History Assessment Results
- Mission Statement
The Weber State History Department embraces the vital role of history as the record of political, social, economic, and cultural events and achievements of humankind. We recognize history's power to illuminate the present and inform the future, reflecting the core values and missions of both the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences and Weber State University's Amplified Strategic Plan.
Our overarching mission is to empower students with a comprehensive understanding of history while nurturing their analytical and interpretive skills. We are committed to aligning our department's goals with the broader university mission and the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences' dedication to excellence, inclusivity, and positive impact.
Goals of the Weber State History Department:
Goal of Academic Excellence: To maintain rigorous academic standards, fostering critical thinking and research skills among our students, in accordance with the College's commitment to scholarly rigor.
Goal of Career Readiness: To prepare our students for diverse career opportunities in teaching and history-related fields, aligning with the university's mission to enhance students' career prospects and lifetime success.
Goal of General Education and Lifelong Learning: To offer courses that enrich the general education of all students, emphasizing cultural diversity and promoting a lifelong interest in history, which resonates with the university's commitment to holistic education.
Goal of Civic Engagement: To cultivate models of civic engagement and provide the necessary skills for students to actively participate in meaningful dialogues and address contemporary challenges, mirroring the university's mission of promoting responsible citizenship.
Goal of Scholarly Contribution: To advance historical scholarship, create new knowledge, and make historical materials accessible to public audiences, aligning with the College's mission of contributing to the community's intellectual growth.
Goal of Program Diversity: To provide a range of undergraduate pathways, including history majors, minors, and teaching licensure, contributing to cultural diversity and fulfilling the state's American Institutions requirement to foster informed citizenship.
Goal of Community Engagement: To foster relationships with community members, educational institutions, and the broader public in our region, as a testament to our commitment to community engagement and the university's role as a positive force in society.
These goals represent our department's commitment to excellence and inclusivity, aligning closely with the mission statements of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences and Weber State University's Amplified plan.
- Student Learning Outcomes
- Certificate (Not Applicable)
- Associate Degree (Not Applicable)
- Bachelor Degree
The History Department follows the guidance of the American Historical Association, which coordinated a nationwide, faculty-led project to articulate the disciplinary core of historical study and to define what a student should understand and be able to do at the completion of a history degree program.
At the end of their study at WSU, history majors will possess the following skills and knowledge:
HISTORICAL KNOWLEDGE
I. (Range of historical information)- A. Identify the key events which express/define change over time in a broad range of places and regions.
- B. Identify how change occurs over time.
- C. Explain historical continuity and change.
- D. Describe the influence of political ideologies, economic structures, social organization, cultural perceptions, and natural environments on historical events.
- E. Discuss the ways in which factors such as race, gender, class, ethnicity, region, and religion influence historical narratives.
HISTORICAL THINKING
II. (Recognize the past-ness of the past)- A. Explain how people have existed, acted, and thought in the past.
- B. Explain what influence the past has on the present.
- C. Interpret the complexity and diversity of situations, events, and past mentalities.
- D. Compare eras and regions in order to define enduring issues.
- E. Develop an international perspective on the past that addresses the cumulative effects of global exchange, engagement, and interdependence.
HISTORICAL ANALYSIS
III. (Emphasis the complex and problematic nature of the historical record)- A. Recognize a range of viewpoints.
- B. Compare competing historical narratives
- C. Challenge arguments of historical inevitability.
- D. Analyze cause-and-effect relationships and multiple causation.
HISTORICAL SKILLS
IV. (Develop skills in critical thinking and reading)- A. Evaluate debates among historians.
- B. Differentiate between historical facts and historical interpretations.
- C. Assess the credibility of primary and secondary sources.
HISTORICAL RESEARCH
V. (Develop research skills)- A. Formulate historical questions.
- B. Obtain historical data from a variety of sources.
- C. Identify gaps in available records.
- D. Recognize the discipline's standards for accurate and ethical research.
HISTORICAL ARGUMENT
VI. (Develop the ability to construct reasonable historical arguments)- A. Construct a well-organized historical argument.
