OATdb Archive

2012 - 2013

Family And Consumer Sciences, Department Of

Goal
Scholarly And Teaching Productivity
To increase productivity in the areas of scholarly work and teaching (IDEA scores) for faculty within the department.

Objective
Improve Scholarship And Teaching Over Previous Years
To increase productivity in the areas of scholarly work and teaching for faculty in the department.

KPI
Faculty Evaluation System (FES)
Comparisons over the past four years should show improvement in amount of scholarly productivity.

Result
Faculty Evaluation System (FES)
Comparisons over the past four years indicate that productivity in the area of scholarly work is holding steady, with exactly the same amount of scholarly productivity in 2012 as in 2009, the peak year for scholarly activity prior to 2012, the most recent year for which these numbers are available. 


KPI
Individual Development And Educational Assessment (IDEA) Results
The Individual Development and Educational Assessment (IDEA) results will be used to measure improvement. Our goal is to have our average above the national average in the IDEA database.

Result
Individual Development And Educational Assessment (IDEA) Results
Comparisons over the past four years indicate that average IDEA results for the Family and Consumer Sciences faculty are up 3%. 

Action
Improve Scholarship And Teaching Over Previous Years
The faculty in the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences continue to do much with little.  In addition to holding steady in the area of scholarly productivity and improving teaching evaluation scores (up 3% over the 4-year period), the department has added an additional full accreditation for one of its programs (Interior Design) and a full re-accreditation for another (Food Science and Nutrition). 

In regard to the teaching evaluation (IDEA) scores, faculty continue to work toward improving them although we know they are only part of the picture in measuring the teaching ability of the faculty in this department.  With so many pre-professional programs, one of the real measures of success in our teaching is the ability of students to test well on standardized professional tests (we have a 100% pass rate on the Registration Examination for Dietetics and a 100% pass rate for the content area exam for those general Family and Consumer Sciences majors pursuing teacher certification).

As a faculty we believe that these national exams, along with the internship supervisors' assessments of our students during their internship experiences, are the real measure of our teaching success.  As a faculty, we will continue to work toward improving in these two both scholarship and teaching, along with the considerable service this faculty provides to the department, university and community.

Goal
Program Offerings
To offer programs in keeping with the mission and resources of the department.

Objective
Building/Facilities
The department will provide a department viewed by the students as satisfactory in regard to the building and facilities.

KPI
Exit Survey - Building/Facilities
The Exit Survey requests several different types of data including satisfaction and skills assessment.  For this objective, the rating of the building/facilities will be extracted and analyzed.

Result
Building/Facilities
Data is available from 70 students who completed this question on the departmental Exit Survey.  Eight students (11.4%) of the 70 rated the building/facilities as Fair, 1 (1.4%)  gave a rating that was between Fair and Good, 36 of the 70 (51.4%) rated the buildings/facilities as Good, and 25 students (35.7%) rated the building/facilities as Excellent.  The most dissatisfaction with the building/facilities came from the interior design majors, and their most commonly expressed concern had to do with the plotter in the Drafting Studio that is important to their work.  It needs to be replaced and that item will go into the next budget cycle.  The other concern that was mentioned had to do with the crowding in the Drafting Studio.  While each station provides for both manual and computer-aided drafting, which is very convenient for students and for faculty, the addition of the CPU's and monitors to these twenty stations did result in crowding in that space.  

We had hoped to move the drafting studio to the first floor of the building, but the space could not be configured in such a way to allow for a situation that would be improved over the current one.  There is a computer lab in Room 110 of the building, and the department has asked about the possiblity of acquiring that space but so far we have not been successful in that regard.  The only other space in the building that would be amenable to use as a drafting lab for the department would be the space that currently houses the Office of Audits and Analysis which would mean moving that office to another building on campus.  

No other building/facility problems were cited specfically, and 6 of the 8 scores of Fair came from the group of interior design majors.
   

Action
Building/Facilities
For the next budget cycle, especially when HEAF requests are submitted, a request will be submitted for a new plotter.  Just as we did when replaced the copier, perhaps we can keep the old one as a "backup" and then we will have 2 plotters available for student use.  

Another request that will be submitted has to do with the need for a three-part sink in the foods laboratory so that students will have the opportuntiy to use an authentic commercial sink. Although this was requested and approved for this past fiscal year, the timing of the request to Physical Plant was confusing, and the notice of the expiration of the estimate came while the chair was out of the country, so that opportunity was lost, but it will be requested again in the coming cycle.   

