OATdb Archive

2014 - 2015

Instructional Technology MED

Goal
Develop Mastery Of Professional Communication
Program Quality and Effectiveness

Objective
Candidates Will Demonstrate Mastery Of American Psychological Association (APA) Writing Style
Technology coach candidates in the Master of Education in Instructional Technology program will employ American Psychological Association (APA) Style in formal writing, including internal documentation and works cited.

Indicator
American Psychological Association (APA) Writing Style In Formal Writing
A common embedded portion of each literature review assignment developed by program faculty will require proper use of APA style, including internal documentation and works cited.


Criterion
American Psychological Association (APA) Writing Style In Annotated Bibliography (CIED 5367)
At least 85% of candidates during the 2014-2015 academic year will achieve a score of “Indicator Partially Met” or “Indicator Met” on the APA indicator embedded in the Annotated Bibliography assignment (CIED 5367), with at least 50% of candidates achieving a score of “Indicator Met”.

As a result of last year's assessment, we have kept the criterion the same.

Finding
MIST Goal 1. American Psychological Association (APA) Writing Style In Annotated Bibliography
The results from the Annotated Bibliography American Psychological Association (APA) Writing Style assessment indicate that the criterion were only partially met for the 2014-2015 assessment cycle.  While 88.0% of the sampled candidate papers scored 14 (Indicator Partially Met) or higher, only 48% scored 18 or higher (Indicator Met).  Students who partially met the criterion had some particular issues with the APA style citations and references. This indicates that while our candidates are able to write sufficiently using APA style, more work is needed to ensure that we are producing proficient writers within the discipline. The complete report detailing our findings is attached. 

Action
American Psycological Assosiation (APA) Writing Style In Annotated Bibliography (CIED 5367)
The findings from the Annotated Bibliography American Psychological Association (APA) Writing Style assessment were discussed at the faculty meeting.  In response to these findings, the faculty decided to continue to list the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th edition) as a required course text in all courses and assess all research based assignments for proper APA 6th edition style.  Faculty will continue to prompt candidates to review basic rules to properly using APA 6th edition (as opposed to 5th edition) style to cite resources, especially in the first courses in the program.  Candidates will be provided with additional tutorials on proper use of APA 6th edition writing style in their first course in the program.  Also, the more recently released APA Style Guide will be added as a required textbook for all courses in the program starting in fall of 2015 to help further clarify citation of electronic resources, which appears to give candidates the most problems.

   

Goal
Develop Professional And Administrative Competencies In Instructional Technology Management
Program Quality And Effectiveness

Objective
Candidates Will Demonstrate Mastery Of The Planning, Development, Communication, Implementation, And Evaluation Of Technology-infused Strategic Plans
Technology coach candidates in the Master of Education in Instructional Technology program will contribute to the planning, development, communication, implementation, and evaluation of technology-infused strategic plans.



Indicator
Rubric For Evaluating Student-Developed Technology Training Packages
In semester 4 of the Masters of Education in Instructional Technology, candidates spend the first part of the semester conducting an investigative inquiry into the technology-infused strategic plan of the organization, and identify gaps between the organization’s current situation and its overall strategic plan.  In this process, candidates consider the organization’s profile in technology; current funding and management status; federal, state, and local standards and regulations; and the unique technology elements of the organization’s environment.  Once this review is complete, they determine one of the gaps and develop a plan that will address that deficit and lead the organization closer to its goals.

That chosen topic becomes the focus of their Training Package.  Throughout the second part of the semester, using their findings from the first part of the semester, candidates develop a form of training that addresses the chosen deficit in the organization’s current status as it moves toward it goals.  In this assignment, candidates use their findings from the investigative inquiry, along with skills learned prior in the MIST program, to contribute to the planning, development, communication, implementation, and evaluation of technology-infused strategic plans of the organization.


Criterion
Expected Student Perfomance On Technology Training Packages
At least 80% of candidates during the 2014-2015 academic year will achieve a score of “Indicator Partially Met” or “Indicator Met” on the Training Package portion related to ISTE Coaches Standard Visionary Leadership 1b of the Culminating Research Project with at least 50% of candidates achieving a score of “Indicator Met”.

Finding
MIST Goal 2. Expected Student Performance On Technology Training Packages
The results from the Training Package assessment indicate that the criterion were fully met for the 2014-2015 assessment cycle.  While 16.67% of the sampled candidate papers scored Indicator Partially Met, 83.33% scored Indicator Met, with 100% having achieved Indicate Met or Indicator Partially Met.  This indicates that, while the majority of candidate’s achieved Indicator Met, more work is needed to ensure that our candidates are meeting more of the criterion.  The complete report detailing our finding is attached.


Action
Expected Student Performance On Technology Training Packages
Since our current findings are such that 100% of students have reached "Met" or "Partially Met", we are planning to discuss and decide if we have to find a new objective that addresses some other area of need.  Or we continue to stay on that same objective and set the goal to get ALL students to the "Met" category. 


Update to previous cycle's plan for continuous improvement

Faculty met during the Fall 2014 semester to make curricular changes reinforce instruction on procedures, policies, planning, and budgeting for technology environments (old Standard TF-VII, the new ISTE NETS for Coaches Standard 1).  Faculty decided to draw specific attention to this standard and require additional reflection on it during the Practicum for Technology Facilitation (CIED 5369) and companion Development of Technology Infrastructure in School (CSTE 5338) course in the Spring 2015 semester.  In particular, the faculty realigned and revised all coursework to address the new ISTE NETS for Coaches.  Standard 1 of the ISTE NETS for Coaches addresses visionary leadership and specifically directs technology coaches to “advocate for policies, procedures, programs, and funding strategies to support implementation of the shared vision represented in the school and district technology plans and guidelines”.  This standard most closely resembles the now retired Technology Facilitation Standard Procedures, Policies, Planning, and Budgeting for Technology Environments (Standard TF-VII).  Decided changes were implemented during candidates’ culminating research project in the Fall 2014 and Spring 2015 semesters. 


To encourage candidates to correctly practice proper APA 6th edition formatting skills in formal writing, the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th edition) remained as a required course text in all courses and beginning in the Fall 2013, new candidates were encouraged to purchase the APA Style Guide to Electronic References, (6th edition).  All candidates were provided with additional tutorials on proper use of APA 6th edition.  Writing style and formal writing assignments were assessed for proper APA 6th edition formatting.


Plan for continuous improvement The finding from the 2014-2015 assessment cycle indicated that candidates in Master of Education in Instructional Technology degree program were performing as expected with regard to content knowledge of Procedures, Policies, Planning, and Budgeting for Technology Environments (Standard TF-VII). Although, 100% of the candidates were either “Met” of “Partially Met “only 83% of the students reached the “Met” category. Faculty will meet during the fall 2015 semester to discuss curricular changes that can be made to even more reinforce instruction on procedures, policies, planning, and budgeting for technology environments (Standard TF-VII).  Decided changes will be implemented into the curriculum beginning during the Practicum for Technology Facilitation (CIED 5369) and companion Development of Technology Infrastructure in School (CSTE 5338) course in the Spring 2015 semester to set up a goal for at least 90% of the candidates paper will achieve  a score of "Indicator Met".

Candidates were not performing as expected on writing using APA style. To continue to encourage candidates to correctly practice proper APA 6th edition formatting skills in formal writing, the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th edition) will be a required course text in all courses beginning in the Fall 2015 and all candidates will be required to obtain and use the APA manual (6th edition) and will be provided with tutorials and recommendations on proper use of APA 6th edition writing style.  Formal writing assignments will continue to be assessed for proper APA 6th edition formatting.