Academic Program: Report -2013 Component Program Mission Statement Goal 1 Objectives SLO s (student learning outcomes) Methods Description From your Program Plan (Statement should articulate the unit/ program mission in support of the institutional mission and include a clearly defined purpose appropriate to collegiate education.) From your Program Plan (Describe broad learning outcomes and concepts (what you want students to learn) expressed in general terms (clear communication, problem-solving skills, etc). Goals should focus on discipline-specific outcomes relevant to the program.) From your Program Plan (Describes the specific skills, values and attitudes students should be able to exhibit that reflect the broader goals. Objectives (student learning outcomes) transform the general program goals into specific student performance/behaviors that demonstrate student learning and skill development along these goals. From your Program Plan (Describes the measure(s) by which the department will know the students are meeting the departmental learning objectives. Includes both direct and indirect assessment. Each SLO should have at least one assessment method.) In conjunction with the mission of the University of South Carolina Upstate, the Criminal Justice program is based on the philosophy of a liberal arts education with a curriculum grounded in the social sciences. This orientation will allow students to develop critical thinking skills, oral communication ability, and writing proficiency in subjects related to crime and criminal justice. Through this interdisciplinary foundation, students will be prepared to serve the South Carolina Upstate region and beyond as future criminal justice professionals, scholars, and informed citizens. Graduates of the USC Upstate Criminal Justice program will have the conceptual knowledge and analytical skills to perform effectively and ethically in the field of criminal justice. The faculty is committed to continued professional development in order to provide the students with the most contemporary pedagogical approaches and substantive understandings in the criminal justice arena. Students who complete the Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from USC Upstate will have developed a comprehensive understanding of the structure and operation of the criminal justice system and the three main components of police, courts, and corrections. 1.1 Demonstrate familiarity with the components of the criminal justice system 1.2 Demonstrate an understanding of the issues involved in the administration of justice 1.3 Relate current issues to the evolution of functions, programs, and values of the criminal justice system Direct: ETS Major Field Test in Criminal Justice Indirect: Responses from a graduating senior exit survey P&OD 2.11.10 1
Academic Program: Report -2013 Criteria Results Level of achievement you are targeting (Indicate benchmarks, scores on assessment instruments, etc that would indicate acceptable achievement under your plan) Actual results and data collected (Make sure to break down data by subgroups (e.g. other campuses or emphases). As appropriate, also include item or category analysis.) Direct (ETS MFT): Group mean at or above the national average. Group indicator scores for indicators 3 (Law Enforcement), 4 (Corrections), and 5 (The Court System) at or above the national average. Indirect (Senior Survey): On questions 1-2, the mean of the responses should equal 2 or higher on a Likert scale ranging from 0-4, with 2 being the mid-point for both questions. On the remaining questions, 40% or fewer respondents should select the letter A which indicates meet the stated goal by the program. Direct: For, our students exceeded the benchmark for the overall score and for the three indicators. For 2013, there was a slight dip in the overall score, with it falling below the national mean, and in the 3 indicators, with Indicator 5 falling below the national mean. It is too soon to tell if this is an aberration or a trend. Overall (mean score) Indicator 3 (law enforcement) Indicator 4 (corrections) Indicator 5 (the court system) Indirect: -11-12 2013-13 152 153 151 153 155 153.6 154 152 153.3 51% (28%tile) 56% (70%tile) 58% (45%tile) 56% (39%tile) 53% (56%tile) 58% (45%tile) 55.6% 56% 56% 55.7% 57% 56% 55.3% 49.6% 53% 58% 50% 57% 55% 49.8% 56.7% 58% 61% 57.4% 61% 55% 56.9% Our students met/exceeded the benchmark of 3.0 for Q1 & Q2 of the senior survey for, however, a decline from the previous academic year was shown. *While data was collected for 2013, it was lost during a physical relocation of the program coordinator s office. Should this data be recovered, it will be added to this matrix for a future report. 2009 2013 Q1 2.96 2.98 3.22 3.25 3.31 3.41 3.17 * Q2 3.02 2.9 3.28 3.21 3.22 3.43 3.0 * P&OD 2.11.10 2