Improvements were also made in The Haven during this past cycle.  A benefactor (an alumna of the department) donated a Keurig coffeemaker to be available to students in The Haven which has been well-received by the students.  Someone else donated a water filter to be used in conjunction with the Keurig so that it will continue to function well.   

Another item that has been needing attention is the surface of the table in the seminar room on the first floor.  Dr. Laura Burleson is in the process of restoring the surface of that table to its original attractive appearance. 

The faculty and students of the department take care of the facilities, as part of the focus of our discipline is responsible resource management.  This care for what we have is reflected in the evaluation of the graduating seniors.


Objective
Faculty
The department will provide a faculty viewed by the students as satisfactory in teaching prescribed content.

KPI
Exit Survey - Faculty
Exit Survey data that includes a rating of the faculty in the program will be extracted and analyzed.

Result
Exit Survey - Faculty
Sixty-three students answered question that asked them to rate the faculty within the department on the departmental Exit Survey.  Twenty-five students (39.7%) rated the faculty as Satisfactory, and 38 students (60.3%) rated the faculty as Very Satisfactory.  There were no ratings of Unsatisfactory or Very Unsatisfactory.  This is amazing considering that these ratings are given to a faculty that is stretched thin in every way, and is a testament to the very real high quality of the faculty in Family and Consumer Sciences. 

These rating speak to the high importance this faculty places on helping students become successful.  Too high a proportion of this faculty consists of pool/adjunct faculty, and they are routinely underpaid.  Just imagine what this faculty could accomplish with additional resources!

In regard to faculty and resources, the department lost one of its most productive faculty members in regard to scholarly activity this past year due, at least in part, to lack of resources.  Although a search was conducted for a replacement, there were few applicants, and the search committee voted for the search to continue; the search committee will begin its work at a meeting scheduled for September 4.  In addition, we are expecting to receive permission for another search for a Ph.D./R.D. to be in keeping with the strong recommendation of the accrediting body (ACEND) that recently fully re-accredited the Food Science and Nutrition program (Didactic Program in Dietetics).     

Action
Faculty
During the coming cycle, we will be searching for two faculty positions:  A Ph.D. Teacher Educator to replace the position vacated by Dr. Paula Tripp, and a Ph.D./R.D. to teach in the Food Science and Nutrition Program. 

Faculty will continue to teach, mentor, and advise students, encouraging them to be successful as they accomplish their work, and to be successful as young professionals in the world of work.

An additional faculty position will be requested to help change the focus of the Food Service Management to Hospitality Administration in keeping with the objective below.

Goal
Program In Hospitality Administration
To broaden the current Food Service Management Program to include the entire hospitality industry without eliminating the current focus on food service.

Objective
Program In Hospitality Administration
To broaden the focus and change the name of the current program in Food Service Management to Hospitality Administration.

Indicator
Hospitality Administration Program
Whether or not progress has been made toward broadening the current Food Service Management program into a program in Hospitality Administration.

Criterion
Focus And Name Change To Hospitality Administration
Whether or not progress has been made toward broadening the focus of the Food Service Management program and changing its name to Hospitality Administration.

Finding
Focus And Name Change To Hospitality Administration
This past budget and planning cycle, the department once again requested to add a program in Hospitality Administration.  The request was supported at the college level, and was sent forward to the next administrative level, but at this point we have received no word as to whether this program will be funded.  The change cannot go forward wthout funding for faculty and facilities.

The department believes that this program would be extremely successful in terms both of student numbers and success of program graduates.  The market demand is strong for graduates of hospitality programs.


Action
Focus And Name Change To Hospitality Adminstration
Once again, in the coming budget and planning cycle, the department will request permission to offer a program in Hospitality Administration.  Along with this request, the department will request faculty and other budgetary resources.

Goal
Accreditation For Interior Design Program
Accreditation by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA) is sought by the interior design program so that students who graduate from the program may sit for the licensing exam and become licensed interior designers.

Objective
Progress Toward Council For Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA) Accreditation
The program will implement the approved curricular changes so that student work can be collected based on improvements instituted with the curricular changes and thus progress with the accreditation process.

KPI
Progress Toward CIDA Accreditation
During the 2012-2013 cycle, several proposed and approved changes in the interior design curriculum have been implemented.  For example, the course FACS 3361 History of Furnishings II, is being offered for the first time.  It is the last of several curricular changes that have been implemented over the past two years.


