Executive Summary
The E. W. Scripps School of Journalism seeks to build assessment into its totaloperation and specifically at various levels of students' time on campus. This reportseeks to document success in this effort. With specific reference to students, the reportshows the school has:
Journalism's overall assessment record gains strong support through itsconstant external evaluation by such groups as U.S. News and World Report, the JournalismAdvisory Board, Student Advisory Council and the Accreditation Council on Education inJournalism and Mass Communication.
E.W. SCRIPPS SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM ASSESSMENT REPORT, 1995-96
Goals of the School of Journalism
The overall goal of the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism --broadly stated -- is toprovide thorough professional training in journalism and communications within the contextof a liberal and cultural education. Journalism today requires its practitioners to beeducated culturally and trained professionally. Blending the liberal arts withprofessional courses, Ohio University journalism stu- dents take approximatelythree-fourths of their courses outside the professional school.
More specifically, the school subscribes to the recently passed College ofCommunication Outcome Expectations: (1) skills in speaking, writing and computing; (2)breadth of knowledge; (3) critical thinking, gathering and analysis of information; (4)practical experience in a communication discipline; and (5) completion of an internship orpracticum.
DIRECT STUDENT-CENTERED ASSESSMENT
It is important to any program that attention to student progress be an on-going partof the educational process. It is not adequate, for example, that a test be given at theend of one's edu- cation. Assessment must be part of the education itself; it must be usedas a guide in program development -- for the institution, but primarily for the individualstudent.
Admissions and Retention
Student assessment begins before they arrive at Ohio University. working in closecooperation with the Office of Admissions, the school carefully screens applicants fordemonstration of the ability to succeed. As a result, the school's admission standardsrank second at Ohio University only to the Honors Tutorial College (and journalism doeshave Ohio University's highest number of honors students). About two in seven applicantsare admitted directly into the school, and about half of those who apply for transfer areaccepted.
According to the Office of Admissions, most of the applicants choose Ohio Universityspecifically because they want to study in the School of Journalism.
The success of this effort is measured annually by analysis of results of theuniversity's Office of Institutional Research study of departmental retention rates. Inthe 1995 Freshman Retention Study, the School of Journalism rate of 91 percent placed itin a tie for first place at Ohio University and significantly higher than the universityaverage of 83.1 percent. That same report indicated a pattern of continuous retentionsuccess:
| Percentage of Retention from Freshman to Sophomore Years | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 |
| 91 | 92 | 92 | 93 | 90 | 91 |
Another study by Institutional Research likewise indicates that the School ofJournalism has developed an overall plan of assessment that facilitates student success.The school ranks third in the average time in which students graduate (based on 1989freshmen).
| Average Time of Graduation | |
|---|---|
| Linguistics | 4.00 |
| Dance | 4.06 |
| Journalism | 4.08 |
ACT COMP Objective Test --Journalism Majors
The university-wide ACT College Outcomes Measures Project is administered by the Officeof Institutional Research. Journalism students do better on the test than the average OhioUniversity student as freshmen and as seniors. The average total scores for journalismstudents are 40th percentile as freshmen and 70th percentile as seniors. Theuniversity-wide average is 36th percentile for freshmen and 65th percentile as seniors.
The journalism students' gain between the freshman and senior year is slightly higherthan university-wide. Journalism students show slightly lower gains on five of the sixareas, but the gain by journalism students are substantial, and the differences in gainsbetween them and the total student body are minimal.
| ACT COMP Outcomes Measures | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FSI | USCI | UART | COMM | SPROB | CLVAL | Total | ||||||||
| F | Sr | F | Sr | F | Sr | F | Sr | F | Sr | F | Sr | F | Sr | |
| Journ Majors | 45 | 67 | 37 | 61 | 55 | 78 | 41 | 67 | 44 | 72 | 42 | 68 | 40 | 70 |
| All Students | 39 | 64 | 34 | 61 | 40 | 70 | 39 | 61 | 37 | 66 | 35 | 69 | 36 | 65 |
| F-Freshmen Sr - Senior FSI - Functioning in Social Institutions USCI - Using Science and Technology UART - Using Art COMM - Communicating SPROB - Solving Problems CLVAL - Clarifying Values | ||||||||||||||
The reasonable conclusion is that for what the College Outcomes Measures test,journalism students are above the university average when they enter and equally above theuniversity average when they graduate.