Academic Program: Report -2013 For no question exceeded the maximum benchmark of 40% of respondents selecting option A. Question # letter A letter A letter A letter A % indicating letter A % indicating letter A 2013 3 0% 5.2% 0% 0% 0% * 5 0% 0% 0% 5.4% 0% * 6 0% 0% 0% 0% 12.4% * 8 0% 0% 12.5% 0% 0% * 9 0% 0% 0% 2.7% 6.2% * Action Plan Implementation and Evaluation of Previous Years Action Plan What actions or modifications have been or will be made based on this assessment? How was the action plan identified in the previous year s report implemented this year, and what was the impact? Criminal justice is currently undergoing a rigorous curriculum review and revision, with new requirements to be submitted for catalog approval by the end of 2013. New policies are being constructed to deal with student apathy and retention, including limiting the number of attempts a student can make on any specific course for the major. It is hoped that with this new policy, student effort in certain subject matters will increase. Two new faculty have been hired and will begin teaching new subject matter courses this academic year. The Palmetto College program is being launched in 2013. The criminal justice program approved and began implementing curriculum changes. These included 3 new courses, two of which are upper division. Two of these are being taught for the first time in 2013, with the third scheduled for 2014. In addition, two new faculty were hired, with specialties in the topics that we considered to be weakest for our program. Additionally, extensive planning and development was undertaken by the criminal justice faculty to prepare for the launch of the criminal justice online program through Palmetto College. This will allow us to meet the needs of students with a wider-variety of course offerings in formats that may be more suitable to individual learning styles. In other words, students will have the opportunity to take a course either in online or traditional face-to-face format. Due to the impending start of the Palmetto College, the faculty chose to postpone the review and revising of the current assessment plan until after the launch in 2013. It was determined that more data was needed on how the program would manifest before developing new assessment techniques that would be equally appropriate for both the online and face-toface programs. P&OD 2.11.10 3
Academic Program: Report -2013 Component Goal 2 Objectives SLO s (student learning outcomes) Methods Criteria Description From your Program Plan (Describe broad learning outcomes and concepts (what you want students to learn) expressed in general terms (clear communication, problemsolving skills, etc). Goals should focus on discipline-specific outcomes relevant to the program.) From your Program Plan (Describes the specific skills, values and attitudes students should be able to exhibit that reflect the broader goals. Objectives (student learning outcomes) transform the general program goals into specific student performance/behaviors that demonstrate student learning and skill development along these goals. From your Program Plan (Describes the measure(s) by which the department will know the students are meeting the departmental learning objectives. Includes both direct and indirect assessment. Each SLO should have at least one assessment method.) Level of achievement you are targeting (Indicate benchmarks, scores on assessment instruments, etc that would indicate acceptable achievement under your plan) Students who complete the Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from USC Upstate will have an awareness, appreciation, and understanding of ethical issues, questions, and behavior in the criminal justice field. 2.1 Demonstrate an awareness of the ethical issues involved in criminal justice research 2.2 Identify contemporary ethical issues and problems in the main components of the criminal justice system Direct: Final projects for CRJU 361 Criminal Justice Research Methods. There is an assessment item in the CRJU 361 final paper rubric that allows for evaluation of how the student addressed ethical issues in criminal justice research. Indirect: Responses from a graduating senior exit survey, 3 items specifically addressing ethics. Direct: Students should achieve 70% or better on the evaluations for the final project In CRJU 361 Criminal Justice Research Methods. Indirect (Senior Survey): On question 2, the average index score for ethics should be 3.0 or higher. On questions 4 & 5 which specifically address Goal 2, 40% or fewer respondents should indicate the letter which indicates meet the stated goal by the program (a or d). P&OD 2.11.10 4
Academic Program: Report -2013 Direct: The overwhelming majority of our students achieved the benchmark of 70% or higher. The table below summarizes the scoring breakdown by semester and course. The increase from the previous years is most likely due to enhanced academic rigor and greater inter-instructor reliability. This occurred because the two faculty members responsible for the sections have combined teaching methods and are working together to provide similar experiences for the students across multiple sections of the course. Final Project CRJU 361 2009 % < 70% 2013 7% 33% 8% 0% 27% 16.2% 24.4% 31% Results Actual results and data collected (Make sure to break down data by subgroups (e.g. other campuses or emphases). As appropriate, also include item or category analysis.) Indirect: For question 2 on the senior survey, the program exceeded the minimum benchmark of 3 (out of 4) on the indicator for ethics for. *While data was collected for 2013, it was lost during a physical relocation of the program coordinator s office. Should this data be recovered, it will be added to this matrix for a future report. Q2 Ethics 2009 2013 2.89 3.0 4 2.89 3.22 3.43 2.75 * The benchmark of less than 40% of respondents indicating failure to or with the program on questions 4 and 5 of the senior survey which specifically address ethics was exceeded. The apparent increase on question 5 came from a single respondent: Question # % indicating letter A or D 10 % indicating letter A or D % indicating letter A or D 11 % indicating letter A or D % indicating letter A or D 12 % indicating letter A or D 13 11 12 4 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% * 5 0% 0% 0% 0% 6.2% * P&OD 2.11.10 5
