SACSCOC Fifth Year Interim Report
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Assessment : 2011 - 2012 : Educational Programs :
Agriculture BS (Horticulture And Crop Science)
Agriculture BS (Horticulture And Crop Science)
2 Goals 2 Objectives 2 Indicators 2 Criteria 2 Findings 2 Actions
| GOAL: Knowledge Of Key Concepts And Skills |
| Objective |
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| Students will be able to demonstrate competency in key areas of Horticulture and Crop Science including plant science and properties of soil. |
| Indicator |
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All students enrolled in the program must complete the advanced horticultural course in their final year of enrollment. Advanced horticultural courses address key concepts and skills relevant to the field of agriculture. Each semester seven randomly selected student assignments from advanced horticultural courses will be reviewed by faculty members with expertise in the field of agriculture. Faculty members will score the assignments using a scale of 1 - 5 with 3 "meets expectations," 4 "exceeds expectations," and 5 "far exceeds expectations." |
| Criterion |
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There will be a general consensus among Horticulture Faculty members that at least 70% of the students enrolled in the advanced horticulture/ crops science/agronomy course will perform at an acceptable level with a score of 3 (meets expectations) or higher weakness in 2010 were scientific knowledge and writing skills. |
| Finding |
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Projects with management and agronomic production were assessed with an average score of 3.5. Students were professional in their appearance, and projects were professionally presented and informative; however, they exhibited some scientific inaccuracies or lack of information. A few grammatical errors were evident, as well. |
Actions for Objective:
| Action |
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Students were able to apply their scientific knowledge into an application approach; however, a few agronomic terms and plants were incorrectly utilized indicating some improvement of scientific knowledge and documentation. This would also increase the information weakness. Students will be required to be more cautious with scientific information and be more thorough during their discovery and information seeking phase of the project. |
| GOAL: Develop Professional Skills |
| Objective |
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| Students completing the BS in Horticulture and Crop Science will demonstrate skills necessary to compete in the professional marketplace. |
| Indicator |
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| All students seeking a degree in Horticulture and Crop Science will be required to complete AGRI 4120 during their senior year. The course addresses essential skills necessary to compete in the market place for agriculture employment - resume preparation, interview skills, and employment opportunities. Faculty will review student assignments and access student performance on selected assignments using a faculty-developed rubric. |
| Criterion |
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Faculty evaluations will indicate that at least 70% of the students enrolled in AGRI 4120 will perform at an acceptable level and score a 3 (meets expectations) or higher on a scale of 1-5, especially in clarity and organization which were areas assessed as weakness the previous year. |
| Finding |
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Students exceeded the benchmark of 70%, meeting faculty expectations of 3.0. Grammar seems to be an area of enduring concern across the department this assessment period. Organization and clarity were appropriate this year. |
Actions for Objective:
| Action |
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Students will be assessed on their professional skills. Students will be encouraged to be more cognizant of grammar errors and spend more time proof reading their documents. In the past, organization and clarity were concerns, but they were not apparent this year after assessing with the rubric. Students will be encouraged to utilize the placement center and their professionals. |
| Closing the Loop |
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Weaknesses in the professional and scientific writing and information will be emphasized in subsequent years and courses. Use of the writing center and placement center university services will be emphasized for improvement.
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