BA – COMMUNICATION – PUBLIC RELATIONS CONCENTRATION
PROGRAM ASSESSMENT PLANS & REPORT
AY 2011-2012
Program Rationale/Purpose Statement:
The Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications offers students a thorough grounding in
communication theory, practice and ethics along with practical knowledge and skills for majors
interested in public relations. Three complimentary interests drive the degree program:
1. To offer communication curricula that is aligned with Tiffin University’s mission of offering
professional education.
2. To offer major and minor concentrations that give students the professional and technical skills they
need for employment opportunities across different communication fields.
3. To develop solid oral, written and electronic communication skills for its majors and students taking
communications courses to fulfill university requirements.
Marketing / Recruitment Target Statement:
The communications program seeks to recruit students who want to major in one of the three areas of
communication offered at Tiffin while receiving a comprehensive general education in a small
university environment. As a professionally focused major, the faculty strives to link communication
theory with practice so students will be prepared to enter the field with the knowledge and skills to be
successful. The strength of the program is in its ability to offer students individual attention in an
atmosphere where they can interact, grow and develop as communicators in a close-knit and dynamic
educational community.
Goals of the Program/Corresponding Classes:
Students will understand and demonstrate acceptable writing skills appropriate to communicating
effectively for public relations organizations. COM212 /218/235/329 / ENG262
Students will recognize theories of public relations practices. COM 416 /441
Section One: Describe all department activities with respect to improving student learning in the
major. This may include new faculty hires, course revisions, assignment creation, rubric revisions,
goal evaluations, etc.
Section Two: Describe which program goal(s) in the Major Program Plan was assessed during the
academic year.
See Below
Section Three: Describe analysis of assessment data and action plans for upcoming academic year.
See Below
Intended Outcomes/Assessment Criteria:
Intended Outcome 1: (D - Writing Abilities / D - Career Readiness) Students will understand and
demonstrate acceptable writing skills appropriate to communicating effectively for public relations
organizations.
Assessment Criteria: Students will develop their writing skills for their public relations foundation
courses in COM212 or COM218. This will be demonstrated by 80% of students achieving a “B” or
higher on their final project in COM212.
Section One - Activity Statement:
This year the communications program taught 16 sections of COM 130: Introduction to Speech
Communication, serving approximately 350 students as part of the university's general education core.
Ten other basic and advanced courses were offered as part of communication core and concentrations,
including:
COM 134
COM 212
COM 218
COM 241
COM 310
COM 325
COM 325
COM 318
COM 330
COM 410
COM 438
Digital Photography
Intro to Public Relations
News Writing
Intro to Mass Communication
Human, Interpersonal, and Small Group Communication
Public Relations Cases, Campaigns, and Non Profits
Sports Writing for Marketing and Promotion
Feature Writing
Video Production
Advanced Reporting
History and Tradition of American Journalism
In keeping with developments in the field of communication and the evolution of Internet
technologies, a new course in social media was created and taught as a special topic Spring semester.
COM 390
Social Media
Extra Curricular Activities included:
The publication of editions of the Campus Newspaper.
The Communication Club was active on campus and sponsored a number of activities, including a
panel of industry practitioners during Fall semester. The club inducted four new members into the
National Communication Honor Society of Lambda Pi Eta (LPH) and remained an active student
chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America.
Communication Faculty supervised:



Three Master of Humanities Thesis Projects
Four Internships
Two Independent Studies
The communication major continues to be the second most popular major in the School of Arts and
Sciences.
Section Two - Results of Outcomes Activity:
2011-2012
Met/Not Met Data Details
COM 212
Met
87% of the students in Intro to Public Relations scored a “B” or
better on their final project.
Section Three - Analysis and Action Plans:
The assessment data shows that students are doing well in this course. We will continue to maintain
the quality of the current curriculum.
Intended Outcome 2: (D – Literacy / D - Research Skills / D - Civic Responsibility - Ethical
Concerns) Students will recognize theories of public relations practices.
Assessment Criteria: Students will recognize theories of public relations practices in COM416 or
COM441. This will be demonstrated by 80% of students achieving a “B” or higher on their final
project in COM416 or COM441.
Section One - Activity Statement:
See Above
Section Two - Results of Outcomes Activity:
2011-2012
Met/Not Met Data Details
N/A
N/A
N/A
Section Three - Analysis and Action Plans:
COM 441 was not taught this year.
Data was not collected for COM 416.
Updated: November 2011