Academic Program: Report -2013 Action Plan Implementation and Evaluation of Previous Years Action Plan What actions or modifications have been or will be made based on this assessment? How was the action plan identified in the previous year s report implemented this y ear, and what was the impact? Expansion positions for new faculty were filled, allowing the new CRJU 403 Criminal Justice Ethics to be added to the regular rotation for the 2013-2014 academic year. An assessment method will be determined for future use. Criminal justice is currently undergoing a rigorous curriculum review and revision, with new requirements to be submitted for catalog approval by the end of 2013. New policies are being constructed to deal with student apathy and retention, including limiting the number of attempts a student can make on any specific course for the major. It is hoped that with this new policy, student effort in certain subject matters will increase. Two new faculty have been hired and will begin teaching new subject matter courses this academic year. The Palmetto College program is being launched in 2013. Benchmarks for indirect measures were raised from 2.0 to 3.0. The program proposed a new permanent course, CRJU 403 Criminal Justice Ethics, in for its curriculum to help improve student understanding in this area. The course was approved and appeared in the -2013 catalog. The course was not taught during the -2013 academic year as planned originally because the anticipated faculty expansion position was not awarded. The course is being offered for the first time in 2013. There is an assessment item in the CRJU 361 final paper rubric that rates the student on addressing ethical issues in criminal justice research. This is not new, but reviewers in the past have asked how the rubric addressed ethics. A clarifying statement has been added to P&OD 2.11.10 6
Academic Program: Report -2013 Component Goal 3 Objectives SLO s (student learning outcomes) Methods Criteria Description From your Program Plan (Describe broad learning outcomes and concepts (what you want students to learn) expressed in general terms (clear communication, problem-solving skills, etc). Goals should focus on discipline-specific outcomes relevant to the program.) From your Program Plan (Describes the specific skills, values and attitudes students should be able to exhibit that reflect the broader goals. Objectives (student learning outcomes) transform the general program goals into specific student performance/behaviors that demonstrate student learning and skill development along these goals. From your Program Plan (Describes the measure(s) by which the department will know the students are meeting the departmental learning objectives. Includes both direct and indirect assessment. Each SLO should have at least one assessment method.) Level of achievement you are targeting (Indicate benchmarks, scores on assessment instruments, etc that would indicate acceptable achievement under your plan) Students who complete the Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from USC Upstate will have an understanding of and the ability to apply criminological theories to contemporary social justice, public policy, crime, and the criminal justice process 3.1 Recognize the dominant assumptions for each theoretical perspective and how these assumptions explain the cause of criminal behavior. 3.2 Demonstrate understanding of biological, psychological, and social influence on criminal behavior Direct: ETS Major Field Test in Criminal Justice Indirect: Responses from a graduating senior exit survey Direct (ETS MFT): Group indicator scores for indicator 1 (Theories of Criminal Behavior) at or above the national average. Indirect (Senior Survey): On questions 1 & 2 the average scores on the theories of crime indices should each exceed 3.0. P&OD 2.11.10 7
Academic Program: Report -2013 Direct: For -2013, our students exceeded the benchmark for Indicator 1 (theories of criminal behavior). There was a slight dip in the averages from the previous academic year, but they did not fall below the national mean. It is too soon to tell if this is an aberration or a trend. Results Actual results and data collected (Make sure to break down data by subgroups (e.g. other campuses or emphases). As appropriate, also include item or category analysis.) Indicator 1 (theories of criminal behavior) -11-12 2013-13 44% 42% 38.7% 42% 43% 38.4% 41% 39% 38.6% Indirect: the responses for Q1 &Q2 theory indices exceeded the benchmark of 3.0, although there was a drop from the previous academic year. It is too soon to tell if this is an aberration or a trend. *While data was collected for 2013, it was lost during a physical relocation of the program coordinator s office. Should this data be recovered, it will be added to this matrix for a future report. Q1 Theory Q2 Theory 2009 2013 2.77 2.7 3 3.26 3.0 3.26 3.06 * 3.0 2.1 3.33 2.84 3.25 3.39 3.25 * P&OD 2.11.10 8
