SACSCOC Fifth Year Interim Report
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Assessment : 2013 - 2014 : Educational Programs :
Agriculture BS (Agricultural Business)
Agriculture BS (Agricultural Business)
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 agricultural business including strategic management and an analysis of an existing company to include financial and strategic analysis. |
| Indicator |
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All students enrolled in the agribusiness program must complete AGRI 4375 in their senior year. AGRI 4375 addresses key concepts and skills relevant to the field of agribusiness and strategic management. Five randomly selected student assignments from AGRI 4375 will be reviewed by faculty members with expertise in the field of agribusiness. 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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It will be a general agreement from Agribusiness faculty that at least 70% of the students enrolled AGRI 4375 will perform at a level of 3 (meets expectations" or higher on the assessed assignments, especially in the area of grammar, a specific weakness that was identified in previous assessment periods. |
| Finding |
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Assessed assignments did not meet the 70% and 3.0 expectations set by the faculty. Most shortfalls were in 2 areas of the rubric: technical writing skills with a 1.5 score and financial analysis. Several of the assessed documents failed to include the analysis in their report thus pulling the group average below expectations. However, the strengths in knowledge of agribusiness concepts and critical thinking were strengths. |
Actions for Objective:
| Action |
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| Agribusiness will continue to emphasis writing skills and technical writing activities across the ag business curriculum. To try to improve these outcomes faculty will utilize the writing center and require students to document at least 2 visits. Financial analysis will be emphasized more in the class and stress its inclusion in the final documents. |
| GOAL: Develop Professional Skills |
| Objective |
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| Students completing the BS in Agricultural Business will demonstrate skills necessary to compete in the professional marketplace. |
| Indicator |
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| All students seeking a degree in Agribusiness 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 Ag Business 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. Clarity and grammar were concerns from previous years and continue to areas to address. |
| Finding |
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The goal was achieved with an average score of 3.8 from the 5 portfolios assessed. Resumes were professional and exceed expectations. The grammar and writing skills on cover letters and documents were well organized and concise. Short falls was aligning cover letter and resume together. Overall, professional skills of agribusiness students were achieved. |
Actions for Objective:
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Faculty will continue with the writing emphasis but spend more time emphasizing the importance of cover letter and resume alignment. |
| Previous Cycle's "Plan for Continuous Improvement" |
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Faculty will emphasize professional writing skills in lower level courses to enhance their writing skills. Organization, grammar and wordiness will be emphasized across the discipline. Curriculum in AgBusiness is continually be reviewed.
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| Update on Previous Cycle's "Plan for Continuous Improvement" |
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Agribusiness faculty are continuing to review curriculum and determine assessment outcomes. 2 new faculty will join the team in fall 2014 and add to the dynamics of the program.
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| Plan for Continuous Improvement |
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Though professional writing has achieved acceptable levels, technical writing still failed to meet the expectations. Faculty will continue to emphasis writing across the curriculum and use of the writing center.
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