Weber State University   

Sociology

Results of Assessment

2007-2008 (submitted 09/03/08)

WHAT WE HAVE DONE in 2007-2008:

1. Mission of our program was reworked in 1999-2000 and has remained the same. The program mission is stated below. Faculty made an effort to construct better survey questions in 2001-2002, then update again in spring 2007 to measure the accomplishment of the mission. (See discussion in #5 on results of collect data.)
    

   1. Equip students with a broad view of the world consistent with the goals of a liberal arts education.

   2. Provide knowledge and skills, both sociological (theory, research, statistics), and general (analytic, problem solving, writing) for a broad spectrum of jobs in today's competitive labor market or to pursue professional degrees (in Sociology, Law, Public Administration, etc.).

   3. Build a stimulating learning environment through close interaction between faculty and students.

   4. Develop an appreciation of multi-cultural and comparative perspectives for using and enriching their everyday work and life experience.
       

2. Program outcomes (listed below) remained the same as the previous year.
    

   1. Possess analytic skills.

   2. Possess problem solving skills.

   3. Know terms and research of the discipline of sociology.

   4. Know concepts and theories of the discipline of sociology.

   5. Possess an informed appreciation of other cultures.

   6. Possess skills to be competitive in today's labor market or to pursue professional degrees.

   7. Possess the ability to apply various sociological frameworks to their understanding of the world and human behavior.

   8. Know how to execute the various steps necessary to conduct Sociological research.
       

3. Articulated the outcomes and the curriculum:

   See outcome grid for 2007-2008 (below).
    

4. Selected appropriate measures of student learning for our program:

   Exit interview. We made some changes to the exit interview this year. Last year we used the old version of exit interview, which only had 20 questions. This year, we used our newer version of exit interview and it has 35 questions in stead. The exit interview is designed to measure student outcomes a. through f. listed above and more broadly provide some indication of whether the sociology program is accomplishing its mission as written above.
    

5. Collected the data and analyzed it:

   EXIT INTERVIEW DATA
   The exit interview was distributed to graduating seniors (majors and minors) in sociology. Of the 20 majors and 40 minors in Sociology who graduated in Winter 2007 or Spring 2008, 30 returned exit questionnaires by summer 2008, a 50% response rate. 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.

   General Program Information
    

   1. Majority of the students chose sociology as a major or minor primarily in either their sophomore or junior year (73.3%).

   2. Eighteen graduates had chosen the generalist track and 9 had chosen a specialty area, 5 chose the Criminology and Deviance area, 3 in family, gender and work area, and 1 in urban sociology.

   3. Future career goals reported included:
                      Health Care                                            Research
                      Lawyer                                                    College professor
                      Business/Office Management              Military
                      Counseling or Community Services    Social Work
                      Law Enforcement                                   Youth Corrections

   Specific Learning Outcomes
    

   1. Outcomes a, b, and e (listed above): 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 having taken upper division sociology course work (see Table 1 below). The areas wherein the program seems to be having the most impact are in all the seven skills listed in our exit interviews. This outcome is much better compared with last year's outcome. We have made noticeable progress in almost all the areas this year.

      Table 1. Sociology Graduates Self-Reported Skill Level After Taking Upper Division Courses
      Skill	stayed the same	increased
      Writing	20%	80%
      Analytical Thinking	6.7%	93.3%
      Problem Solving	13%	87%
      Statistical Skills	10%	87%
      Computer Skills	30%	70%
      Appreciation of non-US cultures	16.7%	83.3%
      Appreciation of racial-ethnic diversity	20%	80%

    

   2. Outcomes c and d (listed above): 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%), concepts (83.36%), and theories (83.3%).
   3. Outcome f (listed above): The majority of students (80%) 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).
   4. Open-ended question regarding applicability of sociology to work life produced the following responses:
      
      MAJORS
       
      1. Interacting and understanding people.
      2. Everyday interactions with people.
      3. I will continue using the theory and research skills as I continue my career as a sociologist.
      4. Research - teaching. Debating with those less competent in sociological matters.
      5. I have gained an overall knowledge of interacting with others, establishing relationships, & being an active member of society in general. All of these skills, & many others, will help me excel in a work environment.
      6. I would also like to work with Counseling students. Analytical thinking, Critical thinking, problem solvers and diversity all enable me to continue to develop skills in Counseling.
      7. Hopefully, I'm going to be working with college students. I believe my understanding of education as well as social stratification will help me when working with these students.
      8. If I am to teach sociology and conduct social research I must know sociology.

      MINORS
       

      9. Working in a Senior Citizens Center.
      10. Understanding the relationship in crime and society. The effects the crime/society has on society/crime.
      11. I will use the general knowledge from Social Research Methods frequently.
      12. Knowledge of socioeconomic status & various cultural differences as they relate to parent prompting/encouraging preschool & older early childhood education programs; helps identify audience & develop goals for program.
      13. The theories, & understanding how one society functions as a whole.
      14. Teach my students about the community they live in and to understand what kinds of things take place.
      15. I really enjoy Demographics and the study of people. Knowing how people live and interact with one another can help me as I plan cities and areas where people live.
      16. Realize everyone is different & comes from different beliefs, knowledge and will react to different situations.
      17. I just look @ situations w/ a more critical eye.
      18. I believe that the classes that I've taken will benefit me in my understanding of people who are different from me.
      19. Research, understanding groups.
           
