OATdb Archive - Sam Houston State University

OATdb Archive

2012 - 2013

Mass Communication, Department Of

Goal

Teaching Effectiveness

The Mass Communication Department will offer students a valuable educational experience.

Objective

Teaching Effectiveness

The Mass Communication Faculty will be effective teachers.

KPI

Assessing Teaching Effectiveness

The Mass Communication Department employed the Individual Development and Educational Assessment (IDEA) System as a quantitative instrument to assess teaching performance. The IDEA System of Instruction system quantitatively solicits student feedback for individual classes in terms of 20 instructional strategies and teaching methods. The assessment also surveys instructors regarding their overall in-class goals. The faculty in the MCM Department will collectively score above the University average on the IDEA System in specific quantitative assessment of Excellent Teacher and Excellent Course.

Result

Assessing Teaching Effectiveness

The MCOM faculty collectivey scored above the University average on IDEA Forms in the category of Excellence of Course (4.2/4.1). The MCOM faculty's collective score equaled the University average on IDEA Forms in the category of Excellence of Teacher (4.2/4.2).

Action

Assessing Teaching Effectiveness

Since the MCOM Department has three relatiely new faculty members (two in their second year and one in his first year), this measure of teaching effectiveness will be employed for another report. Should MCOM score significantly above the University average on these two measures in the next report, new measures of teaching effectiveness will be used in the next assessment.

Goal

Faculty Productivity

The Mass Communication Department will engage in academic, journalistic and creative activity

Objective

Faculty Productivity

The Mass Communication Faculty will be productive in pursuing research/creative agendas.

KPI

Publication And Exhibition Venues

The Mass Communication Faculty will pursue grants, present and exhibit research, journalism and creative work in published books, recognized journals and conferences, newspapers and magazines, and vetted exhibitions. On an annual basis each tenure track faculty member on the research track will 1) publish a journal article or a book chapter; OR 2) present two research papers at academic conferences; OR exhibit a creative work at a vetted site; OR publish two articles in recognized newspapers/magazines/vetted online sites; OR receive a grant of at least $3,000.

Result

Faculty Productivity

All faculty on the research track met the minimum productivity levels. Several faculty successfully parlayed research formally presented at conferences into published articles. Collectively the MCOM faculty on the research track had three articles and one book chapter accepted for publication; nine conference presentations; two exhibitions of creative work; one screenplay noted as competition finalist; and eight reference guides and/or dictionary enteries.

Action

Faculty Productivity

This metric seems reasonable for the MCOM Department and MCOM will continue to assess faculty productivity at these levels. At least one faculty member will move from the Teaching to the Research track. He will get a course reduction (from 4 to 3) to free up time for research pursuits. Faculty who presented papers/creative work at conferences last year will be encouraged to re-work and submit for publication/exhibition. Additional travel money will be reserved for new faculty on tenure track to travel to academic conferences to present their research/creative work.

Goal

Hybrid Skills-Sets Of Faculty

The Mass Communication Department will hire faculty who can present students with a hybrid course of study that offers a unique mix of theory-based courses and hands-on professional courses.

Objective

Faculty With Hybrid Skills-Sets

The Mass Communication Department will hire, maintain, and support a faculty with varied skill-sets.

KPI

Faculty For Proposed Digital Media Program

The Mass Communication Department will actively recruit and support faculty with professional and/or creative experience in the communications industry. This coming academic year MCOM will fill two (of three) open tenure track positions to support the developing MA Degree in Digital Media.

Result

Hiring For Digital Media Program

One new faculty with an MFA was hired and is currently teaching in the undergraduate program.

Action

Hiring For Digital Media Program

The new faculty member will be assigned a mentor and his performance monitored to assess his potential for teaching in the Digital Media Masters Program. The MCOM Department will fill the remaining open positions with tenure-track candidates who can teach at the undergraduate level and in the Digital Media Program.

Update to previous cycle's plan for continuous improvement The University Teaching Conference was canceled. In lieu of faculty attendance at this conference, a senior faculty member was scheduled to attend the week-long CELDA Conference (Cognitive and Exploratory Learning in Digital Age) in Fort Worth in October. He will provide a summary report to the MCOM Faculty on emerging pedagogical strategies in digital education.

Two MCOM Faculty had chapters accepted for publication in collections. One faculty member signed a book contract.

MCOM hired an MFA to teach mass media and digital production.

Curriculum for the Digital Media Masters Program was accepted by the Texas Board of Regents.

Plan for continuous improvement The MCOM Department will continue to assess Teaching Effectiveness by comparing average departmental IDEA scores to the University average IDEA scores. If MCOM once again exceeds expectations, a new metric will be introduced to assess Teaching Effectiveness. This measure is especially important for a department with three faculty approaching third-year review and one new faculty hire in his first year.

The MCOM Department will continue to encourage and support faculty who are productive in research and/or creative activity. The Chair will request that some additional Distant Learning funds be re-purposed for support of faculty who teach online and who research online pedagogy. One faculty member was moved from the Teaching to the Research Track. He received a course reduction and will be funded for travel to academic conferences. The Chair will meet with the Dean of the College of Fine Arts and Mass Communication to discuss funding for creative projects of faculty in the newly formed Film Sequence and teaching in the Digital Media MA Program.

The MCOM Department is in the process of hiring candidates for three new faculty with appropriate, hybrid skill-sets. Job descriptions will be edited and posted. The Hiring Committee will meet regularly during the Fall Semester until the positions are closed. Interviews will be scheduled for Spring 2014.

The Chair will mentor the newly hired faculty member and review his performance at the end of the academic year to assess this teacher's potential for teaching in the Digital Masters Program.