Result
Accreditation For Interior Design Program
During the Summer of 2012, the department received word that the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA) concurred with the site visit team's recommendation that the Interior Design Program at Sam Houston State University receive accreditation, and the full accreditation was granted for the maximum six-year period. 


Action
Participation In NASAD Accreditation
This objective needs to be removed for the coming cycle because it has been achieved!  It can be replaced with an objective concerning NASAD accreditation.

As  the curricular changes regarding the CIDA accreditation were being implemented, the department and the interior design program were made aware of the intention of the Department of Art to seek NASAD (National Association of Schools of Art and Design) accreditation.  NASAD is an institution-wide accreditation, and therefore it is imperative that the interior design program participate in seeking this accreditation.

This summer Dr. Laura Burleson, Program Director for Interior Design, spent considerable time in writing the interior design program's portion of the NASAD self-study document.  Storage space in the department has been set aside for interior design students' projects that will be reviewed during the site visit scheduled for October of 2013.   

Goal
Curriculum Development/Graduate Programs
To develop new graduate courses in all areas of family and consumer sciences to meet the needs of current and potential students and other stakeholders.

Objective
Structured Classes For Graduate Programs
Faculty in the department will develop courses that will meet the content area needs of students interested in a concentration or focus area including interior design, fashion merchandising, family and consumer sciences teacher certification, and nutrition.

KPI
Structured Classes For Graduate Programs
Faculty will develop courses that meet the content area needs of students interested in a concentration in one of the following areas of family and consumer sciences: interior design, fashion merchandising, family and consumer sciences teacher certification, and nutrition.

Result
Structured Classes For Graduate Program
While the faculty is aware of the importance of this objective, it has had to be postponed in the effort to get more pressing matters accomplished, including the accreditation and re-accreditation self-studies cited above.

Action
Structured Classes For Graduate Programs
Two courses that were approved in the previous curriculum cycle will be added to the catalog of courses for the department.  This objective from the 2012-2013 cycle will be carried over to the 2013-2014 cycle.

Goal
Program Coordinator For Supervised Practice - Dietetics Programs
The dietetics programs (BS in Food Science and Nutrition and MS in Dietetics) have the goal of requesting a new faculty position; that person can serve as a coordinator for the supervised practice (preceptor sites) for both programs. Students in the program would benefit through greater supervision at the rotation sites. The addition of a new position would be of benefit in terms of continuing accreditation for these programs.

Objective
Program Coordinator For Supervised Practice - Dietetics Programs
The department will hire an additional faculty person in the area of nutrition/dietetics who would coordinate with the interns and undergraduate majors and their preceptor sites as well as teach part-time for the department. This position is needed so there is a specific contact person (rather than DI Director for graduate students and DPD Director for undergraduate students) for the preceptor personnel and to ensure that all contracts, paperwork, etc., with the preceptor sites is constantly maintained. Such a position would be an asset to the accreditation for both programs by allowing for expanded course offerings and greater supervision of the students at the various rotations (i.e., preceptor) sites.

KPI
Program Coordinator For Supervised Practice - Dietetics Programs
Approval for and successful negotiation of a contract with a new faculty person who also can serve as a coordinator for the supervised practice for both dietetics programs.

Result
Faculty Position For Support Of The Food Science And Nutrition Program
It is our understanding that a search for a new faculty member in the food, nutrition and dietetics has been approved, and the department plans to begin the search process in a meeting scheduled for Setember 4.  This position is a little different from what was envisioned when this KPI was written, but we hope that this position will serve the purpose of supporting these programs and the entire deparment in very positive ways.

Action
Faculty Position For Foods, Nutrition And Dietetics
We will work on this search for the coming cycle (2013-2014).


Update to previous cycle's plan for continuous improvement We are pleased to report that the Interior Design Program did indeed receive CIDA accreditation and that it was for the 6-year maximum.  Once that accreditation was received, the department received word that the participation of the interior design program would be required for the upcoming NASAD (National Schools of Art and Design) accreditation spear-headed by the Department of Art; it is a university-wide accreditation. Dr. Laura Burleson, Program Director, wrote the interior design portion of that self-study toward the end of the 2012-2013 year.  We were anticipating an increase in the number of majors for the Interior Design Program -- in fact, there is an 111% increase in the number of students enrolled in the sophomore studio class for fall as compared to the number in the junior studio class.  While some of the upper-level studio courses are struggling to make, we are having to consider whether to add additional lab sections for the sophomore-level courses.  Discussions are also being held among the interior design faculty about the possibility of a "sophomore review" which would limit the number of sophomores going into the junior studio classes to 20.

