Academic Degree Program Assessment

School of Arts and Sciences

Use of Results Report

ETCMA - BS TCOM/Engl: 2007 - 2008

 

1. Please list the Program Outcomes which were met and briefly discuss these. 

 

1. Work effectively in collaboration with other writers
2. Use effective written communication skills to convey technical and professional information
3. Use effective oral communication skills to convey technical and professional information
4. Assess different rhetorical situations for diverse audiences and a variety of written, oral, and visual methods of communication
5. Employ research methodologies as they relate to the field and design studies that use these methodologies
6. Design and write a variety of documents in a variety of media using computer-based technologies
7. Produce documents in a variety of formats that demonstrate effective use of digital media and graphics
8. Obtain information design skills to meet the market demands in the field of technical communication.

Overall, the various assessment committees felt that the quality of student work in upper level courses reflected the strength of our BS program in preparing students for careers in technical communication. The undergraduate curriculum committee, however, did discuss outcome #5 in particular and tried to identify ways in which all courses in our degree programs could foreground research methods.

 

 2.    If any program outcomes were not met, please list these and discuss these in more

      detail.   

 

n/a

 

3.    Chairs: 

1.    Please discuss how you think that or anticipate that these results might be used.

 

Various curriculum subcommittees will meet during the coming academic year to continue to discuss how to insure that students are refining their research skills in 2000- 3000- and 4000- level courses. In particular, the foundations and methods committee will explore opportunities for developing a 3000-level research methods course, perhaps in user-centered research, to follow on the current 2000-level research methods course.

 

2.    Please note below when you are tentatively planning to discuss these results and the use of these results with your faculty and with others. 

The undergraduate committee and the department as a whole had preliminary discussions of the BS program assessment at its spring retreat. The department will review the completed program assessment at its first meeting in August, and the various curriculum subcommittees will continue discussion throughout the academic year.

 

 

 4.    Dates of Meetings:  Please list below the dates of meetings at which the use of assessment results was discussed and also briefly summarize the discussions and decisions.

 

Date of Meeting	Purpose of Meeting
8/14/2007	Departmental Meeting: Planning for assessment
9/18/2007	Departmental Meeting—Subcommittee structures, review of individual course assessment procedures
10/15/2007	Foundations and Methods Curriculum Subcommittee: Began ongoing, online discussion of TCOM 4800 capstone assessment
11/06/2007	Departmental Meeting—Progress reports from curriculum subcommittee and assessment subcommittees
11/12/2007	Foundations and Methods Curriculum Subcommittee—TCOM 4800 assessment completed and distributed for online discussion
1/24/2008	Departmental Meeting—Progress reports from curriculum subcommittee and assessment subcommittees
1/25/2008	Technical Writing Curriculum Subcommittee—Planning for assessment of TCOM 4070
2/6/2008	Rhetoric and Communication Subcommittee—Planning for assessment of TCOM 4100 and ENGL 4160
2/28/2008	Departmental Meeting—Progress reports from curriculum subcommittee and assessment subcommittees; discussion of assessment results from TCOM 4800 capstone course
3/20/2008	Technical Writing Curriculum Subcommittee: Began ongoing, online discussion of TCOM 4070
4/18/2008	Departmental Retreat—Preliminary discussion of BS program assessment, with attention to research methods in 3000- and 4000-level courses
4/27/2008	Technical Writing Curriculum Subcommittee—TCOM 4070 assessment completed and distributed for online discussion
5/6/2008	Rhetoric and Communication Subcommittee—Discussion of assessment of TCOM 4100 and ENGL 4160

 

 

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