Outcomes Assessment Plan and Report
Department of Health Science
Academic Year 2002-2003
(Fall 2002, Spring 2003, Summer 2003)
Outcomes Assessment Committee
Satya Krishnan (Chair), Charles Kozel, and Sue Forster-Cox
Department of Health Science
Prepared by:
Satya P. Krishnan, PhD, CHES
Introduction
The current outcomes assessment plan and report
provides the following information:
1. Outcomes
Assessment Plan
2. Methods
of assessment used
3. The
performance measures or criteria used to determine student learning
4. Results
and anticipated use of the results of the outcome assessment activities
5. Dissemination
of results
The report will discuss the department's
undergraduate program first and then the graduate program offered by the
department and will cover the five points listed above. The outcomes assessment plan, methods of
assessment used, and the direct performance measures/criteria used to determine
student learning (1, 2, 3) are compiled and presented together in a tabular
form first for the undergraduate program and then for the graduate program.
(Bachelor
of Community Health – BCH)
1,2,3) Stage 3:
Outcomes Assessment Plan.
|
Direct
measures of Undergraduate Student's Learning A.
Percentile scores on the English Writing Assessment test/exam
offered in HLS 100. B.
Field Experience Evaluations by Agency Preceptors. |
Performance
Measures: Methods of Assessment and
Activities Students take the English writing test/exam in
HLS 100 and are required to score 37 percentile or greater. Performance Measures Used: ·
No. of students who were enrolled in HLS
100 (Fall 2002, Spring 2003, Summer 2003) ·
No. of students who took the test/exam ·
No. of students who scored a passing grade
of 37 percentile or greater Each undergraduate student is enrolled in a
6-credit hour field experience course (320 clock-hours) to gain
practical/hands-on experience in Community Health. Students are required to receive
adequate/positive evaluations from their field preceptors, receive a C"
or higher overall grade for the course, make an oral presentation of their work
at the end of the semester faculty/students meeting, and submit a portfolio
of their work to be maintained in the Department library. Performance Measures Used: ·
No. of students enrolled in Field
Experience for (Fall 2002, Spring 2003, Summer 2003) ·
No. who received positive preceptor
evaluations ·
No. who received a "C" or higher
grade ·
No. who presented ·
No. who submitted their portfolio |
|
C.
Student Grades and Evaluations from
Outside reviewers in the Capstone course HLS
499. |
HLS 499 is the department’s undergraduate
Capstone course that requires students to receive a “C” or better overall
grade and ‘good – excellent’ evaluations on their projects from external
reviewers. Performance Measures Used: ·
No. of students enrolled in HLS 499 in the
academic year 2002-2003 ·
Grades received: No. of A’s No. of B’s No. of C’s
Excellent
Very Good
Good
Fair
Needs improvement |
|
D. Pass
rate on the professional certification
Examination for "Certified Health Education Specialist
(CHES).” |
Undergraduate students are encouraged to take the
national professional certification examination (‘Certified Health Education
Specialist’-CHES) either in the last two semesters before they graduate or
immediately after graduation. Copies
of the examination results are directly sent to the department biannually. Performance Measures Used:
|
4a. Results of Outcomes Assessment Activities
The following section describes the results related
to the direct measures used to assess student learning outcomes in the
undergraduate program:
A. Percentile
scores on the English writing assessment test/exam offered in HLS 100:
One of the important undergraduate students’
learning measures is the percentile scores in the department’s English writing
test/exam. Students are required to
score 37 percentile or greater to be successful. During the Fall 2002, Spring 2003, and Summer
2003 semesters (course not offered in the summer), a total of 34 students took
the writing test/exam with the following results.
Number of students who were enrolled in HLS
100 during Fall 2002
and
Spring 2003: 23
+ 29 = 52
Number
of students who took the test/exam: 20
+ 18 =38
or
greater: 14
+ 13 = 27
PASS RATE: 71%
Note: Typically, each semester some students choose
to take the alternate exam, primarily in those situations in which they are not
successful in the ‘Conventions of Written English Exam.’ Additionally, some of the enrolled students
are not potential health science majors and therefore do not take the exam or
the alternate one because the other departments do not have the same
requirements as the health science department.
B. Field
experience evaluations by agency preceptors:
Each undergraduate student enrolls in a 6-credit
hour field experience course and completes 320 clock hours of internship to
gain practical/hands-on experience in the fields of public health and community
health education. The following results
were recorded on the direct students’ learning measures.
