2015 Sociology Program Review



Program Review: Sociology Degree ProgramProgram Outcomes List the program outcomes for the degree in Sociology. Map the courses that contribute to each outcome. Indicate university outcome (if any) that each program outcome supports.Sociology Program Outcomes, University Outcomes, & CoursesDescribe major sociological concepts, trends, and theories. (Know about sociology)Associated University Outcomes: Skilled Professionals & Creative and Critical ThinkersContributing Courses: Soc 111, Soc 300, Soc 340, Soc 360, Soc 370, Soc 383, Soc 400, Soc 411, Soc 450, Soc 451, Soc 462Locate, organize, and evaluate sociological information. (Know how to explore social issues)Associated University Outcomes: Lifelong learners & Creative and Critical ThinkersContributing Courses: Soc 230, Soc 300, Soc 340, Soc 370, Soc 400, Soc 420, Soc 440, Soc 450, Soc 451, Soc 495, Soc 498Explain the social world from different sociological perspectives. (Be able to think and communicate like a sociologist)Associated University Outcomes: Effective Communicators & Engaged CitizensContributing Courses: Soc 300, Soc 311, Soc 323, Soc 360, Soc 370, Soc 440, Soc 450, Soc 462, Soc 498Conduct evidence-based analysis using appropriate methodology and statistics. (Do sociology)Associated University Outcomes: Skilled Professionals & Lifelong LearnersContributing Courses: Soc 340, Soc 400, Soc 495Apply sociological knowledge in addressing social issues and making ethical decisions. (Use sociology in positive ways)Associated University Outcomes: Engaged Citizens & Disciple LeadersContributing Courses: Soc 300, Soc 311, Soc 323, Soc 330, Soc 340, Soc 360, Soc 370, Soc 383, Soc 440, Soc 450, Soc 451, Soc 462, Soc 495, Soc 498Sociology Department Outcomes and Associated Course AssessmentsDescribe major sociological concepts, trends, and theories. (Know about sociology)Course AssessmentCourse ObjectiveCourseSociology AppliedUse the vocabulary of sociologists.SOC 111, Introduction to SociologyTheory SectionExplain social phenomena using sociological theory.SOC 300, Sociological TheoryLocate, organize, and evaluate sociological information. (Know how to explore social issues)Course AssessmentCourse ObjectiveCourseAnnotated BibliographyCritically analyze contemporary social science research.SOC 230, Sociological ExplorationsIntroduction SectionEvaluate existing literature on sociological topics.SOC 300, Sociological TheoryExplain the social world from different sociological perspectives. (Be able to think and communicate like a sociologist)Course AssessmentCourse ObjectiveCourseTheory SectionExplain social phenomena using sociological theory.SOC 300, Sociological TheoryFauxligumentaryExplain religious motivations and actions using sociological theory.SOC 360, Sociology of ReligionConduct evidence-based analysis using appropriate methodology and statistics. (Do sociology)Course AssessmentCourse ObjectiveCourseSurvey & Qualitative ProjectsComprehend social research methods, including challenges and implications.SOC 340, Research MethodsSenior ThesisDemonstrate how to conduct sociological research in a comprehensive research paper.SOC 400, Sociological AnalysisApply sociological knowledge in addressing social issues and making ethical decisions. (Use sociology in positive ways)Course AssessmentCourse ObjectiveCourseExamsExplain/predict U.S. trends in intimate relationships and family life.SOC 311, Sociology of FamilyBook ReviewsGain better understanding of a selected ethnic group.SOC 323, Race and EthnicityCrime mapping, Drugs & Policy assignmentDetermine policy implications for crime prevention.SOC 330, CriminologyExploring Sociology of HealthApply sociological theory to issues of health and illness, food and nutrition, sports, and death.SOC 462, Sociology of HealthExamAnalyze the ideological and practical justification offered for the existence of social stratification.SOC 370, Social StratificationReligion TodayEvaluate current religious issues from a sociological perspective.SOC 360, Sociology of ReligionAssessment Plan1. Describe the assessment plan for measuring how well the program outcomes are being achieved. Does the assessment plan include appropriate direct and indirect measures of learning? Are key assessments the same among all modes of delivery?Student performance on the assessments identified above are collected by the respective course instructor and sent to the Department Chair. Data is updated each year on Sharepoint in the form of an excel spreadsheet. This spreadsheet provides the percentage of students who have achieved the following levels of performance on each assessment: Distinguished (> 90%), Proficient (80-89%), Developing (70-79%), and Unsatisfactory (< 69%). Both direct and indirect measures are utilized in the assessment