Only one program in SPEA has formalized an assessment plan – political science. The learning goals identified are: understanding structures of American government and citizenship responsibilities, familiarity with a spectrum of political thought, written and oral communications skills, ability to use conceptual tools for analysis, and (for majors only) exposure to three subfields of political science. Evaluation of learning goal success by a faculty panel based on two senior-level papers as a direct measure and, as an indirect measure, a student survey administered in the senior seminar. Evaluation will take place every semester as a part of the senior seminar. Political Science faculty will report results to the Undergraduate Program Committee on an annual basis.
The balance of the SPEA programs have begun the process of developing assessment plans for individual programs. Criminal Justice faculty made a good start with the following ideas: that each J101 (intro) course include a set of deliverables, that students in J101 be given a program entry survey to establish a baseline and, in J439, be given an exit assessment. Again, reporting would be on an annual basis to identify trends in entry ability and in learning.
The Undergraduate Program Committee has been reactivated primarily to oversee this assessment process as well as program change and development. The model developed by Political Science will be the basis for all undergraduate assessment activities.
We have also done preliminary meetings with the School of Business and Economics Assessment Center. The Center is engaged in adapting their assessment techniques to apply to criminal justice majors.
The graduate program (MPA) in the School underwent a system-wide change regarding assessment on learning. A set of competencies was identified as learning goals for all SPEA graduate students (see attached). Formal reporting of assessment on this model has yet to be established beyond the students’ successful completion of the core courses. The Graduate Program Committee is tasked with development of a formal assessment system.
Data collection will take place on a semester basis, depending on the schedule of courses. Analysis and reporting will take place annually and the appropriate committee will report formally to the faculty as a whole on an annual basis. Recommendations for change based on the analysis, an important component of that report, will be acted on by the faculty as a whole.
| Competency Category |
Required Knowledge, Skill, Ability, or Personal Characteristic or Orientation |
A. Course Content (Bold indicates core) |
B. Substantial Experience Provided in Context of Class |
C. SPEA-sponsored Socializing Activity |
Knowledge (i.e., mastery of a body of knowledge) |
History and Development of Public Administration/Nonprofit Sector |
V502 (Evans) 20% |
|
SPEA “Boot Camp” |
|
Democracy and Bureaucracy |
V502 (Evans) 10%
V540 (N-H) (Pellicciotti) (M)
V600 (Szarleta) (P)
V560 (G. A-M) |
V560 (G A-M) “Budget preparation” project
V561 (G A-M) Recruitment, selection, compensation, promotion, retention, training, etc |
|
|
Public Policy Process |
V502 (Evans) 10%
V546 (Zinner)
V560 (G A-M)
V561 (G A-M)
V512 (G A-M)
V562 (Mullany)
J682 (Mullany)
J582 (Mullany) |
V560 (G A-M) “Budget simulation” exercise
V561 (G A-M) Recruitment, selection, compensation, promotion, retention, training, etc.
