DELTA STATE UNIVERSITY: COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES ACADEMIC ANNUAL REPORT FY 2008-2009 I Unit Title: College of Arts and Sciences Unit Administrator: Collier Parker, Dean II Data and information for department 2008-2009 Bulletin DSU Website http://www.deltastate.edu III Departments/Divisions/Institutes/Centers Department of Art, Ron Koehler, Chair Division of Biological and Physical Sciences, Barry Campbell, Chair Delta Music Institute, Tricia Walker, Director Center for Geospatial Information Technologies, Talbot Brooks, Director Honors Program, Karen Bell, Director Interdisciplinary Studies, Karen Bell, Director Department of History, Adam Lynde, Interim Chair Division of Languages and Literature, Bill Hays, Chair Department of Mathematics, Rose Strahan, Chair Department of Music, Paul Hankins, Interim Chair Division of Social Sciences, Albert Nylander, Chair Department of Social Work, Alinda Sledge, Chair Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, Gloria Brister, Chair The mission of the College of Arts and Sciences is to provide learning opportunities, in which students may increase knowledge, develop creativity, communication skills, critical thinking, and problem solving abilities; and deepen their understanding of themselves, their society, and the environment Through programs in the humanities, fine arts, mathematics, social sciences, and natural sciences, students are prepared to demonstrate competence in their chosen fields of study Additionally, the College provides a strong liberal arts foundation for all degree programs through the general education core, defining for society what it means to be an educated person Majors in the College of Arts and Sciences may earn the Bachelor of Arts degree, the Bachelor of Science degree, the Bachelor of Science in Education degree, the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, the Bachelor of Music degree, the Bachelor of Music Education degree, the Bachelor of Social Work degree, the Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice degree, and the Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies degree Students pursuing the Bachelor of Science in Education degree for the Secondary School Teacher in the subject areas offered by the College of Arts and Sciences are considered as majors in their respective departments in the College of Arts and Sciences Paper copies of the reports providing data on goals, performance results, assessment of performance, and use of the assessment data in planning for each of the major functions within the various departments and divisions are available in the Institutional Research and Planning office and on-line at the IR&P web-site Planning and assessment within the College takes place at the department/division level Each department/division has standing committees that meet regularly to evaluate curriculum, assessment procedures, and make recommendations for program improvement The committees rely on a variety of assessment methods including portfolio reviews, standardized tests, exit exams, minimum grade requirements in pre-requisite courses, student evaluations, capstone courses, employer surveys, and PRAXIS scores as ways of measuring performance Department committees use the results of these assessment methods to make recommendations for improvement Recommendations that include curriculum changes and new or revised courses are submitted to the Academic Council for review and approval after endorsement by the department faculty The College dean convenes a Council of Chairs each month to discuss departmental issues and directions as they relate to the college and university Information and decisions made by the Council are passed to departments by the chairs for consideration and action Several departments are accredited by discipline specific accrediting agencies The Department of Art is in good standing with the National Association of Schools of Art and Design and is scheduled for re-accreditation in 2009-10 The Department of Music is in good standing with the National Association of Schools of Music and is scheduled for re-accreditation in 2010-11 The Division of Biological and Physical Sciences has been continuously accredited by the American Chemical Society since 1979 The Social Work program was granted re-affirmation of accreditation for eight years with no contingencies with the next reaffirmation visit scheduled for 2013 All of the programs that offer teacher education training are accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education IV Curriculum Changes and improvements as a result of Planning and Assessment Some Examples: Art – Based on feedback from sophomore/junior portfolio reviews, oral comments from the annual student art show juror/visiting artist, and PRAXIS results, the department made these improvements: Hired a PhD Art Historian for Fall 2009 in order to improve graduates proficiency in art history; a recommendation was made to have graduating graphic design students display work with the fine arts students in the annual thesis exhibition - this recommendation was implemented for the spring 09 thesis show; a recommendation was made to up-grade graphic design software - part of the upgrade was completed in spring 09; recommendation approved to purchase new large monitors to accommodate laptop computers in the lab for fall 2008 - six monitors were purchased for the graphic design lab to accommodate the goal that every graphic design graduate will be fluent in the Macintosh computer platform - graphic design students are now required to have their own Mac laptop to help meet this goal; recommendation approved for the purchase of more photo video equipment for fall 2008 - video cameras were purchased; recommendation for improved weaving equipment was approved - equipment was purchased in fall 2008; bronze-casting facility equipment installed and currently in use Biology and Physical Sciences – Based on analysis of internships, course-based field and laboratory