process with the majority of the assessments being direct measures which are reported using percentages on the excel spreadsheet. For Anthropology (Anth 101) and Social Problems (Soc 112) key assessments are identical across the different modes of delivery. For Introduction to Sociology, the outcomes are the same and many of the assessments are similar. One instructor uses exams in his introductory course and in the online version while others do not. However, similar assessments called “Exploring Sociology” assignments are used across sections to assess the program objectives.Assessment DataSummarize the assessment data that your plan has generated over the past two years. Where appropriate, is the data being reported using the Distinguished, Proficient, Developing, and Unsatisfactory levels? Has your most recent year of data been uploaded to the outcomes and assessments Sharepoint site?Overall analysis of all course assessments of all program objectivesAcross all program objectives, utilizing statistics from designated course assessments that are specifically tied to all program objectives, we have found the following: 1) In 2013, 53% performed at the Distinguished level, 23% were Proficient, 15% Developing, and 9% Unsatisfactory. 2) In 2014, 53 % of our students performed at the Distinguished level, 25% were Proficient, 12% Developing, and 10% Unsatisfactory. When comparing 2013 to 2014, students appeared to perform at very similar levels with the majority of students performing at the Proficient level or higher. Data for Winter and Spring Semester 2014 is available on Sharepoint.Detailed analysis of specific course assessments of specific program objectivesDescribe major sociological concepts, trends, and theories. (Know about sociology)DistinguishedProficientDevelopingUnsatisfactorySumProgram Outcome 1.1 Sociology Applied, SOC 1112013- 66%2014- 64%2013- 18%2014 -19%2013 - 7%2014 - 8%2013 - 9%2014 - 9%100%Program Outcome 1.2 Theory Section, SOC 3002013- 21%2014- 29%2013 - 30%2014- 27%2013- 30%2014- 30%2013- 18%2014- 14%100%Locate, organize, and evaluate sociological information. (Know how to explore social issues)DistinguishedProficientDevelopingUnsatisfactorySumProgram Outcome 2.1 Annotated Bibliography, SOC 2302013- 29%2014- 9%2013- 34%2014- 67%2013- 22%2014- 10%2013- 15%2014- 14%100%Program Outcome 2.2 Introduction Section, SOC 3002013- 21%2014- 27%2013- 38%2014- 35%2013- 24%2014- 26%2013- 18%2014- 12%100%Explain the social world from different sociological perspectives. (Be able to think and communicate like a sociologist)DistinguishedProficientDevelopingUnsatisfactorySumProgram Outcome 3.1 Theory Section, SOC 3002013- 21%2014- 29%2013- 30%2014- 27%2013- 30%2014- 30%2013- 18%2014- 14%100%Program Outcome 3.2 Fauxligumentary, SOC 3602013- 18%2014- 62%2013- 9%2014- 8%2013- 67%2014- 28%2013- 6%2014- 2%100%Conduct evidence-based analysis using appropriate methodology and statistics. (Do sociology)DistinguishedProficientDevelopingUnsatisfactorySumProgram Outcome 4.1 Survey & Qualitative Projects, SOC 3402013- 82% (survey)2013- 89% (qual.)2014- 76% (survey)2014- 61%(qual.)2013- 0 (survey)2013- 11% (qual.)2014- 17% (survey)2014- 37%(qual.)2013- 18% (survey)2013- 0 (qual.)2014- 7% (survey)2014- 0 (qual.)2013- 0 (survey)2013- 0 (qual.)2013- 0 (survey)2014- 2% (qual)100%Program Outcome 4.2 Senior Thesis, SOC 4002013- 48%2014- no data2013- 39%2014- no data2013- 13%2014- no data2013- 02014- no data100%Apply sociological knowledge in addressing social issues and making ethical decisions. (Use sociology in positive ways)DistinguishedProficientDevelopingUnsatisfactorySumProgram Outcome 5.1 Final Exam, SOC 3112013- 35%2014- 42%2013- 46%2014- 18%2013- 16%2014- 27%2013- 3%2014- 13%100%Program Outcome 5.2 Book reviews, SOC 3232013-99%2014- 98%2013- 1%2014- 02013- 02014- 1%2013- 02014- 1%100%Program Outcome 5.3 Exploring Sociology of Health, SOC 4622013- 58%2014- 85%2013- 21%2014- 02013- 16%2014- 10%2013- 5%2014- 5%100%Program Outcome 5.4 Exam, SOC 3702013- 30%2014- 36%2013- 32%2014- 54%2013- 38%2014- 3%2013- 02014- 7%100%Program Outcome 5.5 Religion Today, SOC 3602013- 67%2014- 64%2013- 33%2014- 30%2013- 02014- 5%2013- 02014- 1%100%Analysis and Improvement PlanHow do you analyze and make decisions based on your assessment data? Who participates in that process? Summarize conclusions that have been drawn from your analysis of the assessment data. Describe changes that have been made to the program (based on the assessment data) and any corresponding evidence of improvement. Describe plans for improving one (or more) of the program outcomes. Do any of your improvement plans involve changes in curriculum that will need to be considered in the coming year?We have determined three main areas that we would like to address this year. First, we