Form 201BC: Assessment Report Form for Instructional Programs
Name: June N. Price-Shingles
Department: Secondary Education, Professional Studies and Recreation
Evidence to Support Achievement of Student Learning
This section should record the findings after conducting the actual assessment(s).
Data should be recorded in three year cycles on Form 201C. Briefly summarize the types
of data reported and whether the evidence indicates student achievement of learning
outcomes.
- Evaluation of Internship Supervisor-student will be evaluated at the completion of
their student internship by the Agency Director. Form to be submitted the Internship
Supervisor (REC faculty) by Agency Director.
- Review of Student GPA at the entry, mid-level and ending of program. GPA will be
assessed at three different points in the program to reflect on overall progress and
academic understanding of the program.
- Oral presentation of Activity Analysis-student will demonstrate via oral presentation,
the planning process and implementation strategies required in successful program
facilitation.
- Group Facilitation Project-student will plan and lead the program they designed for
group instruction.
- Ability to evaluate a program-student will submit evaluation plan they designed.
- Submission of Philosophy statement-student will create Philosophy statement to reflect
their personal outlook of the profession.
- Submission of final project; Program Plan (all parts)-student will submit all parts
of the Program Plan as well as an oral presentation.
Analysis and Program Change
This section should record the findings after conducting the actual assessment. Data
should be recorded in three year cycles on Form 201C.
- What do the data for this year’s assessment reveal? This is the third year using Live
text as an instrument to collect data. Core course assignments remain the same with
a few modifications to REC 2000 and 2200. REC 4500 is also currently under review
with regards to one of the assignments that is currently required for assessment.
Assignments continue to be scored using the rubric indicating whether the assignment/artifact
is Target, Acceptable or Unacceptable. It is still our goal to have students upload
current and past assignments into their Live text Portfolio to see if learning objectives
and outcomes are met. The supervisor mid-term and final evaluation for student interns
continues to be a valuable tool for assessing student learning.
- What does a review of the trend data show? Past data showed that our goals were to
redesign courses and add assignments that would serve as documents that we could use
to assess student learning based on each COE. We (a) redesigned courses, (b) revised
our SPA/SPO to be in alignment with the COEs’, (c) created a portfolio artifact checklist
to give students a checklist for uploading assignments, and (d) reviewed fieldwork
hours of existing courses in an effort to redesign. Our new data is showing a need
to change textbook for 2 courses (REC 2200 and 4240) to encompass material not totally
captured in the current textbooks. Also under review are core assignments in REC 4500
and 4240 (one assignment each).
Current data shows that we have been successful to a degree in modifying the identified
areas above in an effort to create viable assessment tools. The data identifies areas
for improvement with regards to student delivery of programs designed. The data also
highlights the need for students to improve upon their personal skills with regards
to demonstration of leadership ability. Uploading items into Live text continues to
be problematic for us. Students continue to purchase the software at a very slow rate.
While folding this activity into REC 4540 has helped, we continue to focus on this
as a priority issue.
- In what areas do students do well? Students continue to perform well in completing
their internships as indicated by the Intern Supervisor’s Reports this year. Students
are finally participating in professional development activities outside the classroom
as indicated by their conference attendance and membership in professional associations.
Students are also volunteering at a much higher rate and even securing part-time and
full-time employment as a result of volunteering. Students are also participating
in professional business meeting. Faculty has also been successful in hosting business
meeting for professional associations, giving students an opportunity to network and
secure volunteer hours or even employment (full and part-time).
- In what areas have they not succeeded? While the vast majority of students are finally
seeking volunteer opportunities they are still behind their counterparts at other
universities when it comes to joining professional associations. This area is a priority
for faculty. Professional development is a issue we take seriously and we really want
to impart on the students the importance of beginning this process while in undergrad.
- Have the student learning outcomes that this instrument measures been met? Yes. All
instruments created directly correlate to student outcomes and learning objectives.
We have discussed removing some sub-components (assignments) of assessments for REC
4240 and 4500. There are other sub-components under review for the 2012/2013 academic
year.
- 6. Which strengths and weaknesses were identified in the course /program? Please see
the Accreditation Report by the National Recreation and Parks Association (CAPRA/NRPA)
as posted in Live text to view suggestions made prior to their next visit. Please
note that our program has been re-accredited for 5 years and is in good standing.
The program is up for review by our accrediting body in fall 2015.