projects, individual research with faculty members, and shadowing experiences that science majors participate in at some point in time during their education at DSU, the Division has implemented the following: Division members are working to develop strategies that will improve the education of the students majoring in biology at DSU, both in degree and nondegree programs A committee composed of the instructors teaching BIO 100 and BIO 101 is meeting regularly to address division concerns about these courses A search by the Biology Curriculum Committee is underway for appropriate assessment tools that could be used in evaluating all students before and after completion of the BIO 100 and BIO 101 courses; The Biology Curriculum Committee is continuing discussion about how to involve more students in outside-of-the-traditional classroom, investigational experiences The recommendation is that we add to the curriculum a junior-senior seminar that will require all students in all majors to take part in a two-year process that will lead to individual studies and presentations to faculty members, invited guests, and fellow students The logistics of conducting a mandatory juniorsenior seminar are being worked out by division faculty members; Division members are working to develop strategies that will improve the education of the students majoring in chemistry at DSU, both in degree and non-degree programs General chemistry instructors are currently working to evaluate the general chemistry curriculum at DSU, to determine whether or not the content of our general chemistry courses meets the various needs of our student population BSIS – Based on analysis of portfolio contents, informal discussions and conferences with students the program has made changes to help improve the competency of students understanding of developing research that bridges disciplines Competency will be measured by completion of coursework at the established competency level of 70% or more The changes include: Continued the evaluation process during the initial stage of the portfolio process – one BIS 300 essay will be collected to measure critical thinking BIS 310 research papers will become initial evidence of interdisciplinary exploration with applicable research methods; a change being considered is to increase advising contacts with faculty in a variety of disciplines Delta Music Institute – Students should be able to operate multiple audio recording consoles and multiple audio software platforms in order to demonstrate an understanding of digital audio technology, recording methods, and practice; this is measured through successful completion of 12-18 hours recording technology classes and lab work; 75% pass rate of a written proficiency test that includes the recall and definition of recording elements; and an applied proficiency test that demonstrates the successful operation of DMI sound recording technology Based on results of these measurements the DMI made the following changes: curriculum committee recommended that gen ed math course be a pre- or co-requisite for DMI technology courses; the curriculum committee recommended that students should have a basic understanding of music theory DMI 116 (Music Fundamentals for the Recording Industry) has been approved as a preor co-req for all DMI courses beginning fall semester 2009; developed a “community of experts” within the music industry to offer master classes, seminars, workshops, or adjunct classes in their respective areas of expertise - by the very nature of the industry, the availability of such opportunities will likely remain somewhat random - will continue to take advantage of every opportunity; DMI 101 (Music Business Survey) has been developed as a survey of the music industry - this class will be offered for the first time in the 2009 Fall semester as a pre- or co-req to subsequent DMI courses; DMI 492 (Music Copyrights & Contracts) was renumbered DMI 415 to reflect its permanence in the course offerings; DMI 310 (The Business of Songwriting) was offered for the first time in the 2009 Spring semester History – Reviews of history major portfolios and assessments of the breadth of student knowledge through the use of lengthy multiple choice non-credit tests distributed to majors enrolled in upper level courses resulted in: initiation of a formal review of the options for assessing majors in this category that best suits the requirements of both History and DSU In doing so, the Department will benefit from the insights of newly hired faculty, and at the same time will undertake a formal review of assessment procedures of similar mandate used at similar institutions at the state, regional, and national level; the Department has decided to suspend the offering of History 110, and continue to offer History 400, while undertaking further research into what kind of course will answer the needs of both, and at what level it would best be offered Part of this research will include the insights of incoming faculty members Already, however, the Department has undertaken a cursory review of how other state institutions approach this issue Mississippi State, for example, offers a 300-level Historiography course that also meets one writing course requirement, while the University of Mississippi offers a 400-level 'Writing Intensive' course that has Composition 101 and 102 as prerequisites Whether such models are applicable to DSU History will await further review of other state but also regional and national institutions Languages and Literature – Based on evaluation of grades in English 304 (a capstone course for all English majors), aggregated WPE scores, portfolio assessment, foreign language rubric scores, and oral presentations the division made the following improvements: the unit has created a new class, ENG 486, which is partly aimed at helping students prepare their portfolios for final presentation; last year the Assessment Committee recommended that students pursuing the B.A degree in English take the