Dr. Cynthia Green Libby
Professor, Department of Music

To see more funded grants, check out our Internal Assessment Grant page.

Summary of Original Proposal

On November 5, 2014, students in MUS 239 Introduction to World Music attended the live performance of the Senegal St. Joseph Gospel Choir in Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts. This ensemble presented authentic African music celebrating Senegalese Folklore and tradition, as well as the country’s indigenous Muslim songs.

Outcomes of the Work

A total of 50 student rush tickets were purchased for $10 each, which enabled the attendance of 50 students, out of the total of 80 registered. Of the 50 who attended, only 35 actually turned in an extra credit paper. Those papers now remain in my possession as “assessment artifacts” for discussion.

Describe how this project moves the goals of the grant forward

Following the concert, students answered the following questions specific to Public Affairs.

Assessing Cultural Competence:

“By experiencing live music from Senegal, did you begin to gain a better perspective of Senegalese culture? If so, how?”

“By attending this ethnic music concert, did you develop any appreciation for the expression of diverse values in Senegal culture? Please describe a specific example.”

“Did your Unit I listening skills enable you to experience a deeper awareness of the music and message? If so, how?”

Regarding Community Engagement

“By experiencing the intimacy of a live world music performance with the larger Springfield area community, did you gain a sense of being engaged with something greater than usual? If so, how?”

“Is there anything else you would like to mention in terms of your cultural competence or community engagement?”

How This Work Aligns and Moves Forward the Goals of the Grant

• Through participant in faculty forums, our discussions created greater clarity for faculty and staff with regard to the public affairs mission by creating a community of practice dedicated to the teaching and learning of the mission.
• By collecting a body of student work in MUS 239 Introduction to World Music, these 35 essays provide qualitative and quantitative data for research on the effectiveness of current practices in dissemination of the Public Affairs Mission.
• In discussions with other faculty members, ideas were exchanged for ways to utilize faculty and staff knowledge to collect conceptual work, a knowledge base, and ideas for the purpose of augmenting the Public Affairs Toolkit.
• Our faculty forums developed a community of practice around questions related to the teaching of public affairs. Many will continue the work of the Quality Initiative Project, and to develop ideas for the university related to the teaching of public affairs.

Next Steps and Plans for Dissemination

• Copies of 35 students essays with names removed have become the property of the Office of Assessment, providing assessment artifacts for the University website.
• The self-reflection questions listed in Section V will be used by the Office of Assessment as a successful example of ways to generate high level thinking on issues of Public Affairs.