Rationale for Selecting Each of these Methods

A.  Classroom/Course Data:  The strategies used in this category involved methods that  traditionally have been used to judge classroom performance. Assessment tools in this category include: examinations such as objective tests (multiple-choice questions, true-false questions, fill-in-the-blank questions) as well as subjective tests (essay and short-answer questions). 

The reasons for selecting objective tests are that they provide students with rapid feedback on their performance and they aid faculty in obtaining immediate feedback about their teaching effectiveness. The subjective evaluation techniques allow professors to assess higher order thought processes in the students, help students develop writing skills and critical thinking, and encourage application or problem-solving based learning. 

B. Projects/Performance Assessment:  The goals of these assessment tools are to give students the opportunity to apply their learning in the subject area. The tasks involved in this category are: individual writing, class presentations and graphics, or poster production. 

The reasons for selecting these methods are the following: it helps students integrate the information presented in the class, it promotes students’ active learning and library use, and it provides students with the opportunity to study a subject area in depth.

C. Self-Assessment/Reflection:  Students will have the opportunity to rate themselves on assignments and on class presentations. They also have the opportunity to reflect on their personal lives by means of assignments and journal writing.

The rationale for using these assessment tools are that students learn to self-evaluate their performance and to apply what they learned in their courses to various areas of their lives.

D. Collaboration: Students will participate in group projects and in presentations.

This type of assessment tool promotes students’ engagement, provides students with the opportunity to practice group skills and time management, promotes independent work at a deeper level, and simulates how professionals work in the field.

 Documentation of Student Learning in the Major

The faculty of the psychology department keeps the following files for documentation concerning student learning related to departmental goals:

A.     each instructor maintains a file of students’ examinations, assignments, and term papers (randomly selected from each course each semester).

B.     the department chair maintains the results of alumni surveys that are conducted one year prior to each program review.

C.     each instructor  maintains a list of students who have participated with them in research activities outside of class, along with an indication of the level and quality of the students’ involvement.

D.     supervising faculty keeps copies of papers submitted for publication.

E.      supervising faculty keeps copies of papers accepted for presentation at conferences.

F.      supervising faculty keeps records of the field experience and internships completed by students in our major.

G.     once every five years, the department chair will request the Career Development Center   and the Student Alumni Association information about the types of jobs obtained by St. Ambrose graduates with psychology majors.

H.  once every five years the department will conduct an alumni survey with questions assessing our departmental goals and alumni’s  views of the quality of the education they received from the psychology department.  

I.     once every five years the chair person of the department will summarize the yearly written evaluation reports that had been submitted by departmental subcommittees regarding curriculum and assessment of the department.

 Use of Assessment Information to Improve Education

The above materials will be discussed during the psychology department yearly departmental goals meeting held at the beginning of each fall semester.  Minutes of the meeting will be recorded noting any trends and any recommended changes to the program and/or its assessment.  Documentation of these reviews will be kept by the department chair person. 

Results of the Present Assessment of Teaching and Learning in the Major

We are happy to report that significant improvements were made in the goals the members of the psychology department met since the last program review.  Students have become more knowledgeable about the research process, they are attending more conferences, they are volunteering and interning with more community organizations, and the Psychology Club and Psi Chi conducted activities together. These goals are ongoing and as such the department members will do all they can to continue to  emphasize their importance to students.

Alumni Survey

An alumni survey was modified from the previous program review and distributed in the fall semester of 2003.

The questions included in the alumni survey related directly to our mission statement and to our objectives for teaching and learning. Twenty-three questions asked our graduates to rate (on a seven-point scale) how well they believed their psychology education resulted in the development of specific skills or abilities. Two open-ended questions asked for feedback on the strengths and weaknesses of their psychology education.

Surveys were sent to a total of 391 alumni.  Ninety-five surveys were completed and returned (11 of these through a secure internet site), and 43 surveys were returned by the post office to us due to unknown current addresses.  Response choices ranged from 1=strongly disagree to 7=strongly agree.  An analysis of the responses revealed mean scores that were statistically significantly above the midpoint for most of the items, suggesting that students agreed that their psychology education had resulted in meeting the mission and objectives of the department.

Specifically, our graduates most strongly agreed that their psychology education allowed them to confidently understand knowledge related to psychology research. Additionally, they strongly agreed that their education assisted them in thinking more critically, in improved problem solving, in improved oral communication skills, and in the values of ethical research and practice. These strengths are consistent with our Department Goals numbers 1, 3, 5, and 7. One item of note from the last survey was that this year’s respondents believed they were better able to apply specific research methodologies to answer psychological questions than five years earlier.

