Mass Communications Department
Assessment Report
2004

The following material has been taken from our six-year review document and is submitted to the Assessment Committee as a report from Mass Communications for the current reporting period.

Assessment of Student Learning Outcomes

Mass Communications continues to employ an approach to assessment that gauges achievement of learning outcomes based upon the ability of the student to collaboratively produce a professional artifact. The use of the professional product, as evidence of achievement of learning, reflects the inherent bias one brings to the table when the curriculum is structured as a professional program. Further, the choice of product model, as an instrument in the assessment process, seems to be a good fit because it reflects the reality that the mass communications’ professional product is often a team product as opposed to an artifact created by a single person.

Successfully engaging students in the process of creating a team-based professional product is evidenced by the actual production of an advertising or a public relations campaign document, the publishing of a photo documentary, the creation of a television documentary or the airing of a weekly television news program, the publishing of a sponsored newsletter or by the actual creation of an online magazine. Using a variety of avenues, ranging from the submission of the product for critical review in a national student contest setting to having an area broadcast news professional provide a weekly critique of the students’ news program, artifacts created by our students receive critical evaluation by professionals from the mass communications industry. Consequently, the ability to successfully create a professional product that is indicative of what a student would be expected to do in an entry level position in the Mass Communications industry, does seem to be an appropriate means of assessing the global learning outcomes being pursued in the department.

MSUM’s Bulletin provides a current list of the learning outcomes articulated by the Mass Communications program.

Learning Outcomes

recognize the theoretical concepts in one’s chosen emphasis;
demonstrate an understanding of the ethics governing one’s chosen emphasis;
demonstrate verbal competency in one’s chosen emphasis;
demonstrate visual competency in one’s chosen emphasis;
demonstrate an ability to work collaboratively;
demonstrate an ability to create a professional document that meets industry standards; and
demonstrate entry level competence in one’s chosen emphasis through successful completion of an internship or other professional field experience.

Methods of assessing learning outcomes over the past six-years have varied. The department feels more comfortable with some of its assessment procedures than others. For some of the outcomes the department has suspended its efforts to measure achievement until a better method can be found or the stated outcomes are revised. Professional product, as evidence of the student achievement, is probably the department’s strongest measurement mechanism.

Mass Communications remains receptive to trying new assessment methodologies and will continue its efforts to refine its assessment procedures as resources permit. The department employs, has employed or is planning to employ the following methods as a means of assessing learning outcomes:

Outcome #1:

Recognize the theoretical concepts in one’s chosen emphasis;

Assessment: Assessment of this variable has been suspended because the homemade test we employed lacked content validity. To date we have not found a singular instrument that will provide a credible measure for the outcome. An instrument that assesses acquisition of knowledge in a particular emphasis or subject-matter area may be a more appropriate way of assessing this outcome. At a minimum the outcome assessment may need to be segmented for each of the three major subject-matter areas – advertising, public relations and journalism.

Outcome # 2:

Demonstrate an understanding of the ethics governing one's chosen emphasis;

Assessment: Assessment of this variable has been suspended. Similar to the outcome above, the homemade tool we employed lacked content validity. To date we have not found a singular instrument that will provide a credible measure of the outcome. Since the department’s approach to the teaching of communications ethics and law is more genius than species, the department may not need to segment the assessment of the outcome by subject-matter but will need to locate an appropriate instrument to use for its measurement.

Outcome # 3:

Demonstrate written competency in one’s chosen emphasis;

Assessment: In an effort to improve assessment of written competency, the department has selected as a tool of measurement, the student’s academic performance in the designated upper-level writing course for one’s respective emphasis. To be deemed proficient, a student must pass the course with a 2.0 on the 4.0 grade scale. The 2.0 grade point was selected for purposes of consistency and external validity because it’s the grade-point that the university has designated as the minimum grade point needed to successfully complete the undergraduate degree requirements. The following table provides summary data of student achievement of this outcome for the current reporting period.

