Graduate Studies Reports Access
Graduate Course Proposal Form Submission Detail - SDS6260
Tracking Number - 4789
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Current Status:
Approved by SCNS - 2015-10-01
Campus: Tampa
Submission Type: New
Course Change Information (for course changes only):
Comments: Required: CSI - CSA. Faculty contact updated from Miller to Vasti Torres. To GC. Appd 3/6/15; to USF 8/28/15; to SCNS 9/7/15. Approved eff 10/1/15
Detail Information
- Date & Time Submitted: 2013-07-30
- Department: Leadership, Counseling, Adult, Career and Higher Education
- College: ED
- Budget Account Number:
- Contact Person: Vasti Torres
- Phone: 8139749084
- Email: vastitorres@usf.edu
- Prefix: SDS
- Number: 6260
- Full Title: Assessment in Student Affairs
- Credit Hours: 3
- Section Type: C -
Class Lecture (Primarily)
- Is the course title variable?: Y
- Is a permit required for registration?: Y
- Are the credit hours variable?: N
- Is this course repeatable?: Y
- If repeatable, how many times?: 1
- Abbreviated Title (30 characters maximum): Assessment in Student Affairs
- Course Online?: C -
Face-to-face (0% online)
- Percentage Online: 0
- Grading Option:
R - Regular
- Prerequisites: EDF6481
- Corequisites:
- Course Description: This course is available only to students in a College Student Affairs cohort, unless otherwise approved by the instructor. The purpose of this course is to teach theory and application of assessment principles and techniques necessary for the student af
- Please briefly explain why it is necessary and/or desirable to add this course: Replacing Selected Topics with Permanent number; already listed in program
- What is the need or demand for this course? (Indicate if this course is part of a required sequence in the major.) What other programs would this course service? This course has been part of the CSA curriculum for four years. Assessment is an essential topic for comprehension by practicing student affairs administrators. Graduates of the CSA program need to be prepared to routinely conduct assessments of their programs and services.
- Has this course been offered as Selected Topics/Experimental Topics course? If yes, how many times? Yes, 3 or more times
- What qualifications for training and/or experience are necessary to teach this course? (List minimum qualifications for the instructor.) Terminal Degree and practical experience as a student affairs professional. Experience developing and implementing assessment strategies and projects in higher education. Teaching experience.
- Objectives: This course will help students:
Describe the role and value of assessment in student affairs
Differentiate between research, evaluation and assessment
Develop assessment plans based on institutional and departmental mission
Understand the characteristics of qualitative and quantitative assessment methods
Integrate theory, standards, and assessment models into a practical application
Develop and implement an effective assessment cycle in their places of work
- Learning Outcomes: Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
a. understand the role/value of student affairs assessment
b. distinguish between research, evaluation, and assessment
c. use institutional/departmental mission as an outcome to guide assessment practices
d. develop a working knowledge of quantitative and qualitative characteristics
e. integrate theory, standards, and assessment models to a practical application
f. create an assessment cycle (plan, do, check, act) for a student affairs functional area
g. utilize ethical practices related to assessment planning
h. employ effective group-process/consensus building skills
i. demonstrate effective and appropriate communication skills
- Major Topics: Principles and Purposes
The Assessment Cycle
Methods
Basic Approaches
Ethical Issues
- Textbooks: Bresciani, M.J., Gardner, M.M., & Hickmott, J. (Eds.). (2009). Case Studies for Implementing Assessment in Student Affairs: New Directions for Student Services (127), San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (2009). CAS professional standards for higher education (7th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
Schuh, J.H. & Associates (2008). Assessment methods for student affairs. San Francisco: Jossey- Bass.
Schuh, J.H. & Upcraft, M.L. (2000). Assessment practice in student affairs: An applications manual. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Schuh,
- Course Readings, Online Resources, and Other Purchases: Other assigned readings provided by instructor.
- Student Expectations/Requirements and Grading Policy: Human Subjects Training (CITI Program) 5%
Assessment Critique 10%
Final Project 50%
Attendance and in-class Participation 15%
Online Participation 20%
A 90-100
B 80-89
C 70-79
- Assignments, Exams and Tests: CITI Human Subjects Research Certification
The CITI Program was developed by IRB experts to provide research ethics education to all members of the research community. Log on to https://www.citiprogram.org/Default.asp? to complete the Basic Module for social/behavioral research. The entire course will take about 2 hours to complete. When you have finished, email me a copy of your completion report. This certification is valid for 2 years, so you will want to hold on to it!
