Evangel University Communication Department Performance Improvement Plan (2012-2015) Planning Council Spring 2011 Strategic Planning Report to Campus Planning Council 1 Report to Campus Planning Council March 2012
Table of Contents Introduction 1 Purpose and Process.. 2 Affirmation 2 Mission and Objectives. 3 Customers and Markets. 3-4 Current Position and 3-Year Objectives Enrollment. 4-5 Course Evaluations 5 National Standardized Tests.. 5-7 Strategies for Improvement... 7-8 a
Introduction Evangel University is a co-educational, Christian learning-centered community of faith that confers baccalaureate and master s degrees. Evangel is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools Higher Learning Commission and endorsed by the Assemblies of God (AG) Commission of Higher Education. The Communication Department offers the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, and Bachelor of Fine Arts with six different majors for its traditional students and a Bachelor of Science in Professional Communication for non-traditional students completing their degree in the professional studies program. The Communication Department has no post-graduate degrees at this time. The Communication Department offers an Associate of Arts degree in five areas of study. The Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees include six majors (43 credit hours each) in Advertising and Public Relations, Broadcasting, Communication Studies, Digital Arts, Film, and Journalism. Concentrations in Electronic Media or Journalism require 28 credit hours. The department offers nine minors including Advertising and Public Relations, Applied Communication, Broadcasting, Communication Studies, Digital Arts, Electronic Media, Film, Journalism, and Photography. Credits for the minors range from 19-22 hours. A Bachelor of Fine Arts degree is also offered in the areas of Film and Digital Arts in cooperation with the Humanities Department. The BFA degree requires 73 hours. Communication majors are encouraged to participate in an internship related to their major with an organization of their choosing during their junior or senior years. Students are also encouraged to gain international exposure by participating in a short-term service trip or a semester or summer abroad program. The Communication Department supports a program in conjunction with Lifeworks to send communication majors on missions trips to document the events using video and photography. The Communication Department is affiliated with the "Best Semester" programs sponsored by the Council of Christian Colleges and Universities, especially in the areas of film, journalism, and audio production. Communication students are encouraged to actively participate in the Communication Department sponsored student media organizations. These organizations include CrusaderMedia.com, Evangel Cable Television (ECTV), The Excalibur Yearbook, EU Films, The Forensics/Speech Team, KECC Radio, and The Lance. These student-led organizations provide the opportunity for students to learn, practice, and experiment in communication and media production. They compete at state and national level in media contests and team activities. Communication students also assume leadership roles in student government, Activities Board, CrossWalk, resident life, and other organizations and teams across the campus. Communication students work on campus in roles related to public relations, chapel video, enrollment, and other departments. The students working in the Communication Department help produce sports broadcasts for Evangel s athletic teams. The Communication Department faculty consists of six full-time and three adjunct professors. Three of the regular faculty have terminal degrees. One is currently ABD. The Communication Department is also served by a full-time media engineer who also teaches as part of his duties. Most of the faculty had media careers before beginning to teach. All of the faculty, including adjuncts, have been teaching at Evangel for more than two years and the average length of service of the regular faculty is over 12 years. The faculty members are assisted by one administrative assistant with 20 years of EU experience and student assistants. 1
Purpose and Process The purpose of this report is to inform and request approval from the Campus Planning Council (CPC) and university administration of the Communication Department s Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) for the 2012-2015 school years. The academic department PIP is focused on setting 3-year objectives for enrollment by majors, course satisfaction ratings by students, and performance of seniors on national standardized tests or other measures of content mastery that are comparable to student performance at other institutions. In addition to the objectives, the PIP provides an outline of the strategies to move from our current performance to the projected outcomes. The process of seeking approval from the CPC and administration and providing annual progress reports helps to create a culture of accountability for continuous performance improvement. We received enrollment data from the Office of Institutional Research and course evaluation data from the Assessment Council during September 2011 and January 2012. The communication faculty worked together to draft objectives and strategies for the three measures. The process for data analysis, investigating cause and effect, setting objectives, and developing strategies was guided by the EU Academic Department Model for Continuous Improvement. The department faculty met as a whole to review and discuss the proposals. The department chair used this discussion and review and suggested changes that evolved from the discussion to draft the final report. The faculty had another meeting to review, amend, and approve the final report. Affirmation The signatures of the regular faculty members and staff below affirm support of the Communication Department s Performance Improvement Plan for 2012-2015 and commitment to its implementation. Cameron Pace Mark Kelton Nancy Pace-Miller Chip Stanek Melinda Booze Joy Qualls Gabriel Mays Wanda Potter 2
