Central American Studies Annual Assessment Report to the College 2014-2015

Abstract

The Central American Studies 2014-15 annual assessment report to the College of Humanities for the Office of Academic Assessment and Program Review. The department assessed PSLO 3 (Students will expand their understanding of the transnational Central American community’s experience, and its economic and cultural contributions to the US and Central America) via CAS 270: Fieldwork in the Central American Communities. Evaluations of course syllabi and student final essays are referred to in the report as part of the assessment procedure, but they are not described and no data are indicated. The report concludes that "CAS 270 must periodically review the older and current community organizations to make sense of the socio-political and economic trends that are impacting locally and transnationally our communities. We also concluded that the Central American community organizations and NGO’s committed to serve immigrants in Los Angeles are modifying their views toward the massive deportation trends under the current administration. We need to figure out what type of classroom writing and critical analysis assignments and processes are being used in CAS classes and, among these, which may be more successful in supporting students’ academic writing and critical analysis skill development."