SACSCOC Fifth Year Interim Report
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Assessment : 2013 - 2014 : Educational Programs :
Public Administration MPA
Public Administration MPA
1 Goal 1 Objective 1 Indicator 1 Criterion 1 Finding 0 Action
| GOAL: Written Comprehensive Exams |
| Objective |
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| Students must demonstrate competency in the some of the core areas of public administration including financial management, research methods, and ethics. |
| Indicator |
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| We utilize written comprehensive exams as a tool for measuring students' knowledge and skills. Prior to graduation students complete three written comprehensive exams in areas relevant to their coursework. Exam questions are written by faculty with expertise in the students' areas of study and the questions are based on the comprehensive exam reading lists and the content of the overview courses (see department level goal of revise written comprehensive exam process for more information on the reading lists and overview courses). Students' exams are graded by at least two faculty members (more when possible) who have expertise in the areas of study pursued by students. Exams are assigned one of the following scores: high pass, pass, and no pass. If the two faculty members issue conflicting scores (e.g., pass and no pass), a third faculty member will be asked to score the exams and issue a final ruling. |
| Criterion |
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| We expect that at least 80% of our students will pass their exams on the first attempt and that 100% of the students who have to take the exam a second time will pass. Efforts noted in our 2008-2009 actions will be implemented, specifically, we require students to attend a comprehensive exam study skills session conducted by the graduate director and graduate faculty members. Utilizing a rubric developed in the spring of 2010, graduate faculty will determine low pass, pass, and high pass. We believe that this will produce at least 2 high passes for this year's cohort. |
| Finding |
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| 12 students completed their comprehensive exams. All 12 passed on their first attempt. However, only one student received a high passes. The other 11 received passes. Thus, while we exceeded our expectations regarding students passing exam on their first attempt, we failed to meet our expectations regarding the number of high passes. |
Actions for Objective:
There are no actions for this objective.
There are no actions for this objective.
| Previous Cycle's "Plan for Continuous Improvement" |
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In order to continue improving the the MPA program, the faculy will evaluate the course offerings in 2013-2014 to ensure a greater comprehension in the areas of public management, human resource management, program evaluation, and ethics. We believe this will help improve the first attempt scores for written comprehensive exams.
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| Update on Previous Cycle's "Plan for Continuous Improvement" |
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The following elements were implemented:
1. A public management course was added to the core course requirements. 2. The content of the Human REsourcesManagement course was revised to place greater emphasis on personnel management. 3. The content of the Ethics course was revised to focus on decision making criteria. |
| Plan for Continuous Improvement |
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Goal 1: Expand Assessment of Student Learning and Department Performance:
(1) Develop and administer entrance and exit surveys that are designed to provided informabout student learning and economic impact of the degree programs. Possible survey questions might include: How has the program contributed to your knowledge of the field? Do you believe the program improved your ability to perform your professional duties? Did the program contribute to your ability to obtain a promotion, salary increase, etc.? |