Mission and Objectives The Department of Communication serves students through a study of communications, incorporating theory, history, and application in a variety of media and non-media contexts. The Department prepares its majors to function effectively as competent professionals with a Christian worldview. The Department of Communication includes major programs of study in Advertising/Public Relations, Broadcasting, Digital Arts, Film, Journalism, and Communication Studies. Photography and Applied Communication are offered as minor programs of study. Each area makes appropriate contributions to the following objectives of the Department: 1. To contribute to the arts and sciences emphasis of the University 2. To promote a Christ-centered value system 3. To be cognizant of cultural diversity and differing value systems 4. To provide professional preparation 5. To develop leadership skills in the communication fields Our primary customers are: Customers and Markets 18-25 year-old traditional students with the primary goal of earning a communication degree at an Assemblies of God liberal arts college as preparation for pursuing a successful career in communication and related fields as part of God s vocational calling on their lives. 25+ year old professional studies students whose goals relate to fulfilling personal and family responsibilities and improving income and quality of life by completing a communication degree in an environment that promotes a Christian world view. Our primary markets are: Christian youth throughout the US with an interest in communication and higher education. International students who wish to obtain a degree in communication at a Christian university. Adults in the Springfield region who have life experience and the college credits required to enter the professional studies program. Throughout their educational experience, our students expect: A distinctly Christian atmosphere that encourages spiritual as well as academic development. Professors who will motivate them to learn. Meaningful job opportunities as they complete their education. 3
A respected degree or certification. A supportive relationship with faculty and others. A quality education from a well respected university program that enables them to succeed in the workplace or graduate school. A faculty reference for good performance. To be trained in the skills necessary for media-production and related communication technological fields. Assistance and support in finding career-related internships and experiences. Current Position and 3-Year Objectives We have examined our current and past results to identify current trends and direction that are important to us, our students, and our performance. In this examination, we have attempted to identify the potential causes for not achieving, or for achieving, the desired level of performance. The threeyear objectives presented in this section represent stretch goals that are based on a number of assumptions. The process of moving towards these goals may require adjustments to the strategies and may reveal that the stretch goals are not realistic. Even so, it is more important to set goals that motivate us to explore causes and develop innovative solutions than it is to set goals that are easily achieved and designed to make us look good at our current state. Enrollment: EU s market share of Assemblies of God (AG) communication students is 20% (2010). The number of traditional communication majors at EU in the fall of 2011 was 149. The Communication Department percentage of total enrollment at EU is 9%. The number of freshmen enrolling as communication majors in the fall of 2011 was 40. In the spring 2012, we added two more. The number of students in the Communication professional studies program is 56 (2011). The following chart shows the number of traditional communication majors in the fall 2010, 2005, and 2000, and the 3-year goal for fall 2015. Goals for non-traditional enrollment will be made by the Graduate and Professional Studies Department. To reach the 3-year goal of total of 172 traditional communication majors, current students will have to be retained and new enrollment in communication majors will need to be approximately 41 students in fall 2012, 45 students in fall 2013, and 50 students in fall 2014. These enrollment targets can be a combination of new freshmen or transfers and includes enrollment in one new major. Majors Fall 2000 Fall 2005 Fall 2011 Advertising and Public Relations N/A 18 32 35 Broadcasting (formerly part of Electronic Media) 27 0 21 25 Communication Studies 50 54 19 20 Digital Arts (formerly part of Electronic Media) N/A N/A 22 25 Film (formerly part of Electronic Media) N/A 0 38 40 3 Yr. Goal 4
