SACS Reaffirmation
| Objective | Acquire And Apply Practical Skills | |
| Students will acquire practical skills in forensic science and apply this knowledge. Associated Goals: 1. Quality Education, Scholarship And Service |
| Indicator | 2(a) Practical Experiments, Demonstrations And Case Presentations Students will complete practical experiments, demonstrations and student case presentations in required courses (CHM585, BIO591, BIO595, CJ560, CJ531 & CJ694) at the conclusion of each semester. |
| Criteria | 2(a) 80+% score "B" or higher At least 80% of students will achieve a grade of "B" or higher. |
| Finding | Laboratory-based courses 100% of students obtained a grade B or higher in laboratory-based courses. Of the 90 total grades evaluated, the composition of grades was as follows: A (89 or 99%); B (1 or 1%) |
| Indicator | 2(b) Successful Defense Of Thesis/Completion Of Capstone Course As a final requirement of the degree program and prior to graduation, students will successfully write and orally defend a Thesis (BIO/CHM or CJ698, CJ699), or complete a research-based Capstone Course for which findings are gathered and analyzed at the end of each semester. |
| Criteria | 2(b) 80+% Pass Thesis oral defense/Capstone Course At least 80% of students will submit a Thesis and pass the oral defense/ complete a research-based Capstone Course. |
| Finding | Research-based capstone course Of the 13 MS students who graduated during this academic year 100% scored satisfactorily on the research-based capstone course. The composistion of grades was as follows: 1 (9 or 69%); B (4 or 31%); C (0 or 0%) |
| Action | No action necessary No action necessary |
| Action | Review MSFS grading policies Review MSFS grading policies as outlined in the core course syllabi at next MSFS Annual Quality Review. |
| Objective | Oriented In Professional Qualities | |
| Students will be oriented in professional values, concepts, ethics and problem solving. Associated Goals: 1. Quality Education, Scholarship And Service |
| Indicator | Course Evaluation Course evaluation |
| Criteria | 3(b) IDEA rating IDEA - average rating of 3.0 or greater will be achieved for all courses pertinent to professional values, concepts, ethics and problem solving (DJ561, CJ537, CJ694) |
| Finding | Professional Values The average rating for course pertaining to professional values, concepts, ethics and problem solving was 3.9 and the range was 2.9 to 4.4. |
| Indicator | Essay, Oral/Case Presentation Or Written Project Students will demonstrate competence and understanding in courses pertinent to professional values, concepts, ethics and problem solving (CJ561; CJ537; CJ 694) |
| Criteria | 3(a) 70+% score "B" or higher At least 70% of students will achieve a grade of "B" or higher. |
| Finding | Professional Values 100% of the students obtained a grade B or higher on courses pertaining to professional values, concepts, ethics and problem solving. The composition of grades was as follows: A (79%); B (21%); C (0%) |
| Indicator | Program Goals Achieved Program Exit Survey will be conducted prior to graduation and analyzed annually to measure student's confidence in obtaining substantive material competence. |
| Criteria | 3(c) 70+% feel competent At least 70% of students report being confident of substantive material competence. |
| Finding | Exit Survey 100% of the students responding to the exit survey scored the relevance of the courses pertaining to professional values, concepts, ethics and problem solving were relevant to forensic science. Anonymous Exit Surveys were received from 12 of the 13 graduates during this year. |
| Action | CJ 524 revision Content of CJ 524 revised and new instructors/syllabi developed |
| Action | No action necessary No action necessary |
| Action | No action necessary No action necessary |
| Objective | Detailed Competence Of Material | |
| Students will command detailed competence of core course material and specialized areas of forensic science. Associated Goals: 2. Develop Specific Knowledge Base |
| Indicator | 1(c) Program Goals Achieved Course evaluations |
| Criteria | 1(c) IDEA-average rating of 3.0 or greater will be achieved for all core courses |
| Finding | Core Course Rating The average rating for all core courses was 3.9 and the range was 2.9 to 4.7. |
| Indicator | 1(d) Program Exit Survey Program Exit Survey will be conducted prior to graduation and analyzed annually to measure student's confidence in obtaining substantive material competence. |
