Philosophy Assessment Results

• Mission Statement

  Mission:
  
  WSU Philosophy offers students the opportunity to learn the foundations of their intellectual heritage while developing skills in critical thinking, communication, argumentation, research skills and creativity. We teach the ideas of influential past and contemporary thinkers from around the globe who have sought to understand the world and our experience of it, the methods of sound practical reasoning and deductive logic, and the application of philosophical thinking to modern life and its challenges, empowering our students both in their careers and as stewards of their communities.  
  
  Vision: 
  
  We provide high-quality general education classes that a) introduce students to the intellectual heritage of human reasoning, culture, and values and b) foster the development of transferable, marketable skills including critical thinking, communication, creative thinking, research skills, and the ability to understand connections between various fields of study. For those students who choose to major in philosophy, we ensure that they have the opportunity to develop the knowledge and skills to pursue graduate or professional studies at the highest levels. We provide a minor for those students who wish to continue developing well-rounded knowledge in the liberal arts and drill the transferable skills that empower them to lead in their careers and their communities

  Values:

  Weber State philosophy is committed to inclusive and transformative undergraduate education, welcoming all students and helping them strive for excellence.
   

• Student Learning Outcomes
  • Certificate (Not Applicable)

     

  • Associate Degree (Not Applicable)

     

  • Bachelor Degree 

    Students will:

    1. Recognize and explain the ideas of significant figures in the history of philosophy.
    2. Demonstrate understanding of the basic issues and terminology in the following areas: logic, metaphysics or epistemology, and value theory.
    3. Evaluate the strength of arguments and explanations.
    4. Demonstrate the following writing skills:
       1. The ability to present ideas clearly and with minimal grammatical and other writing errors.
       2. The ability to conduct research in accordance with generally accepted standards within the discipline.
       3. The ability to write in a way that reflects careful attention to language, logic, and subtleties of reasoning.
    5. Appraise the value of the study of philosophy in both their personal and professional lives.

• 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.
  
  Our major allows for a lot of choice, so these are the only two required classes that every major will definitely take.  (We have other requirements, but they are always disjunctive.). As a result, we use the capstone to assess the entire program.  Students are required to submit a paper in the history of philosophy, in value theory, and in contemporary analytic philosophy. Each of these papers are from a course and represent what the student thinks is their best work, and are assessed by the instructor of the capstone.  Students also write an original journal-length paper for the capstone, which gives us another artifact to assess their Weber career.

• Program and Contact Information

  We provide high-quality general education classes that a) introduce students to the intellectual heritage of human reasoning, culture, and values and b) foster the development of  transferable, marketable skills including critical thinking, communication, creative thinking, research skills, and the ability to understand connections between various fields of study. For those students who choose to major in philosophy, we ensure that they have the opportunity to develop the knowledge and skills to pursue graduate or professional studies at the highest levels. We provide a minor for those students who wish to continue developing well-rounded knowledge in the liberal arts and drill the transferable skills that empower them to lead in their careers and their communities. Finally, we offer an interdisciplinary certificate of proficiency in ethics for students, professionals, and lifelong learners who wish to gain a deeper appreciation of moral reasoning and issues in professional ethics.

  Contact Information:

  Dr. Mary Beth Willard
  Weber State University
  1203 University Circle
  Ogden, UT 84408-1203
  (801) 626-6698
  Philosophy Department Website
   

• Assessment Plan

  

  Academic Year	Outcomes to be Assessed	Courses/Level	Methods/Signature Assignment	Assessment Report Due
  AY25 (Year 1)	1 – Historical Knowledge  2 – Conceptual Understanding	PHIL 1000 (Introductory) PHIL 4900 (Capstone)	Assessment of performance on Essay/Exam Questions focused on historical figures (PLO 1 &2); outcomes integrated in Canvas. Review of portfolio papers (PLO 1) and Capstone paper (PLO 2), completed by instructor of record for PHIL 4900	Biennial Report (AY24-AY25)
  AY26 (Year 2)	Implement changes for Outcomes 1 and 2 (based on AY25 findings).	No Courses Addressed	Review and discuss AY25 results; Implement targeted curricular or pedagogical improvements (e.g., dedicated lecture/exercise, scaffolded assignment).	No Report Due
  AY27 (Year 3)	3 – Critical Evaluation 4 – Disciplinary Writing (a, b, c)	PHIL 1000 (Introductory) PHIL 4900 (Capstone)	Assessment of performance on Essay/Exam Questions focused on historical figures (PLO 3 &4), especially signature assignment; outcomes integrated in Canvas. Review of portfolio papers (PLO 3 & 4) and Capstone paper (PLO 3&4), completed by instructor of record for PHIL 4900	Biennial Report (AY26-AY27)
  AY28 (Year 4)	Implement changes for Outcomes 3 and 4 (based on AY27 findings).	No Courses Addressed	Review and discuss AY27 results; Implement targeted curricular or pedagogical improvements (e.g., integrate new assessment rubric, faculty workshop on grading consistency).	No Report Due
  AY29 (Year 5)	5 – Personal & Professional Value	PHIL 4900 (Capstone)	Assess Capstone Reflection prompt, completed by instructor of record for PHIL 4900	Biennial Report (AY28-AY29)
  AY30 (Year 6)	Implement changes for Outcome 5 (based on AY29 findings).	No Courses Addressed	Review and discuss AY29 results; Implement targeted curricular or pedagogical improvements (e.g., revise capstone reflection prompt, conduct new alumni survey).	No Report Due
  AY31 (Year 7)	Summary of findings from all three cycles (AY25-AY30); issues identified; changes implemented.	Summary of assessment process; PHIL 1000 and PHIL 4900 data summary.	Compilation and narrative analysis of all six years of assessment data.	Program Review Self-Study

  • We have been moving to collect assessment data for Gen Ed in PHIL 1000, PHIL 1120, and PHIL 1250 through tying Canvas assignments to Gen Ed and Program Outcomes.  Most philosophy lower-division syllabi look similar, but instructors have a significant amount of freedom regarding content and format, so tying the outcomes to e.g. questions on quizzes or exams allows us to collect data and preserve instructor autonomy.  The main assessment for majors is in PHIL 4900, where we collate a portfolio of their philosophical work. It is assessed, but not graded, and importantly not assessed by the instructor who assigned the original papers in the first place. 
  • We’ve consistently used a threshold of 70% of students meeting 70% of the outcomes in the lower division courses.  It is harder to do this for our majors given the small size of the program.   We rate portfolio artifacts on a scale of 2/3, and we want 75% of students to reach at least a 2 on all measured outcomes. 
  • All of the program faculty are involved in the assessment review process.  Three faculty rotate teaching PHIL 4900, and all faculty teach general education extensively.  
     
• Assessment Report Submissions

  To view assessment report submissions prior to April 2026, please visit our assessment archive here. 

• Program Review

  2021-22

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.