Academic Program: Report -2013 Action Plan Implementation and Evaluation of Previous Years Action Plan What actions or modifications have been or will be made based on this assessment? How was the action plan identified in the previous year s report implemented this y ear, and what was the impact? Criminal justice is currently undergoing a rigorous curriculum review and revision, with new requirements to be submitted for catalog approval by the end of 2013. New policies are being constructed to deal with student apathy and retention, including limiting the number of attempts a student can make on any specific course for the major. It is hoped that with this new policy, student effort in certain subject matters will increase. Two new faculty have been hired and will begin teaching new subject matter courses this academic year. The Palmetto College program is being launched in 2013. The program will be conducting a comprehensive review of its assessment plan in the early spring. All goals, SLOs, assessment methods, rubrics, and benchmarks will be evaluated and changes submitted to the UAC by March 15, 2014. Changes will be implemented in 2014. Benchmarks for indirect measures were raised from 2.0 to 3.0. The criminal justice program approved and began implementing curriculum changes. These included 3 new courses, two of which are upper division. Two of these are being taught for the first time in 2013, with the third scheduled for 2014. In addition, two new faculty were hired, with specialties in the topics that we considered to be weakest for our program. Additionally, extensive planning and development was undertaken by the criminal justice faculty to prepare for the launch of the criminal justice online program through Palmetto College. This will allow us to meet the needs of students with a wider-variety of course offerings in formats that may be more suitable to individual learning styles. In other words, students will have the opportunity to take a course either in online or traditional face-to-face format. Due to the impending start of the Palmetto College, the faculty chose to postpone the review and revising of the current assessment plan until after the launch in 2013. It was determined that more data was needed on how the program would manifest before developing new assessment techniques that would be equally appropriate for both the online and face-to-face programs. P&OD 2.11.10 9
Academic Program: Report -2013 Component Goal 4 Objectives SLO s (student learning outcomes) Methods Criteria Description From your Program Plan (Describe broad learning outcomes and concepts (what you want students to learn) expressed in general terms (clear communication, problem-solving skills, etc). Goals should focus on discipline-specific outcomes relevant to the program.) From your Program Plan (Describes the specific skills, values and attitudes students should be able to exhibit that reflect the broader goals. Objectives (student learning outcomes) transform the general program goals into specific student performance/behaviors that demonstrate student learning and skill development along these goals. From your Program Plan (Describes the measure(s) by which the department will know the students are meeting the departmental learning objectives. Includes both direct and indirect assessment. Each SLO should have at least one assessment method.) Level of achievement you are targeting (Indicate benchmarks, scores on assessment instruments, etc that would indicate acceptable achievement under your plan) Students who complete the Bachelor of science degree in Criminal Justice from USC Upstate will have an ability to ask relevant questions as well as understand, analyze, and critique basic empirical research in criminal justice and the social sciences. 4.1 Develop an understanding of the meaning of research terminology commonly used in reports and professional articles 4.2 Demonstrate knowledge of the scientific method of both qualitative and quantitative research as well as specific research designs Direct: Final projects for CRJU 361 Criminal Justice Research Methods and CRJU 501 Senior Seminar Direct: ETS Major Field Test in Criminal Justice Indirect: Responses from a graduating senior exit survey Direct (Final Projects):Students should achieve 70% or better on the evaluations for each final project In CRJU 361 and CRJU 501. Direct (ETS MFT): Group indicator scores for indicators 6 (Critical Thinking) & 7 (Research Methodology and Statistics) at or above the national average Indirect (Senior Survey): On questions 1 & 2 the scores on the research methods indices should each exceed 3.0. P&OD 2.11.10 10