   5. Outcome g & h (listed above): Faculty observations and evaluations of students' research presentations during the annual department research conference were used as a measurement of these outcomes. The sociology program made it mandatory that research method class must include hands-on research project, and both research method and senior capstone classes made it a requirement that students present their research projects at the department research conference. This had been made one of the components in evaluating students' final grades.
      
      Overall Mission of a Program
      Statement a: Broad view of the world: Open-ended questions produced the following responses suggesting that this part of our program mission is being realized for at least some of our students.
      
      MAJORS
       
      1. Once again understanding the different aspects of society.
      2. My knowledge of social interactions and the way norms work to increase successful interactions will help me engage civically in a more successful way.
      3. By being a bigger part of my community & knowing that I can make a difference. I recognize now, more than before, that I have an impact on what goes on around me.
      4. I can continue to work in the community & focus/Impact group teaching, social skills, and helping them learn to develop other socialization skills used in everyday life, employment, & with others.
      5. I think sociology teaches tolerance towards all civic involvements. I think I will be more tolerant towards all of these civic groups listed. We need more tolerance and understanding of various groups in our world.
      6. I work in animal rescue so most of the people I deal with aren't fans of society in general.

      MINORS
       

      7. I want to work w/ senior citizens. They cover a very large variety of ethnicities and religions and I want to work w/ government so civil responsibilities are largely covered w/ that.
      8. I found out that religion plays a larger part in people's lives than I ever knew understanding the views of others.
      9. Understandings of social groups. Working with variety of parents from different backgrounds & understanding legal issues affecting early childhood education. Increased awareness of impact of culture and in the value of education.
      10. Being involved w/ my church and my community to make life better for those who are very unfortunate.
      11. I learned through my own experience and my soc. classes that there are social problems and what I can do to help.
      12. I plan to work for a legal government body. Decisions made here influence everyone who lives within those boundaries.
      13. I apply the skills by being more tolerant of views which differ from my own.
      14. Learning about religions and understanding them.

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

      • 70% plan to earn a graduate degree; 30% did not know or answered no.
      • Those planning to earn graduate degrees plan to pursue degrees in Sociology, Social Work, Law, and Criminal Justice.
      • When asked to list some of the weaknesses of the program, students offered comments like the following:

      MAJORS
       

      1. More emphasis on research. Hang up research posters in the halls like the psych dept. does up stairs.
      2. Overall, my experience was extremely positive. If I had to choose something as a weakness, maybe it would be helpful to offer more night/online classes for those students who work. However, then the students would miss out on the wonderful face-to-face interaction with the professors ... It is very hard for me to choose a weakness, so that is all I can come up with.
      3. More classes in the Summer!
      4. Not a whole lot of career advisement, about what to do with your degree. I'd say that it needs to be discussed more in classes. Also, really try to make the sociology hall and bulletin boards nice. It is kind of pathetic if you ask me. I think there should be poster after poster of sociology graduate programs. Get students thinking about the future early.
      5. Need more gender courses.

      MINORS
       

      6. I believe that the program could be more writing intensive.
      7. It has a tendency to lean towards liberal views but it needs to have both sides of the argument.
      8. One of the more academically challenging offerings at WSU. May discourage some who take more difficult classes such as theory, from continuing in the department if that is their first exposure.

      Statement c: Stimulating learning environment through close interaction between faculty and students:
       

      • Students were overwhelmingly satisfied with faculty concern about them (93.39%), and the majority were satisfied with faculty (93%) and staff (94%) assistance and advisement.
      • The majority of students (70%) had gotten to know sociology professors well enough to talk with them regularly after class or during office hours and 93.3% 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. Small class sizes, diversity of faculties, and genuine concern and help from our faculty and staff. Here are just a few of the comments:

      MAJORS
       

      1. Persistence, cared more about learning the material than the actual grade.
      2. The diversity & accessibility of the faculty.
      3. Great professors & staff members, wide variety of classes & information to learn about, overall concern for students' well being & success, interesting material that can be applied to every day life, most classes are small in size, knowledge presented in an "easy to understand manner," & the list can go on forever ..... ☺
      4. Critical Thinking as a way of presenting ideas for change for the good of society. Faculty who are understanding and compassionate and who truly care about their students.
      5. Small class sizes are a plus. The availability of faculty members. The faculty take a genuine concern in your well being. The faculty are very knowledgeable about the subjects they are teaching.
      6. The faculty (and Carol).

