TO:
FROM:
Program Review Committee
DATE:
SUBJECT: Master’s Graduate Program Review Report for 2005-2006
The Graduate Program Review Committee of the Graduate
Council has completed its review of Master’s Degree programs in Art, Biology,
Counseling and Guidance, Educational Administration, Electrical Engineering and
Mathematics. The chairs/directors of
each of the reviewed programs completed Program Review instruments and
submitted these reports to the
|
Graduate
|
Program Director |
Program Reviewer |
Department Chair |
|
Art |
|
Joon Yeoul Oh |
|
|
Biology |
|
|
|
|
Counseling & Guidance |
|
|
Richard Braley |
|
Educational
Administration |
|
Rafael Perez-Ballestero |
Richard Braley |
|
Electrical
Engineering |
|
Robert McLauchlan |
Sung Park |
|
Mathematics |
Stephen Sedory |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Graduate Program Review Committee’s final recommendations for the six reviewed programs are as follows:
Art: Continuation with recommendation to: 1). Further development of non-traditional format courses, such as distance-learning courses 2) Acquire additional full-time, tenure track faculty to support innovative programs such as distance-learning 3) Increase the operating budget and spaces to meet student’s demands 4) Submit research proposals to get funding from NSF, THECB, etc.
Biology: Continuation with recommendation to: 1) The program needs to hire at least one additional faculty member 2) The program needs adequate resources to support the graduate students. As calculations have shown, the student on a TA takes more classes and pays for himself in WSCH 3) Consider a program to track the students and avoid some of them drifting off to not compete the MS 4) Reduce the number of stacked courses taken by master level students.
Counseling & Guidance: Continuation with recommendation to: 1) Develop a method of acquiring feedback from both current students and graduates to ascertain the satisfaction with the program, employment success and additional feedback concerning strengthening the program 2) Increase recruitment efforts, including additional funding for recruitment (assistantships, etc.) in order to maintain the number of graduate majors in the subject area 3) Continue to meet regularly as a faculty committee to help facilitate the duties of the Coordinator, and to determine the appropriate “fit” of the research component in the program 4) Develop additional SLOs that are more reflective of the program curriculum 5) Continue efforts to increase the pass rate of the TexES 6) Program coordinator should meet with the faculty at regularly-scheduled intervals to facilitate program decisions about curriculum, course load, etc.
Educational Administration: Continuation with recommendation to: 1) add at least one full-time tenure-track assistant professor (ideally a minimum of two) to replace recent reductions in faculty, maintain the current strengths on the program, and improve on its weaknesses 2) Request budget increases to improve computer hardware and software and research facilities for the program 3) increase funding for research release 4) increase funding to promote research activities, student mentorship, professional presentations and publications 5) Offer newly hired assistant professors reduced teaching loads in initial semesters to promote research activities in the program and the seeking of research funds.
Electrical Engineering: Continuation with recommendation to: 1) Continue work to increase/maintain the number and quality of graduate students 2) Seek external sources of funding to support students, provide release/ summer support for faculty, and allow the faculty to conduct research and development activities in appropriate areas of electrical engineering 3) Faculty pursue funding for research and development in appropriate areas of electrical engineering.
Mathematics: Continuation of M.S. Program in Mathematics. The program submitted a formal report in spring 2006 and demonstrated they have graduated a minimum of 2 students in the 2005-2006 academic year to conform to THECB standards.