SACSCOC Fifth Year Interim Report
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Assessment : 2012 - 2013 : Educational Programs :
Agriculture BS (Animal Science)
Agriculture BS (Animal 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 animal science leadership. |
| Indicator |
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All students enrolled in the program must complete an advanced animal production course in their final year of enrollment. Advance animal production courses address key concepts and skills relevant to the field of agriculture. Each semester seven randomly selected student assignments from advanced production 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 Animal Science Faculty members that at least 70% of the students enrolled in the advanced production course will perform at an acceptable level with a score of 3 (meets expectations) or higher, especially in the areas of scientific information and documentation as well as grammar, weakness that continues to be low. Although we averaged a 4.1 last year, and average includes those below that point although they still might "meet expectations." Thus, the standard will remain at 3 (meets expectations) for now. |
| Finding |
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Over 70% of the students met the expectations from animal science faculty in subject knowledge and professional skills with an average score of 4.1 on the evaluation instrument. In general, weakness continue to include organization of thoughts and clarity of writing. |
Actions for Objective:
| Action |
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Students very effectively demonstrate essential animal science skills and techniques as demonstrated in labs or explained in practicums. However, explanation of skills via writing is an apparent weakness. Students have difficulty organizing their thoughts in a logical process on paper or presentations. Faculty will continue with their writing expectations with emphasized use of the writing center. STEM will be included in course objectives with emphasize in Math. |
| GOAL: Develop Professional Skills |
| Objective |
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| Students completing the BS in Animal Science will demonstrate skills necessary to compete in the professional marketplace. |
| Indicator |
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| All students seeking a degree in Animal 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. Organization, grammar and content were identified as areas needing improvement since 2010. We averaged 4.1 but will leave the standard at 3.0 for this assessment period. |
| Finding |
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Students continue to make grammatical errors on resumes and formal letters as provided in their portfolios; however, the overall score for selected students exceeded minimal standards with an average score of 4.0. Grammar, oranization, word selection continues to be areas of concern and improvement. |
Actions for Objective:
| Action |
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Though the overall score was slightly higher from the previous year and exceeded expetations the standards will remain the same with a continued empahsis on writing in professional context. |
| Previous Cycle's "Plan for Continuous Improvement" |
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Numerically on average the student outcomes exceeded the projected mark. Faculty will assess scientific writing assignments within the curriculum and review curriculum prerequisites of technical writing skills. The writing center will be included as an objective to utilize. To enhance marketing skills and professionalism, students will be encouraged to utilize the placement center and other professionals for assistance in business writing and resumes.
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| Update on Previous Cycle's "Plan for Continuous Improvement" |
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The Animal Science Faculty will review AGRI 4380 as being a course of assessment. Many students are taking other AnSc courses and 4380 is not longer a required capstone course for some students. |
| Plan for Continuous Improvement |
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Faculty will emphasize professional writing skills and Math in lower level courses to enhance their writing and STEM attributes. Organization of thoughts on paper is difficult for some students and math is a challenge.
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