Mass Communications
Assessment Report
1999

Overview

The department's assessment report identifies the results of our second go-around with the process created by the university. Having gone through the initial process, we accepted that there was room to strengthen our approach to assessment and we identify those modifications in the appropriate sections of this report.

Summary of Data

Knowledge

Goal One: Help students acquire a basic understanding of the various facets of mass communications taught in the department.

Learning Outcomes                             Measurement Process
Objective: To correctly identify               Gather belief data in
established beliefs about journalism,         senior level classes
advertising and public relations.

Assessment Mechanism                      When/Where
Published instrument designed to              Spring '99
elicit professional belief data                     MC Law/Ethics

Results: Seniors and Juniors in mass communications [N of 37] correctly identified nine of the fourteen belief statements, which were statements representing beliefs about mass communication that constitute a knowledge base that should flow from an education in mass communications. Data was gathered in MC 400 Ethics and Issues and MC 401 Communications Law during spring semester of 1999.

Reflects a revision from '98 plan by having the belief survey administered to upper level students who have taken or are in the process of completing MC 400 & 401.

Goal Two: Help students acquire a working knowledge of communications ethics.

Learning Outcomes                             Measurement Process
Objective: To construct an ethics            Gather project data in
model of mass communications that         MC 400 Ethics & Issues
reflects the norms of the profession.

Assessment Mechanism                      When/Where
Successful completion of                          Fall '99
the ethics model assignment                      ethics class
and make data available for
review by others

Results: All students in the Ethics and Issues class have demonstrated an ability to create an ethics model that was in keeping with the ethical norms of the mass communications discipline. Those models are available for faculty and students to review in the department's library. The data was taken from Fall 99 because the instructor spent Spring '99 redeveloping the ethics model assignment.

Revision from '98 plan: the students' ethics models have been made available for review by the faculty of the department, as well as by other students and interested parties by placing a binder with those models in our department's library.

Goal Three: Help students acquire a working knowledge of campaign communication.

Learning Outcomes                             Measurement Process
Objective: To complete a written            Submit a completed campaign
communications campaign document       document to a professional
that addresses the standard                     competition.
components of an industry-based
campaign prospectus.

Assessment Mechanism                      When/Where
External professional evaluation                Spring '99
using an industry-based rating                   PR class
instrument.

Results: Three student teams, composed of four or five individuals, submitted their written campaign document to the Public Relations Student Society's annual Bateman Case Study national competition. One team's submission won recognition as a runner-up in the national finals. The other two teams' submissions did not earn any special national recognition. All teams met deadline for submission.

Revision from the '98 plan: The report includes score sheets for the teams which reflects a more detailed account on the feedback received from external judges relative to the project. All class members' projects were submitted for competition.

Skills

Goal One: Help students acquire the skills needed to write competently for the media.

Learning Outcomes                             Measurement Process
Objective: To write for the media at a     Create a publication which can be
level that is in keeping with the                submitted for evaluation by
standards  of the media industry.             professionals.
 

Assessment Mechanism                     When/Where
Employ portfolio evaluation using            Spring '99
an established criteria referenced
rating instrument.

Results: In a joint venture between students in Photojournalism and those enrolled in Magazine Writing, a magazine project was undertaken with the idea of submitting it for national competition in a contest sponsored by the Society of Professional Journalists. The project was not submitted because the instructors deemed that the work was not up to the standards required for publication.

Revision from '98 Plan: None, since the faculty deemed the working document as inadequate for publication.

Goal Two: Help students acquire a visual communications competency for the media.

Learning Outcomes                             Measurement Process
Objective: To develop visual materials     Create materials in
that can be placed in an exhibition that     photojournalism course that
simulates a professional exhibition.           Photo journalism class can
                                                               be used in an exhibit.

Assessment Mechanism                      When/Where
Performance appraisal by an                    Spring '98
external evaluator with professional          Photo class
photography credentials.

Results: Students in Photojournalism, using selected works from their classroom assignments, published a photojournalism document. The document was critiqued by an external evaluator and received a positive assessment from the professional critic.

Revision from '98 plan: None, because the invited critic chose to use an open-ended approach to his critique.

Goal Three: Help students develop an ability to work collaboratively in groups.

