The Department of Political Science will provide and maintain high quality academic programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
Objective
High Quality Curriculum
The department will maintain high quality curriculum at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
Indicator
Curriculum Committee Review
Curriculum will be reviewed annually by the deparment's curriculum committee, a committee consisting of 5 members appointed by the department chair. Committee members represent the following areas: international relations, comparative politics, American politics, political theory, and public administration.
Criterion
High Quality Curriculum
The political science courses curriculum will be comparable to curriculum found at universities and colleges ranked by US News and World Report as the top 10% universities and colleges for the study of political science and government. The basis of comparison will be in terms of hours required for the degree, the types of courses offered, and the objectives of the courses. By the end of the 2009-2010 academic year, adjustments to the course offerings based on the department''s evaluation of the the lower division courses will be made, specifically the American Foreign Policy and the World Politics courses.
Finding
High Quality Curriculum
For the academic year 2009-2010, we found the curriculum was comparable to that found at other colleges and universities ranked by US News and World Report as the top 10% for the study of political science based upon the criteria of course offerings and hours required for a degree. We did find that in most cases the American Foreign Policy and Comparative (World) Politics course are taught as upper division courses.
Action
High Quality Curriculum
We will request that American Foreign Policy and World Politics be moved from lower division to upper division in order to be more in line with comparable programs at other colleges and universities. In addition, we will evaluate our local and state government lower division courses to ascertain whether the two courses should be combined into one course.
Objective
Faculty Teaching
The Department will provide high quality teaching.
Indicator
The Individual Development And Educational Assessment System
Faculty will be evaluated using the data collected through the Individual Development and Educational Assessment system currently used by Sam Houston State University as a tool for evaluating faculty teaching.
Criterion
Faculty Teaching
In the 2009-2010 academic year, 60% of the political science courses will continue to be scored at or above the national average as indentified by the Individual Development and Educational Assessment program.
Those faculty members that score below or near the national average on the Individual Development and Educational Assessment program for three consecutive semesters will meet with the department chair to discuss and implement an improvement plan that includes mentoring and use of the Sam Houston State University Professional and Academic Center for Excellence (PACE). The expectation is that scores will improve by .5 on the IDEA scoring scale for the 2009-2010 academic year for those who are identified as under performing.
Finding
Faculty Teaching
82% (79% adjusted) of the courses scored at or above the national average by the Individual Development and Educational Assessment (IDEA) system (see Part 3 of attachment). Furthermore, the percentage of courses that rated in the higher or much higher categories exceeded the expected distribution (11% in the much higher and 47% in the higher compared to 10% and 20% respectively; see Part 1 of attachment). The average course score, 4.3, also exceeded the 3.9 average of the IDEA database. The findings did exceed our expectations. Only one faculty member fell below the IDEA average for the academic year.
Action
Faculty Teaching
The department goal will be raised to 70% of the courses will be scored at or above the national average. We will continue to monitor individual faculty scores in order to assess their performance over three consecutive semesters (we currently have fall 2009 and spring 2010). At that point, we will be able to identiy faculty that will need to meet with the chair to discuss a teaching improvement plan and use of the Sam Houston State University's Professional and Academic Center for Excellence (PACE). Last, the department has adopted an annual review policy of faculty that includes teaching performance. This will help to evaluate faculty and provide feedback for improvement.
Goal
Research Track Faculty
The Department of Political Science will hire and maintain high quality research track faculty.
Objective
Research Track Faculty
Research faculty will engage in scholarly activities.
Indicator
Number Of Publications
Research faculty's progress will be measured by the number of publications.
Criterion
Faculty Research
Over a rolling 3 year period research track faculty will produce an average of 1 peer reviewed article per year or 1 book during the 3 year period.
Over the 2008-2009 academic year, the results of the assessment indicated that 4 of 9 research faculty members met or exceeded the expectations. in order to improve this number, the department will offer more research conducive class scheduling, shift more service responsibility to teaching faculty, implement monthly research forums, and encourage the submission of grant applications.
We expect to see all faculty members reach the objectives.
Finding
Research Track Faculty
7 of the 10 faculty on the research track had publications in 2009-2010. 5 of the 10 faculty completed the objective of either one peer reviewed article per year or 1 book during a three year period. In addition, our new faculty member had one article published, but does not have enough years for the three year average. Faculty continue to be concerned about a 3-3 teaching load and the demands of publishing. The department did make substantial effort to accomodate research track faculty in terms of teaching schedule. The department conducted several brown bags during the academic year in order to facilitate research activity. The findings also indicate that we need to expand our publishing options for measurement to include book chapters, substantial review articles, as well as grants.
