DSA Assessment Plan
Department Name:
Assessment Plan for
Academic Year:
Director:
Assessment Contact(s)
(if not the director):
Department Mission
Statement:
Department Vision
Statement:
Center for Student Media
2013-2014
Matt Dulin
Grounded in professional ethics and best practices, the Center for Student Media supports and empowers student-driven
expression, publishing and broadcasting.
The Center for Student Media aspires to be a cutting-edge multi-platform laboratory that prepares collaborative,
innovative and creative students for real-world leadership.
1. Establish training and quality enhancement programs for all student media groups.
2. Enhance magazine products with mobile and/or web extensions to add value and test the mobile ad market.
Department Goals:
3. Identify and develop new revenue streams through creative services that offer new student learning opportunities and
activate a new pool of resources for program expansion.
4. Charge a task force to review the Center’s business model and make recommendations for print strategy, advertising
policies and procedures.
5.
Program or Services Being Assessed: Newspaper effectiveness
Learning Outcome(s)
Method
Frequency
and/or Program
Objective(s)
Program objective: Capture Focus groups of readers and One-time.
student views about print non-readers (separated
publications and usage of groups) will be guided in
The Daily Cougar
discussion to provide
specifically to guide the
qualitative data about
student staff in developing reading habits, perceptions
a sustainable content
and preferences.
strategy.
Timeline
(Month)
The focus groups will
be completed by Oct.
16. Report will be
compiled by Oct. 23,
2013.
Program or Services Being Assessed: CSM Advertising Effectiveness/Customer Service
Learning Outcome(s)
Timeline
and/or Program
Method
Frequency
(Month)
Objective(s)
Program objective: Provide Create a survey that
Data will be collected Results will be
an effective advertising
measures client's overall
in April 2014.
tracked
service to campus and local satisfaction with: customer
Cumulative Report
clients that results in high service, ad production,
will be compiled in
levels of loyalty and less
pricing, return on
June 2014.
customer turnover.
investment, ways to
improve, and interest in
future advertising programs
and media services.
Incentivize completion of
the survey by offering a
service discount. Sample will
include all advertisers from
2010 to current.
1
Purpose
Goal(s) Supported
To determine the best #4
print strategies to reach
students and provide
the best quality of
service to readers and
advertisers. Ultimately,
the data will be used to
help determine how to
adapt newspaper
delivery, design and
content for increased
reader engagement.
Purpose
To measure customer
#4, #3
satisfaction and pinpoint
room for improvement
in the sales, service,
production and delivery
of advertising programs.
Goal
DSA Assessment Plan
Program or Services Being Assessed: The Daily Cougar - Editorial Quality and Leadership
Learning Outcome(s)
Timeline
and/or Program
Method
Frequency
(Month)
Objective(s)
Program objective: Support 1. Partner with student
Daily for 3
Develop rubric by
the production of a student leaders to develop a rubric
consecutive weeks at Sept. 15. Begin first
newspaper that adheres to based upon national college the midpoint of the scoring period in
professional standards for media standards to evaluate semester. Repeated October. Present
print media and journalistic the quality of a newspaper as in the spring.
results to Editorial
quality.
a whole.
Board in November.
2. Adviser will apply critique
Repeat in Februaryto each day's print and web
March. Final report
edition. Weighted values will
compiled June 2014.
be averaged to indicate
overall quality. The scoring
periods will not be
announced.
3. First session's results are
reported to the student
editorial team to generate
discussion and self-reflection
on leadership,
decisionmaking and
teambuilding strategies that
impacted their scores.
Program or Services Being Assessed: Transitions magazine
Learning Outcome(s)
and/or Program
Method
Frequency
Objective(s)
Program objective:
1. Existing reports on this
Needs assessment
Acclimate new students to population will be requested will be administered
the University and
for additional
one time.
encourage their
research/insight.
involvement in campus
2. A needs assessment survey
programs and use of
will be developed and
campus resources through administered to a sample of
authentic student-toFall 2013 freshmen and
student communication.
transfer students.
Timeline
(Month)
Goal
To provide structured
#1
feedback and tracking of
student performance as
a unit, but to also give
insight into the
performance of
individual components
that make up the whole.
To establish a standard
to be met and embraced
by the student leaders.
Purpose
Goal
Survey will be
To determine the needs #2
administered in
of freshmen and
October. Results will transfer students and
be compiled in
assist in establishing a
November and
learning-outcomes
presented to the First- based editorial content
Year Experience
strategy for the
Committee to
publication.
brainstorm ideas for
improvements/enha
ncements.
Program or Services Being Assessed: Center for Student Media - Student Learning Needs Assessment
Learning Outcome(s)
Timeline
and/or Program
Method
Frequency
(Month)
Objective(s)
Program objective: Provide Survey will be sent to all
The assessment will The assessment will
practical skill development students who are a member be administered
be distributed in
opportunities for students of a student media
once.
early December.
involved in all three
organization - The Daily
student media
Cougar, Student Video
organizations.
Network and COOG Radio.
The survey will ask students
to gauge their level of skill
and perceived needs.
2
Purpose
Purpose
To determine what
kinds of learning
programs (workshops,
guest speakers) and
what topics are sought
out by our students.
Data will be used to
guide advisers the
creation of formal
training programs in
multiple media and
leadership skillsets.
Goal
#1
Center for Student Media — Assessment plan AY 2013-14
Addendum 1: Focus group strategies
Moderators: TBD
1. Students will have 3-4 different publications on a table of a variety of styles
and content: Study Breaks, Free Press Houston, Houston Press, Houston
Business Journal, ESPN Magazine, Houston Chronicle. Giving them 10-15
minutes to sift through them, the moderator then asks questions about how
they read print publications:
a. Do you read any of these publications currently? How often? Why?
b. If not, why not? What do you like/dislike about each one?
2. Bring out copes of The Daily Cougar and ask them to review it. What do they
like/dislike?
a. If the group is a reader group: Why do you read? What would make
you read more? Is it a habit or do you have to be reminded that it’s
there? How well informed do you feel?
b. Non-reader group: what is it about this that does not appeal to you?
Would a different format or design change your mind? What kind of
stories would attract you?
c. Pitch some story ideas that the newspaper could cover, what topics
would you want to know more about?
d. What if the newspaper were only once a week? What if there was no
student newspaper?
3. What would make the newspaper “cool”?
4. How do you prefer to get information?
5. How do you prefer to spend downtime?