PRAC Minutes:

04/09/09

Present: Thomas Radice, Mark Cameron, Martin Hartog, Susan Felsenfeld, Ozcan Gulacar, Cynthia Coron, Eric West, Marybeth H. Fede, Yi-Chun Tricia Lin, Imad Antonios, David Pettigrew, Patti Kahlbaugh
Absent: Radha R.M. Narumanchi, Lisa Rebeschi

Agenda:
1.  Discussion of Student Survey Instruments
 Issues Discussed:
• The questions were worded to evaluate professors and not experience.
• Instrument should address learning objectives.
• Wording of the questions was awkward. Needs to be redone.
• Headings in the survey needed to be changed in order to provide data that faculty can use in assessing a department.
• Seemed long, but a pilot indicates that students did not indicate that length was an issue.
• Library survey should not be included.
• Facilities survey could be useful for resource allocation decision.
• Section on advisement not needed by all.
• May develop the survey so that some core questions will be included in all surveys and other questions can be optional.
• Students should not take the survey more than once.
• Whether the course level is needed in the survey.
Action Taken: Approved the "Student Survey" with change in wording from
"In this many courses in the department, I am•••" to
"Overall, in the courses I've taken in this department, I am or have been•••"
With the scale:
Not at All; A Little; Some; Most; All

2. Media Studies Department (MDS) Review
 Comments:
• State more explicitly how the department mission supports the university mission.
• Goals should be condensed and better aligned with objectives and measurement of those objectives.
• How the capstone course project is assessed and how it aligns with program objectives.
• Assessment seemed to be course level.
• Likert-scale survey not included.
• Outcomes should be stated in measurable terms.
• Measurement should be linked to the outcomes.
Action taken: The committee decided to send the report back to the MSD to be revised taking into consideration comments that have been made.
A meeting to discuss the suggestions with the MSD can be scheduled with either a portion of PRAC or the whole committee.

Minutes submitted by M. Hartog: 04/09/09