Weber State University   

Sociology

Results of Assessment

2003-2004 (submitted 01/25/05)

This was the fifth year the Sociology program has participated in the university-mandated assessment effort.  Below is a brief discussion of the assessment results for the exit interview used in 2003-2004.

1. Summary of Exit Interview:

The exit interview (see the Appendix of this report) was distributed to graduating seniors (majors and minors) in Sociology. Of the 23 majors and 46 minors in Sociology who graduated in Spring 2004, 31 returned exit questionnaires by June 10, 2004, a 44.9% response rate, up eleven percent from last year. The following is a summary of the results. Generally, the results suggest that the program is upholding its mission and accomplishing the student outcomes satisfactorily.

a. General Program Information:

• Most students chose Sociology as a major or minor primarily in either their sophomore or junior year (77.4%).

• 71% chose the generalist track rather than a specialty area within the program, with 19.4% choosing the Criminology and Deviance emphasis. This is most likely due to many of our minors being Criminal Justice majors.

• Future career goals reported included:

b. Specific Learning Outcomes:

• Outcomes a, b, and e: Students were asked their skill level in writing, analytical thinking, problem solving, statistical skills, computer skills, and an appreciation of other cultures, before and after taking upper division Sociology course work. The majority of the students reported that their skill level increased in each area after taking upper division Sociology course work. In general, students reported a one or two point increase between their before and after skills. The greatest skill changes were reported for analytical skills and computer skills. The smallest change was reported for computer skill, though even here students reported increases.

• Outcomes c and d: The majority of students rated Sociology core courses as high (a rating of 4 or 5 on a 5-point scale) in having them understand Sociological research (80.7%), concepts (80.7%), and theories (74.2%).

• Outcome f: A slight majority of students (51.6%) rated the applicability of skills they learned in the Sociology Program to their work lives as high (a rating of 4 or 5 on a 5-point scale).

• Open-ended question regarding applicability of Sociology to work life produced the following sample responses:

"Understanding urban economy, family, gender issues, criminology & deviance of teenagers is paramount for properly dealing with casework in impoverished, rural areas where I’m going to be."

"Right now I work with elementary school age kids and I better appreciate their problems because I know what their problems can be attributed to."

"I teach Life Skills to my clients at a Drug & Alcohol Rehab. It also helps me to understand why they are where they are when I read their Autobiography."

"The function of organizations within Society as well as the smaller group within the workplace will help me work better with others."

c. Overall Mission of Program:

• Statement a: Broad view of the world: Open-ended questions produced responses suggesting that this part of our program mission is being realized for at least some of our students.

• Statement b: Skills to be competitive in labor market or pursue professional degree:

45.2% plan to earn a graduate degree; 32.3% are unsure if they will earn a graduate degree but are considering it; and the remaining 22.6% do not plan to earn a graduate degree.

Those planning to earn graduate degrees plan to pursue degrees in Sociology, Law, Criminal Justice, Social Work, Psychology, Business, and Education.

• Statement c: Stimulating learning environment through close interaction between faculty and students:
  Students were overwhelmingly satisfied with faculty concern about them (100%), and with faculty (74.2%) and staff (74.2%) assistance and advisement.

The majority of students (71%) had gotten to know Sociology professors well enough to talk with them regularly after class or during office hours and 64.5% of students were very satisfied with the availability of faculty outside of class.
When asked to list the strengths of the Sociology program, most students listed the availability and personable nature of the faculty.

Satisfaction with the quality of instruction in Sociology courses was high (71%) as was satisfaction with the intellectual development attained at WSU in general (67.7%).

Camaraderie among students is above average, with 67.7% having a feeling of camaraderie with other sociology students. This is higher than last year’s graduates.

• Statement d: Appreciation of multi-cultural and comparative perspectives and applicability of knowledge in everyday lives:

When asked to rate the applicability of skills they learned in the Sociology program, the majority of students responded with a high (rating of 4 or 5 on a 5-point scale) applicability to work (51.6%); in personal life (64.5%); and to civic involvements (53.3%).

Open-ended questions produced responses suggesting that a multi-cultural or comparative perspective is being realized and is applicable in at least some of our students’ everyday lives.

2. Changes to be Implemented as a Result of the Data Collected:

Exit interview data suggest that the Sociology program is accomplishing its program mission and student learning outcomes with a fairly high degree of success and that no substantive changes to the curriculum and instruction in the program as a whole are anticipated. However, institutional data gathered in previous years suggest that fewer Sociology majors have been graduating the last few years than in the past and a smaller proportion of the College of Social & Behavioral Science graduates are Sociology majors than in the past. Last year’s report suggested a renewed emphasis on recruitment and retention of students. As part of that effort, the Sociology program faculty worked with the Anthropology faculty and the departmental work study student, Victoria Ciccone, to develop a new internet website. This was accomplished during Spring semester 2004 and will be posted during Summer semester 2004. The faculty believe this will aid in recruitment by making the programs more visible. It should also help in our quests to assess alumni post-WSU experiences, as well as develop an alumni advisory council.

3. Plans for Ongoing Assessment of Sociology Outcomes:

a. Add two new learning outcomes to more fully capture the program mission statement.

(1) Possess the ability to apply various sociological frameworks to their understanding of the world and human behavior.
(2) Know and execute the various steps necessary to conduct Sociological research.

b. Improve measurement of previously existing learning outcomes and begin to measure the new outcomes (listed above).

(1) Gathering and analyzing data from alumni. One of the learning outcomes for our Sociology students concerns their skills to be competitive in today’s labor market or to pursue professional degrees. In the past this was assessed by: a) data collected from graduating seniors and their report of whether or not they were planning on pursuing a professional degree; and b) information obtained from an alumni database that includes all alumni from 1992 to 2001, but which has incomplete data with only employment information for approximately 25% of the alumni included in the database.

This 2004-05 academic year, the faculty would like to concentrate on data collected from alumni using an alumni survey to help us create a better measure of this outcome, as well as others. The survey is in draft form at this point. Dr. Reynolds’s research methods class in Fall 2004 will refine this survey questionnaire and develop the sampling frame from which to draw a sample of alumni to interview. This questionnaire is designed to help the program assess the impact of sociological knowledge in alumni’s work, family, and civic lives as well as some of the specific learning outcomes listed above. This effort was begun in 2002, and we are hopeful that this survey will be implemented by Spring 2005, either as an online survey, mailed survey, or telephone survey. It is possible that a combination of these methods will be used over the course of several years.

(2) Develop other program outcomes measures. These may include faculty observations and evaluations of research presentations, and using theory portfolios.

c. Other: Further plans include developing and implementing other strategies for assessing learning outcomes of specific courses (e.g., internships, sociology theory), as well as to continue with the general education assessment project.

Mission Statement / Student Learning Outcomes / Curriculum Grid / Assessment Plan / Contact Person