Fall
2002, Spring 2003, and Summer 2003: 19
from
their field experience preceptors: 19
Number
who received an overall course grade of “C” or better: 19
Number
of students who presented their work as an oral presentation: 18*
Number
of students who have submitted their portfolios: 19
* One of the students continued with the field experience and made the presentation in the following semester.
Overall, all of the students who enrolled in the
field experience course received adequate/positive evaluations from their field
experience preceptors. All but one of
the students (95%) presented their work in front of their peers, preceptors,
and faculty and submitted their portfolios to the department. All enrolled students received a grade of “C”
or above. The field experience course is
an essential component of the undergraduate program and reflects students’
abilities to apply classroom knowledge and learning to practice settings and
community based public health and health education projects and interventions.
C. Student’s
overall course grades and evaluations from external reviewers in HLS 499:
HLS 499, the departmental undergraduate Capstone
course requires students to receive an overall course grade of “C” or better
and receive a “Good-Excellent” evaluation from external reviewers on their
class assignments/projects. This course
is designed to be a comprehensive overview and integration of the content
covered in the undergraduate program and its application to three
community-wide public health and community health education projects. During Spring 2003, the course included that
each student submit a research project for consideration for funding through
‘HOT Projects’ funded by the Paso Del Norte Foundation, El Paso, TX. The following results were obtained.
Number of students who enrolled in HLS 499
during Spring 2002: 20
Overall student grades:
Number of A’s: 10 (50%)
Number of B’s: 9 (45%)
Number of C’s: 1 (5%)
External Reviews:
Number of
projects funded 7
Students worked in teams of three and collaborated
on research projects by applying for funding and then conducting the research
and data analysis. Each of the seven
teams prepared a poster presentation of their projects and findings and took
part in the symposium organized for the posters. Overall, all the
students (20) enrolled in the course received a “C” or better
grade, a majority (95%; n=19) of the
students received an “A” or a “B” grade.
D. Pass rate on the professional certification examination for the “Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES):”
Undergraduate students in the department are
encouraged to take the certification exam during the final two semesters of
their study. Practitioners in the
community indicate the relevance and utility of this certification exam. Potential employers indicated that the
certification provides a standard to evaluate job applicants. The undergraduate program curriculum integrates
the content included in the CHES certification examination throughout the
various courses. Additionally, the
department offers a 1-credit CHES preparation course. The following results were obtained for this
student-learning measure.
Number of students enrolled in the 1-credit
course: 6
Number of students who took the
certification exam: 4
Number of students who passed the
exam: Results not available at
this time
PASS
RATE: N/A
Overall, approximately 10-20% of the eligible
undergraduate students tend to take the certification exam before they graduate
from the BCH program. Busy schedules,
work and school issues, and cost of the exam have served as barriers to
students taking the exam in the final semester or two of their study. However, students indicate their intention to
take the exam after they graduate and/or become employed. Based on those who have taken the exam in the
past, the pass rate has been very high (83%).
4b.
Anticipated Use of Results
The results from the outcomes assessments related
to direct student learning measures will help guide the undergraduate program
coordinator and other faculty in making decisions and changes in course
content, course offerings and schedule, inclusion of field experience sites,
and in offering special courses such as the CHES preparatory course. One of the areas for improvement is to find
ways to reduce the perceived barriers to help students successfully prepare and
complete the CHES exam while enrolled in the program. The outcome assessment results have and will
also continue to influence the department's hiring of new tenure-track and/or
full time faculty and/or adjunct faculty.
The results of past assessment's reports have been crucial in the
successful re-accreditation of the Bachelor of Community Health program until
2005.
The outcomes assessment data have lead to the
following changes in the undergraduate program that have direct impact on
undergraduate student learning:
·
Offering of an alternative English
exam/assignment that students can take in their HLS 100 course
·
A
systematic review of field experience sites, preceptors, requirements, and expectations
·
Integration of a new format for field
experience presentations and more involvement of the external field experience
preceptors
·
Course offerings (in particular core courses)
are scheduled on a regular cycle
·
HLS 485, the CHES preparatory course is now
being offered
·
New tenure track faculty have been hired
·
A new full-time instructor for teaching
general education courses has been hired
·
A new field experience brochure has been
developed detailing the key aspects for
students and field experience preceptors. Additionally the number and types of sites
have been expanded
·
The BCH oversight committee with current
student, alumni, and community representation has been instituted to serve in
an advisory capacity to the undergraduate program coordinator
·
Availability of application forms on the
departmental web-site
·
An ongoing assessment of course offerings
and how to include courses in gerontology as well as web-CT courses to enhance
the quality of the undergraduate degree program offered by the Health Science
Department
5. Dissemination
of Results
The results of the assessment of direct student
learning measures will be disseminated in the following ways:
1.
