The School of Interpersonal Communication has had a variety of informal assessment processes in place for some time, but in the past two years, with increased attention on the assessment process within the university, we have made major changes in the formal process used, the extent to which we respond to issues raised, and the amount of documentation we develop on our outcome measures. The by-product of this increased activity is our students’ involvement in the process, both as researchers as part of a class conducting survey and focus group research, and as subjects, responding to requests for information and in exit interviews. This has increased their understanding that their success is important to us. It is obvious that the school wants to ensure that we are helping students be successful and that they are acquiring the skills we say we are teaching them.

The report also details changes made based on last year’s report including a re-design of the large introduction to communication course, development of a new textbook to fit the new focus, the core curriculum outcomes project, and changes in core courses to reflect competencies identified by the faculty. Future plans based on this year’s assessment process, call for a full day faculty retreat focusing on issues raised during this year’s assessment of curriculum and the graduate program, the development of a portfolio for students monitored by faculty advisors, an assessment center for the public speaking course, and a computerized system for maintaining a record of a student’s progress in their major courses with annotated comments from instructors about their mastery of the core competencies.

This report also examines some of the ongoing informal means by which we assess our program and courses. We will begin this report however, by responding to the specific questions asked for this year’s assessment report.

InCo expects undergraduates to develop professionalism as oral and written communicators, conscious competence in dyadic and group communication, and skill at information gathering and critical thinking. We expect our graduate students to excel in these areas and to make original contributions to scholarly knowledge or to organizations in which such knowledge is applied. See Appendix A for a detailed list of Core Undergraduate Competencies, developed by the school’s assessment committee in response to concerns raised during the 1996 assessment report. The faculty adopted the competencies list in the spring of 1997.

The Assessment Committee developed outcome goals from the school mission statement (composed by the entire faculty in 1993-94). Our Core Undergraduate Competencies were drafted by the Assessment Committee based on a review of undergraduate syllabi for all core courses taught by faculty and teaching associates from 1994-96, a series of special core-curriculum meetings involving all InCo faculty and TAs, and recent research by our national professional organization, the National Communication Association.

The InCo Assessment Committee consists of 2 associate professors, 2 assistant professors, and an emeritus associate professor; the chair of the curriculum committee and the school director receive committee memoranda and minutes. All InCo goals and assessment activities were presented by the committee to the entire faculty for consideration, revision, and approval.

For the undergraduate program, Assessment Committee members reviewed syllabi for 200 sections of undergraduate core courses taught over the past 3 years, and combined the goals and objectives identified by some 50 individual instructors--full time faculty, adjunct, and teaching associates--into a list of outcomes expected from our core curriculum. The Assessment Committee also reviewed outcomes identified by undergraduate departments of other communication programs and the research into outcomes reported by National Communication Association officers Sherwyn P. Morreale and Rebecca B. Rubin in "Setting Expectations for Speech Communication and Listening." The Assessment Committee presented this list of goals to the faculty for comments, confirmation, and approval. Similarly, goals for courses in the core curriculum were articulated in six meetings of all the faculty and teaching associates responsible for those classes. The Assessment Committee received reports from those sub-committees, and presented recommended changes to the faculty for confirmation and approval in two additional meetings.

For the graduate program, Assessment in 1997 relied on outcome measures including: rates of appropriate employment in educational and corporate settings, rates of professional activity and promotion, annual reviews of graduate student performance, and exit interviewers conducted by the Director of Graduate Studies with graduates completing their PhD.

In sum, assessment activities involved every InCo faculty member in the definition of goals, approval of curricular outcomes, and changes to required courses and the program as a whole. Faculty participate more selectively in the other assessment activities based on their individual expertise or administrative and committee responsibilities.

Yes. Our list of desired outcomes for undergraduate students, Core Undergraduate Competencies, is new and articulates precisely the combined professional-liberal arts orientation of our undergraduate program. This list accomplishes an objective identified in last year's report. Second, the introduction to communication course (InCo #101), has been modified to respond to concerns about overlap revealed during last year’s assessment report. And finally, instructors for all core courses have meet in sub-committees to re-assess curricular goals for each course.