For this reporting cycle, our strength continues to be the recognition of our interns
for the quality of work, work ethic and professionalism they exemplify. It should
be noted that our graduates continue to secure employment upon graduation in the field
of Parks and Recreation in either Therapeutic or General Recreation Administration
with the status of both full-time and part-time. Our weakness continues to be our
goal for improvement that is to impress upon students the importance of pursuing professional
development at the undergraduate level, volunteerism with agencies above and beyond
required fieldwork and understanding the importance of time management which is a
valued and necessary skill in this profession.
In the previous years we discussed requiring additional fieldwork hours in existing
courses. Another goal was to create additional learning experiences outside the classroom
via volunteering, conference attendance, presentations, joining professional associations.
Our goals remain the same. Putting theory-to-practice continues to be the message
we want to press upon students. Encouraging students to seeking opportunities outside
the classroom will always be our goal.
With regards to curriculum, we have already noted changes to be implemented in the
past in REC 2000, 2200, 4240. This year, we made additional updates to REC 2200, 2200
and REC 4540. Specifically:
- REC 2000 is now a individual assignment (effective spring 2008)
- Students now have to design a Program and a Special event, neither of which can be
a Sport related activity (effective spring 2012)
- REC 2200 has an additional text which requires a book critique assignment (effective
spring 2009)
- Textbook has been changed (effective fall 2012)
- REC 2200 is now a individual assignment (effective spring 2011)
- REC 4500 one of the core assignments is under review to determine whether it should
remain as an item to be submitted in Live text.
- REC 4540 has the addition of one assignment, which is completing the Live text portfolio
(spring 2011)
These proposed changes will have no impact on the budget.
Assessment as a Departmental Priority
Recreation Program Faculty meets monthly in addition to departmental faculty whereby
assessment is a slated agenda item. At the meeting, I identify upcoming due dates
and remind faculty of information required of them for the reporting period. Specifically,
during the Recreation Program meetings, faculty have the opportunity to share challenges
and discuss assignments that we may want to re-vamp to better depict whether actual
learning is taking place with regards to the key assessment indicators. At this time,
faculty has not considered reliability or validity of the assessments, other than
content (face) validity. Although no formal tests have been analyzed, construct validity
is also a factor, such that the best students tend to do well on the key assessments
and the poorer students score lower. At the end of each semester, faculty complete
assessment reports for the core courses they instructed. This allows faculty to consistently
identify deficiencies and accomplishments for a course each time the course is instructed.
The assessment artifacts for each core assignment is scored in Live text by faculty,
whereby its indicated whether or not the student was Target, Acceptable or Unacceptable.
Assessment is critical to retention of our students. We use feedback from faculty
assessment reports to ensure that we are providing instruction that students can excel
in and allow for them to have a thorough understanding of the content their learning.
Effectiveness of Program Assessment
Providing students with a checklist for assignments to be uploaded into their Live
text Portfolio was a vital piece to collecting the necessary data to assess their
learning. In doing so, we are able to clearly ascertain whether or not the program
objectives and learning outcomes were achieved. Aligning our national standards (CAPRA/NRPA)
to the COEs’ (NCATE) also was critical in making sure we were assessing the same areas
of learning. Our biggest challenge continues to be making sure students are Live text
subscribers and their actively uploading information and assignments from courses
their taking. To ensure this happens we now require students to complete their Live
Text Portfolio while taking REC 4540 (effective fall 2011). This will be their final
assignment.
Publicizing Student Learning
How do you inform the public about what students learn and how well they have learned
it? How do you publicize the assessment results? Indicate what data or results you
will use, and also indicate the means of internal and external publication: departmental
website, brochures, and other published documents or media.
- SEPR staff at staff retreats and College Retreats
- Staff retreat took place Saturday, August 21st, 2010
- Staff retreat took place Friday, January 21st, 2011
- Staff retreat took place fall 2012 in All College of Education Retreat during breakout
session.
- Advisory Board Meetings held both fall and spring semester
- Documentation provided to COE for NCATE reporting
- CSU Public Relations department
- During recruitment visits to 2-year institutions
- Professor McNicholas visited MVCC
- Dr. Price-Shingles continues to request meetings with City of Chicago Colleges to
discuss articulation agreement and has met with 3 schools.
- SEPR web page (in progress at University level)
- Yearly SPA/SPO reports
- Information on students advancement
- On-going via Department Newsletter
- Fieldwork hours and Internships
- Documented in REC 4540 and REC 4750
- Program changes as a result of evidence learned
- Indicated in syllabus for REC 4240, 2000, 4540 (effective fall 2011 and for fall 2012)
- SEPR Department Newsletter (please find our most recent copy in Live text). The letter
is forwarded to Alumni, Recreation Advisory Board, Professional Association (IPRA)
members
- Program Brochures