Distribution of the written
report to all full time faculty.
2.
Sharing of a summary of the
findings and results with all faculty (full time, part time, and adjunct).
3.
Submission of the written
report to the College Dean and University Provost.
4.
Make available the current
and previous outcomes assessment reports to all department personnel by having
copies available in the departmental library and on the departmental website
at: http://www.nmsu.edu/~hlthdpt/faculty.html.
Outcomes Assessment Plan and Report
Department of Health Science
Academic Year 2002-2003
(Fall 2002, Spring 2003, Summer 2003)
Outcomes Assessment Committee
Satya Krishnan (Chair), Charles Kozel, and Sue Forster-Cox
Department of Health Science
Prepared by:
Satya P. Krishnan, PhD, CHES
(Master
of Public Health in Community Health Education)
1,2,3) Stage 3. Outcomes Assessment Plan
|
Direct
Measures of Graduate Student Learning A.
A grade of "B" or better in MPH
Core courses. B.
Field Experience evaluations by Agency
Preceptors. |
Performance
Measures and Methods of Assessment and Activities The MPH program has 11 core courses. Students are required to score
"B" or better grades in these courses. Performance Measures Used: The core courses offered in each academic year,
number of students enrolled in each, and the number of students receiving a
“B” or better grade are compiled. Course No.
No. Students Enrolled
"B"/Better Each graduate student is enrolled in a 3-credit
hour field experience (160 clock hours) to gain practical/hands-on experience
in public health and community health Education. Students are required to receive
adequate/positive evaluations from
their field preceptors, receive an overall course grade of "B" or
higher, make an oral presentation of their work at the end of the semester,
and submit a portfolio of their work to be maintained in the department
library. Performance Measures Used: ·
No. of students enrolled in Field
Experience for (Fall 2002, Spring 2003, Summer 2003) ·
No. who received positive preceptor
evaluations ·
No. of received "B" of higher
grade ·
No. who presented ·
No. of who submitted their portfolio |
|
C.
Pass rate on the professional
certification
examination for "Certified Health Education
Specialist (CHES)". D. Final
thesis or non-thesis option |
Graduate students are encouraged to take the
certification (CHES) examination either in the last two semesters before they
graduate or immediately after graduation.
Copies of the examination results are directly sent to the department
biannually. Performance Measures Used: ·
No. of students who enrolled in the
preparation courses and the number who took the CHES exam for the academic year
2002-2003 ·
No. of students who passed the exam ·
Pass Rate Departmental graduate students have the option of
completing comprehensive exams (written and oral, non-thesis option) or a
research-based thesis and its defense (thesis option). Both culminating events are open to all
students and faculty. Each
exam/student thesis committee is chaired by a departmental faculty (of
students' choice), a departmental faculty member, and a dean's representative
(from another department). Performance Measures Used: ·
No. of students who graduated in the
Academic Year 2002-2003 ·
No. of students who selected the
comprehensive exam option (non-thesis option) ·
No. of students who were successful in the
comprehensive exam (non-thesis) option ·
No. of students who selected the thesis
option ·
No. of students who successfully defended
their thesis |
4a. Results of Outcomes Assessment Activities
The following section documents the results
obtained from the direct measures used to assess graduate students’ learning in
the MPH program.
A. A grade of “B” or better in MPH core courses:
The graduate (MPH) students are required to take 11
courses that are considered core courses in the program. Student learning was assessed by documenting
the number of students who received a “B” or better in each of these
courses. The data compiled in the table
below is based on the courses that were offered and the available data:
Course No. No. of students enrolled “B” or
better grade
MPH 500 (Fall 2001) 12 12 (100%)
MPH 510 (Fall 2001) 11 11 (100%)
MPH 520 (Fall 2001) 11 9 (82%)
MPH 530 (Sp.2002) 12 11 (92%)
MPH 550 (Sp.2002) 10 9 (90%)
MPH 570 (Sp.2002) 11 10 (91%)
MPH 572 (Sp.2002) 5 5 (100%)
MPH 573 (Fall 2001) 5 4 (80%)
MPH 574 (Fall 2001) 13 13 (100%)
MPH 579 (Sp.2002) 7 7(100%)