Action
Research Track Faculty
We will continue to support reseach faculty efforts by offering teaching schedules more conducive to research activity and shifting more service responsibility to teaching faculty. We will continue our monthly brown bag presentations and encourage faculty to present at the Dean's Colloquium. The department will update the measurement criteria to included additional types of publications including book chapters, book reviews, and grants. We also will initiate the department's new annual review policy in order to provide feedback to faculty regarding their research.
Goal
Teaching Track Faculty
The Department of Political Science teaching track faculty will provide high quality instruction and engage in substantive projects designed to promote the department, college, and university.
Objective
Teaching Track Faculty
Teaching track faculty will engage in service work designed to promote the department, college, and university.
Indicator
Number Of Service Projects Completed Per Year
Teaching track faculty's progress will be measured by the the number of service projects completed in a year. Service projects include: membership in college and university committees, participation in department recruitment programs, organizer of major campus events, etc.
Criterion
Teaching Track Faculty
We expect our teaching faculty to complete at least 2 service projects per faculty per year. We expect to improve on the 2008-2009 results where only half the faculty met the criteria and have all faculty members engage in service projects which will include graduate and undergraduate recruitment projects, alumni development projects, and internship development projects.
Finding
Teaching Track Faculty
The political science department has 5 faculty members on the teaching track. 2 of the 5 completed at least 2 service projects as defined by the department. One of the 5 focused on research in order to switch to the teaching track and was quite successful (2 journal articles and a Fulbright). The remaining 2 faculty members, while engaging in a variety of service commitments, did not meet the expectation of engaging in two service projects.
Action
Teaching Track Faculty
The department will continue its efforts at compiling a list of suitable projects. In addition, the department will revise the current FES guidelines in terms of service in order to have this objective be more in line with merit consideration.
Goal
Prepare Students For Professional Careers
Upon graduation students will be prepared to enter the professional marketplace.
Objective
Professional Marketplace
Upon graduation students will be prepared to enter the professional marketplace.
Indicator
Professional Market Skills
Prior to graduating graduate and undergraduate students will complete the online exit survey. Data from questions 3c (Have you been accepted into a graduate program?) or 4a (Have you obtained professional employment?) from the undergraduate survey will be used to measure undergraduate student professional skills. Data from questions 6c (Have you been accepted into a doctoral program?) or 7a (Have you obtained professional employment?) from the graduate survey will be used to graduate student professional skills.
Criterion
Professional Market Skills
We will anticipate that at least 70% of our graduating undergraduate students will answer yes to question 3c or question 4a and at least 70% of our graduating graduate students will answer yes to question 6c or 7a on the political science department exit surveys.
By the end of spring 2010, we will have finalized the plans to have the exit surveys be mandatory, which we believe will yield a response rate that will give the department accurate results.
Finding
Professional Marketplace
We exceeded our expectations regarding graduate students’ preparation for the professional market. 100% of the students responding to the survey answered yes to question 6c (Have you been accepted into a doctoral program?) and 7a (Have you obtained professional employment?). Students informed us that the resume writing and job searching workshops held during 2009 – 2010 were helpful to their efforts to secure employment. Administering the survey at multiple times throughout the semester did increase the response rate for the graduate survey. 90% of all graduate students who graduate in 2009 – 2010 completed the survey.
We exceeded our expectations regarding undergraduate students’ preparation for the professional marketplace. 71.42% of undergraduates responding to the survey answer positively to questions 3c (Have you been accepted into a graduate program?) and 4a (Have you obtained professional employment?) Unlike the graduate survey, we were not able to administer the undergraduate survey multiple times due to technical issues. In the end our response rate for the undergraduate survey was 16%.
Action
Professional Marketplace
We were pleased with the graduate survey answers and response rates. However, we continue to encounter problems with the undergraduate survey response rate. We are continuing to explore the possibility of making the survey mandatory.
Goal
Improve Graduate Student Applications
Improve the quantity and quality of graduates student applications.
Objective
Improve Graduate Student Applications
The number of students entering the graduate programs will increase and the average GRE and GPA of incoming students will increase.
Indicator
Number Of Applications And Average GRE And GPA
We will compare enrollment enrollment figures from the 2007 - 2008 period to the 2008 - 2009 period. We will compare the average GRE and GPA of students who entered the program during the 2007 - 2008 period to the average GRE and GPA of students who entered the program during the 2008 - 2009 period.
