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Institutional Research & Assessment

Southern Utah University
Communication Department
Academic Outcomes Assessment Plan
Academic Year 2001-2002

Mission Statement:

The Southern Utah University Communication Department provides opportunities for its students to apply the principles and theories of human communication and mass media in situations that simulate the professional world. The department operates in a student-centered environment to foster ethical behavior, superior communication skills, leadership abilities, and critical thinking.

Goal Statement:

The curriculum of this department consists of a careful blend of classroom courses in theory, methods, histories, and in appropriate emphases, laboratory experiences in hands-on applications of these principles. The intent is to produce a well-rounded graduate who is conversant with the material in the communication field and who can also proficiently apply that material. To this end, internships are strongly encouraged in the department. The department prepares students for careers in advertising, broadcasting, interpersonal communication, journalism and public relations. It also prepares students to teach in the secondary schools. Through general education offerings at SUU in the communication core, and the humanities and social and behavior science knowledge areas, the Communication Department endeavors to give SUU general education students strong presentational skills and a background in communication principles and practices.

Assessment Criteria and Activities:

1. The General Education courses offered by the communication department will align carefully with the General Education skill areas of communication, higher-order thinking, information management, and the valuing process.

2. Communication students will pass their courses with a minimum grade of C, as assessed by testing measures within each course.

3. Communication courses will contain activities that will enable students to demonstrate a reasonable level of proficiency in communication skills.

4. The communication core classes of COMM 2750 Interpersonal Communication, COMM 4010 Persuasion, and COMM 4350 Communication Theory will enable communication majors to attain a proficiency in human communication principles, methods, and theories.

5. Each senior will write a paper on a chosen or assigned communication theory topic in the Communication Theory capstone course. They will exhibit proper use of the APA form and achieve a score of not less than 80 percent.

6. A departmental newsletter will be produced each year that will be sent to all available graduates. A portion of the newsletter will contain an inquiry which the person will return to the Communication Department which details their current employment and asks pertinent questions regarding the quality of their education.

7. A survey will be administered to graduating seniors each year that will contain a quantifiable, written portion, and, also an personal interview.

8. Students will be satisfied with their preparation within the major, with their employment, employers will be satisfied with SUU graduate employees and students will be successful in attaining admission and performance in graduate school.

Implementation:

1. The SUU Curriculum Committee will evaluate the communication department general education offerings with the accepted general education criteria and determine whether the courses fulfill the requirements or not. Acceptance by the Curriculum Committee indicates assessment and positive evaluation of the communication general education courses by a university committee in addition to the department assessment.

2. Students who do not pass courses in the major with at least a C will not be allowed to count the course in their major. Students may take the course again and a C or better grade can be counted toward the major.

3. Skill demonstrating activities will be available in each of the areas of emphasis, and will be conducted primarily in the laboratories that are available in each area. Students who may have low skills will be counseled on how a greater skill level may be acquired.

4. Students in the core communication classes of COMM 2750 Interpersonal Communication, COMM 4010 Persuasion, and COMM 4350 Communication Theory will pass those classes with a minimum of a C. Instructor evaluations of grades determine proficiency in principles, methods and theories of communication.

5. Communication Theory is a required course for all majors in the department. Each upper division course in the department requires at least one major written assignment. The written assignment in the Communication Theory course will be of a more intense nature and will demand more attention to content, form and style.

6. The departmental newsletter will provide a vehicle for pose graduation surveys which will be tabulated and evaluated to determine if high levels of satisfaction are maintained by our students after they have entered the work force.

7. The student survey will be administered each year when senior students come to have their graduation papers signed. First, the student will complete the written portion of the survey, then the department chair will conduct the oral interview, after which the person's graduation papers will be signed.

Process:

1. The general education proposals are submitted to the SUU Curriculum Committee for review. The committee evaluates the proposals and course syllabi compared to the general education criteria for SUU and for the state. Acceptance of a course indicates close alignment of course offerings with general education criteria.

2. The requirement for a C- grade or better will be placed on all advisement sheets, in the university catalog and will be reiterated in personal advisement sessions with the students. It will be reviewed again when the student's papers are scrutinized for graduation.

3. Laboratories and certain courses provide adequate opportunities for observations of student skills in all areas of the department.

4. All communication majors are required to take three core courses that provide breadth and depth in communication principles, methods, and theories.

5. The Communication Theory course is a senior class and lends itself well to an advanced research project.

6. The newsletter will be a project of the members of the Communication Department, but will involve contributions from students in writing, editing and lay-out.

7. The student survey was constructed with input from faculty members. The graduating seniors fill out the survey when they meet with the department chair for graduation signatures. The department chair also asks the graduating seniors for feedback and suggestions for the department.

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Last Update: Friday, June 06, 2003