SACSCOC Fifth Year Interim Report
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Assessment : 2013 - 2014 : Educational Programs :
Developmental Education Administration EDD
Developmental Education Administration EDD
2 Goals 2 Objectives 2 Indicators 2 Criteria 2 Findings 3 Actions
| GOAL: Student Engagement Using Technology |
| Objective |
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Doctoral students in Developmental Education Administration will procure and utilize essential technology to engage synchronously and asynchronously in doctoral courses. |
| Indicator |
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Students Access and Engage with Instructors Using Technology. Students effectively using technology to engage on synchronous and asynchronous course activities while instructors assess proficiency using a common rubric. |
| Criterion |
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Ninety percent of current cohort will present a class project to the instructor online in a synchronous fashion. This will require appropriate equipment and knowledge as well as skills in developing presentations. Routine course participation on the Ecourse Learning Management System is also required. |
| Finding |
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The results from the Essential Technology objective indicated that the criterion was met with 93% of students meeting the objective for the assessment period. It is believed that the communication with students about this requirement was quite effective. The program director, secretary, faculty, and selection committee all addressed this criterion at some point in the early stages of student entry to the program. The lowest two categories were “Working Camera and Mic” and “High-Speed Internet Connection.” Twenty-seven percent and 18%, respectively showed challenges in these areas. We were advised by all students that they had access to a high speed Internet connection. The challenge is that some connections operate more effectively than others. As a result, there are occasional drops in connectivity. Students are advised to have a back-up plan (such as the option to work online from home and office). They are also advised not to get frustrated by technology issues and to communicate with instructors about challenges and solutions. With regard to the “Working Camera and Mic,” this objective was modified to require headphones as well. This requirement assisted with creating a quieter meeting environment however, some students did not meet the requirement – possibly due to a lack of time. There was about one week between advising of the requirement and the early meetings for the program. Overall it appears that students entering this fully online program have a good sense of our reliance on technology and have taken steps to meet this objective. |
Actions for Objective:
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Faculty and staff will use the opportunities of application interviews, orientation, and class time early in the semester to inform and remind students of the technology requirements. More emphasis will be made on contingency plans for dealing with slow Internet connections. Entering students in the summer tem will be engaged in a discussion about the reliance and importance of technology in an online program. They will also be informed of contingency plans should slow Internet connections be encountered. Those options include the following: Phoning and/or emailing to reschedule appointments. Investigating options such as work, home, campus, or other public venue Internet connections for reliable sources to utilize when necessary. |
| GOAL: Student Writing Quality |
| Objective |
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| Doctoral students in Developmental Education Administration will study and utilize the standards of APA 6th edition to complete writing assignments |
| Indicator |
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| Number of students reaching a basic proficiency with APA 6th edition format as rated on a department-generated common rubric used to assess a written assignment. |
| Criterion |
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Eighty percent of current cohort will submit a written assignment document that will demonstrate basic proficiency with APA format. This includes page setup, reference citations, and headings. |
| Finding |
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The results from the Student Knowledge and Usage of APA objective indicated that the criterion was just met with 90% of students meeting the objective for the assessment period. It is believed that the communication with students about this requirement was quite effective. All faculty teaching each of the first year courses in in the program addressed this criterion and offered information about the requirement and resources to assist in meeting it. The challenge was with learning some of the APA formatting requirements so quickly – especially for students that had used other scholarly writing formats (such as MLA). The lowest category assessed was “Citing Publications Correctly in Reference List.” Forty-five percent of students showed challenges in these areas. Students had challenges with citing journals and Internet resources. The reference list challenge was cited as problematic due to the amount of detail involved in citing references. It is likely that over time, students will learn more about these details and become more adept at citing references. Although it is understood that some challenges exist with regard to APA formatting, students understand that the goal is to become highly proficient over the course of the doctoral program. This will make the writing and publication of their dissertation research go more smoothly. |
Actions for Objective:
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Students will be required to purchase the most current APA publication manual upon program entry. Assignments will be given that utilize the manual in the writing process.Students will be advised that that a goal is to become highly proficient At APA format over the course of the doctoral program. This will make the writing and publication of their dissertation research go more smoothly. |
| Action |
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Students will be required to purchase the most current APA publication manual upon program entry. Assignments will be given that utilize the manual in the writing process. Students will be advised that that a goal is to become highly proficient At APA format over the course of the doctoral program. This will make the writing and publication of their dissertation research go more smoothly. Instructors will also offer detailed feedback regardng APA protocol on writing assignments. Students have expressed that this helps them to identify "what they don't know" and what needs work. |
| Previous Cycle's "Plan for Continuous Improvement" |
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In the coming year, faculty and staff will continue to use the opportunities of application interviews, orientation, and class time early in the semester to inform and remind students of the technology requirements. More emphasis will be made on contingency plans for dealing with slow Internet connections.
As a result, entering students in the summer tem will be engaged in a discussion about the reliance and importance of technology in an online program. However, they will also be informed of contingency plans should slow Internet connections be encountered. Those options include the following: Phoning and/or emailing to reschedule appointments. Investigating options such as work, home, campus, or other public venue Internet connections for reliable sources to utilize when necessary. With regard to APA Student Knowledge and Usage, new entering students will be engaged in a discussion of the importance and reasoning as to why APA is used and important to the program. Ultimately, students will need to write and publish a dissertation study that is formatted to APA specifications. A comprehensive knowledge of APA will make this process go more smoothly and quickly. In the past, students were provided with Internet resources about APA. While helpful, it seems that perhaps a bit more is needed. New students in the program will also be requried to purchase the APA 6th edition manual. Exercises utilizing specific (typically problematic) APA guidelines will be given. These will include the development of title pages and reference lists. |
| Update on Previous Cycle's "Plan for Continuous Improvement" |
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All elements were implemented. Over time, we have become better at building in these initiatives into our early communications with students. It is paying off in the long run as well as technology challenges are rare and students seem well versed in APA after being in the program for a few semesters.
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| Plan for Continuous Improvement |
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Being a fully online progam, the selection committee and faculty will use the opportunities of application interviews, orientation, and class time early in the semester to inform and remind students of the technology requirements. Emphasis will continue to be made on contingency plans for dealing with slow Internet connections.
Entering students in the summer term will be engaged in a discussion about the reliance and importance of technology in an online program. However, they will also be informed of contingency plans should slow Internet connections be encountered. Those options include the following: Phoning and/or emailing to reschedule appointments. Investigating options such as work, home, campus, or other public venue Internet connections in reliable sources to utilize when necessary. Turning off other programs utilizing bandwidth. These discussions have been helpful in the past in getting students to consider their Internet connection options (i.e. home, work, etc.) for engaging especially in synchronous online activities. With regard to APA Student Knowledge and Usage, new entering students will be engaged in a discussion of the importance and reasoning as to why APA is used and important to the program. Ultimately, students will need to write and publish a dissertation study that is formatted to APA specifications. A comprehensive knowledge of APA will make this process go more smoothly and quickly. New students in the program (cohort 4) will be required to purchase the APA 6th edition manual. Exercises utilizing specific (typically problematic) APA guidelines will be given. These will include the development of title pages, internal citations, and reference lists. In the past, talking with students about why learning APA is important seems to be a motivating factor. |