Assessment Built Into the Curriculum
Students are evaluated beyond the normal grading system at frequent intervals in theSchool of Journalism. The goal of this system is to strengthen faculty understanding ofthe performance of individual students that steps may be taken to overcome weaknesses andhighlight strengths.
Within the curriculum, the most frequent examples are found in the requirement thatstudents must earn a C or better in each of the six classes in the curriculum core. Theseclasses (one at the freshman level, three during the sophomore year and two normally takenduring the junior or senior years) are designed to deal with basic skills andunderstanding that are of extreme importance to professional journalists.
Advisers carefully monitor student progress through this core and recommend appropriateaction when problems are confronted. In this way, students who have specific types ofproblems may be counseled at a time that is appropriate to their success in the school.
| Achievement of a C or Higher in Journalism Core | |
|---|---|
| Success on first effort | 90% |
| Success on second effort | 5% |
| Success on third effort | 3% |
| Transfer to another major | 2% |
The core classes are of particular relevance to the College of Communication/School ofJournalism list of expected outcomes. They are specifically designed to help both thestudents and their advisers gain a fundamental grasp of the students' basic abilities andprogress.
| Relation of Core Classes to Expected Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|
| Class | Year Taken | Expected Outcome |
| "Precision Language" | Freshman | Writing and computing |
| "Graphics" | Sophomore | Computing |
| "News Writing" | Sophomore | Writing |
| "Information Gathering" | Sophomore | Gathering, analysis of information |
| "Communication Law" | Jr./Sr. | Breadth of knowledge |
| "Ethics" | Jr./Sr. | Breadth of knowledge |
Two recent actions by the faculty are direct results of the development of outcomeexpectations within the school and the College of Communication. To facilitate oralcommunication, journalism students in the future will be required to take InterpersonalCommu- nication 103, "Public Speaking." To enhance understanding of computers,students will take Computer Science 120, "Computer Literacy." Assessment Report,Page 4
The final (and perhaps ultimate) form of student assessment is comprised of capstone classes that allow students opportunities to put all forms of professional training together as a demonstration of their level of
Advising
At the very heart of the School of Journalism's program of student assessment isadvising. Each student meets with his or her adviser, all of whom are full-time faculty,at least once a quarter for formal advising; most students take full advantage of theinvitation to meet more frequently with their advisers and/or meet with other facultymembers related to their professional discipline.
Three specially trained faculty members meet regularly with freshmen to help themdevelop academic programs and assist in development of career goals. At the beginning oftheir sophomore year, students are assigned an adviser from their professionaldisciplines.
In all cases, it is the goal of the adviser to help the student gain an understandingof her or his professional goals as well as academic and professional strengths andweaknesses. That having been done, the advisers work with students in development of anacademic program that helps enhance strengths and overcome weaknesses and is directedtoward professional goals.
Professional Experience
The College of Communication/School of Journalism list of expected outcomes is specificin its requirement that all students complete an internship or practicum. Likewise, fromall sources --the Professional Advisory Board, the Accreditation committee and the StudentAdvisory Council -- recommendations have been made that the school expand the service itprovides student to achieve this goal and to gain employment. While the most desirableaction -- employment of a full time Student Services Coordinator -- has not been taken,numerous smaller steps have been designed by the faculty to help meet this need.
Students may meet this goal in either or both of two ways:
As means of assisting students in gaining internships or employment, the schoolorganizes a regular series of interview opportunities on campus. Professionalorganizations are invited and a schedule is established. Continuous assessment takes placethrough faculty contact with the interviewers. Over the years, some 85 per-cent of theinterviewing organizations return the next year, an important demonstration that they aresatisfied with the students.
Two other means of informing students have been developed:
Employment
While employment of graduated students ranks below the school's effort to providestudents with comprehensive opportunities to develop their social perspectives andprofessional skills, it nevertheless provides a meaningful assessment of the school'ssuccess.