Learning Outcomes                             Measurement Process
Objective: To develop an ability              Create and produce a group
to work collaboratively on a                    product that would be analogous
professional prototype project.                to a product in the professional arena.

Assessment Mechanism                      When/Where
Submit the group product for                   Spring '99
professional evaluation in an                     PR Campaigns
appropriate outlet.

Results:  Students in the Ad Campaigns class collaborated on a contest entry for the American Advertising Federation's National Student Advertising Competition. The class submitted a forty page plans book to the AAF's District Eight Competition and made a 20 minute presentation at the district contest in Madison, WI. The class did not place at the district contest but did put forth the required printed materials and accompanying oral presentation.

Revision from '98 plan:  Followed the Assessment Committee's suggestion to use a student unit other than the one used for the third knowledge goal.

Goal Four: Help students acquire a sense of the entry-level skills needed to operate in their respective profession.

Learning Outcomes                             Measurement Process
Objective: To provide an assessment       Gather feedback data on
of an entry-level performance in a            a student's performance
student's chosen profession.                     in a professional setting.

Assessment Mechanism                      When/Where
Analyze the site supervisor's                     Spring '99
performance evaluation of the
student by identifying positive                    letters from site supervisors
and negative comments about the
student's performance relative to
the outcomes specified on the
internship agreement form.

Results:  The letters of evaluation from site supervisors [N of 7] were reviewed for positive and negative comments relative to the items specified on the student's internship agreement form. No negative comments were made by any of the site supervisors. Each of site supervisors offered very positive comments and spoke very highly of the professionalism exhibited by our interns.

Revision in '98 plan: None. The site supervisor's critique retained its open letter format. We are searching for a checklist instrument to use as an attachment. Our students often use site evaluations as reference letters.

Curriculum Implications

The department has concluded that all of our classes are collectively responsible for teaching the beliefs that represent a body of knowledge that should be held by someone educated in the mass communications discipline. Some clarity has been added by fine-tuning the learning outcomes statements in the department's course offerings. Some faculty believe that we should review and perhaps revise the instrument that we are now using to assess to belief statements that profile a professional understanding of our discipline and we will pursue discussion of that issue in the 1999-2000 academic year.

Budgetary Implications

While the department has not factored class size into our assessment, quality performance continues to be demonstrated in classes ranging from ten to thirty-one students in size. Continued emphasis on quality will obviously require continued funding of upper-level courses that have modest enrollment and funding for additional full-time faculty. We could use additional full-time faculty in visual communications and advertising/public relations. However, I will note as department chair, I have only received an occasional complaint from a student about any of our classes or our instructors. Personally, I think that's a great accomplishment. It should be noted that in the Fall of 1999, about one-third of our classes are be taught be adjunct faculty. We believe that our adjuncts are doing a great job for us and the university.

Retention Implications

Success speaks well for retention efforts. Students are often attracted to winning programs. If the department can continue to sustain its competitive posture in regional and national competition, the department's ability to retain its students ought to be enhanced.

Recruitment Implications

The department's success in external endeavors, as well as endeavors on campus, serves as a positive reason for prospective students to choose Moorhead State University. Additionally, the department makes an effort to engage its students in activities in the early part of a student's program and prospective students seem to respond well to the idea that they don't have to wait in line to participate.

Public Relations Implications

Obviously, when our students attain continued regional and national recognitions, host student photo exhibitions, produce documents and television shows that enjoy public support, we are creating positive public relations for the university.

Revision Implications for the Assessment Plan

This round of assessment has revealed that the department will need to continue efforts to fine-tune some of our assessment instruments. The belief survey needs to be reviewed for content validity as well as its interfacing with the learning outcomes of the department.. The analysis of internship evaluation letters has revealed that we could experiment with adding a criterion referenced evaluation tool. Our students find value site supervisor letters, consequently we feel that the open-letter format ought to remain a part of our evaluation. The open-ended format permits our site supervisors to offer an assessment based upon their professional judgment as opposed to offering a report based on criteria that may or may not be applicable in the student's internship site.

Attachments: Materials include student critiques from official contest situations, an update on the ethics model assignment, and an external review of our photojournalism project.

NOTE:  Copies of data can be obtained from the assessment coordinator or the Mass Communications Department.

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