Students will be proficient in essential technology to engage synchronously and asynchronously in doctoral courses.

Doctoral students in Developmental Education Administration will procure and utilize essential technology to engage synchronously and asynchronously in doctoral courses.

Students Access and Engage with Instructors Using Technology.  Students effectively using technology to engage on synchronous and asynchronous course activities while instructors assess proficiency using a common rubric.

Ninety percent of current cohort will present a class project to the instructor online in a synchronous fashion. This will require appropriate equipment and knowledge as well as skills in developing presentations. Routine course participation on the Ecourse Learning Management System is also required.

The results from the Essential Technology objective indicated that the criterion was met with 96% of students meeting the objective for the assessment period. It is believed that the communication with students about this requirement was quite effective. The program director, secretary, faculty, and selection committee all address this criterion at some point in the early stages of student entry to the program.

The lowest two categories were “High-Speed Internet Connection” and “Quiet Place to Videoconference.” Twenty-two percent of students showed challenges in these areas. We were advised by all students that they had access to a high speed Internet connection. The challenge is that some connections operate more effectively than others. As a result, there are occasional drops in connectivity. Students are advised to have a back-up plan (such as the option to work online from home and office). They are also advised not to get frustrated by technology issues and to communicate with instructors about challenges and solutions. With regard to quiet places to videoconference, students are advised to purchase headset hearing and microphone devices. This cuts down on ambient noise that sometimes interferes with synchronous online meetings. Students are also advised to find a quiet place to engage in these types of meetings.

Overall it appears that students entering this fully online program have a good sense of our reliance on technology and have taken steps to meet this objective.

 

Going forward, faculty and staff will continue to use the opportunities of application interviews, orientation, and class time early in the semester to inform and remind students of the technology requirements.

Students use appropriate APA style in written papers.

Doctoral students in Developmental Education Administration will study and utilize the standards of APA 6th edition to complete writing assignments

Number of students reaching a basic proficiency with APA 6th edition format as rated on a department-generated common rubric used to assess a written assignment.

Eighty percent of current cohort will submit a written assignment document that will demonstrate basic proficiency with APA format. This includes page setup, reference citations, and headings.

The results from the Student Knowledge and Usage of APA objective indicated that the criterion was just short of being met with 75% of students meeting the objective for the assessment period. It is believed, however, that the communication with students about this requirement was quite effective. All faculty teaching each of the first year courses in in the program addressed this criterion and offered information about the requirement and resources to assist in meeting it. The challenge was with learning some of the APA formatting requirements so quickly – especially for students that had used other scholarly writing formats (such as MLA).

The lowest two categories were “Prepared Title Page to Specifications” and “Citing Publications Correctly in Reference List.” Seventy-two percent of students showed challenges in these areas. Students advised that the title page issue was often overlooked when preparing short papers. The reference list challenge, on the other hand was cited as problematic due to the amount of detail involved in citing references. It is believed that over time, students will learn more about these details and become more adept at citing references.

While it is understood that some challenges exist with regard to APA formatting, students understand that the goal is to become highly proficient over the course of the doctoral program. This will make the writing and publication of their dissertation research go more smoothly.

Going forward, students will be required to purchase the most current APA publication manual upon program entry. Assignments will be given that utilize the manual in the writing process.