Anecdotal evidence indicates that the school has a good record of placement success.Faculty members attending national conferences and traveling around Ohio quickly learnthat OhioUniversity students are more successful than many of those from otheruniversities. Prospective employers seek out Ohio University journalism graduates, oftencontacting the school as specific parts of their searches .
More meaningful, however, is the fact that the latest placement study by the Office ofInstitutional Research indicates that:
Alumni
The School of Journalism is proud of its loyal alumni --many of whom remain in contactwith the school, seek our graduates when they achieve levels in which they have hiringresponsibilities and tend to speak very highly of the quality of their education.
According to the Office of Institutional Research's 1995 study, alumni were satisfiedwith the program they received in the School of Journalism. Employment success andalumni's evaluation of the education they received provides a constant source ofassessment information to the school. Specifically:
| Satisfaction With Major Courses | |
|---|---|
| Extremely Satisfied | 25% |
| Very Satisfied | 57% |
| Somewhat Satisfied | 26% |
| How Well Ohio University Prepared for Career Goals | |
|---|---|
| Extremely Well | 32% |
| Very Well | 46% |
| Somewhat Well | 21% |
Another measure of the strength of a program's assessment procedures is the success of its graduates. Perhaps the most telling fact about the Ohio University School of Journalism is that it numbers among its alumni six coveted Pulitzer Prizes:
INSTITUTIONAL ASSESSMENT INDICATING PROGRAM IMPACT ON STUDENTS Program quality in higher education is under consistent evaluation from both internal and external sources. Such measures are important because collectively they contribute to the maintenance of the status quo or the dynamic of change. They help establish the broad criteria through which successful student assessment is accomplished. External Surveys and Evaluations While reputation is not necessarily synonymous with quality, what others believe to be the case nevertheless provides a form of quality assessment. Journalism at Ohio University has consistently benefited from the perceptions of those outside of this institution. For example:
Professional Advisory Board The School of Journalism's Advisory Board is comprised of 11 persons representing the school's various constituencies: Members of the Journalism Advisory Board
The board's function is to advise the school in all realms of its operation, with particular emphasis on curriculum, professional needs and industry trends. In addition to meeting with faculty and administrators, the board meets with undergraduate and graduate students at least once every two years and prepares a report, including recommendations, based on those conversations. Among changes made by the school as a result of these recommendation are:
In a broader sense, the board's written reports are shared with faculty members and are included as background for development of the school's short-range and long-range planning sessions. Student Advisory Council This group of 12 students is appointed by the director, based on recommendations of faculty members. Care is taken to assure that the board is representative of the student body by professional, gender, ethnic and class measures. The director meets privately with this group in an effort to gain input about student attitudes of the program. Among recommendations that have been adopted with advice of this group are:
National Accreditation The school has been accredited by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (ACEJMC) for many years, most recently in 1995. For its seven-year evaluation, the council has established 12 criteria that are designed to provide the basis for its comprehensive evaluation of professional journalistic programs. Further and importantly, "the council embraces the value of a liberal arts and sciences curriculum as the essential foundation for a professional journalism and mass communications education." These criteria relate to government/administration; budget; curriculum; student records/advising; instruction/evaluation; faculty; internships and work experience; equipment/facilities; faculty scholarship and professional activities; public service; graduates/alumni; minority and female representation. Although the site visitation team for the 1995 evaluation judged the school to exceed the requirements in all 12 categories, several recommendations were made for improvement. As a direct result of these recommendations, the school has taken several specific actions that have impact on assessment. These include:
Conclusion and Recommendations Consistent assessment of program quality as it relates to individual students and of student performance provide a dynamic that separates good from mediocre and excellent from good. Such as- sessment of student performance must be accomplished throughout the student's career and must be defined as guidance to attaining academic and professional success. The School of Journalism at Ohio University embraces all opportunities to utilize both forms. And its students, faculty and alumni are proud of the result and of the continuing effort. That having been said, however, it is clear that the school could do a better educational job and improve its performance with the college/school outcomes assessment list through several means:
Source: Provost's Office | |