V512 (G A-M) Case analyses/studies; research paper |
|
|
Organizational Behavior (inc. Diversity) |
V504 (Evans)
V502 (Evans) 10%
V540 (H) (Zinner)
V517 (Szarleta) (M)
V600 (Szarleta) (M)
V560 (G A-M)
V561 (G A-M) |
V502 (Evans): “Dunes” project
V560 (G A-M) Financial diversity in tax generation
V561 (G A-M) Diversity case studies/ analyses |
|
|
Globalization/Regionalization/Devolution |
V502 (Evans) (devolution) 10%
V517 (Szarleta) (M/P) partnerships/state&local
V540 (N-H) (Pellicciotti) (P) partnerships/state&local
V600 (Szarleta) (E) partnerships/state&local (M)
V560 (G A-M) state gov’t budgeting
J582 (Mullany) |
V560 (G A-M) case studies on international budgeting |
|
|
Legal Analysis or Legal Reasoning |
V540 (H) (Zinner)
V540 (N-H) (Pellicciotti) (E) policy issues (I)
V517 (Szarleta) (M)
V600 (Szarleta) (I)
V560 (G A-M)
V561 (G A-M) |
V540 (N-H) (Pellicciotti) -exercises in legal analysis and decision making
V560 (G A-M) case studies/analyses; budgeting statutes, etc.; budget structures & institutions; logic of public budgeting
V561 (G A-M) employment law; affirmative action; equal employment opportunity, etc. |
|
|
Economics |
V517 (Szarleta) (E)
V600 (Szarleta) (I)
V560 (G A-M) |
V517 (Szarleta) word problems and case studies
V600 (Szarleta) case studies
V560 (G A-M) economic values/functions of government |
|
|
Concentration: Criminal Justice |
V562 (Mullany)
J582 (Mullany)
V682 (Mullany)
J501 (Mullany) |
|
|
|
Concentration: Health Services Administration |
|
|
|
|
Concentration: Human Services Administration |
V554 (Lowery) |
|
|
|
Concentration: Public Management |
V525 (Lowery)
V502 (Evans)
V560 (G A-M) |
V525 (Lowery): Service Learning
V560 (G A-M) research paper |
|
Skill (i.e., demonstrated proficiency with respect to a specific task or assignment) |
Organization/Governance Design and Administration |
V540 (N-H) (Pellicciotti) (M)
V560 (G A-M) |
V502 (Evans): “Dunes” project
V550 (AHC) (Zinner) reports from 6 site visits
V560 (G A-M) research paper |
|
|
Network/Coalition Building and Administration |
V600 (Szarleta) (M)
V560 (G A-M) |
V540 (N-H) (Pellicciotti) – dispute resolution/role of courts, jury, ADR, plus significant team activities with role-playing exercises
V560 (G A-M) budget development |
|
|
Personnel Administration |
V522 (Lowery)
V502 (Evans) 10%
V561 (G A-M) |
V502 (Evans): “Dunes” project
V561 (G A-M) case analyses/studies |
|
|
Financial Analysis and Administration |
V502 (Evans) 10%
V600 (Szarleta) (M)
V560 (G A-M) |
V502 (Evans): “Dunes” project
V560 (G A-M) research paper; intergovernmental fiscal relations/management |
|
|
Statistical Analysis; Technology |
V517 (Szarleta) (M)
V600 (Szarleta) (M)
V562 (Mullany) (M)
V506 (Hug) |
V506 (Hug) run focus groups; service learning (data analyses for outside organizations; questionnaire design) |
|
|
Management Information Systems |
V506 (Hug) (M) |
|
|
|
Program Evaluation |
V517 (Szarleta) (I)
V600 (Szarleta) (I)
V560 (G A-M)
V562 (Mullany) |
V502 (Evans): case studies (both using and creating)
V600 (Szarleta) writing exercises and case studies
V517 (Szarleta) writing exercises
V560 (G A-M) case studies/analyses
V562 (Mullany) students must evaluate community program/policy |
|
|
Quality Assurance and Control |
V550 TQM (Lowery)
V560 (G A-M)
V561 (G A-M) |
V550 TQM (Lowery): Service Learning
V560 (G A-M) audit & evaluation
V561 (G A-M) work system design/redesign |
|
|
Ethical Analysis |
V502 (Evans) 10%
V550 Health Ethics (Zinner)
V540 (N-H) (Pellicciotti) (P)
V560 (G A-M)
V561 (G A-M) |
V502 (Evans): “Dunes” project
V560 (G A-M) case studies/analyses; code of ethics
V561 (G A-M) case studies/analyses; code of ethics |
|
|
Change Management |
V550 TQM (Lowery)
V504 (Evans)
V517 (Szarleta) (P)
V600 (Szarleta) (P)
V560 (G A-M)
V561 (G A-M) |
V502 (Evans): “Dunes” project
V560 (G A-M) tax relief techniques; budget reform
V561 (G A-M) work systems design/redesign; strategic human resources planning |
|
|
Project Management |
V560 (G A-M) |
V560 (G A-M) case analyses; research project |
|
|
Reflection |
V517 (Szarleta) (E)
V566 (Evans)
V504 (Evans)
V600 (Szarleta) (E)
V560 (G A-M)
V561 (G A-M)
J501 (Mullany) |
V517 (Szarleta) word problems
V600 (Szarleta) writing assignments/presentations
V560 (G A-M) tax evaluation criteria; project/program evaluation
V561 (G A-M) isses of recruitment, selection, compensation (comparable worth), promotion, retention, training, etc. |
|
Ability (i.e., demonstrated proficiency with respect to a generic task or assignment) |
Administrative Writing |
V550 Managerial Comm. (Lowery)
V560 (G A-M)
V561 (G A-M) |
V550 Managerial Comm. (Lowery): Admin.
