SACSCOC Fifth Year Interim Report
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Assessment : 2013 - 2014 : Educational Programs :
Curriculum And Instruction MED
Curriculum And Instruction MED
3 Goals 3 Objectives 3 Indicators 3 Criteria 3 Findings 3 Actions
| GOAL: Scholarly Candidates - Presentations |
| Objective |
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| Candidates in the Curriculum and Instruction Masters of Education program will demonstrate skills in scholarly professional presentation by presenting research at professional conferences. |
| Indicator |
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| Annual number of Masters of Education graduate students presentations at professional conferences compared to 2013-2014 academic year. In our growing efforts to encourage research and thesis in our graduate programs, candidates will be supported in their efforts to complete action research and present their research at professional conferences. There is a rubric (attached to criterion) to measure the quality of the presentation. |
| Criterion |
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Increase in the number of professional presentations by the Masters of Education graduate candidates in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. Three years ago was the first year for this goal and there were two presentations made by graduate candidates, so that is our baseline. Last Year that number increased to four. We want to attain higher numbers each year. Last year we observed some areas where the presentations could be strengthened. We determined to spend more time teaching research techniques and strategies as well as provide more instruction in maintaining a logical order to the presentation. We are eager to determine if our interventions did strengthen the presentation. |
| Finding |
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| Areas were strengthened and presenters scored better than last year. The overall number of students was 8. Four presentations were at national conferences, two were state level conferences, and two were local presentations. |
Actions for Objective:
| Action |
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| The Office of Academic Planning and Assessment suggested that we provide specifics on what is being done to develop the students' abilities to present. The program will research and implement best practices for graduate candidates' research presentations. In addition, the program will update the rubric used for these presentations to reflect these best practices. The program will work to increase the number of national/state/local conference presentations. |
| GOAL: Leaders In Curriculum Development And Instruction |
| Objective |
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Candidates who demonstrate mastery have acquired the knowledge and skills to be leaders in curriculum development and instruction in their fields. |
| Indicator |
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During the last semester of the masters program, candidates are required to take their comprehensive examinations. Each candidate must answer questions from a faculty-development comprehensive examination that integrates practice and theory. Faculty score the questions for accuracy of content, use of APA style and writing fluency. Candidates are then awarded either: High Pass, Pass, or Did Not Pass. |
| Criterion |
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Candidates will receive "Pass" or "High Pass" on their comprehensive examination. These exams are blind scored by faculty in Curriculum and Instruction or the candidates' content area. We worked on APA formatting for references and internal documentation, two weaknesses that emerged last year. We anticipate better scores in these areas. |
| Finding |
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| No students took comprehensive exams this year. Students are no longer required to take comprehensive exams. Current students conduct research in place of these exams. |
Actions for Objective:
| Action |
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| Students are no longer required to take these exams. This objective will be removed. |
| GOAL: Scholarly Candidates - Research |
| Objective |
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| Candidates in the Curriculum and Instruction Master's of Education program will demonstrate research skills presenting capstone research projects at the culmination of the program. |
| Indicator |
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| At the end of each candidate's Master's Degree program they are required to take CIED 5370 and CIED 5085. These two courses present educational research, introducing each candidate to the concept of conducting research. Each candidate is required to conduct a research project, write the project, and present the project to a panel of professors in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. |
| Criterion |
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All candidates will have their research project reviewed and critiqued in preparation for the final presentation. Eighty percent of candidates will receive approval on their research project by the committee of C&I professors. Two years ago, we determined to strengthen communication with students detailing the requirements of the Capstone research projects. This emphasis should increase the integration of research, writing, and publishing. |
| Finding |
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Ninety-four percent of our candidates received approval for their Capstone Research Presentation. This is a fourteen percent increase from last year. The work is taken very seriously by the candidate, the professor teaching the class, and the professors serving on the committee. |
Actions for Objective:
| Action |
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| The program will revise the rubric to specifically address best practices of educational research. The components of the revised rubric will provide the specific data needed to focus on areas of improvement. This was a suggestion by the Office of Academic Planning and Assessment's annual evaluation. |
| Previous Cycle's "Plan for Continuous Improvement" |
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During the 12-13 academic year the MED program in Curriculum and Instruction was successful in all criterion areas. We still desire to increase the number of professional presentations by our graduate students by one or two each year. These goals are on-going for us into the 13-14 academic years and the program will strive for excellence.
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| Update on Previous Cycle's "Plan for Continuous Improvement" |
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During the 2013-2014 cycle, the Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction program has been able to implement all of its planned actions from the previous cycle. Faculty worked with students to streghten their proposals and presentations for professional conferences. This effort resulted in an increase in the number of students who presented at these conferences. |
| Plan for Continuous Improvement |
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The finding from the 2013-2014 assessment cycle indicated that the program's goals and objectives need to be revised to better define what is expected of our students. The faculty met in Fall 2014 to discuss the changes needed. In addition, the rubrics will be revised, standardized and validated.
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