Western Carolina University
Annual Assessment Report
Spring 2000

Outcomes Assessment Goals, Strategy, and Implementation Plan

Department of Psychology

Goals and Objectives

Goal 1:    Provide effective instruction in undergraduate degree programs in Psychology:

Objectives:

WCU students who receive a BS in psychology should:

  1. understand the primary questions underlying modern psychology and the theoretical perspectives that psychologists bring to them.  (To be assessed by Procedures I.C.I and III)
  2. have an understanding of selected content areas such as biological psychology, developmental psychology, social psychology, psychopathology, personality theory and assessment, learning and cognition.  (To be assessed by Procedures III)
  3. understand methods used to investigate the thinking and behavior of humans and other animals, including the principles of experimental design, non-experimental methods, and basic descriptive and inferential statistics.  (To be assessed by Procedures I.B; C.2; and III)
  4. be able to access the research literature in psychology and communicate relevant research findings according to the principles specified in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association.  (To be assessed by Procedure I.B)
  5. be able to discuss ethical issues associated with psychological research and its applications.  (To be assessed by Procedure I.C.3)
  6. be exposed to a variety of perspectives on human knowledge other than psychology.  (To be assessed by Procedure I.A)
  7. show evidence of a long-term plan for future education and employment.  (To be assessed by Procedure I.D)

Goal 2:  Provide departmental instruction and activities that satisfy short-term and long-term needs of students majoring in Psychology.

Objectives:

WCU students who receive a BS in psychology should:

  1. be satisfied with their educational experience in the Psychology Department at WCU.  (To be assessed by Procedures II.A; II. B.)
  2. find their educational experience in the Psychology Department at WCU helpful in employment opportunities.  (To be assessed by Procedure IV)

Outcomes Assessment Procedures

  1. Students taking Psychology 495 will develop a portfolio which will include:
    1. the student's transcript
    2. a copy of the student's research proposal which will be prepared as a course requirement for Psychology 495
    3. three essays to include:
      1. a discussion of a controversial issue in psychology
      2. a research design to address an empirical problem
      3. a discussion of an ethical problem involving either psychological research or application
    1. a resume
  1. Indicators of students' satisfaction with their educational experience in the WCU Psychology Department
    1. survey of graduating seniors (through the WCU Outcomes Assessment Office)
    2. focus group responses - to be done in the context of the Senior Seminar with the instructor and an additional faculty member
  1. Objective test - to be given outside of the senior seminar or at the beginning of the course.
  2. Analysis of three-year follow-up data from graduates.

Outcomes Assessment Report
Department of Psychology
May 2000

    The Psychology Department Outcomes Assessment Committee report is focused on the results of a satisfaction survey of graduates of our program, the results of the department outcomes assessment test, and focus group interviews of all graduating seniors.

I.  Alumni Survey.  The department distributed mail surveys to individuals who graduated with an undergraduate degree in psychology between spring 1992 and spring 1999.  Forty of these were returned.  The survey (copy attached) included items related to the present employment of the graduates, their post baccalaureate educational experiences, and graduate degrees they may have completed.  One section of the survey contained questions related to the respondents satisfaction with WCU in general and the Psychology Department in particular.  Another section was concerned with their satisfaction with "out of the class room experiences" related to their major.  The final section asked about their satisfaction with specific areas of the psychology curriculum.

Results

  1. Demographics:  Eighty-three percent of the respondents indicated that they were currently employed.  Their jobs were varied and included an attorney, social worker, teacher, student, therapist, case manager, insurance agent, mental health technician, and many others.  Slightly over half (52%) had attended graduate school, with 12% attending graduate school in psychology.  Other graduate programs included counseling, education, law, social work, and molecular biology.
  2. Level of satisfaction:  The level of satisfaction with aspects of WCU and the psychology program is shown in Table 1.  In the table, ED = extremely dissatisfied, D = Dissatisfied, U = Undecided, S = Satisfied, ES = Extremely Satisfied.  The number of respondents in each category is shown below the category label.
Area ED D U S ES
Overall WCU education -- -- 3 24 13
Psych Dept. advising 2 8 4 15 11
Psych Dept. courses -- -- 6 20 14
Psychology Degree 1 1 8 20 10
Independent Study/Research/Projects -- -- 1 12 10
Psychology Internships -- 1 1 7 16
Psychology clubs/honor society -- 2 6 9 5