Majors F2000 F2005 F2011 Goal Journalism 15 25 17 20 Political Communication (new major) N/A N/A N/A 7 Electronic Media (major ended in 2008) N/A 78 0 0 Total Communication Majors 92 175 149 172 Freshman Communication Majors 32 50 40 50 *The registration system (CAMS) did not provide for dual majors in 2000. Course Evaluations: The following table represents current, comparative, and projected performance for course evaluations by students. The first three columns are based on the Fall 2011 surveys using a scale of 5 = strongly agree, 4 = agree, 3 = neutral, 2 = disagree, and 1 = strongly disagree. Survey # and Statement Dept. Avg. Univ. Avg. Dept. Best 3 Yr. Goal 20. Overall, this has been a good course. 4.3 4.3 4.7 4.4 21. I would take another course with this professor. 4.4 4.2 4.7 4.5 1. The professor was well prepared for the class. (.87) 4.4 4.5 4.7 4.5 2. The professor s explanations were clear. (.86) 4.3 4.2 4.6 4.5 5. Class time was productive. (.87) 4.3 4.2 4.6 4.4 11. As a result of this course, my knowledge in the subject has increased. (.90) 4.3 4.4 4.7 4.4 16. Assignments were returned in a timely manner. (.80) 4.1 4.2 4.6 4.3 The overall average of students' responses to Communication Department courses is shown in the department average (Dept. Avg.) column. The University average (Univ. Avg.) column shows the overall average of students' responses for the entire university. The Department Best (Dept. Best) is the average of the averages for the 10% of the courses with the best scores. This represents an opportunity for improvement. The three year goal (3 Yr. Goal) is the objective for the fall 2014 results. We recognized that there are multiple factors that influence course evaluations other than the professor s performance. These objectives are established to motivate individual and collective efforts to improve the overall effectiveness of our courses. The first statement (#20) represents the students' overall satisfaction with the course. The second statement (#21) is a "loyalty" question based on behavioral intent. Statements #1, #2, #5, #11, and #16 are the statements that had the highest correlation to the overall satisfaction. The correlation coefficient is shown in parenthesis following the statement. While other statements on the survey should be considered, these statements matter most and have been selected to set three year improvement objectives. Student participation in the Fall 2011 course survey s averaged 46.5% for the department. The campus average was 62% participation. Getting higher survey participation numbers in all classes is an area of opportunity for the Communication Department. 5
National Standardized Test Scores: The following table identifies the overall national percentile ranking of senior EU Communication majors compared to students in other colleges and universities that utilized the ACAT exam for their communication majors in the last few years. The students were tested in four areas: mass communication, speech communication, interpersonal communication, and basic audio and video production. Students tested included 32 communication seniors in the traditional program during the Fall of 2011. Area National Score Evangel Score Percentile Number of students tested 400 32 N/A Overall Mean Score 500 609 86% Interpersonal Communication 500 623 89% Mass Communication/Mass Media 500 515 56% Production: Television 500 645 93% Public Speaking/Debate 500 545 67% Overall, we are well above the national mean (609), but the test indicated moderate performance in mass communication studies. Public speaking was slightly better. However, in the areas of interpersonal communication and television production, our students performed very well to excellent. These two areas of good performance are also the key factors in students having marketable job skills and knowledge. The ACAT test was not administered to the Professional Studies students who are in the Professional Communication program. It is likely that we will include them in the testing next time. We are mostly pleased with the results of our students on the ACAT. The two areas of lower scoring are above average, but just. Students typically take Mass Communication and Public Speaking as freshmen, which might mean they have forgotten material by their senior year. By reinforcing the material in subsequent courses, we should be able to raise those scores for the next test period. The three-year objective for the average of traditional graduating communication students' scores will be at the 90th percentile or higher for the overall mean. A three-year objective for mass communication and public speaking sub-areas will be at the 75 th percentile or higher. In television production and interpersonal communication sub-areas, the goal will be to maintain or improve on the high percentiles of 2011 with at least a 90% percentile rating. Based on the 2011 results, this would translate into the improvements in the percent correct indicated in the following table. This table presents non-traditional student scores as a single group computed by an average weighted by the number of students taking the test. Percentile Rank Standard Score Total Area Target Target Current Change Overall Mean Score 90th 630 609 4% Interpersonal Communication 90th 630 623 3% Mass Communication 75th 565 515 19% Television Production 95th 645 650 2% Public Speaking 75th 565 545 8% 6