Measurement of Demonstrated Written Competency by Students

Designated Upper level Course	98-99 Year	99-00 Year	00-01 Year	01-02 Year	02-03 Year	03-04 Year Fall	Six-Year Average
MC 306 Ad Copywriting	42/45 93%	61/62 98%	53/56 95%	64/66 94%	64/66 97%	31/39 79%	93%
MC 307 PR Processes	45/57 96%	49/53 93%	42/42 100%	68/70 97%	73/76 96%	32/32 100%	97%
MC 308 Broadcast Jour	34/35 97%	28/31 90%	23/26 88%	25/31 81%	28/33 85%	10/16 63%	84%
MC 309 Reporting	22/26 85%	24/33 72%	21/28 75%	25/29 86^	25/33 76%	18/22 82%	79%

Approximately 88 percent of the department’s student population are successfully achieving this outcome.

Outcome # 4:

Demonstrate visual competency in one’s chosen emphasis;

Assessment: In an effort to improve assessment of visual competency outcome, the department is measuring this outcome by using a standard analogous to the standard that’s being used to gauge verbal competence, the achievement of a 2.0 grade point in a designated upper-level visual communications course for each of the respective areas of emphasis. The department has recently designated the upper-level courses to use when assessing visual communications: Imaging in Ad and PR, Layout and Typography, Photojournalism, and Television News Photography.

Measurement of Visual Competency

Designated Upper level Course

2001-2002

Year

2002-2003

Year

Two-Year

Average

MC 305

Imaging in Ad and PR

42/48

88 %

50/56

89 %

92/104

88 %

MC 320

Layout and Typography

115/125

92 %

102/123

83 %

217/248

88 %

MC 330

Photojournalism

34/38

89 %

32/39

82 %

66/77

86 %

MC 343

TV News Photography

29/33

88 %

39/41

95 %

68/74

92 %

Approximately 88 percent of the department’s student population have successfully achieving this outcome.

Outcome # 5:

Demonstrate an ability to work collaboratively;

Assessment: To assess an individual’s ability to work collaboratively, the department selected as its tool of measurement, a student’s successful participation in a major project that’s required in an emphasis’ capstone course. With concurrent approval of the faculty member, each of the capstone course projects either has or will soon empower the team unit with the authority to fire or otherwise dismiss a non-participating group member from the team project. Should a student be dismissed, she or he will still need to complete the required project either as an individual or by negotiating to rejoin the group or persuading another group to add the student to its membership.

To verify achievement of one’s ability to work collaboratively, the department uses the team’s acknowledgement of an individual student’s collaborative participation as evidenced by the presence or absence of one’s name in the published credits of the project. Capstone courses include: Broadcast Documentary, Photo Documentary, Copy Editing, Online Journalism Workshop, Advertising Campaign Execution and Public Relations Campaign Execution.

Successful Completion of Collaborative Capstone Project

Capstone

Course

2001-2002

Enrolled/Completed

2002-2003

Enrolled/Completed

MC 430

Photo Documentary

26/27

96 %

18/19

95 %

MC 440

TV Documentary

19/19

100 %

10/11

91 %

MC 460

Ad Campaign Exec

47/48

98 %

35/37

95 %

MC 471

PR Campaign Exec

26/27

96 %

31/31

100 %

MC 492

Online Journalism

6/7

86 %

15/15

100 %

To date, the department has experienced a 96 percent success ratio in the students’ collaborative participation in the capstone projects.

Outcome # 6:

Demonstrate an ability to create a professional document that meets industry standards; and

Assessment: To assess one’s ability to create a professional document that meets industry standards, the department relies on the student’s successful completion of an individual or collaborative class project that is either accepted for publication by a professional/commercial organization or is submitted to an official competition or contest that is otherwise juried by a professional person[s]. Achievement is gauged by whether the document receives acceptance for publication or juried review. In the current reporting period, all capstone course projects have been successful in meeting the requirements for publication and or contest entry. Samples of student-produced artifacts will be kept on file in the department and can be made available if deemed necessary.

Outcome # 7:

Demonstrate entry-level competence in one's chosen emphasis by successful completion of an internship or some other professional field experience.

