the content of the major and as they practice teaching in the field.

Objective: English (secondary education) majors will develop an awareness of theoretical perspectives in the teaching of literature and composition.

Objective: English (secondary education) majors will practice self-assessment of their skills while teaching literature and composition.

Goal: Students seeking an undergraduate degree in English with the goal of teaching in the elementary schools will connect the theory they are learning in their university classrooms to current educational practices through community-university partnerships.

Objective: Students enrolled in ENG 308 (a required course) will connect academic theory to classroom practice by creating and implementing reading lessons with an elementary or middle school age child through a tutoring field placement.

Objective: Students enrolled in ENG 400 (a required course) will demonstrate the ability to connect theory and elementary school practice in a school-university experience.

Goal: Graduates with the English major will be conversant in the general and specific properties of the English language for personal intellectual growth and professional development.

Objective: Students will develop skills in identifying and analyzing phonological, morphological, lexical, and syntactic structures of English.

Objective: Students will demonstrate the ability to analyze authentic language corpora (literary and non-literary) from a linguistic perspective.

Goal: Graduates with the English major will be critical thinkers on social, cultural, political, and educational issues surrounding language study.

Objective: Students will develop ability to analyze the various ambient issues (mentioned in the learning goal) of language study.

Objective: Students will form an independent, informed view and stance on the issues they study regarding the politics of language, cultural and cross-cultural communication, and (both first and second) language education.

Goal: Graduates with the English major and an emphasis in Language & Literature will be able to correctly use the vocabulary associated with the analysis of literary texts.

Objective: Students will correctly identify/employ the vocabulary associated with the construction/operation of literary texts (for example, narrator/speaker, interior monologue, imagery, setting, meter, and the like).

Objective: Students will correctly identify/employ the vocabulary associated with various critical theories (for example, patriarchal gender roles, classism, binary opposition, Afrocentrism, compulsory heterosexuality, and the like).

Goal:  The number of undergraduates in the department will increase.

Objective:  We will enhance the offerings in the department by reducing class size.

Objective:  Through effective communication, outreach, and visibility, we will attract more majors and minors.

Objective:  We will discuss partnerships with other departments that may include English courses in their programs or establish cross-listed courses.

Objective:  Through effective communication and outreach, we will increase the number of students selecting theme courses and general education course offered by the department.

Goal:  The English Department will enhance its profile and benefit the students by offering an Annual Writers Series.

Objective: We will bring to the University as guest speakers writers whose lectures and/or readings will give the English Department visibility in the university and the community.

Objective: We will bring to the University as guest speakers writers who will interact with our students and broaden their knowledge about world literatures.

Goal:  We will work with the university administration and staff to upgrade the facilities and materials available to the English Department.

Objective:  The university will upgrade the quality of the furniture in the department offices.

Objective:  The university will upgrade the maintenance and appearance of the English Department suites and surroundings, including building and landscaping.

Objective:  The university will upgrade on a regular basis the technology available in English Department offices and classrooms.

Goal:  We will increase the scope and quality of study abroad programs for English majors and minors.

Objective:  We will establish English Department study abroad opportunities in England and Great Britain.

Objective:  We will establish English Department study abroad opportunities that promote world literatures.

Objective: We will continue to explore our relationship with Cape Coast University in Ghana.

Goal:  We will increase the exposure to literary genres and technological genres of all GVSU students.

Objective:  We will continue to examine our curriculum to give our students a quality foundation and increased electives for their emphasis areas.

Objective:  We will expand the genres to which our students are exposed.

Objective:  We will support an increase in the collection of the GVSU library.

Objective:  We will bolster the interface between technology and English studies.

Objective:  We will explore ways to offer the benefits of the study of literature to all GVSU students.

Goal:  We will increase the English Department interaction with other Departments/Programs.

Objective:  We will explore the creation of interdisciplinary courses.

Objective:  We will explore team teaching options.

Objective:  We will work to promote the work of the English Department at satellite locations.

