SACSCOC Fifth Year Interim Report
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Assessment : 2012 - 2013 : Educational Programs :
Sociology BA/BS
Sociology BA/BS
2 Goals 2 Objectives 2 Indicators 2 Criteria 2 Findings 2 Actions
| GOAL: Entry Level Sociological Competency |
| Objective |
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| Students who take introductory Sociology classes that are included in the SHSU Core Curriculum will be able to demonstrate knowledge of the basic core concepts of the discipline. |
| Indicator |
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A sample of students enrolled in the three introduction-level sociology classes in the SHSU Core Curriculum (SOCI2319 in Component Area IV: Humanities and Visual and Performing Arts; and, SOCI1301 and SOCI1306 in Component Area V: Social and Behavioral Sciences) is chosen in the Spring semester for evaluation. Students responded to a five question evaluation instrument that measures their understanding of basic core concepts in Sociology. The selection of these indicators conforms to disciplinary standards for sociological research. This assessment was developed by the Department Undergraduate Committee and approved by the entire faculty. |
| Criterion |
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| At least 85% of evaluations should be rated 3 or better on the 5-point scale. |
| Finding |
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Component Area IV: 16 sections 87.6% of students (550 of 631) performed satisfactorily. Component Area V: 10 sections 87.1% of students (362 of 413) performed satisfactorily. |
Actions for Objective:
| Action |
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| In AY2013, the minimum criterion for this indicator was raised from 80% to 85% of students. The data indicate the desired result is exceeded regarding both component areas. The department will ensure that entry level students understand the basic core concepts of sociology. |
| GOAL: Exit Level Sociological Competency |
| Objective |
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| Sociology majors who complete the Sociology Program will be able to apply and communicate the core concepts of the discipline in a capstone research paper. |
| Indicator |
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A sample of six student papers is selected from SOCI4399: Senior Seminar in Sociology in the Spring and Fall semesters for evaluation. The twelve papers are evaluated by the Department's Undergraduate Committee made up by the Director of Undergraduate Studies and other committee members appointed by the Chair. The papers are assigned a combined score from 1 to 5, where 1 is inadequate knowledge of sociology and 5 is excellent knowledge of sociology. Employing their professional expertise in Sociology, faculty assign a maximum of five points based on four criteria: use of the sociological perspective, demonstration/application of sociological theory, demonstration/application of appropriate sociological methods, and demonstation/application of the link between theory and methods. The selection of these indicators conforms to disciplinary standards for sociological research. This assessment was developed by the Department's Undergraduate Committee and approved by the entire faculty. |
| Criterion |
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At least 80% of papers should be rated 3 or better on the 5-point scale. |
| Finding |
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| In AY 2013, 75.0% of papers were rated 3 or better on the 5-point scale. Of the four indicators that were assessed, the weakest one was demonstration/application of the link between theory and methods. |
Actions for Objective:
| Action |
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| The data indicate that the desired result was not achieved. Those students who did not perform satisfactorily did not meet the minimum evaluative criteria regarding demonstration/application of sociological perspective, demonstration/application of sociological theory, demonstration/application of appropriate sociological methods, and/or demonstration/application of the link between theory and methods. The department will continue to address changes in curricula and teaching to reduce the percentage of students who do not meet the minimum criteria. |
| Previous Cycle's "Plan for Continuous Improvement" |
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The outcome of the entry-level evaluation indicates that students in introductory sociology classes are learning the basic core concepts at a level well above the minimum. Therefore, the Department will raise the comprehension of basic core concepts criterion to 85% in AY2013. We will explore ways to improve in the areas of sociological principles and social problems.The outcome of the exit-level evaluation indicates that a percentage of Sociology majors are not fully able to demonstrate/apply the link between theory and methods in their sociological papers. The Department will address this weakness through changes in curricula and teaching all upper-level undergraduate courses.
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| Update on Previous Cycle's "Plan for Continuous Improvement" |
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The Department raised the minimum comprehension of basic core concepts at the entry level to 85% of students. To better prepare students for writing in all upper-level courses, a new course SOCI 2399: Writing in Sociology was developed and proposed to the Curriculum Committee. It was approved. All Sociology majors will be required to complete SOCI 2399. As stated in the SHSU Undergraduate Course Catalog, this course is designed to teach students the writing skills needed for advanced courses in Sociology. Topics include: structure and style in writing; citations and American Sociological Association stylebook; how to conduct library and internet research as a basis for research writing; and specialized techniques for quantitive research papers, qualitative research papers, book reviews, compare and contrast papers and essay exams. Upon implementation in the Fall 2013 semester, the Department believes that it will see steady improvements in the quality of exit-level capstone papers in SOCI 4399.
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| Plan for Continuous Improvement |
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The department will develop the assessment tool to evaluate the newly implented SOCI 2399 course. One or more performance indicators will then be created and added for the 2013-2014 cycle. Due to the fact that a relatively high percentage of students did not meet the exit-level evlauation criteria, the department will re-evaluate the objectives and/or the instructions of the writing assignments in the senior seminar course.
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