Assessment: Entry level competence is measured by the evaluations received from the professional site supervisors using their respective industry specific instruments of performance evaluation. In instances where a company does not have a suitable performance evaluation mechanism, site supervisors are asked to provide formal feedback using a written narrative that addresses the student’s professional performance during the tenure of the intern. Performance evaluations must be received to earn academic credit. Internship evaluations are reviewed by the department’s internship coordinator and are subsequently placed in the student’s academic file. Since the letter of evaluation is part of the student’s academic record and is protected under FERPA, no samples are included as a part of this report. Should the Assessment Committee request such materials, letters will need to be carefully edited to protect the student’s personal identity.

Demonstration of Entry Level Competency

MC 469 Internship

2001-2002

Enroll/Complete

2002-2003

Enroll/Complete

Academic Credit

71/71

100 %

55/58

95 %

In the current reporting period, 98 percent of the interns have successfully demonstrated entry-level competence in the professional setting.

Changes to Curriculum Flowing from Assessment

Most of the current curriculum changes in the department reflect responses to new programming and technology changes in the Mass Communications industry. As changes have occurred, the department has tried to keep pace with the ever-changing professional landscape. For example, as the news media shifted from studio production to field production, the department has moved its taping of its news program out of a traditional studio and into a field production setting. Additionally, as the news media added online editions of their publications, the department has added an Emphasis in Online Journalism to its program offerings. Further, as digital imaging has grown in advertising and public relations, the department has added courses in desktop video, audio and video online production, as well as adding facilities to better facilitate the distribution of the convergent media message. As new software advancements have empowered professionals in the advertising and public relations industries, the department has attempted to keep pace with those developments by adding to its curriculum courses in photo-imaging, personal and online presentations, as well as producing web-based advertising and public relations messages.

The assessment process, as well as the department’s struggles to do a better job in its implementation of a viable assessment process, continues to be a catalyst of curricular change. The department is currently in the midst of its plan to submit a policy change to APAC that will require students to successfully complete the designated upper-level courses in writing [verbal] and visual communication with a 2.0 grade point. Additionally, the department is also continuing to explore whether a similar standard should be required for a designated upper-level technology course relative to each of the program emphases. It is the department’s intention to forward the policy recommendation to APAC for its review before the end of the current academic year. The designated courses will be drawn from courses already required within each emphasis area and therefore will not add any additional credits to the respective emphases. The designated upper-level performance courses provide a context for assessment and also establish a designated level of performance. The policy is articulated below, with the courses identified.

Designated Upper-level Performance Courses

To graduate with a major in Mass Communications, a student must demonstrate proficiency with a grade of C or better in the department’s designated upper-level performances courses in written communication, visual communication and technology. The designated upper-level performance courses for the various program units are identified in the table below.

Program Unit	Upper-level Written Communication	Upper-level Visual Communication	Upper-level Technology
Advertising	MC 306 Ad Copywriting	MC 305 Imaging in Ad /PR	MC 351 Online or MC 352 e-Com
Public Relations	MC 307 PR Processes	MC 305 Imaging in Ad /PR	MC 351 Online or MC 352 e-Com
Integrated Ad & PR	MC 306 or MC 307	MC 305 Imaging in Ad /PR	MC 351 Online or MC 352 e-Com
Broadcast Journalism	MC 308 Broadcast Journalism	MC 343 TV News Photography	MC 344 TV News Editing
Print Journalism	MC 309 Reporting	MC 320 Layout/Typography	MC 405 Computer Assisted Reporting
Photojournalism	MC 308 or MC 309	MC 330 Photojournalism	MC 331 Photo Editing
Online Journalism	MC 308 or MC 309	MC 330 Photojournalism or MC 343	MC 331 Photo Editing or MC 344 TV News Editing
English/Mass Communications Dual Major	Either MC 306, MC 307, MC 308 or MC 309	No coursework designated	No coursework designated
Minor in Mass Communications	Either MC 306, MC 307, MC 308 or MC 309	No coursework designated	No coursework designated