OATdb Archive

2010 - 2011

Agriculture BS (Animal Science)

Goal
Knowledge Of Key Concepts And Skills
Students will develop knowledge and understanding of key concepts and skills relevant to Animal Science.


Objective
Development Of Students' Knowledge And Skills
Students will be able to demonstrate competency in key areas of animal science leadership.


Indicator
Advanced Animal Production Assignment Rubric
All students enrolled in the program must complete an advanced animal production course in their final year of enrollment. Advance animal production courses address key concepts and skills relevant to the field of agriculture. Each semester seven randomly selected student assignments from advanced production courses will be reviewed by faculty members with expertise in the field of agriculture.  Faculty members will score the assignments using a scale of 1 - 5 with 3 "meets expectations," 4 "exceeds expectations," and 5 "far exceeds expectations."


Criterion
At Least 70% Rated As Meeting Expectations
There will be a general consensus among Animal Science Faculty members that at least 70% of the students enrolled in the advanced production course will perform at an acceptable level with a score of 3 (meets expectations) or higher.


Finding
Evaluation Of Animal Science
Evaluated students in AGR 480 (Fall Semester) averaged a 4.0 on the evaluation rubric.  Strengths included: neatness and information provided, conclusions were relevant to subject; however, weaknesses included:  clarity, wordiness and grammar.

Students evaluated in AGR 489 (Spring) averaged a 4.1 on their evaluation rubric.  Strengths included: order, neatness and presentation of material with relevant conclusions.  Weaknesses included:  scientific information and documentation and grammar.




Action
Knowledge Of Production Animal Science
Students exceeded the expectation of the faculty for both semesters with over 70% of the students receiving a 3 or higher.  Collectively the student writing skills are weak and need improving.  Faculty will continue to include writing in their curriculum and encourage the use of the writing center.

Goal
Develop Professional Skills
Students will learn the skills necessary to compete in the professional marketplace.




Objective
Development Of Marketplace Skills
Students completing the BS in Animal Science will demonstrate skills necessary to compete in the professional marketplace.

Indicator
AGR 412 Assignment Rubric
All students seeking a degree in Animal Science will be required to complete AGR 412 during their senior year.  The course addresses essential skills necessary to compete in the market place for agriculture employment - resume preparation, interview skills, and employment opportunities.  Faculty will review student assignments and access student performance on selected assignments using a faculty-developed rubric.

Criterion
70% Of Students Rated As Meeting Expectations
Faculty evaluations will indicate that at least 70% of the students enrolled in AGR 412 will perform at an acceptable level and score a 3 (meets expectations) or higher on a scale of 1-5.

Finding
Faculty Evaluation Of Professional Skills
Faculty evaluated a selected group of student resumes and cover letters - average score was 4.1.  Although this score exceeded expectations, weaknesses that emerged included: organization, grammar and content.

Action
Professional Skills
Students exceeded expectations of faculty when market skills of students were evaluated.  Writing skills (grammar, word usage) emerged as weaknesses and will be addressed.


Update to previous cycle's plan for continuous improvement

Plan for continuous improvement Student outcomes met/exceeded faculty expectations.  To address the weaknesses of writing skills and scientific documentation in the advanced animal production courses, the faculty will include writing in their curriculum and encourage documents to be reviewed at the writing center.  To address the weaknesses in marketplace skills, the faculty will demonstrate more professional writing documents and utilize the placement center to assist students.