| Criteria | 1(d) 70+% feel competent At least 70% of students report being confident of substantive material competence. |
| Finding | Exit Survey 100% of the students responding to the exit survey scored the relevence of the core courses as satisfactory or higher. Anonymous Exit Surveys were received from 12 (92%) of the 13 graduates during this year. |
| Indicator | Essay, Oral/Case Presentation Or Written Projects Students will complete required core courses, final examinations, assignments and case presentations pertinent to the discipline (Core Courses: CJ560, CHM440, CHM585, CJ694, DJ561, CJ531, BIO595) |
| Criteria | 1(a) 70+% score At least 70% of students will achieve a grade of "B" or higher. |
| Finding | Detailed Competence 100% of the students scored satisfactorily on core coursework during F07 and S08. Of the 165 total grades for core courses, the composition of grades was as follows" A (n=150 or 91%); B (n=15 or 9%); C (n=0 or 0%) |
| Indicator | Successful Defense Of Thesis/Completion Of Capstone Course Students will successfully complete a research-based Capstone Course. |
| Criteria | 1(b) 80+% Pass Thesis oral defense/Capstone Course At least 80% of students will submit a Thesis and pass the oral defense, or obtain a grade of "B" or higher in a research-based Capstone Course. |
| Finding | Capstone Course Of the 13 MS students who graduated during this academic year 100% scored satisfactorily on the research - based capstone course. The composistion of grades was as follows: A (9 or 69%); B (4 or 31%); C (0 or 0%) |
| Action | No action necessary No action necessary |
| Action | No action necessary No action necessary |
| Action | No action necessary No action necessary |
| Action | Review MSFS grading policies Review MSFS grading policies as outlined in the core course syllabi at next MSFS Annual Quality Review. |
| Objective | Demonstrate Integration Of Knowledge And Skills | |
| Students will demonstrate integration of knowledge and skills necessary for future success in the field of forensic science. Associated Goals: 3. Promote Advancement Within The Field |
| Indicator | 4(a) Internship Success Students will successfully complete a ten(10) week internship in a forensic laboratory, law enforcement agency, research facility, or related agency (CJ670)for which findings are gathered and analyzed at the end of each semester. |
| Criteria | 4(a) 70+% score "B" or higher At least 70% of students will obtain a grade of "B" or higher. |
| Finding | Internship 100% of students received a grade B or higher. |
| Indicator | 4(b) Program Goals Achieved Program Exit Survey will be conducted prior to graduation and analyzed annually to measure student's confidence in obtaining substantive material competence. |
| Criteria | 4(b) 70+% feel competent At least 70% of students report being confident of substantive material competence. |
| Finding | Exit Surveys 100% of graduating students were satisfied. Anonymous Exit Surveys were received from 12 of the 13 graduates during this year |
| Indicator | 4(c) Alumni Survey Atleast 70% of students obtain employment in forensic science or a related discipline within 2 years of graduation. |
| Criteria | 4(c) Expectation exceeded 100% reported successful emplyment |
| Finding | Alumni Survey There were a total of ten graduates from the MSFS Program in May 2007. nine of the ten provided feedback on employment status. 100% of MSFS graduates providing feedback reported successful employment in forensic laboratory or related discipline as follows: DNA 3; Toxicology 3; Controlled Substances 1; Latents 1; Firearms 1. |
| Indicator | 4(d) Employer Survey At least 70% of employers surveyed will report being satisfied or very satisfied with graduates in terms of technical skills and knowledge needed for the job. |
| Criteria | 4(d) 100% satisfied 100% of employers were satisfied or very satisfied. |
| Finding | Employer Survey 89% of employers were satisfied or highly satisfied. A total of nine employer satisfaction surveys were received during this year indicating a response rate of 90%. Eight of the nine employers were "highly satisfied" or "satisfied" with graduates and all nine indicated a willingness to hire additional graduates in the future. |
| Action | Increase criteria Following implementation of the model curriculum, increase the criteria from 70% to 90%. |
| Action | No action necessary No action necessary |
| Action | No action necessary No action necessary |
| Action | Update criteria Update criteria to reflect the timeline of the alumni survey/feedback - one year instead of two. |