Academic Program: Report -2013 Direct (CRJU 361 project): The overwhelming majority of our students achieved the benchmark of 70% or higher. The table below summarizes the scoring breakdown by semester and course. The increase from the previous years is most likely due to enhanced academic rigor and greater inter-instructor reliability. This occurred because the two faculty members responsible for the sections have combined teaching methods and are working together to provide similar experiences for the students across multiple sections of the course. The percentage of students scoring below 70% on the final project is summarized in the table below: Final Project CRJU 361 2009 % < 70% 2013 7% 33% 8% 0% 27% 16.2% 24.4% 31% Results Actual results and data collected (Make sure to break down data by subgroups (e.g. other campuses or emphases). As appropriate, also include item or category analysis.) Direct (ETS MFT): Our students exceeded the benchmark by scoring better than the national mean for indicators 6 & 7. This is an improvement for Indicator 7. Indicator 6 (critical thinking) Indicator 7 (research methods & statistics) -11-12 2013-13 52% 55% 52.8% 55% 56% 53% 56% 54% 52.8% 51% 49% 43.5% 49% 48.5% 43.5% 50% 51% 43.7% Indirect: the responses for Q1&Q2 research indices exceeded the benchmark of 3. *While data was collected for 2013, it was lost during a physical relocation of the program coordinator s office. Should this data be recovered, it will be added to this matrix for a future report. 2009 2013 Q1 Research 2.77 3.1 3.33 3.16 3.5 3.31 3.25 * Q2 Research 2.77 3.0 3.66 3.12 3.5 3.44 3.13 * P&OD 2.11.10 11
Academic Program: Report -2013 Action Plan Implementation and Evaluation of Previous Years Action Plan What actions or modifications have been or will be made based on this assessment? How was the action plan identified in the previous year s report implemented this y ear, and what was the impact? Criminal justice is currently undergoing a rigorous curriculum review and revision, with new requirements to be submitted for catalog approval by the end of 2013. New policies are being constructed to deal with student apathy and retention, including limiting the number of attempts a student can make on any specific course for the major. It is hoped that with this new policy, student effort in certain subject matters will increase. Two new faculty have been hired and will begin teaching new subject matter courses this academic year. The Palmetto College program is being launched in 2013. The program will be conducting a comprehensive review of its assessment plan in the early spring. All goals, SLOs, assessment methods, rubrics, and benchmarks will be evaluated and changes submitted to the UAC by March 15, 2014. Changes will be implemented in 2014. Benchmarks for indirect measures were raised from 2.0 to 3.0. Additionally, extensive planning and development was undertaken by the criminal justice faculty to prepare for the launch of the criminal justice online program through Palmetto College. This will allow us to meet the needs of students with a wider-variety of course offerings in formats that may be more suitable to individual learning styles. In other words, students will have the opportunity to take a course either in online or traditional face-to-face format. Due to the impending start of the Palmetto College, the faculty chose to postpone the review and revising of the current assessment plan until after the launch in 2013. It was determined that more data was needed on how the program would manifest before developing new assessment techniques that would be equally appropriate for both the online and face-to-face programs. P&OD 2.11.10 12
Academic Program: Report -2013 Component Goal 5 Objectives SLO s (student learning outcomes) Description From your Program Plan (Describe broad learning outcomes and concepts (what you want students to learn) expressed in general terms (clear communication, problem-solving skills, etc). Goals should focus on disciplinespecific outcomes relevant to the program.) From your Program Plan (Describes the specific skills, values and attitudes students should be able to exhibit that reflect the broader goals. Objectives (student learning outcomes) transform the general program goals into specific student performance/behaviors that demonstrate student learning and skill development along these goals. Students who complete the Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from USC Upstate will have effective oral and written communication skills. 5.1 Demonstrate the ability to establish a clear purpose and an appropriate awareness of audience in both written and oral formats 5.2 Demonstrate effective arrangement of content, unity, and coherence, all in the appropriate support of purpose using both written and oral delivery methods 5.3 Demonstrate correct and effective use of sources with clear attribution and accurate documentation in a style conventionally accepted by the social sciences 5.4 Demonstrate the ability to make appropriate stylistic choices in vocabulary, grammar, syntax, and punctuation P&OD 2.11.10 13