- B. Support an interpretation with historical evidence from a variety of primary and secondary sources
- Certificate (Not Applicable)
- Curriculum Grid
Update in Progress
We are currently transitioning to a different format. Please contact oie@weber.edu to request a copy of the current curriculum grid for this program. - Program and Contact Information
The History Department at Weber State University offers a B.A. in History, History Teaching, and Social Science Composite Teaching. It offers as well a minor in History, History Teaching, Public History, Religious Studies, and can be one component of a Bachelors of Integrated Studies. Additionally, it offers courses that are fundamental to the Asian Studies minor, the Latin American Studies minor, the European Studies minor, the Women and Gender Studies, Queer Studies minor, and the Military Science minor, as well as an array of courses that fulfill General Education requirements. The program endeavors to serve the needs of traditional, non-traditional, and first-generation students through its class scheduling strategies and introductory learning experiences.
Contact Information:
Dr. Matt Romaniello, Chair
matthewromaniello@weber.edu
Weber State University
Lindquist Hall Office # 258
801-626-6699 - Assessment Plan
The Department completed its three-year assessment plan in time for our program review in AY 2024. Following the completion of our program review, we implemented three different assessment schemes for the program, intended to extend our investigation beyond the academic goals of the department (based on the American Historical Associations' professional standards) to consider our alignment with local workforce needs. First, in spring 2023 and 2024, we conducted a survey with our industry advisory board in order to better understand their needs and how well our students are prepared. Second, we conducted a survey of all majors in spring 2024 in order to understand how well prepared for the local job market they are in order to determine if there were any shortcomings they were aware of. Third, we enrolled in a program supervised by Quality Assurance Commons for a comprehensive review of all existing course offerings, our curriculum and its outcomes, to have them assess our program’s alignment with their Essential Employability Qualities which relate to the current NACE standards. Having completed those three reviews, we developed a set of changes to be implemented in the current academic year in order to better prepare our students for the job market. The outcomes will be discussed below in Section G.
Next Assessment Plan:
In spring 2026, we will begin our new 6-year assessment plan. It will be a return to our original 3-year plan, but separating upper-level sample artifacts from the capstone project in order to have a more thorough review with greater depth across the program.
Each year, we will review one of the program SLOs. All faculty contribute representative sample papers from all upper-level courses, except the capstone sequence. A faculty committee will review and score the anonymized papers according to the rubrics developed in our last assessment cycle. In the following semester, all of the previous year’s capstone papers will be reviewed by the same committee with the same rubrics, and then the committee will prepare a report for the department on its findings. This will allow us to have better insight whether more practice for the outcomes are needed in the upper-level courses, and if we see any significant progress in achievement from the upper-level courses to the capstone project. In our last cycle, we identified that greater practice with historiographical analysis was necessary for our students’ success. The next cycle will be particularly keen to observe if the changes to our program have proven effective in this regard.
Next Assessment Plan
- SLO 1 Historical Knowledge: Spring 2026 - upper-level artifacts, Fall 2026 - capstone papers
- SLO 2 Historical Thinking: Spring 2027 - upper-level artifacts, Fall 2027 - capstone papers
- SLO 3 History Analysis: Spring 2028 - upper-level artifacts, Fall 2028 - capstone papers
- SLO 4 Historical Skills: Spring 2029 -upper-level artifacts, Fall 2029 - capstone papers
- SLO 5 Historical Research: Spring 2030 - upper-level artifacts, Fall 2030 - capstone papers
- SLO 6 Historical Argument: Spring 2031 - upper-level artifacts, Fall 2031 - capstone papers
Second, while we have received the Essential Employability Qualities from Quality Assurance Commons, awarded in fall 2025, allowing us to start badging our students to recognize their achievements this fall, we were certified for three years. In fall 2027, we will have to submit all of the required material again - surveys from students and our industry advisor board, curriculum details and selected artifacts, and all syllabi for all courses to have QA Commons review and certify our program again.
- Assessment Report Submissions
To view assessment report submissions prior to April 2026, please visit our assessment archive here.
- Program Review
This information is part of the cyclical program review process. Details such as mission statements, learning outcomes, etc., are updated as part of the biennial assessment reporting process, an integral component of program review.