Faculty in the Department of English will demonstrate quality in the instruction of their classes.
Objective
Quality Instruction
The Department's faculty will maintain a level of instruction at or above the average for all departments at SHSU.
Indicator
Student Evaluation Of Teaching
Successful teaching will be demonstrated by faculty performance on a university-adopted evaluation instrument.
Criterion
IDEA Scores, 2006-07
The faculty of the Department of English will average at least 3.9 (the university's average) on the IDEA student evaluations of teaching.
Finding
Teaching Effectiveness
The attached file shows that the faculty averaged 4.4 on the IDEA student evaluation of teaching forms, an increase over the previous year of .1 (from 4.3 to 4.4).
Action
Teaching Effectiveness
English faculty will maintain at a minimum our current level of teaching effectiveness, which exceeds the university's average on the IDEA student evaluation of teaching form. Faculty whose scores are at or below the university's average will be encouraged to find ways to strengthen their teaching as ways of improving their IDEA scores. These efforts will include identifying our most effective teachers and inviting them to serve as mentors to their colleagues. We will also encourage faculty to take advantage of programs offered by the Professional and Academic Center for Excellence (PACE), to participate in the annual teaching conference offered by the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, to participate in the annual Writing in the Disciplines workshop, to participate in the department's teaching colloquium series, and to voluntarily participate in a peer visitation program. Note: our junior, untenured colleagues regularly invite their senior colleagues to observe and comment on their teaching. The proposed peer visitation program will be an extension of this practice.
Goal
Research And Creative Activities Productivity
The Department's tenured and tenure-track faculty will engage in research and publication.
Objective
Research Agenda
Each of the Department's faculty will develop and maintain an active research agenda.
Indicator
Research Agenda
The number of publications, conference presentations, and grant proposals by the Department's tenured and tenure-track faculty will serve as indicators of active research agendas.
Criterion
Research Productivity
Participation on the program of a professional association and/or publication or acceptance of one article will certify research productivity. [Note: given that the research interests of English faculty range widely, "article" will be construed to mean creative work that is article length--e.g., short story, 5 poems, or book-length work.]
Finding
Research Activity
92 percent of the tenured and tenure-track faculty (22 of 24) made a presentation to a professional association and/or published or saw accepted for publication a piece of scholarship. A selective summary of the attached file, which details research productivity for the faculty, shows the following: 16 publications (including 1 book, 1 textbook, 6 scholarly articles, and 1 book chapter), 22 publications accepted but not yet in print (including 2 books, 1 edited book, 2 scholarly articles, and 8 book chapters), 38 pieces submitted (including 4 books, 3 book proposals, 1 monograph, and 12 scholarly articles), 38 conference presentations, and 5 grants (3 funded for a total of $281,797).
Action
Research Agenda
English faculty will maintain at a minimum current levels of research and creative activity. Faculty without a publication or conference presentation will be encouraged both to submit articles and other scholarly or creative pieces to appropriate venues for publication or presentation or to prepare such pieces for presentation our ongoing "works in progress" series. Further, faculty will be encouraged to identify potential granting agencies to support research projects, including travel to collections. To this end, we will invite staff from the Office of Research and Special Programs (ORSP) to meet with the faculty. We will also encourage faculty to participate in grant writing workshops offered by OSRP.
Goal
Professional Service And Activity
The Department's faculty will engage in professional activities and service at a level appropriate for the individual faculty member's rank.
Objective
Professional Service Activities
English faculty will take part in service activities at local, state, regional, national, and/or international levels.
Indicator
Professional Service Activities
The number of professional service activities--local, state, regional, national, and/or international--by the Department's tenured and tenure-track faculty will indicate engagement in professional service.
Criterion
Professional Service
Each faculty member will engage in an aspect of professional service at the department, college, university, profession, and/or community level.
Finding
Professional Service
100% of the faculty provided service at various levels. The attached file shows the following instances of service, most of which is ongoing throughout the academic year: department, 44; college, 20; university, 82; profession, 29; community, 16; awards, 1. In each of these areas, our productivity exceeds that of the previous year.
Action
Professional Service
English faculty will maintain or increase current levels of service. Faculty will also be encouraged to become more active in the profession, for example, by seeking appointments to editorial boards and by seeking election to office in professional organizations. Further, faculty at the senior ranks (Associate Professor and Professor) will be encouraged to strengthen their service contributions by examining their current levels of service. If, for example, a Professor does not have a departmental service contribution listed, we will encourage and help him or her to find a way to make such a contribution.
Goal
M.A. In English Program Development
We will continue to develop the existing English M.A. Program by periodically reviewing the curriculum and introducing new courses that reflect developments in the field and best serve the needs of our students; by encouraging English graduate faculty to provide the best professional models as researchers, writers, and teachers; and by recruiting qualified students.
Objective
M.A. Curriculum
The English M.A. Program will continue to reviews its existing curriculum and to develop new graduate classes and emphases that reflect developments in the profession of English literature, language, and writing disciplines.
Indicator
M.A. Curriculum
The English M.A. Program will demonstrate that it is both current in its course offerings and responsive to student curricular needs.
Criterion
M.A. Curriculum Review
As demonstration that the English M.A. Program is actively reviewing its graduate curriculum, the Graduate Studies Committee (comprising the Director of Graduate Studies in English and four other members of the graduate faculty) will periodically review the existing curriculum and, as appropriate, propose new courses in English language, literature, and writing disciplines. The Graduate Studies Committee will report its findings to the Chair of the Department of English and the collected graduate English faculty and will solicit suggestions for new graduate courses from the faculty. During this assessment period, the Graduate Studies Committee will also undertake a comparative review of the English M.A. Program with graduate programs at peer and aspiration institutions. Each member of the Graduate Studies Committee will compare a range of program features with those from three institutions, one in the state of Texas and two from out of state. The Graduate Director will report the Committee's findings to the collected faculty.