C. Assessment Plan

Part 1. Overview of Assessment Plan

The measurement and analysis of the goals and objectives described in this English Department Strategic Plan will be on-going and renewable over the next decade. A faculty dedicated to its own mission and values will consider reflection and analysis to be a part of its professional responsibilities. One would now have to read four strategic plans to get a sense of the changes to the original English Department that are the result of such on-going reflection. The Writing Department, The Classics Department, and the MA in English are all programs that have sprung from an idea that resulted in introspection and study and led to new and better educational opportunities for GVSU students. Some of the work described in this document has been on-going for several years as the faculty pursues a possible reorganization of the foundation and emphasis area requirements; other work is the result of more recent examination of the needs of the students and the faculty.

The Faculty Development goals described below will be measured on an on-going basis beginning in 2006-2007. At the end of each year, as Faculty Activity Reports are compiled and collected, an analysis will be done of professional development and a database will be set up with comparisons from year to year. By Winter semester 2008, a two-year progression can be charted, but we will continue to collect data on a yearly basis. Similarly, the English Department Faculty Colloquia Series will be monitored on a semester to semester basis for growth and participation beginning in 2006-2007.

The Program Goals described below were written to reflect a process that had already begun and is on-going. The department is studying the requirements of the major and minors as well as each strand within the major in order to arrive at the best possible set of foundation courses, requirements, and electives. The work started in 2004-2004 and will continue until a satisfactory result is achieved. Current projections are that this process may take at least another year, culminating in 2007-2008.

The English Department faculty is represented on each of the General Education committees for the study of the Foundation Categories and Themes in which an English course exists. This work has begun and will continue through the next year or two.

The Student Learning Goals and Objectives described below are slated to be measured in four semesters: Fall 2006, Winter 2007, Fall 2007, and Winter 2008. Objectives to be measured include general student learning goals and student learning goals in each emphasis area: Secondary English Education, Language Arts (Elementary English Education), Language, and Literature. Data will be collected from designated courses to measure the objectives. By Fall 2008, this data will have been analyzed and the results summarized for use in curricular adjustment or reform.

Included in the Goals and Objectives listed above in Part B are other Goals that the English Department hopes to be able to achieve. While not included in the measures to be conducted in the next two years, these goals are ones that the department will work towards over the next 5 to 10 years. Improvement of the work space and environment both in offices and classrooms is deemed important in order for all members of this campus community to achieve their best work. Whether for aesthetic, safety, or practical purposes, improvements in the condition of buildings, furnishings, and grounds should be pursued, and technological equipment should be state-of-the-art. We will work for such improvements semester by semester. In addition, an English Department must be concerned by the condition and size of the collection in the University library. We support an increase in the collection and improvements to the building.

Plans are already underway to begin an Annual English Department Speaker Series. The success of this endeavor may rest on the ability to fund the Series. As the Series takes shape and becomes a defined contribution of the English Department, is it our goal to have it funded adequately. We see this project building to the desired level over the next 5 to 10 years and maintained from that time forward.

The English Department has been experiencing a drop in students within the past few years attributable primarily to the job market for teachers. The Department is committed to exploring ways to reverse this decline in majors and minors. This goal will become a focus during 2007 as a plan is devised that will increase students in the major, the minors, and the MA program. Other goals are connected to this desire to increase our numbers. Creating attractive and effective study abroad programs, making connections across department and college lines, and forming alliances with other faculty members are goals that will serve the purpose of increasing the depth and breadth of our offerings and making the department more visible. We are a department committed to the study of language and literature, and as such we will also explore ways to encourage, even require, each GVSU student to take at least one literature course while an undergraduate. If progress can be made on the goals and objectives described above, it is our belief that the numbers in our department will once again increase.

In summary, most of the goals and objectives to be measured will be completed in the next two years. Others, such as curriculum reform, will take three years. Within the next five to ten years, other goals and objectives will be added to the plan of measurement and analysis.

Part II. Assessment Plan

I. FACULTY GOALS

Goal 1:  We will enhance and encourage continual professional development of the faculty.

Objective 1 A: Each tenured and tenure-track faculty member will attend a minimum of one professional conference or professional development seminar per academic year in his/her teaching or research area or engage in a comparable activity.

Measure 1 A 1:  Faculty Activity Reports will serve as a way to determine professional development experiences.