need to standardize our outcomes across all sections of a course. We have two courses, SOC 111 and SOC 112 that have multiple sections across multiple modes of delivery. We have standardized the outcomes for Soc 111 but not Soc 112. Without standardized outcomes our data and analysis only applies to each section and not to the overall course. Soc 112 needs standard outcomes across delivery modes.Second, now that we have completed the assessment plan and have begun collecting data, we need to build a process of data evaluation that results in clearly identified successes and recommended changes needed moving forward. This could easily be done in a yearly department evaluation meeting where we, as a department, evaluate the data together and identify recommended changes moving forward. This meeting would be held at the beginning of the calendar year following the gathering of the previous years assessment data.Third, we have a strong program that benefits students in many ways as can be seen in this program review. Our program outcomes and assessments are largely successful in encouraging students to develop lifelong skills that will assist them in their vocational endeavors and church service upon graduation. We need to be innovative in the ways that we service students across campus and off-campus. We are currently working on proposing an Interdisciplinary Studies Degree in Criminology that would involve a partnership with Arizona State University. This degree, if approved, would better serve students interested in this field by offering a stronger focus Criminology. Students selecting this degree option would be required to take the Sociology Concentration within which they would take many of the fundamental courses that meet our program outcomes. I can also see this degree being of interest to many students off-campus and in other countries as vocations related to criminology are in demand. In association with this degree proposal, we are moving forward with the development of more online course offerings in our department beginning with courses with large on-campus enrollments. The goal of offering this new degree and new online offerings is to allow a greater number of students to experience the strong program we currently offer in an innovative, convenient and affordable manner.Course-Level Outcomes1. Are course-level outcomes clearly articulated for each course in your department? Where are course-level outcomes available for students and faculty to review? Do course-level outcomes appear in all syllabi? Has your department reviewed course-level outcomes in the last three years?All of the Sociology program’s course-level outcomes are clearly articulated and are available for students to review in the syllabi provided by each faculty member. They are also included with the “course details” the Registrar’s Office provides to students when they register for classes. The Sociology department has only reviewed course-level outcomes for a few courses that are taught by more than one faculty such as Introduction to Sociology (Soc 111) and Social Problems (Soc 112). Course outcomes for other courses within the department have not been reviewed. However, this is something that we will do in the near future as we continue to improve the program review process.BenchmarksHow does your program compare to any peer programs or to national standards (i.e., accreditation standards, Major Field Tests, Professional Organizations, etc.) in your discipline?At the present time, the American Sociological Association does not perform any accreditation services for sociology departments nationally. Sociology departments fall under a broader regional accreditation that is university-wide (e.g. Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities) as is a common tradition in other liberal arts and social science fields.The American Sociological Association does make recommendations and encourages discipline standards to institutions granting sociology degrees in terms of the most effective training and coursework to be presented in the discipline. For example, nearly all departments required sociological theory, research methods, and statistics courses in their undergraduate programs. More programs, however, require methods and theory than statistics. Our department requires sociological theory, research methods, and statistics. Percentage of Undergraduate Programs With Theory, Methods and Statistics Course Requirements, Academic Year 2000/01 and Academic Year 2006/07A bit fewer than half of all sociology departments nationally offer concentrations within sociology. At the present time, our department offers a criminology cluster.Percentage of Departments Offering Concentrations, Academic Year 2000/01 and Academic Year 2006/07Significant Differences in the Reasons For Majoring in Sociology by Race and Ethnicity (2005)*Source: ASA Research and Development Department. The Future of Sociology: Minorities, Programs, and Jobs.