Criterion
Improve Graduate Student Applications
We expect to continue to see a 10% increase in graduate student enrollment overall. We will expect that the average GRE will be at least 1050 or better (an improvement over 2008-2009) and that the average GPA will be at least 3.4 (rather than 3.2 from 2008-2009) or better for both MA and MPA incoming students. Students admitted under a conditional acceptance plan will go through a more rigorous application process (two writing samples, three letters of recommendation, and an interview with the graduate advisor), thus we expect to see the number of conditional acceptance move to permanent acceptance within one semester.
Finding
Improve Graduate Student Applications
The number of students from spring 2009 (23 students) to the spring of 2010 (22 student) dropped by one. This did not meet our expectation of a 10% increase in the number of graduate students in the department.
The overall GRE scores for the graduate program increases from 1050 in 2008-2009 to 1104 in 2009-2010 resulting in a 5.14% increase. The overall GPA for incoming graduate students increased from 3.40 in 2008-2009 to 3.44 in 2009-2010 resulting in a 1.17% increase. These are modest increases, however, the previous year's increase was a substantial step forward in the graduate program and the department was able to sustain the goal of improving graduate applications.
Action
Improve Graduate Student Applications
We will continue our efforts of accomplishing a 10% growth rate in enrollment. We will reaise our GRE expectations from a 1050 to 1100 and our GPA from 3.40 to 3.50.
Goal
Student Satisfaction
We will measure students' overall satisfaction with the deparment.
Objective
Student Satisfaction
We will improve students' overall satisfaction with the department.
Indicator
Student Satisfaction
We will use an anonymous online exit survey to measure students' overall satisfaction with the deparment. We will use the question "How would you rate your overall satisfaction with the graduate program?" (Question 9 of the undergraduate survey and question 12 of the graduate survey) to measure students' levels of satisfaction.
Criterion
Student Satisfaction
We will expect that at least 70% of our students will provide a positive response to the survey question. Answers will be considered positive if a student rates their experience as satisfactory or better.
By the end of spring 2010, we will have finalized the plans to have the exit surveys be mandatory, which we believe will yield a response rate that will give the department accurate results. We will schedule one event per semester (monthly faculty research forums, welcome back social gathering, current events forum) in order for students to bond more deeply with the department.
Finding
Student Satisfaction Findings
The 16% of undergraduate students and 100% of our graduate students responding to the survey question of “How would you rate your overall satisfaction with the graduate program?" responded with very positive words (great, excellent, etc) or scores (9/10, B+, etc). The question is an open ended question and thus allows students’ to use different types of scoring systems. We will change the wording of the question from "How would you rate your overall satisfaction with the program?" to “How would you rate your overall satisfaction with the program on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest?” This change will allow us to obtain a more consistent scoring system from our students.
Action
Student Satisfaction
We were pleased with the graduate survey answers and response rates. However, we continue to encounter problems with the undergraduate survey response rate. We are continuing to explore the possibility of making the survey mandatory.
Goal
Revise Written Comprehensive Exam Process
Revise the format and content of the written comprehensive exam process.
Objective
Revise The Written Comprehensive Exam Process
The written comprehensive exam process tends to produce exam questions and exam results that address material in specific courses rather than the broader field of political science and its subfields. We will revise the process so that exam questions and results address the broader field of political science and its subfields thus transitioning from a less course-centric measure to a program-centric measure.
Indicator
Comprehensive Exam Reading List And Overview Courses
The department will: (1) Develop reading lists of core literature relevant to the discipline of political science and its subfields. The reading lists addressing the field of political science will be developed and approved by the entire faculty. The subfields reading lists will be developed and approved by faculty with expertise in each specific subfield. (2) Develop overview courses for each subfield of political science.
Criterion
Revise The Written Comprehensive Process
Graduate students entering the program in fall 2009 will receive the readling lists and will enroll in the overview courses relevant to their areas of study. By the end of fall 2010, the graduate faculty will review and update the graduate reading lists.
Finding
Revise Written Comprehensive Process
The students received reading lists for all of the subfields in political science and public administration.
The faculty continue to work on updating the reading lists and this will be completed by the fall of 2010.
Action
Revise The Written Comprehensive Exam Process
The department will develop a new rubric to accomodate the more program-centric examination process.
In the spring (2011), the determine will compare written comprehensive exam results from the 2008-2009 to the 2010-2011 graduating class to assess the effectiveness of the changes to the written comprehensive exam process.