PRAXIS II exam sometime during their senior year The entire English faculty considered this proposal during the 2008-09 academic year but concluded that this would cause an unnecessary cost for students The Assessment Committee will now consider developing an “in house” pre & post test for the students who are pursuing the B.A degree in English; the Assessment Committee will design a rubric specifically aimed at evaluating papers written by students seeking the B.A in English This rubric has been completed and is under consideration by the entire English faculty NOTE: Students who earn the B.A in English with a Concentration in Creative Writing are exempt from this evaluation because they take a specific course (ENG 490) which prepares them for portfolio presentation The grade of B or higher in English 490 is considered a satisfactory SLO for students in this program; the communication program added the use of more student and professional videos to demonstrate the proper use of voice and physical gestures, developed innovative exercises to encourage students to employ more vocal variety in speech as well as gestures and movement, and added facilitation assignments to upper-division courses Mathematics – General Education: Gives a final exam to determine student mastery of basic knowledge of college algebra topics Although review sessions were held, the mastery rate is very low Department received $50,000 grant from the IHL to redesign college algebra using the Hawkes System computer software to improve student mastery In MAT 099 (developmental math) the addition of small group work and emphasis on problem solving in the time gained by the use of the Hawkes System helped student scores improve The use of the computer system will continue IHL is exploring a redesign of this course that will place even more emphasis on the computer homework Music- The department regularly conducts a review of programs relative to mission and accreditation to ensure they address the expectations and competencies necessary for students to be prepared for their chosen fields This review has resulted in the following changes: Curriculum Committee discussed options and determined that a capstone experience should be added to the degree requirements The committee will explore multiple options for providing this experience next year and add a capstone experience to the degree requirements; implement a barrier examination for admission to 300-level applied study appropriate to the degree and the area of applied study; require a minimum credits (two semesters) of upper level hours of applied study for graduation; consider adding a Senior recital option for completing the Capstone experience; revised course offerings; updated and revised the Department of Music Student Handbook; addressed inconsistencies between published materials and the music curriculum; the curriculum committee recommended that PSY 313 Adolescent Psychology be removed as a requirement in the Bachelor of Music Education degree The three unassigned hours be redistributed among other music classes Two hours will be added back to the AMU (applied music) requirement for the freshman year Currently the requirement is one hour per semester This increased the required credits to hours in each semester and put the AMU credits awarded for the freshman year in line with the credits awarded for AMU in all other semesters The remaining hour was added back to MUS 450, formerly MUS 307 prior to Fall 2008; the department responded to NASM request regarding meeting the technology standard for the BM degree by identifying the means and methods for ensuring basic familiarity and competency with essential music technology though its integration into the music curriculum The result of the response to NASM was the Final Approval for Listing for the BM in Performance Social Science– Based on information collected from student teaching portfolio documents, Praxis II test scores, evaluation instruments from student teaching, pre and post-tests on basic and advanced concepts in Social Justice and Criminology, senior portfolio reviews, practicum reports, theses, comprehensive exams, and professional presentations the following changes were made: a resource library was developed for students preparing to take the Praxis II exam It includes hardcopy and digital materials DSS faculty members have participated in curriculum and program redesign efforts led by partners in the College of Education Students will be required to engage in additional field experiences prior to their student teaching internships A second part to the Teaching Methods for Social Studies curriculum course will be required of students starting in the fall 09 semester Thus, BSE students will take two methods courses taught by faculty in the DSS; drawing from evaluation information and developments in the affiliated disciplines, the SJC program’s curriculum was significantly overhauled over the course of the 07-08 and 08-09 academic years Changes were approved by Academic Council and a new program of study was released that more accurately reflects current interests and concerns in the field; working with the appropriate course instructors and students, the SJC committee will identify student work samples (e.g theory and/or research-based writing) from their first and last semesters in the program to assess the level of development made across students’ program of study This will provide a basis for more thorough evaluation of the student learning outcome; the Master of Science in Criminal Justice was renamed Social Justice and Criminology New courses were developed to reflect emphasis on understanding theories of crime causation in criminal justice and the prevention of crime A new Graduate Coordinator was named Research methods and statistics courses are being refined and delivered online Student research, especially the thesis option, is being emphasized Social Work - The department developed a referral process called “Writing Concern” in which students with