There were only three items that had mean scores that were not significantly above the midpoint, and only one of the mean scores was not above the midpoint (though close to it).  We feel that we need to focus on improving all four items. The items for which responses suggest needed improvement include (from weakest to those that were not significant strengths):

·        “The psychology education I received at SAU gave me the opportunities for social and/or development through club or society membership (such as Psychology Club, Psi Chi, or supervised field experience).”This was the only item where the mean score was below the midpoint in the survey. This will be addressed in Department Goal 4.

·        “The psychology education I received at SAU gave me the ability to apply what I learned about statistics to doing specific statistical analyses.” This will be addressed in Department Goal 2.

·        “The psychology education I received at SAU gave me the ability to confidently discuss the results of specific statistical analyses that I read in journal articles.” This will be addressed in Department Goal 2.

·        “The psychology education I received at SAU gave me the ability to confidently discuss the psychoanalytic approach in psychology.” This will be addressed in Department Goal 1; however, this psychological approach has fallen out of favor in the field of psychology because it is not empirically supported. Because of this, the topic may be covered in courses but with less emphasis than other approaches.

For the first open-ended question, the following can best summarize “The greatest weakness of my education in psychology at St. Ambrose was:”

·        28 had no response.

·        Graduates expressed that there were not enough practical experiences offered nor were there enough research opportunities. This will be addressed in Department Goal 2.

·        There were specific courses and a few faculty members that a few respondents named that they believed could improve.

·        The lack of career opportunities in fields related to psychology some respondents who chose not to pursue graduate education. This will be addressed in Department Goal 10.

For the second open-ended question, “The greatest strength of my education in psychology at St. Ambrose was:”

·        22 had no response.

·        Caring and knowledgeable faculty who mentored them and helped them learn.

·        Graduates expressed that they enjoyed learning about practical experiences and engaging in research opportunities. This strength is consistent with Department Goal 2.

·        Graduates expressed how the degree helps them in their current careers. This strength is consistent with Department Goal 10.

How has this Assessment Study Informed the Program Changes Described in “Proposed Actions”?

 The present assessment revealed a number of strengths and weaknesses that needed to be addressed to strengthen the educational experience offered to students majoring in psychology.  Although, members of the department determined that the Bachelors of Science degree adequately exposes students to various areas in psychology; we determined that the same was not true for the Bachelors of Arts.  Because of the flexibility students earning the BA had in choosing the credits needed to complete the degree, it was possible that students would not be exposed to courses that represented different subject matters in the field.  To address that issue, we made the Bachelors of Arts degree more structured by requiring students to take courses from four areas in psychology. By making this change students with the BA in Psychology, just like the students completing the BS in Psychology do, will have a broader knowledge base in psychology. 

We carefully evaluated the curriculum for the biopsychology concentration.  We reviewed psychology programs from universities similar to St. Ambrose and found out that many of them have a Behavioral Neuroscience degrees.  That degree had many of the requirements our biopsychology concentration has; however, it provides students with a stronger neuropsychological base.  We also evaluated the long term educational goals  students who choose our biopsychology concentration often have and felt that these students will be better prepared if the degree included more psychology courses associated with neurological bases of behavior.  As the result of this evaluation, we developed the Bachelors of Science in Behavioral Neuroscience. 

Other changes in our curriculum were made to show the importance of research in the area of psychology.  We changed the requirements for a Minor in psychology to include courses in statistics and research methods.  Similar changes were made for the Teaching Major and Teaching Minor in psychology.

The results of the Alumni survey, review of students’ papers, exams, presentations, and outside consultation assisted us in assessing our strengths and weaknesses. We learned that students, by far, are happy with their psychology education.  However, we still can make improvements. Based on our assessment these are the areas that we are emphasizing in our proposed actions and long-term goals:

• We are proposing significant changes in the curricula to reflect the changes in the field of psychology and to strengthen the knowledge base of our students. 
• To increase students opportunities for social and spiritual development, we will continue to encourage students to become involved in the activities of Psychology Club and Psi Chi. 
• A “Service Award”  will be awarded to a graduating senior psychology major who exemplifies an individual who enriched his/her own life and the lives of others through social, spiritual, and ethical activities.
• We also want to explore creative ways of involving more students in the research process.
• We want to develop an internship that will give students the opportunity to gain practical experience in psychology.

General Education Assessment of Teaching

The ways in which our courses meet general education goals is indicated in grid form on the following pages.

Matrix for Demonstrating that Courses Teach to Gen Ed Skills & Attitudes Goals