CURRICULUM GRID

To draw accurate conclusions it will be necessary that the data sets be sufficiently large, be from target populations, and be reliable. In order to generate larger data sets, in some instances groups like majors, minors, and client students, will be lumped together, while in others, such as graduate acceptance rate, the data will be accumulated over several years. For accurate targeting it will be necessary to subdivide some groups, like minors, teaching minors and elementary mathematics endorsements. Finally, the surveys and their results should also be analyzed for unintended biases and reliability of data.

The following grid states how and at what level of effectiveness (High, Medium, or Low) the data can be used in assessment of outcomes.

B. Significant changes since 1994

Describe any significant changes made since 1994 to the processes for outcomes assessment, student advising and faculty evaluation.

Outcomes assessment: A major effort was made two years ago to create assessment documentation and implementation of the assessment plan is happening currently. There was no formal assessment plan before this time.

Student Advising: Students now have to declare their major with their advisor, so more and easier advising is being done than before. A greater effort has been made recently to advise students properly. Effort has also been made to educate other advisors around campus on the Quantitative Literacy requirement.

Faculty evaluation: Before 1996 the Mathematics Department was in the College of Arts and Humanities, so formal faculty evaluation was not done, other than formal promotion and tenure reviews. When we joined the College of Science we had annual faculty reviews done by the chair each year, in compliance to the standard of the College of Science. Student evaluation of teaching has always been done, but it has evolved to conform more closely with other departments in the College of Science.

Identify any significant changes made in response to college or department recommendations contained in the 1994 accreditation report (see attached document).

There were no particular changes necessary from the earlier accreditation report, but some changes have been made. We now have a computer laboratory with 20 computers. We teach additional technology classes for teachers, partially to satisfy applying for NCATE Accreditation, which was granted.

Describe any other significant changes made since 1994 for any other areas identified in Section I.

Because of lack of success of students in lower level courses, the mathematics placement policy has changed. For students coming in with too low of Math ACT score, they must take a placement test (Compass Exam) to be placed in a course higher than pre-algebra.

Because of the increase in enrollment in lower level classes, we have hired eight lecturers, full time teachers with a masters degree (mostly) that are not tenure-track, and are not expected to do scholarship or much service. These lecturers are typically on three year rolling contracts, and teach a great deal of the developmental and quantitative literacy courses.

WSU changed from quarters to semesters in 1998, as did all of the state institutions of higher learning. For this change, all mathematics courses and programs were examined and much work was put into what the courses and programs should contain. The department attempted to make courses and programs consistent with other state institutions and with other institutions similar to WSU. The change from quarter math competency to semester quantitative literacy was done to make WSU consistent with the state institutions. (This increased our academic standards.) Thoughts were also given to textbooks and course syllabi. Our course options and programs are much more solid than they were before semester conversion. Students can transfer much more easily from one institution to another since we basically all have the same courses up to and including calculus, linear algebra and differential equation.


III. STRENGTHS AND CHALLENGES

A. Student Learning Outcomes Assessment and Planning

Identify strengths and challenges of the department process used to assess student learning outcomes and identify needed plans or changes for improvement.

Strengths: The department has a well thought out assessment plan with supporting documents. The student outcomes that are desired are clearly stated and can be assessed. This is happening now.


Challenges: The data is just starting to be collected, so analysis and any changes that may come will be in the future.

B. Academic Advising

Identify strengths and challenges of the department process used to advise students and to assess the advising process.

Strengths: The chair knows the programs well and gives the students correct information. Students have to meet with the chair to declare their major or minor so that gives the opportunity for advising. Students are not afraid to see the chair to get advice. They also are encouraged and feel free to speak to other faculty members about graduate school, jobs, or other opportunities. The department also has a web site with much information available to students.

Challenges: Right now the chair has time to advise all majors and minors. If the programs grow too much more, we will have to get more faculty involved in formal advising. This will be an extra burden on faculty and staff.

C. Faculty and Staff Evaluation

Identify strengths and challenges of the process used to evaluate faculty (include full-time, part-time and adjunct faculty).

Strengths: With the annual faculty reviews currently done in the College of Science, faculty know where they stand and have goals to work on every year. This includes goals in teaching, scholarship, and service, and it includes all contract faculty, whether tenure track or not. Formal promotion/tenure reviews are still performed on tenure track faculty.

Challenges: Adjunct faculty are evaluated mainly on student evaluations and student complaints/praise. There needs to be a better way to evaluate adjunct faculty without putting an undo burden on the chair or other faculty.

Identify strengths and challenges of the process used to evaluate staff (include full-time and part-time staff).

Strengths: For staff evaluation, the PREP method is used and seems adequate. Staff members have goals to achieve and know how they are performing their work.

Challenges: The PREP model is more time consuming than it needs to be.

D. Library

Identify strengths and challenges of the library collection which supports the curriculum. Identify strengths and challenges of the library staff and services which support the department.

Strengths: There are an abundant supply of books that students can use for reference or projects. Faculty can use them also to enhance their teaching and/or scholarship. Some videos are also available. The staff and services are very good and supportive. Math-Scinet is available for faculty and is very helpful for those members doing research.

Challenges: Access to research journals is a problem, but Math-Scinet is helping. We need better access to reviews and research announcements as well.


E. Facilities, Equipment and Other Resources

Identify strengths and challenges of the facilities, equipment and other institutional support resources which support the program.

Strengths: Our facilities and equipment meet the needs of some of our faculty. Our students are able to attend classes and be successful.