*Percent responding “Very Important;” weighted.The above graph shows the fluctuations in the number of Bachelors, Masters and Doctorate degrees awarded between 1966 and 2012 nationally. Across degree levels, there was a period of high growth in the number of sociology degrees awarded between the late 1960s and early 1970s and again?in the late 1980s. Bachelors degrees experienced the most dramatic fluctuations. In contrast, Masters degrees and PhDs warded during this period have remained fairly steady. Despite fluctuations,?the number of sociologists receiving degrees has grown substantially since 1966. The demand for sociology degrees peaked in 1976. Today, the demand for sociology degrees is beginning to approach the 1970s levels. Note:?Calculations?of?degrees?awarded?are?based?on?the?Higher Education General Information Survey (HEGIS) and the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics. Data for PhDs awarded between 2008 and 2012 are derived from the National Science Foundation's Survey of Earned Doctorates for those years. (See Source)Source: National Center for Education Statistics. 2012. The Higher Education General Information Survey (HEGIS) and the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). Washington, DC: Department of Education. Retrieved: February 15, 2014 ().* Data for PhDs awarded between 2008 and 2012: National Science Foundation. 2013. Survey of Earned Doctorates, 2008 - 2012. Arlington, VA: National Science Foundation. Retrieved: February 15, 2014 ().?What conclusions you have drawn from this benchmarking analysis? We feel our department offers the coursework recommended by the ASA and goes above and beyond insuring our students are well-trained in the discipline of sociological research. Our students have strong preparation for employment and graduate study. At present, our department serves approximately 1,078 majors with 6 full-time faculty during the academic year. By contrast, BYU-Provo has approximately 230 majors and 17 full-time faculty. BYU-Hawaii does not have a sociology department. About 18% of our majors are minority students (compared to 13% across the university population). The strength of our program includes our Senior Thesis Project which requires students to complete original research, theory, methodology, and statistical analysis on a sociological topic of their choice culminating into a 25-page research manuscript. Students are required to take SOC 111 or 112 (Intro to Sociology or Social Problems), SOC 230 Sociological Explorations, SOC 300 Sociological Theory, SOC 340 Research Methods, FDMATH 221C Intro to Social Science Statistics, and SOC 400 Sociological Analysis in order to complete the Senior Thesis program requirement for graduation. Students are also required to complete an internship or a Senior Thesis capstone experience (SOC 495) to complete the requirements for graduation as well.At BYU-Provo, internships are optional, but strongly encouraged, and research coursework is also required, however students do not take the sequenced courses above and do not create a research manuscript upon completion.Peer programs have similar requirements to our program. Most sociology departments require research training (theory, methods, statistics), coursework in diversity/inequality, coursework in institutions, as well as other electives in family, religion, race/ethnicity, law, crime, health/aging, gender, social class, and the life course.According to US News and World Report rankings for Regional Colleges in the West, our peer institutions include: Carroll College (Helena, MT), Texas Lutheran University (Seguin, TX), Oklahoma Wesleyan University (Bartlesville, OK), Corban University (Salem, OR), Rocky Mountain College (Billings, MT), Northwest University, (Kirkland, WA), Nevada State College (Henderson, NV), and Brigham Young University-Hawaii (Laie, HI). We are ranked #11 amongst regional colleges in the west.Does your Department have an outside Advisory Council? If so, what insights have you gained from this Council? No, the department does not have an official outside advisory council, however, the department attempts to follow best practices and recommendations as identified by the American Sociological Association.Student Placement1. Who seeks employment after graduation?Only 13% of all sociology alumni have never worked since graduating from BYU-Idaho, and 70% of all sociology alumni are currently employed. Of those who are employed, 20% are working two or more jobs. Two-thirds (67%) of those who are employed are working at least 40 hours a week (combined in all employment settings).2. What