2008 Woodie Awards
SCSU's history knowledge gets tested
Robyn Jodlowski
Issue date: 10/22/07 Section: News
- Page 1 of 2 next >
What battle ended the American Revolution? Which came first, Gettysburg or Fort Sumter? What document states, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal?"
Fewer than half of America's college students know the answers to these questions.
A multiple choice test distributed by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute found that all colleges tested, even ivy league schools like Harvard, failed. SCSU came in at 41 out of 50 schools tested.
SCSU history professor Betsy Glade had reservations regarding the study.
"My first reaction is, I don't know where they got their data. That wasn't readily available," she said.
There was also another ranking based on freshman to senior improvement in the test scores.
In this category, SCSU ranked fourth with an eight and a half percentage point gain.
"My educated guess is that the university has added a core course to its general education program and that is democratic citizenship, which includes some segment about American government. So I would assume that course being required for all students has made a difference," Glade said.
She also took the test and questioned its validity in assessing historical knowledge.
"The test that I took online was heavily geared toward American history and constitutional American government," she said. "It's hard to test history knowledge in a multiple choice test because it's a narrative discipline. It depends on whose version of the story is being put out and why. History is an ongoing discipline. Who made the test? what was their agenda? All of that is relevant.
"History is a favorite social tool because some people have a certain version of history that they think is very clear, and those of us who studied
it see that in fact it isn't very clear and there are multiple stories that happen at the same time and interact with each other."
But why did all colleges fail? Glade proposed a hypothesis.
Fewer than half of America's college students know the answers to these questions.
A multiple choice test distributed by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute found that all colleges tested, even ivy league schools like Harvard, failed. SCSU came in at 41 out of 50 schools tested.
SCSU history professor Betsy Glade had reservations regarding the study.
"My first reaction is, I don't know where they got their data. That wasn't readily available," she said.
There was also another ranking based on freshman to senior improvement in the test scores.
In this category, SCSU ranked fourth with an eight and a half percentage point gain.
"My educated guess is that the university has added a core course to its general education program and that is democratic citizenship, which includes some segment about American government. So I would assume that course being required for all students has made a difference," Glade said.
She also took the test and questioned its validity in assessing historical knowledge.
"The test that I took online was heavily geared toward American history and constitutional American government," she said. "It's hard to test history knowledge in a multiple choice test because it's a narrative discipline. It depends on whose version of the story is being put out and why. History is an ongoing discipline. Who made the test? what was their agenda? All of that is relevant.
"History is a favorite social tool because some people have a certain version of history that they think is very clear, and those of us who studied
it see that in fact it isn't very clear and there are multiple stories that happen at the same time and interact with each other."
But why did all colleges fail? Glade proposed a hypothesis.