Office of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
School of Journalism
Academic Year 2014-15 Assessment Report
MISSION STATEMENT
The mission of the University of Montana School of Journalism is to provide students with a professional education in journalism; to teach them to think
critically, act ethically, and communicate effectively; to help them understand the challenges and changes in the news media; and to inspire them to use
their talents to improve journalism and enhance a diverse and democratic society.
DEPARTMENT OBJECTIVES and ALIGNMENT WITH STRATEGIC ISSUES
1. The School will help its students succeed academically and personally so they graduate well prepared for their careers or further education. The
objective supports the university strategy of partnering for student success. The school has set indicators of success including target graduation
rates, retention rates to professional program, a required internship workshop and student surveys.
2. The School will offer an educational experience at all degree levels that provides graduates the foundation to make positive impacts on a world that
is increasingly interconnected. This goal supports the university strategy of educating students for the global century. The school has developed a
diversity action plan, offered a 2014 study abroad class for students in India, and worked with International Programs to create study abroad
programs and foster opportunities for international students to study here
.
3. The School will transform discovery and creativity into knowledge, applications and experiences in ways that benefit the state, region, national and
world. The goal supports the strategic issue of supporting discovery and creativity in scholarship.
4. The School will ensure students have access to the technology needed to develop the skills required in today’s news environment. The objective
supports the strategic issue of a fostering a dynamic learning environment.
5. The School will make an annual review of progress toward its goals and initiatives, which supports the university planning-assessment continuum.
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STUDENT LEARNING GOALS AND MEASUREMENT TOOLS
<Measurement
Tool>
<Measurement
Tool>
<Measurement
Tool>
<Measurement
Tool>
JOUR100
knowledge
assessment
JOUR100
knowledge
assessment
JOUR400
knowledge
assessment
JOUR400
knowledge
assessment
Internship
evaluation
Senior portfolio
review
3. Demonstrate an understanding of the history and
role of media
JOUR100
knowledge
assessment
JOUR400
knowledge
assessment
4. Demonstrate an understanding of diversity
JOUR100
knowledge
assessment
JOUR400
knowledge
assessment
5. Possess visual literacy skills and understanding
Internship
evaluation
JOUR100
knowledge
assessment
JOUR270
assessment
Senior portfolio
review
JOUR400
knowledge
assessment
Internship
evaluation
Senior portfolio
review
8. Research and evaluate information
JOUR270
assessment
Internship
evaluation
Senior portfolio
review
9. Critically evaluate work & tailor that work for the
appropriate audience
Internship
evaluation
JOUR270
assessment
JOUR270
assessment
JOUR100
knowledge test
Senior portfolio
review
Internship
evaluation
JOUR400
knowledge test
Internship
evaluation
1. Demonstrate an understanding of truth, accuracy
and fairness
2. Understand and apply principles of freedom of
speech
6. Understand ethics and act ethically
7. Think critically and creatively
10. Write correctly and clearly
11. Apply basic numerical concepts
12. Use appropriate tools and technology
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Senior portfolio
review
<Measurement
Tool>
RESULTS AND MODIFICATIONS
Surveys of professional internship supervisors
given at the end of required student internships
suggested some of our students do not have a
strong grasp of Associated Press style and
grammar.
Knowledge assessments given to seniors in
JOUR 400 suggest that many of our students
lack an appropriate understanding of math as it
is used in a news story. This year we also
noticed seniors have difficulty with a couple of
questions in the diversity section.
Some reviewers who participated in the senior
portfolio review evaluation were unable to
answer all the questions on the form based on
the student material submitted, so they selected
the choice of N/A for not applicable. The N/A
scores appeared as zeros in our evaluation
spreadsheet, which negatively affected the
averages, and may have hindered the results.
To address these problems, the School of Journalism in fall of 2014 introduced JRNL 170, Elements of
Newswriting, a required course in the pre-professional program with a strong focus on grammar and
style. The introduction of the new class required the school to revamp JRNL 270, Reporting. Because of
these changes, the school temporarily halted the JRNL 270 assessment in 2013. The school is currently
revamping that assessment and is hopeful that the introduction of JRNL 170, and the changes to JRNL
270, have addresses the deficiencies that our previous assessments brought to light.
The School is discussing ways to increase the teaching of math skills across the curriculum. We will
also emphasize to new faculty the importance of building math-related content into the curriculum of
reporting courses across the school. There is some concern about the quality of the diversity questions
on the knowledge assessment. We are currently taking a critical look at the questions included in the
knowledge assessments to ensure they effectively measure our stated student learning goals.
We have changed the senior portfolio review forms to allow reviewers to indicate which materials the
students present in order to gather more accurate results. In the future, a N/A will not record at a zero.
We feel this change will give us a more accurate tool to judge the assessment of student work by
industry professionals.
APPENDICES
1. Curriculum map
2. Academic strategic plan, 2013 update
FUTURE PLANS FOR CONTINUED ASSESSMENT
The School of Journalism continues to review and refine our current assessment tools to ensure they provide an accurate look at how well our students are
meeting our learning goals. The school is also discussing introducing new tools to increase the amount of assessment data it gathers. Specifically, the
school is discussing retooling the senior survey that all students take before graduation to gather more data about how students feel about the quality of
education we provide. We also plan to target alumni every five years with a similar survey to gain a better picture of how well our curriculum is preparing
students to work in media. As previously mentioned, the school is currently revising one of the assessment tools used to in the pre-professional program.
The new JOUR 270 assessment will be good indicator of the success of 2013 changes to our pre-professional curriculum that were meant to provide
students with improved grammar, style and writing skills.
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