*survey of current majors

*curriculum overlap project

*interviews of graduating seniors

*participation by graduate students at national and regional conferences

*employment survey of M.A. and Ph.D. graduates

-OU Career and Further Education Study, 1991-1995 Graduates, InCo Majors with B.S. Degrees

-Follow-Up Studies of Graduates, College of Communication, 1997

-Retention Report

-Institutional Impact and Assessment Plan

These institutional reports indicate to us that InCo has one of the highest retention rates in the university, in part due to students’ high rating of the advising process; approximately 80% or more of the graduates are very satisfied with the education they received, that it takes them approximately four months to get a job upon graduation, that their salaries are the second highest in the college, that they need more help translating their skills into job requirements for recruiting officers, and they wish we had given them more training in the application of computers to their future jobs.

* survey of current majors' attitudes

*curriculum overlap project

*exit interviews of graduating seniors (redesigned as focus group discussions involving the Assessment Committee)

*core curricular outcomes (Core Undergraduate Competencies) list

*revision of introduction to communication course and development of next text for that course to avoid overlap with other courses

*extended exit interviews with both undergraduate and graduate students leaving the program

*undergraduate capstone course (InCo 445)

*graduate audit class (InCo 733)

*simi-annual site visits by InCo Advisory Board

*employment survey of M.A. and Ph.D. graduates

*annual performance reviews of graduate students

*participation by graduate student papers at national and regional conferences

*capstone course for communication consulting sequence

*institutional research reports

Data are first collected by a variety of means including the undergraduate capstone course, the assessment committee, school administrators in exit interviews, and alumni. Committees and sub-groups analyze the data sometimes using statistical analyses and sometimes using thematic analysis. Always, the data are then presented to the faculty as a whole either in writing or in a faculty meeting for discussion and approval of any recommendations for change.

Most of InCo's assessment activities involve qualitative data, and thus are interpreted in terms of student satisfaction (evidenced by exit interviews and follow-up surveys), faculty observation (evidenced by degree to which students need assistance meeting rigorous requirements and challenging goals), and standards of professional accomplishment (evidenced by employment for undergraduates and graduates, conference presentations for graduate students).

The annual performance reviews of graduate students result in individual written reports to each graduate student on their progress and meetings with those who the faculty feel are not meeting the goals of the curriculum. The Director also has two individual conferences with every faculty member to discuss their personal goals and to solicit their ideas for changes in the school. One of these interviews occurs in the late spring following the assessment committee’s report. Therefore, faculty have a chance to identify how they can contribute to the mission of the school and to assist with changes recommended as a result of the assessment process.

Employment and level of professional activity by M.A. and Ph.D. graduates demonstrate overall excellence of our graduate programs in preparing students for academic and professional life as well as national rankings.

Student performance in capstone courses (graduate and undergraduate) indicates readiness of advanced students to perform as communication professionals. Clients' repeated requests for service demonstrates excellence of students' work.

Five-year follow-up statistics indicate career benefits of undergraduate program.

Ninety one percent of 5-year graduates are satisfied with career relevance of InCo degree.

Ninety two percent of 5-year graduates from 1985-1991 report that their major coursework was "helpful". Fifty nine percent of 1990 and 1991 graduates were extremely satisfied with relevance of InCo degree, up slightly from 52 % in 1986 and 1987 and 56 % in 1988 and 1989. Eighty seven percent of 1987-91 InCo graduates reported OU was effective when asked about their ability to "apply their major" in their careers.

Student exit interviews reveal high degree of satisfaction with major coursework.

Survey by InCo 445 students reports current students' satisfaction with core coursework as follows:

101 (Intro to Human Comm.) 85 %

103 (Public Speaking) 100 %

205 (Group Communication) 89 %

206 (Interpersonal Comm.) 88 %

234 (Comm. Theories) 68 %

342 (Comm. & Persuasion) 87 %

Student exit interviews and faculty observations confirm need to enhance writing instruction.

Advisory board members observed that students need clearer sense of their achievements and greater ability to articulate them, orally and in writing.

Exit interviews and curriculum overlap project suggest need to review curriculum with regard to outcomes.

Exit interviews and 5-year outcomes report suggest need to enhance students' computer skills.