Measure 1 A 2:  Records of English Department funds for research and development will indicate activity towards this goal.

Means for Achieving Objective: Faculty members will be reminded of these objectives at the annual kick-off retreat and will be informed of the amount of English Department funding that is available. In addition, other means of funding within the university will be described.

Collection Cycle:  W07 after Faculty Activity Reports are submitted

Person Responsible for Data Collection:  Unit Head and Personnel Chair

Anticipated Use of this Data:  This data will confirm the quality and scholarly standing of the English Department faculty.

Goal 2: We will increase involvement in and development of the English Department Scholars' Colloquia Series.

Objective 2 A:  Faculty members who have received funds from the university for research or who have had a sabbatical will present in the Departmental Scholars' Colloquia Series within the following two years. Faculty members who have presented a paper or comparable session at a scholarly conference or who have had major publications will be encouraged to present in the series.                   

Measure 2 A 1:  A record of colloquia will be kept in the Departmental office.         

Measure 2 A 2:  Faculty Activity Reports will serve as a way to determine professional experiences.

Means for Achieving Objective: The colloquia series will be advertised, and a responsible faculty member will approach faculty members to give them an opportunity to schedule a presentation.

Collection Cycle:  W07 and W08 when the Colloquia Series is complete.

Person responsible for Data Collection: Colloquia Chair

Anticipated Use of this Data:  Faculty members will more fully appreciate the scholarship of one another, while students will be exposed to the kind of scholarship they are being encouraged to pursue.

Alignment:

CLAS Goal 4: To build and sustain an atmosphere of inquiry, integrity, engagement, curiosity, and creativity among students, staff, and faculty.

GVSU Goal 1: To support high quality, student-focused, undergraduate and graduate education provided by a faculty dedicated to excellent teaching, scholarship, and professional service.

NCA Core Component 4b: The organization demonstrates that acquisition of a breadth of knowledge and skills and the exercise of intellectual inquiry are integral to its educational programs.

II. PROGRAM GOALS

Goal 1: We will provide a curriculum that serves the needs of all three emphasis areas (Language Arts, Secondary Education, Language and Literature) by offering our students relevant course choices within a well-structured framework.

Objective 1.A: We will design foundation courses that will give our students the literary, analytical, theoretical, and writing skills that they will need in order to succeed in upper-division English courses.

Measure 1.A.1: Faculty members will analyze proposals for foundation courses until there is agreement on the best set of courses.

Measure 1.A.2: We will conduct student evaluations on the preparation that the foundation courses have given them for upper level courses.

Objective 2.A.: We will realign current categories/requirements for upper-division English courses in each emphasis area in order to provide students with relevant course choices and more electives within a well-structured framework.

Measure 2.A.1: Faculty members in each sub-group will analyze proposals for sub-group foundation courses until there is agreement on the best set of courses.

Measure 2.A.2: We will conduct a comparative analysis of the new set of foundations and requirements for each strand and the current set of foundations and requirements for each strand using a pre-determined set of criteria.

Means for Achieving Objective:  During the next two calendar years, faculty members will work in committees to re-design the foundation courses required of all majors as well as the new foundation courses required in each sub-group. These proposals will be presented to the faculty as a whole for acceptance or rejection until a set of courses is agreed upon. Once the new program is in place, students will be surveyed for input and a comparative study will be done of old and new curricula.

Collection Cycle:   This process will take two years or more.

Person responsible for Data Collection:  English Department Curriculum Committee

Anticipated use of Data Derived from this Study:  This data will help determine a new structure for the English Department curriculum.

Goal 2:  The English Department will assist the General Education Subcommittee in assessing General Education student learning outcomes.

Objective 2 A:  The English Department will identify members to serve on General Education Peer Groups for the purpose of assessing student learning outcomes.

Objective 2 B:  The English Department will assist the General Education Subcommittee in collecting assessment data from students in General Education courses.

Objective 2 C: The English Department will review and respond to the General Education Subcommittee about the suggestions for improvements, if any are identified by the Peer Group or the General Education Subcommittee.

Alignment

CLAS Goal 1: To support high quality, student-focused, undergraduate and graduate education provided by a faculty dedicated to excellent teaching, scholarship, and professional service.