Assessment Critiques:
Each week, 2 or 3 students will review an assessment project they find in the literature. Post the article on BlackBoard, give a brief explanation of the project (What is being assessed? Who is involved? How long did/will it take?), and then respond to it (Did they use the right method? What are its limitations? How can results be generalized to other institutions or areas? Etc…). The rest of the class should participate in the online discussion about the project (one per week). We’ll discuss these in class, as well.
Original posts and responses should demonstrate your knowledge of good assessment practices and your ability to think critically about the topic, methodology, etc. Academic writing quality is expected and will be evaluated by the instructor.
Final Project
You will develop and implement an assessment project for your assistantship department. The instrument you use should be original and created specifically for your functional area. As the course unfolds, you should be able to identify the methodology that will most appropriately answer your research question(s). You will have an opportunity to solicit feedback from your classmates about your project in class. While the final project will be due at the end of the semester, various incremental deadlines can be found on your course calendar (attached).
1. Concept Paper: You will develop a 1-2 page concept paper that:
a. describes your functional area and your rationale for the assessment project
b. explains the theoretical base(s) for your project
c. states the research question(s) and/or the learning objectives you will assess
d. describes the methodology you intend to use
e. explains your rationale for selecting that method.
2. Instrument: You will submit the instrument that you intend to use for data collection. This will be something you develop specifically for this project. The instructor will provide feedback before the instrument is used.
3. Final Report: You will submit a 7-10 page report that includes 4 parts:
a. Introduction: Description of your functional area and the problem or issue your research will address within it (much of this will come from the concept paper)
b. Application: Describe your methodology and results. Please use APA format for any tables and reports that might be included. Attach your instrument, as well.
c. Findings: Describe what you learned about your program/department from your assessment. What are the implications of your findings? Will your findings inform practice or programming in any way? If not, could it?
d. Conclusion: What went well? What would you do differently if you were to do this again? How did the process affect your thinking about assessment in student affairs?
While projects will be graded individually by the instructor, they should be uploaded to BB so that students can review the work of their peers.
Students will present their projects in groups based on the methods they selected. For example, those who use interviews will present together, those who use surveys will present as a group, etc. The purpose of the group presentations is not to share findings and implications, but to simply review the methodology and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of each.
- Attendance Policy: Course Attendance at First Class Meeting – Policy for Graduate Students: For structured courses, 6000 and above, the College/Campus Dean will set the first-day class attendance requirement. Check with the College for specific information. This policy is not applicable to courses in the following categories: Educational Outreach, Open University (TV), FEEDS Program, Community Experiential Learning (CEL), Cooperative Education Training, and courses that do not have regularly scheduled meeting days/times (such as, directed reading/research or study, individual research, thesis, dissertation, internship, practica, etc.). Students are responsible for dropping undesired courses in these categories by the 5th day of classes to avoid fee liability and academic penalty. (See USF Regulation – Registration - 4.0101,
http://usfweb2.usf.edu/usfgc/ogc%20web/currentreg.htm)
Attendance Policy for the Observance of Religious Days by Students: In accordance with Sections 1006.53 and 1001.74(10)(g) Florida Statutes and Board of Governors Regulation 6C-6.0115, the University of South Florida (University/USF) has established the following policy regarding religious observances: (http://usfweb2.usf.edu/usfgc/gc_pp/acadaf/gc10-045.htm)
In the event of an emergency, it may be necessary for USF to suspend normal operations. During this time, USF may opt to continue delivery of instruction through methods that include but are not limited to: Blackboard, Elluminate, Skype, and email messaging and/or an alternate schedule. It’s the responsibility of the student to monitor Blackboard site for each class for course specific communication, and the main USF, College, and department websites, emails, and MoBull messages for important general information.
- Policy on Make-up Work: Students are expected to submit all assignments by 11:59pm on the due date. Late assignments will be accepted with penalty for up to one week after the due date.
Students are responsible for understanding all university policies related to academic integrity and the avoidance of plagiarism, and students are responsible for asking questions to clarify expectations in an individual section. The University of South Florida has an account with an automated plagiarism detection service which allows instructors and students to submit student assignments to be checked for plagiarism. Faculty/instructors may request that assignments be submitted as electronic files to a Learning Management System module such as SafeAssign (Blackboard) or Turnitin (Canvas). Assignments are compared automatically with a database of journal articles, web articles, and previously submitted papers. The instructor receives a report showing exactly how a student’s paper overlaps material in the company’s databases. For more information about USF’s academic integrity policies, please see the current catalog (at http://www.ugs.usf.edu/catalogs.htm or http://www.grad.usf.edu/catalog.php).
- Program This Course Supports: M.Ed. College Student Affairs
- Course Concurrence Information: Counselor Education, Higher Education
- if you have questions about any of these fields, please contact chinescobb@grad.usf.edu or joe@grad.usf.edu.