fields are people working in?The most common fields that sociology alumni are currently working in are: Social/ Community Services (21%)Education (12%)Law Enforcement/ Protective Services (12%)Healthcare (9%)Sales/ Retail (9%)Business/ Finance (6%)Legal/ Criminal Justice (6%)Office/ Administrative Support (6%)Human Resources (4%)Overall, 52% of those who have worked at all since graduating said that a bachelor’s degree was a minimum requirement for their job, and 61% of them said that their sociology education helped them obtain their job.3. How much income are they earning?The median (and average) individual annual gross income for those who are currently working is about $35,000. Overall, 70% of currently working sociology alumni are earning less than $40,000 a year, 19% are earning between $40,000 and $59,999, and just 11% are making $60,000 or more.For those who are not currently working, but did work after graduating, their median income at their last job was about $15,000. 4. How long did it take them to find a position in their desired field/career?Of those who sought work after graduation, 23% had found work in their desired field by the time they graduated, and another 21% had found work in their desired field within 3 months of graduation. 5. How many go to graduate school? About one-third (36%) of all sociology alumni apply to at least one graduate program. Of those who apply, 4/5 (79%) are accepted into at least one program. Almost all (93%) of those who are admitted end up enrolling in graduate school. So, overall, about one-fourth (25%) of all sociology alumni enroll in graduate school, and 65% of those are currently enrolled (not graduated as of Dec. 2014). 6. In what programs do they enroll?Master’s degrees are by far the most common graduate programs that sociology alumni enroll in or complete (42 alumni). The most common master’s programs they enroll in are public administration, human resources, social work, therapy/counseling, and sociology (which means that very few alumni pursue research degrees. About 16% are enrolling in juris doctoral programs (and no other professional doctoral programs were listed). Only 2-3 alumni have ever enrolled in a Ph.D. program.7. DemographicsGender – 62% of all sociology alumni are female. Age – the average (and median) age of sociology alumni is 27.Marital Status27% have never been married.69% are currently married to their first spouse.About 4% have been divorced, and about half of those have remarried.Children – 49% of all sociology alumni do not have any children.Residence – 27% currently reside in Idaho; 26% in Utah, 7% in California, 6% in Washington, 6% in Arizona, and 5% in Texas.Religion – 4% have no religious affiliation. The remaining 96% indicate that they are LDS.Religiosity – 80% of all alumni say they attend church once a week or more. ResourcesWhat is the average number of credits at graduation for Sociology Majors?Winter Semester 2013133.6 creditsSpring Semester 2013134.8 creditsFall Semester 2013132.6 creditsWinter Semester 2014131.7 creditsSpring Semester 2014132.5 creditsFall Semester 2014128.7 creditsThe trend over the last two years is that the average number of credits at graduation is decreasing amongst our graduates.Are there any bottlenecks in your program that slow your students down?There are currently no bottlenecks in our program that slow down students’ path toward graduation. We do have a core sequence of courses that could potentially be a bottleneck in the future if the courses fill to capacity. Currently, only one course in the sequence fills (Soc 230: Sociological Explorations). The instructor of this course is able to get additional students in if needed due to the size of the classroom and early semester add/drops. There tends to be a small level of attrition moving into the other core classes as some students change their major resulting in the need for only one section of the core courses moving forward (Sociological Theory, Research Methods, Sociological Analysis).What efforts are you making as a department to ensure the wise use of faculty and other resources? Be specific about scheduling, minimizing low enrolled sections, and other issues.Course enrollments are closely monitored each semester by the Office Assistant and Department Chair. When low enrollment trends are noted courses are rotated instead of being offered every semester. Typically courses with enrollments under 20 are very rare and are rotated instead of offered every semester. When enrollments dip lower than 15 the course offering may be canceled that particular semester. In recent department history, this has only occurred once with a 400 level theory course that is not required for the major. ................
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