Academic Program: Report -2013 Methods Criteria From your Program Plan (Describes the measure(s) by which the department will know the students are meeting the departmental learning objectives. Includes both direct and indirect assessment. Each SLO should have at least one assessment method.) Level of achievement you are targeting (Indicate benchmarks, scores on assessment instruments, etc that would indicate acceptable achievement under your plan) Direct: Final written projects for CRJU 361 Criminal Justice Research Methods and CRJU 501 Senior Seminar; final oral projects from CRJU 501 Senior Seminar Indirect: Responses from a graduating senior exit survey Direct (written and oral projects): Students should achieve 70% or better on the evaluations for each final project In CRJU 361 and CRJU 501. Students should achieve 70% or better on the oral projects for CRJU 501. Indirect (senior survey): On question 2 the score on the written/oral communication index should exceed 3.0 On questions 6 & 7 which specifically address Goal 5, 40% or fewer respondents should indicate the letter which indicates meet the stated goal by the program (for #6 a, for #7 a or b). P&OD 2.11.10 14
Academic Program: Report -2013 Direct: The overwhelming majority of our students achieved the benchmark of 70% or higher. The table below summarizes the scoring breakdown by semester and course. Results Actual results and data collected (Make sure to break down data by subgroups (e.g. other campuses or emphases). As appropriate, also include item or category analysis.) Final Project CRJU 361 CRJU 501 CRJU 501 Oral 2009 % < 70% 7% 33% 8% 0% 27% 16.2% 24.4% 31% 0%.05% 30% 3.7% 16.7% 3% 11.5% 25% 0% 0% 10% 6.9% 0% 0% 0% 0% Indirect: For question 2 on the senior survey, the program exceeded the minimum benchmark of 3 (out of 4) on the index for writing/oral presentation skills: *While data was collected for 2013, it was lost during a physical relocation of the program coordinator s office. Should this data be recovered, it will be added to this matrix for a future report. Q2 writing/oral comm. 2009 3.5 3.0 2.66 3.47 3.13 3.5 3.1 * The benchmark of less than 40% of respondents indicating failure to or with the program on questions 6 and 7 of the senior survey which specifically address written and oral communication skills was exceeded: Question # 10 11 11 12 12 13 6 0% 0% 0% 0% 12.4% * 7 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% * P&OD 2.11.10 15
Academic Program: Report -2013 Action Plan Implementation and Evaluation of Previous Years Action Plan What actions or modifications have been or will be made based on this assessment? How was the action plan identified in the previous year s report implemented this year, and what was the impact? Criminal justice is currently undergoing a rigorous curriculum review and revision, with new requirements to be submitted for catalog approval by the end of 2013. New policies are being constructed to deal with student apathy and retention, including limiting the number of attempts a student can make on any specific course for the major. It is hoped that with this new policy, student effort in certain subject matters will increase. Two new faculty have been hired and will begin teaching new subject matter courses this academic year. The Palmetto College program is being launched in 2013. An assessment method will be developed and incorporated during the first offering of this course in the of 2013. The program will be conducting a comprehensive review of its assessment plan in the early spring. All goals, SLOs, assessment methods, rubrics, and benchmarks will be evaluated and changes submitted to the UAC by March 15, 2014. Changes will be implemented in 2014. Benchmarks for indirect measures were raised from 2.0 to 3.0. A new course, CRJU 102 Criminal Justice Writing Laboratory has been approved and is in the current catalog. The course is to be required for all majors beginning in 2013. methods will be explored for inclusion in the next plan update. Additionally, extensive planning and development was undertaken by the criminal justice faculty to prepare for the launch of the criminal justice online program through Palmetto College. This will allow us to meet the needs of students with a wider-variety of course offerings in formats that may be more suitable to individual learning styles. In other words, students will have the opportunity to take a course either in online or traditional face-to-face format. Due to the impending start of the Palmetto College, the faculty chose to postpone the review and revising of the current assessment plan until after the launch in 2013. It was determined that more data was needed on how the program would manifest before developing new assessment techniques that would be equally appropriate for both the online and face-to-face programs. P&OD 2.11.10 16
Academic Program: Report -2013 Component Goal 6 Objectives SLO s (student learning outcomes) Description From your Program Plan (Describe broad learning outcomes and concepts (what you want students to learn) expressed in general terms (clear communication, problem-solving skills, etc). Goals should focus on disciplinespecific outcomes relevant to the program.) From your Program Plan (Describes the specific skills, values and attitudes students should be able to exhibit that reflect the broader goals. Objectives (student learning outcomes) transform the general program goals into specific student performance/behaviors that demonstrate student learning and skill development along these goals. Students who complete the Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from USC Upstate will have developed an understanding of the impact of race/ethnicity, class, religion, and gender on criminal behavior, public policy, and societal responses to crime. 6.1 Identify a variety of crime patterns and trends and describe their relationship to such variables as culture, gender, age, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. 6.2 Describe specific problems facing marginalized groups in the various components of the criminal justice system. P&OD 2.11.10 17
