OATdb Archive

2010 - 2011

English MA

Goal
Knowledge And Skills
To produce graduates who have acquired a comprehensive body of knowledge expected of a graduate English education and specific, measurable skills and training in researching, analyzing, and expressing their arguments about English literature, language, and writing disciplines in a professional idiom.

Objective
Critical Thinking And Writing And Breadth Of Knowledge
English graduate students will demonstrate their abilities as independent critical thinkers and writers, capable of employing effective sophisticated critical thinking skills in analysis, synthesis, and evaluation of knowledge.

Indicator
Written Comprehensive Examination
A passing score on the written comprehensive examination will serve as an indicator that an English MA candidate has acquired a breadth of knowledge in the subject, has developed critical reading and writing skills appropriate to a graduate-level education in English, and is well-prepared for future professional endeavors. For the examination, students choose three comprehensive areas from among thirteen broad topics in literature, language, and writing disciplines. To demonstrate their mastery of a broad range of materials, they are required to choose at least one British literature area and one American literature area and at least one early (pre-1800) area and one later (post-1800) literary period. A double-blind grading system is used to evaluate the candidates' proficiency.

An examination grading rubric and sample pass, fail, and high pass essays are attached.

Criterion
Standard Pass Rate On Written Comprehensive Examination
At least 92% of degree candidates will pass the exam at the first sitting or upon retaking it.

Finding
Comprehensive Examination Pass Rate
During the reporting period, seven students sat for the written comprehensive examination in English. 100% of students passed the  exam at the first sitting or upon retaking it. Twenty-two percent of exam essays earned a high pass. The results exceed the 92% criterion, suggesting that students have risen to the new examination standards.

The examination is structured so that students will demonstrate their mastery of a broad range of materials. However, some candidates cluster their examination areas so that, while they satisfy the requirements literally, they do not necessarily show mastery of a broad range of knowledge across topics in literature, language, and writing disciplines. This clustering on the part of some students may explain the high pass rate. This is thus a weakness in the program.


Indicator
Holistic Assessment Of Graduate Writing
The ability of students to write according to accepted professional standards is an important indicator of the English MA Program's success in producing graduates who have acquired appropriate critical thinking and writing skills and are prepared for future professional endeavors. An annual holistic review of representative graduate student writing produced during the assessment period will measure the students' ability to make sophisticated arguments about literature, language, and writing disciplines in a critical idiom appropriate to professional standards.

Criterion
Holistic Standards For English Graduate Student Writing
As demonstration that the majority of English graduate students are capable of sophisticated critical thinking and writing about topics in English literature, language, and writing disciplines, a holistic reading of graduate papers submitted during the assessment period will show that on a grading scale of 1 (unacceptable) to 4 (exemplary), at least 92% of students will write at a level of 3-4 (acceptable-exemplary).

Finding
Findings Of Holistic Writing Assessment
On May 16, 2011, three graduate faculty members holistically scored a representative sampling of fourteen essays by students in five graduate literature classes. All fourteen essays demonstrated acceptable or exemplary English graduate-level critical thinking and writing skills. The finding of 100% surpasses the criterion of 92%.

However, even though the fourteen submitted essays were exemplary, it remains a fact that not all students are strong analytic thinkers. Many write well, but the depth of knowledge and synthetic skills are still weak. There are students who have received Cs and Ds in their midterm essays; these clearly do not demonstrate graduate-level performance. A good writer is not necessarily a student who is also ready for graduate school.

Some essay assignments required more sophisticated critical thinking and researching than others. So although all fourteen essays under review were rated as acceptable or exemplary within the context of the expectations laid out by the assignments, not every essay was equal according to larger professional standards.


Action
Preparation For Written Comprehensive Examinations
While the English MA Program surpassed its goal of a 92% pass rate on the written comprehensive examination required of all students who take the degree, the Director of Graduate Studies in English will continue to hold biannual exam preparation sessions, which provide MA candidates with information about preparing and sitting for the exam, with sample questions, and with sample responses across the range of fail, pass, and high pass essays.

The Director of Graduate Studies will also continue to publish information about the exams on the graduate web site and to publish a booklet on preparation for the exam.

Ways to help the struggling graduate students will be discussed in the graduate faculty meeting in the fall. The research methods course will be required from students during their first semester in the program; the purpose of this requirement is to ensure that graduate students acquire the necessary skills and understanding to carry out graduate-level conversations during their two years of studies with us.

Admission of probationary students will be limited to the minimum to avoid accepting students who cannot excel.

