OUTCOMES ASSESSMENT PLAN
MASTERS IN PUBLIC POLICY
MISSION OF THE PROGRAM
The Graduate Program in Public Policy provides students with specialized professional training in
public policy analysis, preparing them for positions in the public and private sectors. In addition, the
program provides campus and community education and dialog on important public policy issues.
INSTRUCTIONAL GOALS
The interdisciplinary instructional program has five parts, each of which corresponds to a major
instructional goal of the program.
1.
THEORY courses introduce students to the theoretical perspectives of relevant social
science disciplines on public policy analysis and on the public policy process. The major
theoretical perspectives in the program come from economics, political science, history,
and ethics.
2.
METHODS courses provide training in the methods of policy analysis that are required
of independent professionals. Students take a 12 hour methods sequence, including
research methods, quantitative analysis, and Benefit/Cost Analysis.
3.
SEMINARS provide a forum for the integration of the instructional program and offer
opportunities for building the written and oral communication skills that are vital to
professional training.
4.
FOCUS courses allow a student to develop understanding of a particular area of policy or
to acquire additional skills relevant to public policy analysis.
5.
INTERNSHIP provides exposure to public policy techniques applied in real
organizational settings and work experience in a professional environment.
OUTCOMES
Student outcomes will be assessed in four areas, each of which is contributed to by one or more of the
curricular areas identified above:
1.
The student's ability to retain, integrate and synthesize ideas and concepts central to the
study of public policy and the various theoretical perspectives presented in the program
and to relate them to her or his substantive knowledge in a focus area
2.
The student's methodological skills relevant to public policy analysis.
3.
The student's ability to express himself or herself clearly and effectively, both in writing
and orally.
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4.
The student's ability to function effectively in 'real world' organizational settings in which
policy analysis skills are utilized.
MECHANISMS FOR OUTCOMES ASSESSMENT
Comprehensive Examinations
The Masters in Public Policy assesses student outcomes independently of course grades, through the
administration of written and oral Comprehensive Examinations as a requirement for graduation. In
particular, Items 1-3 above form the framework for the preparation of comprehensive examinations.
These examinations are administered midway through the student's last semester of the two year
program. General policies and procedures for these exams are established by the MPP Coordinating
Committee. This Committee appoints three public policy faculty members to serve as a Comprehensive
Examination Committee. They establish more detailed guidelines for exams in any given semester,
identify which students are eligible to take the exams (in consultation with the Director), and solicit
appropriate questions from public policy faculty. They then coordinate the grading of the written
exams, and organize the orals. Based on a student's performance, they determine whether she or he has
passed or failed. Students may be required to retake all or a portion of the examination.
For an interdisciplinary program such as the MPP, it is vital to maintain continuity and consistent quality
in a process in which a number of faculty from different backgrounds are involved. Therefore, we
propose an outcomes assessment process relative to comprehensive examinations consisting of the
following elements:
(1)
Biennial review by the public policy faculty of the structure and content of comprehensive
exams, to insure that they truly assess the competencies set forth in the goals of the program.
This biennial review will insure that the examinations retain the proper focus on the targeted
competencies.
(2)
Biennial re-sampling of comprehensive exam answers by students as a recheck on grading
criteria. Answers will be compared with the stated expectations as to quality, to ensure that those
standards are being maintained.
Research Papers
The MPP requires the submission of a research paper to the Graduate College. This required research
paper provides a further opportunity to examine the student's ability to conduct independent research
and convey the findings clearly in writing. Outcomes assessment relative to the research paper consists
of ongoing "quality control" measures, to insure that student research papers reflect the skills and
abilities outlined in the objectives of the program. These quality control measures include the following:
(1)
We will continue to offer a seminar, entitled "Research and Bibliography" in which MPP
students work on their final research papers together, under the guidance of an instructor, with
opportunities to present their ideas and findings to the seminar as they are developed. The result
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is a much better quality paper than one "spun off" from another course or produced hurriedly in
the student's final semester. Also, the process of producing the paper becomes an additional
mechanism for honing the skills learned throughout the program.
(2)
Along with our biennial review of comprehensive questions, the Public Policy Faculty will
resample research papers to insure that uniform standards of quality are being maintained.
(3)
We will ask MPP students to provide copies for their files of two other research papers
completed during their program of study that they consider to be their best work. These will also
be periodically sampled to gain an idea of the overall quality of students' written work.
Internship
The Public Policy Internship serves as a mechanism for outcomes assessment, in that it gives the student
the opportunity to apply her or his skills in a "real world" situation. Each student is required to submit
the following items as part of the internship:
(1)
A report or other document resulting from the independent research or problem analysis project
they must do as part of their placement.
(2)
An evaluation of their work by their internship supervisor, following a form prescribed by the
MPP program.
(3)
A paper in which the student summarizes the internship experience and reflects on the learning
opportunities it presented (or failed to present.)
Alumni Evaluation
As an additional tool of outcomes assessment, we intend to carry out a biennial survey of alumni, to
learn about their career paths, and to get them to reflect on the applicability of the skills acquired in their
graduate program to their professional activities and to their life activities.
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