Challenges: We need more and better classrooms, and more and better furniture in our classrooms so our students are not hindered in the learning process. Rooms are cramped and the current furniture is not comfortable. Better technology would be useful for many of our faculty (better overheads, projection systems, computers in the classrooms). We need more and newer computers for our faculty, and better software availability. Faculty offices are too small which makes it difficult to help students.


F. Budget

Identify strengths and challenges of the financial resources available for the support of the program.

Strengths: The Provost and Dean are very good about funding new courses when needed and helping out with our budget when they can.

Challenges: Financial resources are inadequate. We need small class sizes for our lower level classes and more full time faculty to help with these courses. Our day to day operating expenses are not funded properly, although the dean supports us out of his funds. Funds for scholarships are not as available as needed, and funds for student research and/or travel is almost nonexistent.


G. Associate of Applied Science Degree Programs

If the department offers an A.A.S. degree program, evaluate the general education content to determine if the required components of 1) communication, 2) computation, and 3) human relations instruction are included in the program.

The Mathematics Department has no AAS programs.


H. Other

Identify 1 to 3 additional areas of strength or areas of challenge for the department from the information provided in Section I.

Strengths:

a) The degree offerings are solid and the teaching in the department is of high quality. Faculty are very available to students.
b) Some faculty are managing to keep active research programs going, even though teaching is the main focus of the department.
c) The department is addressing the problems in developmental math.

Challenges:

a) There are too many teaching adjuncts.
b) There are a low number of majors.
c) Getting students through the Quantitative Literacy requirement, given the math abilities of the incoming students, presents a serious challenge.


IV. NEXT STEPS/ACTION ITEMS

Identify next steps/action items that will increase areas of strength and minimize challenges identified in Section III. Provide a 1 to 5 year time line for each identified next step/action item.

1. The Department will pursue avenues for increasing the number of majors. Some possibilities might be to create a program in computational mathematics, or to develop a joint major either with Computer Science or with Information Systems and Technology, or maybe with both. In the secondary teaching program, perhaps a joint program in mathematics and statistics might attract
students.

Time line: Preliminary discussions with the Department of Computer Science have begun, but this is only preliminary. The goal is to have a joint program with Computer Science, Information Systems and Technology, or a Computational Mathematics major within the next 3 years.

2. Some space will become available for a math lab or a more expansive math auxiliary. The Department has a goal of providing a facility that could support instruction on all levels, including developmental mathematics. Tutoring, extra labs, problem solving sessions, and more will be provided to students, as well as a place that students can interact with each other. This should help in overall success of students, especially in the Quantitative Literacy and developmental areas.

Time line: Space is being set aside now for a start on this project. It should be up and running fully within 3 years (if the space is remodeled and funding can be secured).

3. The Department is at a critical juncture in hiring. Over the next five to ten years, there are going to be several retirements of PhD faculty. If these faculty are replaced with non-PhD faculty, it will undoubtedly have a detrimental effect on both the scholarship opportunities in the Department and the ability of the Department to offer bona fide programs in the major emphases. The goal of the Mathematics Department is to replace each retiree with a Ph.D. mathematician.

Time line: This will happen as we have openings.

4. Help develop promising junior faculty into productive teachers and researchers. Have them help us get more majors.

Time line: This will happen as we get new faculty. For current faculty, have them involved with new ideas and programs within the next three years.



V. APPENDICES (include all that are applicable)

A. Summary of program reviews/professional accreditation reviews and description of resulting actions which have occurred since 1994

Sent separately in the mail.

B. Faculty vita for all full-time, part-time and adjunct faculty (see attached template)

Sent separately.

C. Current strategic plan

STRATEGIC PLAN

In order to best fulfill our role within the University, we should pursue the following objectives. No priority is intended in the order in which items are listed.

1. Hire new faculty as needed.

2. Build research groups as the opportunity arises.

3. Provide faculty with the support they need to be professionally active by providing more released time and reassigned time for research and/or teaching projects.

4. Modify the curriculum as needed to best meet the needs of our students in ways suggested by both national trends and our own research.

5. Decrease the reliance on large lecture sections.

6. Increase salaries to maintain a productive faculty and to attract talented newcomers.

7. Reduce our reliance on adjuncts.

8. Improve facilities, which include the following items:

a. A MathEd room equipped with large tables, computer stations, storage and projection facilities.
b. Electronic classrooms.
c. Adequate office facilities.
d. Improved computer laboratories.
e. Adequate tutorial facilities.
f. Repair/replace broken or obsolete equipment.

9. Provide each faculty member with a computer in his/her office which will run all pertinent software.

10. Increase resources for items such as travel, library holdings, journal subscriptions, recruitment and advisement.

11. Work with local school districts to improve the mathematical preparation of incoming students.

12. Design and offer classes that integrate curriculum from other related fields with mathematics.

13. Streamline the campus committee-structure so that results obtained are more nearly commensurate with effort expended.

14. Better coordinate the mathematics taught on campus in order to avoid unnecessary duplication and maintain standards.



D. Annual department reports submitted to the dean’s office from 1999-00, 2000-01, 2001-02

Coming via regular mail.

E. Forms used to evaluate full-time, part-time and adjunct faculty

Coming via regular mail.

F. Forms used to assess student learning outcomes (current student/alumni surveys, rubrics, etc.)

Coming via regular mail.

G. Forms used to advise students

We have no formal forms used to give advice. We use the university catalog or brochures based on the catalog. A brochure will be in appendix I.

H. Samples of representative student work (examinations, papers, portfolio artifacts, etc)

Coming later.

I. Department/program brochures, recruitment materials (paper and web-based)

Coming via regular mail.

J. Instructional equipment/materials inventory forms

Coming via regular mail.