writing deficiencies were referred to the writing lab/academic support for the year 2007-08 Students were closely monitored by faculty and the chair sent letter to each one regarding deficiency Six students were formally referred to the writing lab/academic support for the year 2008-09 One student improved so much that she was taken off writing concern list Others were closely monitored by faculty Chair sent letter to each one regarding deficiency Faculty report that most of the students referred to the writing lab/academic support have improved Faculty identified student’s writing problems from their assigned papers Faculty discussed procedure at Outcomes Evaluation Faculty Meeting May 5, 2009, and made suggestions for new procedure Faculty thought there are two kinds of students with writing problems Some students need help with small points of grammar and others have needs that are beyond the help of the writing lab The latter students need to be referred for remedial help at the academic support lab The writing problems were identified in first assignment (SWO 201, 305, 311) and appropriate students were referred to the writing lab or academic support lab Students referred to the academic support lab received a letter from the chair emphasizing the importance of increasing written communication skills to be successful in the social work program The department will continue the program This goal is completed Speech and Hearing – Based on analysis of scores on written exams , research projects, and presentations the department made the following changes: the class text for Voice Disorders (SHS 422) has been changed to reflect more student friendly content focusing on normal voice production as well as disorders New software was purchased from Blue Tree Publishing on phonation and disorders which promotes active student participation through auditory, visual, and verbal modalities; scores on Articulation Competencies (SHS 332) demonstrated the need for students to have experience using standardized assessment instruments for actual real time evaluation of patients with speech sound production deficits A case study was implemented as a class assignment for each student to reinforce application of acquired assessment principles; the class text for students in Neuroanatomy (SHS 416) was changed to “Neuroanatomy for the Speech Language Pathologist” to aid understanding of the anatomy and physiology of the brain as it relates to communication We also purchased software that allows students to “travel” through the brain pathways to relate site of lesion to functional communicative deficits; Use of Blackboard technology for instruction of Language Development and Language Disorders, SHS 304 and SHS 334 Use of video presentation of patients with language delays or disorders to focus on assessment and treatment methods; Implementation of “Speech Artic” software to help students differentiate geographical/ ethnic dialectical speech patterns in SHS 302; use of American Speech Hearing Language Association’s group intervention efficacy research related to brain dysfunction for student assessment and therapeutic planning in SHS 420 V Major Accomplishments: There were no fewer than 169 publications, presentations, exhibitions and performances state and nationwide by A&S faculty A&S faculty chaired faculty development events like the ROMEA and Arts in April programs state award recognition In 2008-09 over $2.1 million dollars were raised through grant efforts such as the $72,500 IHL grant for the math department “Algebra and Geometry Institute,” $50,000 IHL grant to redesign college algebra, $1,988,000 Title III grant (over five years) “Increasing Student Success and Retention through the Transformation of Laboratory Science Instruction” in the Division of Biological and Physical Sciences, and a $60,000 grant from the Baxter International Foundation for in Speech and Hearing Sciences to assess cognitive and speech/language skills of patients with neurological disorders William N LaForge gave the fifteenth annual Cranford Lecture, held in the Jobe Hall theater A member of the History Department spoke on her new book Digging Up the Holy Land: The Life of Dame Kathleen Kenyon to audiences at the British Museum, the Jewry Wall Museum (Leicester, England), the University of Edinburgh, the Kenyon Institute in Jerusalem, and at Delta State as part of the Year of Partnerships A member of the Division of Languages and Literature received a grant from Chawton House Library for study and research in England Thanks to extraordinary efforts by a history faculty member the Jobe Hall Atrium has been redesigned and converted into the University Veterans Memorial The Art department held the fourth International Delta Film and Video Festival Festival was advertised internationally and included submissions from several US states and from around the world including France, Germany, and Australia thus raising the profile of the DSU Art Department The art department partnered with various schools and agencies to create afterschool and summer art experiences for area students These included: After-school Arts Program– Grant from Mississippi Arts Commission - Partner with Cleveland School District; Arts in the Schools – Delta Arts Alliance; Core Arts Summer Program – Partner with BPAC; Summer Arts Plus Program – Partner with BPAC; Gear Up Program – Partner with the Delta Center for Culture and Learning ... state and nationwide by A&S faculty A&S faculty chaired faculty development events like the ROMEA and Arts in April programs state award recognition In 2 008-09 over $2.1 million... year 2 008-09 One student improved so much that she was taken off writing concern list Others were closely monitored by faculty Chair sent letter to each one regarding deficiency Faculty report. .. sometime during their senior year The entire English faculty considered this proposal during the 2 008-09 academic year but concluded that this would cause an unnecessary cost for students The Assessment