-changes in InCo 101 curriculum, approved by faculty 3/97

-development of new InCo 101 textbook to serve these changes, approved by faculty 3/97

-consider requiring InCo 101 as prerequisite for InCo 205 and 206; agenda-item for fall 97 curriculum retreat

-change in textbook for InCo 205, to avoid overlap with 101 and 103

-consider change in InCo 206 textbook, to avoid overlap with 101 and 205

The Assessment Committee operates as InCo's agenda-setter. For example,

on the summer survey of InCo majors, the committee recommended committee meetings to identify and resolve undesirable overlap in the core curriculum. Some changes have already been implemented, while others head up the agenda for a curriculum retreat. Items to be addressed include:

--the sequence and content of our undergraduate core courses

--changes in prerequisites and core requirements suggested by the adoption of our Core Undergraduate Competencies list

--competencies lists specific to each of the undergraduate major tracks

Upon the adoption of our Core Undergraduate Competencies list, in

combination with exit interviews with seniors and observations by our Advisory Board, the Assessment Committee and Director of Undergraduate Studies recommended student portfolios which might help students focus their skill development and allow programmatic assessment. These portfolios would be started with a student first becomes a major, monitored by the advisor perhaps through a continuous one hour of independent study.

-overlap project recommendations

-revise curriculum for InCo 101

-write new InCo 101 textbook to accommodate recommended changes

-modify InCo 206 to avoid overlap with 205

-require InCo 103 as a prerequisite for InCo 205 and 206

-adjust InCo 342 requirement to avoid conflict between needs of majors and needs of - outside constituencies (including College of Business)

-Assessment Committee recommendations for action at a fall curriculum retreat

-replace core requirement of InCo 342 (Communication & Persuasion) with InCo 215 (Argumentation and Advocacy).

-use Core Undergraduate Competencies list in advising sessions with students, to help students acquire needed skills through course choices.

-enhance opportunities to develop computer skills, especially in computer-mediated- communication.

Develop lists of Track-based Competencies for each program track in the major (organizational, political, legal, health & human services)

Pilot portfolio assessment of graduating seniors, based on Core and Track Competencies

Compile data from annual performance reviews of graduate students to assess overall performance of graduate students in our program. These data include convention/conference papers presented, community and university service, special awards/recognition, publications, teaching performance, teaching awards

Add assessment component to evaluate M.A. professional projects in comparison to M.A. comprehensives

Survey comprehensive exam committees to evaluate new Ph.D. comps process inaugurated in 1993.

Whereas our formal assessment process focuses on the 500 students enrolled as InCo majors and 75 graduate students, our informal assessment includes over 6,000 students that InCo serves each year, including approximately 100 students who elect an InCo minor. Actual enrollment is closer to 7,800 during the academic year and an additional 458 enrolled during the summer, including repeat enrollment by students. The popularity of InCo courses among students and faculty in other programs testifies to the skills and content that InCo provides. In addition to the 900 students who choose InCo 101 to meet their Tier II requirement each year, some 2,500 non-majors enroll annually in InCo 103, Public Speaking--some of them required to enroll by their own major programs. InCo's courses in communication theory, persuasion, and organizational communication are required for majors in Communication Systems Management. The College of Business has increased its communication requirements for all majors in their new curriculum redesign. Recently the School of Accountancy asked InCo to design an advanced course in professional communication for its new master's degree. The enrollment of students from across the university--sometimes, alas, to the exclusion of our own majors from classes--assures us that our courses have value unique to InCo, value that extends beyond the major.

Constituencies outside Athens also provide informal assessment of our programs. At the regional level, InCo has received requests from the Zanesville and Chillicothe campuses to offer M.A. programs for their students, all of them working professionals. Nationally, our graduate programs are ranked fifth in the country according to a national poll conducted by the National Communication Association in the fall of 1996. International recognition comes from requests for InCo to design programs and teach at universities abroad: in Hong Kong (B.S. in Organizational Communication at Hong Kong Baptist), in Bangkok, Thailand (joint Ph.D. in interpersonal communication at Bangkok University, the first such Ph.D. program in Asia, now entering its fourth year), and Malaysia ( MA in mass communication in Malaysia at the MARA Institute). To be sure, these informal means of assessment highlight areas of programmatic distinction and reflect InCo’s continual commitment to excellence.