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SACS/COC Fifth-Year Interim Report, Part III. others are programmatic. The findings for the objectives were reported to the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration as part of the program’s self-study but were not recorded in WEAVEonline for the 2008–2009 cycle. The faculty also note in their VCU assessment report that: Faculty have moved forward in the following respects: (1) streamlining and consolidation of program concentrations; (2) curriculum assessment to respond to student needs; (3) changes to course syllabi/content to enhance student learning and satisfy standards for accreditation (ie., certain skill sets). The VCU Office of Assessment will work with the School of Government and Public Affairs to ensure that all of its program representatives have the tools for working with their respective faculty on conducting solid student learning outcomes assessment. School of Mass Communications. The School of Mass Communications offers the B.S. and M.S. degrees. The B.S. degree met the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication accreditation standards for assessment of student learning (Standard 9) at its most recent review. The School is represented on the VCU Assessment Council by Dr. Catherine Ingrassia. According to our external consultant’s review, the assessment reports for all programs in the School of Mass Communications meet or exceed VCU’s threshold requirements for assessing student learning (see School of Mass Communications section of the College’s scorecard). Overall, the School of Mass Communications is currently performing well in assessment. Two programs made substantial improvements to their assessment plans during the 2008-2009 cycle. The B.S. program started reporting findings on a standardized test of knowledge (to be administered in first-year classes and again in the capstone course) and provided detailed findings for portfolio reviews. The M.S. faculty created separate assessment plans for three tracks: Brandcenter (advertising), Multimedia Journalism, and Strategic Public Relations. The Brandcenter track in advertising refined its student learning objectives, eliminated several measures that were not providing meaningful data, and enhanced the quality of portfolio reviews. Both the M.S. Multimedia Journalism track, which enrolled its first students in June 2008, and the M.S. Strategic Public Relations track have well-defined student learning objectives and strong measures. Programs in the School have taken steps to promote continuous improvement in student learning. For example, based on findings from student portfolio reviews, the M.S. Brandcenter advertising track implemented a new training workshop for students in the Art Direction concentration: Even though we did not have an official rubric in place during 2008-2009, the faculty discussed the level of work from the student portfolio reviews. Based on that discussion, the faculty decided that the first-year art direction students needed additional training in design and typography. The Brandcenter implemented a 6-day workshop before the start of school for art directors to focus on these things. The workshop was taught by Judd Burnette, VP, Designer/ Art Director at The Martin Agency. Virginia Commonwealth University P a g e | 14
SACS/COC Fifth-Year Interim Report, Part III. School of World Studies. The School of World Studies offers three degrees at the bachelor’s level: Anthropology, B.S., Foreign Language, B.A, and Religious Studies, B.A. In addition, the School offers three undergraduate certificates: International Management Studies (offered by the School of World Studies and the School of Business), International Social Justice Studies (offered by the School of World Studies and the School of Social Work), and Spanish-English Translation and Interpretation. The School is represented on the VCU Assessment Council by Dr. Catherine Ingrassia. The Foreign Language, B.A. faculty created separate assessment plans for four tracks: French, German, Spanish, and World Film Studies. According to our external consultant, all programs in the School of World Studies that have entered an assessment plan in WEAVEonline meet or exceed VCU’s threshold requirements for assessing student learning (see School of World Studies section of the College’s scorecard). The School does not yet have assessment plans in WEAVEonline for the two interdisciplinary certificate programs. However, as noted in previous sections, 2008-2009 is the first year that VCU required assessment plans for certificate programs. Overall, the School of World Studies has performed well in assessment. Some programs could improve by providing reliability and validity evidence for their measures. Two programs made substantial improvements in their assessment plans in the 2008-2009 cycle, either by revising their student learning objectives and eliminating weak measures (Anthropology, B.S.) or by implementing a portfolio review as a new measure (Foreign Language, B.A. – World Film Studies track). The Foreign Language, B.A. – French track, which has been hampered by faculty health issues, retirements, and reassignments in the past several years, demonstrated a renewed commitment to assessment. The program report documents implementation of e-portfolios: Two of four tenured faculty gave workshops for other faculty on the use of eportfolios through assessment. Speakers from outside VCU also provided advice on how to assess language skills using e-portfolios. A Spanish colleague also assisted, showing how she used e-portfolios in the Spanish capstone course. . . . Workshops on language portfolios included the use of "can do" statements that demonstrate both what a student can do now and what his or her future communication goals are. The e-portfolios also allow for student reflections on cultural competence, future goals in the area of cultural competence, and strategies on how to improve both language skills and cultural competence. The Foreign Language, B.A. – World Film Studies track provides another example of continuous improvement. After reviewing assessment data about faculty reviews of students’ oral presentations, the faculty decided to record the presentations on video, rather than audio. The faculty noted that this recording format has the added advantage of allowing them to assess students’ non-verbal communication “but more importantly allowing students to self-critique their non-verbal skills during oral presentations.” School of Dentistry The School of Dentistry has three degree programs and each program has representation on the VCU Assessment Council: Dr. Ellen Byrne, Senior Associate Dean, represents the Dentistry, D.D.S. program, Virginia Commonwealth University P a g e | 15
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