The data in the table indicate that most students are "satisfied" or "very satisfied" by most aspects of their educational experience at WCU and in the psychology department.  The items with the highest levels of satisfaction were the internship program in the psychology department and independent research experiences with faculty.  The area with the lowest rating was academic advising in the department.  It should be noted that even here, the number of students who were satisfied or extremely satisfied with their advising (26) was much higher than those who were dissatisfied with their advising (10).  However, advising is clearly an area in which the department needs to work.

  1. Evaluations of specific course areas:  Each of the respondents was asked to rate their satisfaction with broad areas of the psychology curriculum on a scale of "1" (not at all satisfied) to "5" (extremely satisfied).  This data is shown in Figure 1 which presents the mean score for each area.  The data indicate that, as a group, the students were satisfied with their courses.  The courses with the highest satisfaction were in the areas of applied psychology (Behavioral Interventions, Abnormal Psychology, The Emotionally Disturbed Child), the capstone area (Senior Seminar, History and Systems), and the social area (Social Psychology, Organizational/Industrial Psychology, Sex Roles).  The areas with the lowest levels of satisfaction were methods (Research Methods, Statistics), and the courses in developmental psychology (Child Development, Adolescence, Adult Development).

II.  Outcomes Assessment Test of Seniors:  Each semester the psychology department gives graduating seniors an outcomes assessment test.  This is a 50 item multiple choice test designed to measure knowledge in all areas of psychology.  The results are shown in Figure 2.  Note that the results have been remarkably consistent for the past three semesters.  The average score on this test in Fall 1999 was 83.  However, the test is not nationally normed and we do not "teach to the test."  One way to get a "value added" perspective on what students learn as majors in the psychology program is to compare the scores of seniors with those of non-psychology majors.  We do this by comparing the percentile scores of our seniors with a comparison group of about 200 non-psychology majors that have also taken the test.  As indicated in the figure, our majors do very well.  The average psychology major for the past three semesters has scored above the 93rd percentile.  In Fall 1999, the average percentile score of senior psychology majors was 95.

III.  Focus Groups:  Each semester, a group of three faculty (the department head, the senior seminar instructor, and one additional faculty member) meets with the senior seminar students to conduct a focus group evaluation of the students' experience in the psychology department.  We have found these among the most useful aspects of the outcomes assessment process.  This year several themes emerged.  First, the students agreed that they liked the size of the department and the fact that it is small enough that they get to know their instructors.  They also report that they find the faculty highly accessible.  In addition, they appreciate the ample opportunities that they have to get involved as participants in research through the Psychology 480 course sequence.  Generally, the students have reported that the course offerings in psychology are broad and offered at times that fit into their schedules.

    Not all aspects of the program, however, got high marks.  While most students reported that they got good advising, this was not universally the case.  Another theme is that some students have difficulty finding out what is going on in the department -- that is, we do not have an efficient way of communicating with our majors as a group.  In addition, the students indicated that they felt the curriculum could benefit by having more courses stressing the applications of psychology that they can use on a career track.

    Finally, this year the students indicated that they did not like a recent change that the department made in the methodology part of the curriculum -- the coupling of Psychology 251 and 252.  Several years ago (at the request of the senior seminar focus group) the department decided to require that students take these courses at the same time soon after they decide to major in psychology.  While this seemed like a good idea at the time, it has not been successful from the students' point of view.  They reported that they were overwhelmed by too much emphasis on methodology early in their major and that having the course simultaneously was confusing.