Another important bright spot for this past 2012-2013 cycle was the full re-accreditation (for 10 years) of the Food Science and Nutrition Program, a Didactic Program in Dietetics accredited by the Accreditation Council on Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND), the accrediting arm of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (formerly the American Dietetic Association).  In fact the site visit team who visited in early December stated that what Dr. Valencia Browning-Keen, DPD Program Director, had accomplished in the time she had been here (3.5 years to that point) was "nothing short of amazing."  The department also understands that we will be able to conduct a faculty search during the coming year to hire an additional faculty position to support this program.  Graduates of this program are doing well, with a high placement rate of program graduates into Dietetic Internship Programs and a 100% passage rate on the Registration Examination in Dietetics.  We missed the opportunity to install a three-part sink in the foods laboratory to be in keeping with commercial food requirements and to provide our students with a more authentic commercial experience due to the timing of the request for the work (it came at a time when the chair was out of the country), so that request will be repeated in the next cycle. 

The students' ratings of building and facilities and their ratings of the faculty were good, but down some from the 2011-2012 cycle.  There was some dissatisfaction among Interior Design students regarding the plotter and the crowded conditions in the Interior Design Drafting Studio (ratings of Good and Excellent, when combined were at 87%, up from 84% in the previous cycle, but the distribution between "Good" and "Excellent" ratings was skewed more toward the "Good" rating than was the case in the previous cycle), and the faculty in general are spread too thin (those ratings were similarly skewed as compared with the last cycle), although all of the ratings were either "Satisfactory" or "Very Satisfactory."  

Although the faculty did not write the additional graduate courses, as planned, due to the focus on other matters, specifically two self-study documents, one for ACEND and another for NASAD (see above), along with scholarly writing required as part of the tenure and promotion processes and research expectations, the department did submit a course that was approved by the CHSS Curriculum Committee so that the study abroad course, "Discoveries in Chemistry, Textiles, and Nutritional Science" that has been taught by faculty in this department since 2005 can be cross-listed with the course taught by faculty in the Department of Chemistry.  This course was submitted at the request of the Office of International Programs. 

The number of students enrolled in the MS in Family and Consumer Sciences is up by 71% over this time last year.  We are excited to see this continued growth for this program.  

Overall, the faculty improved the rate of responses on the Exit Survey, a goal of several programs.  Exit Survey data is used for several sections of this assessment report, both for the department and for undergraduate programs housed within the department.  We are striving for 100% administration of this survey.  Completion of this survey is somewhat voluntary, and encouragement and vigilance are required to see to it that students complete this Survey.

This small and dedicated faculty continues to do much with little; however, there are definite needs that will continue to be requested so that it can more nearly achieve its potential in the areas of personnel, facilities and resources.     


Plan for continuous improvement A high priority for the coming year is the successful completion of the two anticipated faculty searches.  Beginning with a meeting on September 4, the tenured and tenure-track faculty will organize two search committees, one to continue the search for a Teacher Educator/Department Chair (the position Dr. Paula Tripp vacated in August combined with Dr. Janis White's request to relinquish the chair position for the department) and one for a Ph.D./R.D. to provide teaching and support to the undergraduate Food Science and Nutrition (Didactic Program in Dietetics) program.

The faculty will also work immediately to ascertain that courses that were approved during the 2012 Curriculum Cycle are incorporated into the course catalogs (undergraduate and graduate).  This is important to both the Food Science and Nutrition program and the MS in Family and Consumer Sciences.

In October the Interior Design Program will participate with the Department of Art for the NASAD site visit (see above).  In the Spring 2014 semester, Ms. Heather Frazier, Dietetic Internship Director, will begin writing the self-study for the site visit for the Dietetic Internship Program that will occur in the Fall of 2014. That program will be seeking re-accreditation, also through ACEND.   

As we receive word to submit requests for HEAF funds, the department will request a three-part sink so that the foods laboratory will be appropriately equipped for commercial food service.  

We will continue to request the additional space needed to lessen the crowded conditions in the Interior Design Drafting Studio and we also will request funds for a new plotter.    

Faculty will continue to work on increasing scholarly activity and improvement of teaching scores.