The number of students and schools that have used the ACAT for communication will continue to grow. It will be interesting to see how Evangel students compare when a larger sample is used to create the national mean. The ACAT provides a comparative assessment of the core knowledge of communication majors, but does not provide a comparative assessment of the comprehensive knowledge of each of our majors. Finding an appropriate standardized assessment of our majors will be our next assessment challenge. Strategies for Improvement The following strategies have evolved from our efforts to identify the reasons why we have gaps in our current performance and the desired results. We developed strategies to close the gaps and reach the 3- year objectives. We then consolidated the strategies into the following list. With each strategy we have indicated the semester that we have targeted (TRGT) for implementing this project or action. We have also placed an in the column or columns that represent the improvement area that the strategy is intended to impact (ENR = Enrollment. EVL = Course Evaluations, NST = National Standardized Test). Strategy TRGT ENR EVL NST 1. Encourage more Communication students to be involved with admissions events and activities on campus and, when available, off campus. 2. Gain final approval for a new major and minor in Political Communication, which is being created with cooperation from the Social Sciences Department. 3. Educating our current and future students about the opportunities available in the communication field that are non-traditional and are integrated into other career fields. 4. Explore potential impact on enrollment and performance created by collaborating with other departments to create majors in areas such as media management, photographic arts, and journalism education. 5. Develop promotional materials/web communications that enhance the ability of the university recruiters to recruit prospective communication majors. 6. Continue to develop further the department s relationship with alumni in terms of assessment and current student internship/job opportunities. 7. Develop systematic protocol to manage contact and ongoing communication with prospective communication students who visit campus and to track our effectiveness in converting these prospects to admitted communication majors. 8. Work with admissions counselors to determine potential reasons why prospective communication students do not choose EU and develop strategies to address those issues. 9. Create a database that identifies prospective communication major applicants who did not attend EU and aggressively recruit them as transfer students. 10. Increase endowed and non-endowed annual scholarship awards through appeals to existing donors, alumni, and friends. 11. Further develop the departmental internship program to discover new opportunities for students outside of the traditional media. 12. Encourage more students to enter their work in collegiate media contests. 7
Strategy TRGT ENR EVL NST 13. Continue to promote and utilize the Communication Quality Initiative that awards students for achieving professional quality results on papers and projects during the school year. This may also require finding alternative funding resources to support it. 14. Develop methods that allow all our students to take the course evaluation online either on their own or in corporate settings. 15. Identify professors with highest course evaluations and identify best practices to be shared. 16. Utilize student feedback teams who can identify areas within courses that can be enhanced or improved through student suggestions. 17. Department chair will work with each professor to review course evaluations and set meaningful improvement objectives and strategies. 18. Create an electronic display in the department in a professional format that lists the objectives for enrollment, course evaluations, and national standardized test performance. This display would indicate current performance and provide updates each semester for course evaluations. 19. Evaluate the ACAT exam for areas that are specifically targeted and compare these to our current curriculum. We then will introduce the subject areas not currently taught into appropriate courses and add review of test-related content in others. The goal here is not to teach the test, but to identify areas we currently are not teaching or are under-teaching as identified by the test so that our program is more balanced and competitive. 20. Research expanding the subject areas in the ACAT to cover a wider range of our curriculum in order to provide a better picture of our standing among communication programs. 21. Develop a process for seniors to review core communication competencies as preparation for the national standardized. 22. Research the availability and feasibility of joining additional communication and media memberships that allow students to participate on a state and national level in events, contests, and other opportunities. 23. Do research including student focus groups and competitive analysis to identify potential improvements in and alignment of existing curriculum that would make us more competitive and enhance our reputation. 24. Research and develop a system of tutoring that targets specific technological areas that can be used to assist students who are challenged in these areas. 25. Systematically promote student involvement with the student media and the leadership opportunities that exist when being on staff. 26. Develop financial resources to help fund new equipment for student studios, labs, and suites with update equipment and software. 8