Action
Professional Activities

To encourage students to engage in professional activities such as conference presentations and publishing, graduate faculty will continue to give students leads on conferences, and the department will encourage collaborative activities between students and faculty that result in co-authorship.

Goal
Critical Thinking And Oral Arguments
Students will demonstrate knowledge, skills, and critical thinking through oral arguments.

Objective
Demonstrate Critical Thinking Skills And Knowledge Through Oral Arguments
Students earning the Master of Arts in English will demonstrate their knowledge and critical thinking skills through oral arguments.

Indicator
Oral Examination
Thesis students sit for a one-hour oral defense of the thesis; having passed the written comprehensive examination, non-thesis students sit for a one-hour oral comprehensive examination covering the same three areas as those on the written exam. A committee of three graduate faculty members examines each student, awarding the candidate a pass, high pass, or fail, according to her or his ability to respond to specific questions. The committee for the oral defense of thesis comprises the members of the student’s reading committee; the oral comprehensive examination committee comprises area experts appointed by the graduate director. A passing grade on the oral examination will serve as an indicator that English MA students are able to articulate their knowledge of the field and demonstrate their critical thinking skills orally and that they are prepared for continued graduate education and teaching.


Criterion
Standard Pass Rate On Oral Examination
At least 92% of degree candidates will pass the oral defense of thesis or oral comprehensive exam at the first sitting or upon retaking it.

Finding
Oral Examination Pass Rate
During the reporting period, nine students sat for the oral exam in English (three oral comprehensive examinations and six oral defenses of theses). 100% of students passed the oral examination at the first sitting. The results surpass the criterion of 92%.

This does not, however, mean that we are entirely happy with our graduate students' performance. Even though they pass, their performance is sometimes weak and knowledge base marginal. Even though many are excellent writers and critical thinkers, some struggle.

Despite the fact that students pass the oral comprehensive examination, weaknesses in their synthetic thinking skills are often revealed during the oral examination. Especially if students are questioned by professors whose classes they have not taken, a certain lack of comprehensive knowledge, combined with performance anxiety, is revealed.

Action
Oral Examination Improvements
The graduate faculty will discuss strategies to improve student performance during oral examinations. The issues to be addressed are weak arguments and marginal knowledge base.

Requiring students to take Research Methods during their first semester in the program has been implemented recently. This change addresses the issue of comprehensive knowledge and synthesis because this class does not focus on any particular subfield of English studies.

Update to previous cycle's plan for continuous improvement
Plan for continuous improvement During the past year, the professional success of our English graduate students was shown by the fact that several of its graduates were accepted to PhD and terminal degree programs in respectable universities, including Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Texas State University, Kent State University, and the University of New Brunswick. Our students have also entered professions including teaching, editing, business, law, and professional communications. Along with such successes, twenty graduate assistantships that we are able to offer for qualified graduate students make the program attractive; however, an increased graduate stipend would significantly raise the quality of the already relatively qualified graduate students. Comprehensive examinations that are administered three times a year ensure that the knowledge base of our graduating students is broad, and our graduate faculty are actively encouraged to stay up-to-date in their fields of expertise and to be productive scholars. Recently, a handful of graduate students have been paired with faculty members as research assistants; these collaborations have led to publications and conference presentations.

In addressing the weaknesses identified in the findings above, we need to consider the following:

First, we should re-kindle our departmental discussion of how the comprehensive examination does, in fact, test our MA candidates' mastery of a broad range of materials. While most students follow the spirit of the exam in choosing areas across a sufficient range, some do cluster their areas, thereby easing the burden both of critical understanding and of specific preparation. We need to consider how to close any loopholes so as to assure that the comprehensive exmination does, in fact, adequately measure the students' mastery of the discipline.

Second, while the holistic assessment of essays suggests that our students write at or above an agreed-upon standard for English graduate-level critical thinking and writing skills, we are aware that some students do not, in fact, have adequate knowledge or the ability to synthesize arguments well. We acknowlege that writing is but one measure of such skills. We need to revisit this issue, first, by agreeing as a graduate faculty upon standards that will reflect the program goals; second, by agreeing how we can make sure that none of the students who takes an MA in English at SHSU falls short of these standards.

Finally, to address the weaknesses in the oral performance of the students, we need to discuss the expectations that we have for students in oral exams and the best means for measuring these expectations. During new student orientation, Graduate Director and/or Chair will also explicitly address the oral examination performance expectations.


Sam Houston State University | A Member of The Texas State University System