Writing Assignments
V522 (Lowery): Admin. Writing Assignments
V502 (Evans): “Dunes” project written report
V560 (G A-M) case analyses/studies; research paper; budget preparation exercise
V561 (G A-M) case analyses/studies; research paper
V506 (Hug) analytical reports on survey data or focus groups |
|
|
Oral Presentation |
V550 Managerial Comm. (Lowery)
V550 Prof. Development Practicum (Evans)
V550 (Health Ethics) (Zinner)
V560 (G A-M)
V561 (G A-M)
V562 (Mullany)
J501 (Mullany)
J582 (Mullany)
J682 (Mullany) |
V504 (Evans) In-class presentation required
V550 Prof. Devel. Pract. (Evans) research presentation
All independent studies/research (Evans) presentation of res. findings to faculty panel
V560 (G A-M) case studies/analyses; research project; presentation requirement
V561 (G A-M) case studies/analyses; research project; presentation requirement
V562 (Mullany) in-class presentations
J501 (Mullany) in-class presentations
J582 (Mullany) in-class presentations
J682 (Mullany) in-class presentations
V506 (Hug) preliminary reports |
|
|
Decision-making |
V560 (G A-M)
V561 (G A-M) |
V554 (Lowery): Case Studies
V502 (Evans): “Dunes” project
V540 (N-H) (Pellicciotti)
V560 (G A-M) case analyses/studies; research paper; budget preparation exercise
V561 (G A-M) case analyses/studies |
|
|
Problem-solving |
V550 TQM (Lowery)
V560 (G A-M)
V561 (G A-M)
J582 (Mullany)
J682 (Mullany)
V562 (Mullany) |
V502 (Evans): “Dunes” project
V560 (G A-M) case analyses/studies; research paper
V561 (G A-M) case analyses/studies; research paper
J582 (Mullany) final projects require an analysis of problematic areas and recommendations on change/modifications
J682 (Mullany) ) final projects require an analysis of problematic areas and recommendations on change/modifications
V562 (Mullany) ) final projects require an analysis of problematic areas and recommendations on change/modifications |
|
Personal Characteristic or Orientation |
Leadership |
V566 (Evans)
V504 (Evans) 10%
V560 (G A-M)
V561 (G A-M) |
V502 (Evans): “Dunes” project
V560 (G A-M) executive budget preparation
V561 (G A-M) executive development |
|
|
Career Management |
V560 (G A-M)
V561 (G A-M) |
V560 (G A-M) code of ethics
V561 (G A-M) managerial/leadership skills; code of ethics |
SPEA “boot camp”? ASPA membership; monthly brown bag lunches for faculty and students |
|
Ethics/personal values |
V560 (G A-M)
V561 (G A-M)
{V506 lacks a component on the ethical use of data} (Hug) |
V540 (N-H) (Pellicciotti) exercises, case analysis
V560 (G A-M) case analyses/studies
V561 (G A-M) case analyses/studies |
|