GVSU Goal 1: To support high quality, student-focused, undergraduate and graduate education provided by a faculty dedicated to excellent teaching, scholarship and professional service.

NCA Criterion 4b: The organization demonstrates that acquisition of a breadth of knowledge and skills and the exercise of intellectual inquiry are integral to its education program.

III. STUDENT LEARNING GOALS

Goal 1: Graduates with the English major will be critical thinkers on issues of language and literature.

Objective 1 A:  Students will demonstrate the ability to engage in comparative analysis of texts.       

Measure 1.A.1:  We will analyze a random sample of 15 papers from Capstone (ENG 495) or another upper-level literature course to determine whether students are successfully engaging in literary analysis. We will develop a rubric with which to measure this engagement.

Measure 1.A.2:  We will administer a questionnaire to students in Capstone (ENG 495) or another upper-level literature course to determine if the students' perception of their abilities in the area of comparative analysis of texts meets pre-determined criteria. We will analyze a random sample of 15 of these questionnaires.

Objective 1 B:  Students will demonstrate the ability to understand various theoretical approaches and to apply theory in textual analysis.

Measure 1.B.1:  We will analyze a random sample of 15 papers from Capstone (ENG 495) to determine whether students are consistently able to apply theoretical perspectives in their written work.

Measure 1.B.2:  We will administer a questionnaire to students in Capstone (ENG 495) to determine the students' own perception of their ability to understand various theoretical approaches and to apply theory in textual analysis. We will analyze a random sample of 15 of these questionnaires using a pre-determined set of criteria.

Goal 2: Graduates with the English major will be competent writers in genres and registers congruent with the field.

Objective 2 A:  Students will demonstrate a capacity to articulate and support their responses to a given text by engaging closely with the language of that text.

Measure 2.A.1:  We will analyze a random sample of 15 papers from Capstone (ENG 495) or another upper-level literature course to determine whether students are successfully engaging in textually-grounded close reading. We will develop a rubric with which to measure this attribute.

Measure 2.A.2:  We will administer a questionnaire to students in Capstone or another upper-level literature course to determine their own perception of their abilities in this area, and analyze a random sample of 15 of these questionnaires using a pre-determined set of criteria.

Objective 2 B:   Students will demonstrate an ability to work within the accepted disciplinary conventions of writing about literature, including responsible use of research.

Measure 2 B 1:  We will analyze a random sample of 15 papers from Capstone (ENG 495) or another upper-level course to determine whether students are successfully engaging in accepted disciplinary conventions. We will use a rubric to determine successful work.

Measure 2 B 2:  We will administer a questionnaire to students in Capstone or another upper-level literature course to determine their own perception of their abilities in this area. We will analyze a random sample of 15 of these questionnaires using a pre-determined set of criteria.

Means for Achieving Objectives: Our stated objectives will be incorporated into the teaching standards of all English Department courses.

Collection Cycle:  Sample student essays and self-evaluations will be collected on a semester basis (5 each in Fall, Winter, and Spring/Summer).

Persons responsible for Data Collection:  Emphasis Area Coordinators

Anticipated Use of Data Derived from Study:  Data will be used to determine whether English majors are graduating with the necessary skill set and will target potential areas for pedagogical improvement.

Alignment

CLAS Goal 1: To support high quality, student-focused, undergraduate and graduate education provided by a faculty dedicated to excellent teaching, scholarship, and professional service.

GVSU Goal 1: To support high quality, student-focused, undergraduate and graduate education provided by a faculty dedicated to excellent teaching, scholarship and professional service.

NCA Criterion 4b: The organization demonstrates that acquisition of a breadth of knowledge and skills and the exercise of intellectual inquiry are integral to its education program.

IV. STUDENT LEARNING GOALS IN THE EMPHASIS AREAS

A. Secondary English Education

Goal 1: Students seeking an undergraduate degree in English with the goal of teaching in the secondary schools will practice reflective thinking as they consider the content of the major and as they practice teaching in the field.

Objective 1 A:  English (secondary education) majors will develop an awareness of theoretical perspectives in the teaching of literature and composition.