Assessment Report
July 1, 2006-June 30, 2007
Program Assessed: Department of Communication
Assessment Coordinator: Jeffrey Alan John
Year 3 of a 5-Year Cycle
1. Assessment Measures Employed
Measures employed:
 Public speaking is assessed in COM 101 (Essentials of Public Address)
 Student writing is assessed via grammar pre- and post-testing in COM 200 (Writing To
Communicate)
 Student writing is assessed via a final portfolio of written work in COM 400 (Senior
Seminar in Communication)
 Exit Interview Surveys are given to students in COM 400 (Senior Seminar in
Communication)
 Graduate Surveys are sent to alumni every five years.
Participants:
Majors in the Department of Communication: 324
Minors in the Department of Communication: 27
Minority Students in the Department of Communication: 58
(Asian 6, AfrAm 49, Hisp 3)
Approximately 600 students completed COM 101 during this assessment period.
Approximately 144 students completed COM 200
Approximately 120 students completed COM 400.
Faculty Assessing Student Performance:
Dr. Jung-Soo Yi, COM 101
Prof. Ann Biswas, Drs. Jeffrey Alan John, Henry Ruminski COM 200
Dr. Elliot Gaines, COM 400, Exit Surveys
2. Assessment Findings
Learning Outcome 1: Communication Skills
Oral Communication: Students will show competence in audience analysis,
organization, evidence use, and gestures.
Written Communication: Students will show competence in basic writing skills to
communicate to a large audience, including having purposes, strategy, organization,
style, and grammar, for both media and non-media organizations.
Learning Outcome 2: Career Success
Students will find their major provided useful skills and habits of mind for a career choice.
Findings for Learning Outcome 1, Oral Communication:
At the conclusion of COM 101, students' level of confidence in their speaking skills had
improved. This was demonstrated by fewer signs of nervousness, improved content, more
effective use of supporting materials, better eye contact, and improved nonverbal
communication (gestures and body movements).
In COM 400, all students except Communication Studies majors demonstrated
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acceptable basic speech competence.
Findings for Learning Outcome 1, Written Communication:
In COM 200, students exhibited statistical improvement in writing skills, as demonstrated by
English proficiency test pre- and post-testing that involves both objective and subjective
measures. Across five sections of COM 200, students scores improved by an average of 12
percent from the beginning to the end of the course, from an average of 67.46 points (of 100
possible) to 79.48 points.
In COM 400, spontaneous writing to describe the value and content of the communication major
indicated that more emphasis should be placed on real life and occupational applications.
Findings for Learning Outcome 2, Career Success:
Responses from the exit interview forms given at the close of COM 400 indicate a significant amount of
uncertainty and lack of focus in career options, although only three responses noted a lack of satisfaction
with the Communication degree.
Two respondents suggested the department’s programs are “too broad” or “too general.” One student
noted, “Ask 10 COM majors what types of jobs you can get with a COM degree, and 8 will say ‘I don’t
know.’” The most frequent response regarding career options is “Not sure,” an option specifically cited
by about 18 respondents. The next most common response was to attend graduate school, mentioned by a
dozen students, followed by public relations and/or marketing or sales, with nine responses. Other career
options mentioned (listed in the order of popularity) included television or radio broadcasting,
journalism, event coordinator, health communication professional and religious clergy.
Three respondents observed a lack of technological expertise in the department, exemplified by a need to
update the department web site.
3. Program Improvements
Many respondents in the exit interviews noted that for advising they chose to go to former Department
Chair Dr. James Sayer, rather than to their designated advisors, because of Dr. Sayer’s amiable
personality. Dr. Sayer is no longer available, so the department will have to evolve away from this
system of personality-related advising. Because student advising is time-consuming, responsibility must
be distributed among a larger number of faculty, and students must be encouraged to visit their assigned
advisor. At the same time, faculty members must be encouraged to familiarize themselves with the
sometimes arcane graduation requirements.
The aimlessness identified in the exit interviews regarding careers reflects the difference between the
very applied, social science nature of mass communication and organizational communication, versus the
undefined, liberal arts foundation of communication studies. The 2006 curriculum revision that added a
two-hour practicum requirement to the Communication Studies major will force students to confront
career options, but at the same time add a need to find suitable communication activities for student
participation.
In addition, the department may wish to consider creating a Board of Advisers, made up of cooperative
community business and organization leaders and/or alumni, who could suggest course and curriculum
modifications that will steer students toward application of their degrees. Further, the department must
work within the College and University environment to encourage more acceptance of the applied
research that is typical of communication as an academic pursuit.
4. Assessment Plan Compliance
This year's assessment is in compliance with the Department of Communication's Program Assessment
Plan. Learning outcomes were measured in both oral and written skills derived from the collection of data
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from our major oral and written communication courses (COM 101, COM 200, COM 400). Student exit
surveys (COM 400) were assessed for student career success. Graduate surveys were not sent (next
mailing in 2010).
5. New Assessment Developments
The Department' continues to encounter the effect of implementing a new curriculum in fall, 2006. More
significant effects have been felt as a result of the departure of the department chair, Dr. James Sayer,
who had assumed a significant advising role, as noted above. In addition, the department this year is
without the services of Dr. Karin Spicer, who took disability retirement, and Dr. Elliot Gaines, who is on
sabbatical. These staffing reductions have had and will continue to have an impact on the number and
variety of courses offered by the department, to the extent that many students will have to take alternative
courses to replace credit hours from required courses that cannot be offered.
In COM 400 students have taken the English Proficiency exam in order provide a statistical assessment of
writing skill levels at the 400 level and directly comparable to proficiency test scores from COM 200.
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