      MINORS
       

      7. The care and concern that WSU Sociology Instructors have for their students. The many courses offered in the sociology dept.
      8. Good instructors - excellent teachings and teaching ability. Well educated staff. Nicely structured program.
      9. I feel that there are many professors that work as hard as they can to see students excel.
      10. Diverse specialization in areas among instructors. Approachable & concerned re: questions of students.
      11. I believe WSU teaches a lot different types of sociology subjects with unique ideas and ways to understand.
      12. Diverse class offerings.
      13. Teachers are very available and approachable.
      14. I like the small courses & structure of the classes (I am a minor).
      15. The professors are all amazing and intelligent, each bringing their own diverse views with them.
      16. Professors & their knowledge & ability to help students' attention by teaching methods.

• Satisfaction with the quality of instruction (rated 3 or better) in sociology courses was high (96.7%) as was satisfaction with the intellect development attained at WSU in general (96.7%). These outcomes are much better than last year.
• Camaraderie among students is above average, with 70% having a feeling of camaraderie.

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 (80%); and in personal life (76.7%)
• Open-ended questions produced the following responses suggesting that a multi-cultural or comparative perspective is being realized and is applicable in at least some of our students' everyday lives.

Applicable to Everyday Life

MAJORS

1. Understanding how society works.
2. Personal relationships.
3. It helps me because I can use my sociological imagination and knowledge of socialization process to understand individuals and interactions better.
4. Educating people - raising kids - married life. It's just a part of me now.
5. By expanding relationships using the knowledge that I gained from my courses. I now know more about interactions & societal processes than I knew before, which I believe may make communication easier for me.
6. I can use this in my everyday interaction with my family, children, grandchildren, significant others, and friends as I communicate & interact at various levels with each one.
7. I recognize more now that everybody comes from different walks of life in this social world we live in. I feel I have a better grasp now of how to relate better with people. Recognizing more of the social problems in the world.
8. Understanding the socialization process helps me when babysitting my granddaughter.

MINORS

9. The relationships I will be able to make will be greatly increased because of the education I received @ WSU.
10. Understanding the upbringing of others and their position in society [;] understanding why others have different views.
11. I developed a stronger understanding of groups.
12. I've learned a lot of skills like human behavior & how to manage conflicts when they do arise.
13. I have a strong desire to be aware of what is happening in society because it constantly is changing.
14. The courses that I have taken has allowed me to see world views in terms I had not seen before. The knowledge I have gained has been extremely valuable to me.
15. I have learned to be more objective and more critical of information given to me.
16. Theories help understand self, others, & everything.

WHAT DOES IS ALL MEAN?

Exit interview data suggest that the Sociology program is accomplishing its program mission and student learning outcomes with a fairly high degree of success. The major improvement we have made during this year compared with last year is to emphasize what kind of career and jobs students can get with a sociology degree. The sociology faculty reviewed the curriculum and made changes toward a more applied sociology curriculum (such as add or delete courses). Especially in senior capstone class, one to two week classes were spent about which subject in sociology can get what kind of jobs. Professors used a resource book to teach this topic rather than giving an overall outline as we did before. We believe these changes really helped our students to make the connection between the skill set sociology proves them and the possible employment opportunities awaiting them in the labor market. These curriculum changes are being made for the 2007-2008 academic year.

Plan for 2008-2009

1. Continue to help our students make the connection between their sociological skill set and the paid labor force.
    
   Sociology faculty made some progress in this area since the summer retreat in 2006. We plan to continue evaluating the changes we made and plan more changes in the future. We will ask faculty members who taught senior capstone courses in the last year to "show and tell" their teaching portfolio and books they used about how to help students to market their sociological skills in the future careers.
    
2. Improve measurement of learning outcomes (listed above).
    
   a) Standardized exam. One set of standardized test for introduction to sociology was made and implemented in sociology 1010 courses. Although this is mainly for the general education mission statement evaluation, we might use it as our regular lower division classes as well.
    
   b) Faculty Observations and Evaluations of Research Presentations. This suggestion to measure the last learning outcome listed above - Know and execute the various steps necessary to conduct sociological research - has been used by faculty members who teach research method and senior capstone courses. But the faculty members did not have a unified grading rubric to evaluate student presentations of the research they conducted in the Research Methods, Senior Capstone or Directed Readings and Projects courses. Each faculty individually evaluated the presentations according to the constructed criteria of their own, we need to develop a more unified criteria for this purpose. This would give us a better indication of whether or not students are walking away with the knowledge and at least some ability to conduct sociological research.
    
   c) Theory Essay. The faculty were considering the use of a theory portfolio to assess our students' ability to apply various sociological frameworks to their understanding of the world and human behavior. In principle, the faculty like the idea but have decided that a full portfolio is not necessary to measure this outcome. The plan for the 2007-08 academic year is to assign a standardized essay question in each of the classical theory courses in both the fall and spring semesters, but this did not happen due to various reasons. We will try to implement this plan again for the 2008-2009 academic year. Criteria and a grading rubric will be constructed and used by the faculty members teaching these courses to measure the students' abilities.

Blank = outcome is not achieved in the course
L = low level of the outcome achieved in the course
M = moderate level
H = high level

Assessment Plan 2008-2009
Program: Sociology