Date Received: 7/28/06
Spring 2006 Semester Assessment Report Form
Directions: Please complete a form for each of the programs within your department. If you
have any questions, please contact Dr. Bea Babbitt at x51506 or via email at:
bea.babbitt@unlv.edu.
1. Program Information:
Program
Department
College
Program Assessment Coordinator
Semester Data Collected
Report Submitted by
Phone/email
Date Submitted
Master of Arts degree in Journalism and Media Studies
Hank Greenspun School of Journalism and Media Studies
College of Urban Affairs
Gregory Borchard
Spring 2006
Gregory Borchard
702-895-4868; gregory.borchard@unlv.edu
Oct. 18, 2006
2. According to the Assessment Plan for this program, what were the planned assessments to be
conducted during the Spring 2006 semester?
Which
How did you measure the outcomes?
What results did you expect? If
outcomes Of the evaluated Standards, courses that
the students performed well
Reinforced
(“R”)
skills
in
Theory,
Critical
for this
what would their performance
Thinking, Writing, and Evaluating,
look like? Students were expected
program
composed a sample of TWO (2) courses
to exhibit skills verifying a
were
Reinforced proficiency in media
measured? evaluated. Full-time faculty were first
 Theory
asked to visit the Assessment Plan for the
Theory, abilities to use Critical
 Critical
School of JMS posted on the UNLV
Thinking, demonstrations of
Thinking
Assessment site. Faculty accounted for the Writing skills, and that they were
 Writing
Standards associated with courses each
skilled in Evaluating issues of
 Evaluating
member taught Spring 2005 and Fall 2005. critical importance to in
Faculty then went to materials submitted
Journalism and Media Studies.
for their annual reviews and searched
Results in each of these areas
documents for verification that each
indicated students met the
standard listed on the Assessment Plan had Standards set by individual
or had not been met in the individual
instructors by fulfilling
classes each member taught. Faculty then
requirements in course syllabi,
submitted to Greg Borchard, assessment
lesson plans, assignments, and the
coordinator, a detailed description of
related professional opportunities
course activities directly related to the
featured in the TWO (2) sample
Standards listed on the Assessment Plan.
classes.
4 outcomes out of a total of 12 outcomes evaluated this semester.
3. Results. What are the results of the planned assessments listed above?
Using the method described above, the two sampled classes indicated Theory, Critical
Thinking, Writing, and Evaluating were Reinforced using the following criteria:
JMS 620: Visual Literacy
 Course reinforces ideas students may have learned in previous classes, also reinforces basic
human ability to understand and learn from the media and in the world around us.
 The writing component is unique in that students explore the idea of visual writing—or how
to communicate using visual images rather than words. Through this evaluation of visual
images as communicative phenomena, students also learn, discuss, and examine the
relationship between words and pictures and the theories associated with both.
 Gaining understanding of the visual world is an increasingly important aspect of how we
understand the world around us, and the class enhances the student’s ability to critically think
about the visual images that bombard us in today’s world.
 Students make important evaluative decisions based on this new knowledge.
JMS 710: Survey of Journalism and Media Studies
 This is one of four required courses for graduate students and usually, the first class they take.
 Its purpose is to lay the groundwork for the student’s graduate school experience.
 Covers history of the interrelated fields of journalism and media studies, overviews theoretical
developments in the field and examines the criteria we use to assess the quality of a theory.
 One of its primary purposes is to teach students how to write academic research papers using
proper style, ethics, and critical thinking as the students assess previous research on a
particular topic and conduct their own study by collecting data and analyzing it using
appropriate analytical tools associated with the research process.
4. Conclusions and Discoveries. What conclusions or discoveries were made from these results?
A faculty-wide inventory of courses taught in the JMS revealed (minor) errors in the School’s
original Assessment Plan, including Standards associated with a few classes that need
correcting and the need to verify current listings of courses, some of which did not match
listings in the University’s course catalogue. The most important findings included the
development of a usable database of course descriptions and measures implemented by
individual instructors in their classes for future reference in assessment and toward accreditation
efforts. Faculty, not only those who taught the two (2) sampled courses, were reminded of the
need to develop, maintain, and report data that verifies Standards featured on the Assessment
Plan are being met at an appropriate level through their respective coursework.
5. Use of Results. What program changes are indicated? How will they be implemented?
The most important use of the results for the fall 06 report is reflected in the revisions made to
the Assessment Plans for both the undergraduate and graduate programs. The Assessment Plan
for the undergraduate program in particular required significant course re-numbering and
changes in course descriptions both to reconcile courses offered with the School’s efforts in
seeking accreditation, as well as changes required by the Regents to bring a level of uniformity
among university programs. Although the methods used in determining the School’s emphasis
on particular skills and standards has remained the same, changes to individual courses affected
the breakdown of Standards emphasized. The revised Assessment Plans reflect a more accurate
and more up-to-date interpretation of the School’s goals.
6. Dissemination of Results/Conclusions/Discoveries. How/with whom were the results shared?
This document was forwarded to faculty in electronic format. Related documents, including the
updated Assessment Plans for the undergraduate and graduate programs, were distributed to
faculty as hard copies for verification of changes made. The revised versions of both documents
were also distributed to faculty via e-mail for their reference.