Finding
M.A. Curriculum Review, 08-09
During the assessment period, the English Graduate Studies Committee revisited the extensive review of the graduate curriculum undertaken during the 2007-2008 assessment period. In light of these findings, Dr. Bill Bridges, Chair of the Department of English, formed committees to make recommendations upon the graduate (and undergraduate) curricula in four areas: literature, linguistics, technical and professional writing, and creative writing. Each committee produced a report with recommendations. The creative writing committee recommended that we continue with plans for a MFA in Creative Writing Program (draft of proposal attached). The literature committee proposed that we consider as a graduate emphasis a track in multicultural literature, which has emerged as a faculty strength over the last two years. The technical and professional writing committee recommended that we increase the number of classes in the field, with an eye toward developing a graduate emphasis. The linguistics committee recommended that we propose a new course in sociolinguistics, which would both support a multicultural literature emphasis and stand creditably as an independent course in its own right. As a result of our curriculum review, the faculty recently proposed a graduate special topics class (ENG 600), which will allow professors to teach special interest classes and also ease class scheduling, especially during summers; the proposal is now under university curriculum review. The extensive continuing review and recommendations satisfy the expectations for review established by the criterion.
Action
M.A. Curriculum
In light of recent extensive reviews of the graduate program and curriculum, the Department of English will formally propose a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Creative Writing Program to the Dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. This initiative, which has been gathering momentum for the last several years, has been encouraged by both the graduate English faculty and the Dean's Office. A draft of the MFA proposal is attached. In light of a recent report on literature classes, the Graduate Studies Committee will continue its feasibility study of a graduate emphasis in multicultural literature. The Graduate Studies Committee will also propose formally a reconfigured introductory Bibliography and Research Methods course (ENG 697), which will be a class in critical methods more suitable to the needs of our students and our classes. This course will be, primarily, an introduction to the profession of letters.
Objective
Graduate Faculty Credentials
English graduate faculty will demonstrate their professional competency and credentials for teaching graduate courses and serving as models for students continuing their graduate education, entering the teaching profession, and entering other professions that require graduate-level training in English language and literature.
Indicator
Graduate Faculty Credentials
English graduate faculty will demonstrate that they are current in their fields and are qualified to teach graduate courses and to serve as models for students entering the profession.
Criterion
Graduate Faculty Currency
As demonstration that they are current in their fields and are qualified to teach graduate courses, all graduate English faculty will demonstrate that they are actively engaged in the profession by one or more of the following means: one article or significant creative work published in a peer-reviewed publication every three years; one book published by a recognized press every seven years; one conference presentation every two years; one significant editorial project every three years; a leadership role in a professional organization. As part of a newly initiated faculty research colloquium established to encourage scholarly and creative production, at least two graduate faculty members will present their work to the Department.
Finding
Graduate Faculty Accomplishments
The professional accomplishments of graduate English faculty during the 2008-2009 assessment period are listed in an attachment. While the criterion does not require annual production, the findings indicate that almost all graduate faculty have satisfied the criteria, even in the narrower assessment year. The attached file shows faculty research productivity.
Action
Graduate Faculty Productivity
To encourage scholarly and creative production among our graduate faculty, the Department will continue the research colloquium series in which graduate faculty present scholarly and creative work in progress. Two or three faculty members will present their work every semester.
Objective
Graduate Student Recruitment
The English M.A. Program will continue to recruit qualified graduate students.
Indicator
Graduate Student Recruitment
The English M.A. Program will demonstrate its commitment to recruiting qualified graduate students by continuing to identify promising graduate prospects, advertising the program, and inviting qualified individuals to apply.
Criterion
Graduate Student Admissions
As demonstration that the English M.A. Program has been successful during the assessment period in its efforts to recruit qualified applicants, the number of graduate students accepted in regular admission status will increase from the previous academic year or at least remain equal to graduation rates.
Finding
Graduate Student Admissions
In the fall of 2007 and spring and summer of 2008, some 56 students were in regular admission status at various stages in their degrees. In the fall of 2008 and spring of 2009, there was an average of 45 students in regular admission. This number shows a 19 percent decrease. While the decrease may be due in part to a larger-than-usual number of students who graduated in the fall of 2008 and spring of 2009, the findings show that the English MA Program has failed to meet the recruitment rate established by the criterion.
Action
Graduate Student Recruitment
Enrollment numbers of English graduate students have declined for two successive assessment periods. While the decrease is due, in part, to our success in graduating very good students over the last two years, it is still a disturbing trend. In the spring of 2009, the Graduate Director polled faculty members for advice about recruiting methods. The uniform response was that the program needs to boost its web profile. To that end, the Graduate Director secured $5,000 of summer graduate money to hire a web technician, David Quarles. Mr. Quarles, who has experience in web marketing, is working to boost the profile of the graduate program by several means: pay-per-click advertising, a graduate student blog, a YouTube channel with video interviews of current students and recent graduates, a social media site, and keyword packing. With the Graduate Director, he is also coordinating some modest web design changes, new pages that feature video interviews with current students and recent graduates, and new informational changes. The goal is to create a "personality" that attracts new students.