Academic Program: Report -2013 Methods Criteria From your Program Plan (Describes the measure(s) by which the department will know the students are meeting the departmental learning objectives. Includes both direct and indirect assessment. Each SLO should have at least one assessment method.) Level of achievement you are targeting (Indicate benchmarks, scores on assessment instruments, etc that would indicate acceptable achievement under your plan) Direct: ETS Major Field Test in Criminal Justice Indirect: Responses from a graduating senior exit survey Direct (ETS MFT): Group mean at or above the national average. Group indicator scores for indicator 2 (the Law) and 6 (critical thinking) at or above the national average. These two indicators were chosen for this SLO because the test does not offer a specific indicator addressing this goal. However, a review of sample test questions showed that individual questions related to this goal were most commonly assigned one or both of these indicators. Indirect (senior survey): On question 8 which specifically addresses Goal 6, 40% or fewer respondents should indicate the letter which indicates meet the stated goal by the program (a or d). P&OD 2.11.10 18
Academic Program: Report -2013 Results Actual results and data collected (Make sure to break down data by subgroups (e.g. other campuses or emphases). As appropriate, also include item or category analysis.) Direct: For, our students exceeded the benchmark for the overall score, but dropped below the national average on the indicators for the first time. For 2013, there was a slight dip in the overall score, with it falling below the national mean.. It is too soon to tell if this is an aberration or a trend. -11-12 2013-13 Overall 152 153 151 153 155 153.6 154 152 153.3 Indicator 2 (the law) Indicator 6 (critical thinking) 51% 56% 53.8% 56 56% 53.6% 52% 53% 53.0% 52% 55% 52.8% 55 56% 53.0% 46% 54% 52.8% The benchmark of less than 40% of respondents indicating failure to or with the program on question 8 of the senior survey which specifically addresses this goal was exceeded. *While data was collected for 2013, it was lost during a physical relocation of the program coordinator s office. Should this data be recovered, it will be added to this matrix for a future report. Action Plan What actions or modifications have been or will be made based on this assessment? Question # 10 11 10 11 12 13 8 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% * Criminal justice is currently undergoing a rigorous curriculum review and revision, with new requirements to be submitted for catalog approval by the end of 2013. New policies are being constructed to deal with student apathy and retention, including limiting the number of attempts a student can make on any specific course for the major. It is hoped that with this new policy, student effort in certain subject matters will increase. Two new faculty have been hired and will begin teaching new subject matter courses this academic year. The Palmetto College program is being launched in 2013. The program will be conducting a comprehensive review of its assessment plan in the early spring. All goals, SLOs, assessment methods, rubrics, and benchmarks will be evaluated and changes submitted to the UAC by March 15, 2013. Changes will be implemented in 2013. P&OD 2.11.10 19
Academic Program: Report -2013 Implementation and Evaluation of Previous Years Action Plan How was the action plan identified in the previous year s report implemented this y ear, and what was the impact? A new course, CRJU 102 Criminal Justice Writing Laboratory has been approved and is in the current catalog. The course is to be required for all majors beginning in 2013. methods will be explored for inclusion in the next plan update. Additionally, extensive planning and development was undertaken by the criminal justice faculty to prepare for the launch of the criminal justice online program through Palmetto College. This will allow us to meet the needs of students with a wider-variety of course offerings in formats that may be more suitable to individual learning styles. In other words, students will have the opportunity to take a course either in online or traditional face-to-face format. Due to the impending start of the Palmetto College, the faculty chose to postpone the review and revising of the current assessment plan until after the launch in 2013. It was determined that more data was needed on how the program would manifest before developing new assessment techniques that would be equally appropriate for both the online and face-to-face programs. P&OD 2.11.10 20