The department chair and faculty will engage in strategic planning.
Objective
Strategic Planning
The department will maintain a strategic planning process identifying departmental strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.
Indicator
Annual Strategic Plan
Document generated by the department chair and presented to the department during the February department meeting.
Criterion
Strategic Planning Documentation
The department chair will present a strategic planning document to the February department meeting and the document will be approved at the meeting.
Finding
Strategic Planning
The Strategic planning document embedded in the 2010-11 budget request was presented and approved at the January 2011 department meeting. The document was sent to the Dean on February 1, 2011.
Indicator
Department Meeting Minutes
Adequate distribution of faculty resources.
Criterion
Resource Allocation
The department chair will allocate departmental resources to allow for necessary faculty travel, and office and classroom materials.
Finding
Resource Allocation Documentation
In the September 2009 departmental meeting, the faculty were asked to submit travel, equipment and other resource requests. The requests formed the basis of the departmental utilization of resources. In addition the information was used to prepare the 2010/11 budget request.
Action
Strategic Planning
No Action required at this point. The strategic planning process is functioning successfully and meeting the needs of the department, the students, and the faculty members.
Goal
Faculty Teaching
Faculty will demonstrate quality teaching.
Objective
Faculty Evaluation
Faculty will demonstrate quality teaching.
Indicator
Teachng Materials
Faculty documents and provides evidence of research, teaching and service activites together with formal end of cycle evaluations of teaching, service and research. This evidence and formal evaluation documents are reviewed by the DPTAC and department Chair. FES forms 1 and 8 are signed by both chair and faculty member and maintained as an historical record from the initial point of employment.
Criterion
Teaching Materials
Faculty teaching performance will receive acceptable evaluations from both the chair and DPTAC. All teaching materials submitted for evaluation will be stored in the department chair's office and will be available without notice upon request.
Finding
Faculty Teaching
The DPTAC conducted a formal review of teaching quality considering IDEA student evaluations and in class observation by the department chair. One faculty member did not receive positive reviews, while another received marginally acceptable scores. This resulted in two failed tenure applications.
The department chair conducted in class observations of teaching performance during the fall and spring semesters. The fall observations were formative, with the chair providing feedback and developmental direction to the faculty members. The spring observations were summative, with the department chair again providing one-on-one feedback and also documenting the results of the observations forming part of the official FES record.
Action
Faculty Teaching
No action is required at this time. The process for evaluating teaching function as desired.
Goal
Curriculum Planning And Evaluation
The department will maintain updated and quality curriculum at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
Objective
Curriculum Review
The department will conduct continuous curriculum review for each degree program.
Indicator
Curriculum Committee Minutes
Minutes of the meetings of the undergraduate and graduate curriculum committees.
Criterion
Curriculum Committee Minutes
The department will generate and maintain minutes of the undergraduate and graduate curriculum committees to be located in the departmental offices.
Finding
Curriculum Review
The minutes of curriculum committee meeting in all programs are appropriately generated and stored.
Indicator
Curriculum Committee Reviews
The curriculum committees will be asked to review the curricula for both the undergraduate and graduate programs. The committees will issue annual reports to be distributed at department meetings.
Criterion
Curriculum Committee Reviews
The curriculum committees will find the graduate and undergraduate curricula to be of quality and current.
Finding
Curriculum Committee Reviews
As a result of the curriculum review, the curriculum committees made the following changes:
1. A new 2+2 undergraduate program in Software Engineering has been submitted to the college curriculum committee for review. This is a collaborative program with Firat university, Turkey, SHSU providing the final two years of the degree program.
2. A new 2+2 undergraduate program in Digital Forensics Engineering has been submitted to the college curriculum committee for review. This is a collaborative program with Firat university, Turkey, SHSU providing the final two years of the degree program.
3. The undergraduate curriculum committee is engaged in a reorganization of the content of the Computing science degree program to align it with new standards provided by the Association of Computer Machinery's 2008 curriculum guidelines. Although the knowledge areas within the current program meet those guidelines, the way in which they are organized into specific courses has changed.
4. The graduate curriculum committee examined the content of the Digital Forensics degree program in light of new data analysis criteria published by the Forensic Examiner's Professional Association (FEPAC). This resulted in the restructuring of content to allow two new courses, one in general forensics practice and one in the application of legal precedence to the forensics process. These courses will be core requirements for Digital Forensics students entering in fall 2011 and will be offered by the Computer Science department.
Action
Curriculum Review
It appears that the curriculum review process is functioning as it should. Ongoing oversight of the process is required but no specific actions are indicated at this point.