1 / 26

Assurance of Student Learning Day

Learn how our Public Administration program aligned with NASPAA standards through data analysis for strategic decision-making. Explore the MPA program's outcomes and curriculum map to foster diversity and critical thinking skills. Discover assessment measures for systematic growth.

wilmer
Download Presentation

Assurance of Student Learning Day

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Assurance of Student Learning Day March 29, 2019 Bob Blankenberger Public Administration

  2. Overview • Describe how Public Administration made changes due to our accreditation self-study • Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs and Administration (NASPAA) accreditation • Review of outcomes aligned to NASPAA standards • Curriculum Map • Collecting, aggregating, and analyzing data • Making data-informed departmental decisions based on the data analysis

  3. Systems Theory and Evaluation

  4. Freshman Seminar Assessment Example Systems Theory Model

  5. MPA Program Learning Outcomes • The MPA program’s goals and objectives are based on the NASPAA core competencies: • Lead and manage in public governance • Participate in and contribute to the public policy process • Analyze, synthesize, think critically, solve problems, and make decisions • Articulate and apply a public service perspective • Communicate and interact productively with a diverse and changing workforce and citizenry.

  6. MPA Program Learning Outcomes • Graduates of the MPA degree program will be able to understand and demonstrate knowledge and skills in the following competencies: • Lead and manage in public governance • Communicate in a clear and concise manner • Apply relevant theories, knowledge, and skills to effectively manage resources and programs • Participate in and contribute to the public policy process • Describe the public policy process and the role of the various participants and stakeholders • Identify problems, frame the issues, and identify and evaluate alternatives for addressing a problem • Analyze, synthesize, think critically, solve problems, and make decisions • Demonstrate the ability to collect, analyze, and interpret data for use in decision making, and drawing conclusions • Critically read and apply findings from studies and reports • Articulate and apply a public service perspective • Articulate the importance of and operate in a manner that facilitates democracy, equity, transparency, efficiency, and ethics • Communicate and interact productively with a diverse and changing workforce and citizenry. • Demonstrate a sensitivity of and respect for differences in culture

  7. Systems Theory and MPA Learning Assessment

  8. Input monitoring • Department strategic planning in preparation for NASPAA self-study • Curriculum alignment with NASPAA competency revisions • Advisory committee feedback • NASPAA annual conference • MPA curriculum revision • Reduction from 4 hour to 3 hour courses • Addition of policy class and information for decision making course • Diversity competency across multiple courses

  9. MPA Curriculum Map 2015

  10. Revised Curriculum Map 2018

  11. Capstone Matrix • Indirect assessment measure • Portfolio reflection paper includes a competency self-assessment • Look for patterns of competency coverage

  12. Capstone Matrix • Portfolio reflection

  13. Diversity Assessment Measure • Direct measure of learning from a student work product • A portion of article analysis assignmentfrom PAD 506 • Discuss at least two examples of differential impact on baccalaureate completion outcomes revealed by the data analysis • Blankenberger, et al. (2017). Diverse students, high school factors, and completion agenda goals: An analysis of the Illinois class of 2003. Education and Urban Society 49(5), 518-545. • Provide an example of how that information could be used in a policy analysis addressing the goal to improve baccalaureate completion. 

  14. Diversity Assessment Measure • Course issue? Program issue? • Assessment issue? • Covered better in other courses – assessment moved to 505

  15. Review of Research Strategy • Selection of analysis technique depends on the variables and available data • When the DV is ordinal, interval, or ratio • Some use a simple t-test to compare group means • Assumption issues with ordinal • e.g., mean scores for group 1 vs group 2 • Use a chi-square (χ2) to tell whether a sample population matches a theoretical one • i.e., do the proportions match? • e.g., control/treatment group; online/on ground; traditional/six week delivery; un/employed status Source: Gravezetter, F. J. & Forzano, L. B. (2009). Research methods for the behavioral sciences, 3rd ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

  16. Review of Research Strategy • Selection depends on the variables and available data • Depending on skills and software access • When the DV is nominal or ordinal • Use a non-parametric test to avoid violating assumptions about the data (de Winter & Dodou, 2010) • e.g., with Likert scaled data or rubric based scores • Mann-Whitney U if the comparison groups are different – online/on ground. • Kruskal-Wallis H test for 3+ groups • Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test (WSRT) if testing the same group - pre/post testing. Sources: Gravezetter, F. J. & Forzano, L. B. (2009). Research methods for the behavioral sciences, 3rd ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. de Winter, J. C., & Dodou, D. (2010). Five-point Likert items: T test versus Mann-Whitney-Wilcoxon. Practical Assessment, Research & Evaluation, 15(11), 1-12.

  17. Ethics and the Public Service Assessment • Public Service Reflection paper assignment description for PAD571 – direct assessment • This assignment is a reflective essay answering the question – what is the role of ethics and the public service perspective for public administrators? • To help frame the assignment – 2 readings (Lewis, 2006; Svara, 2014). Apply experience and other coursework.

  18. Ethics and the Public Service Assessment • Create dataset • Student identifier, semester, demographic, entering gpa, modality, assessment scores • Simple t-test on ground vs online scores • On-ground mean=2.132, online = 2.233 • Assumption test, p=.817 so two groups have equal variances • Excel command – ftest(array1, array2) • p=.326 so no significant difference between groups • Excel command - ttest(array1,array2,2,2) • Indicates whether the means of the two groups are different

  19. Effect Size • Effect size shows the magnitude of difference between group scores. • small (d = 0.2), medium (d = 0.5), and large (d = 0.8) (Cohen, 1998) • Cohen's d = (M2 - M1) ⁄ SDpooled • Out t-test example • Cohen's d = (2.233 - 2.132) ⁄ 0.415813 = 0.242898 • Online calculators: • https://www.socscistatistics.com/effectsize/default3.aspx • http://www.campbellcollaboration.org/escalc/html/EffectSizeCalculator-SMD1.php • https://www.psychometrica.de/effect_size.html

  20. Between-subjects design: Comparing proportional data for two or more groups • When the dependent variable is a nominal or ordinal measure • e.g., rubric score data • Compare proportions between groups using a chi-square test (χ2) to tell whether the sample population matches the theoretical one • Do the proportions match? Source: Gravezetter, F. J. & Forzano, L. B. (2009). Research methods for the behavioral sciences, 3rd ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

  21. Public Service Assessment Chi-Square example • Use public service rubric scores about program standards • Compare online and on ground • Not statistically significant • so on ground and online student scores are not significantly different

  22. Review of Research Strategy • If you would like to add covariates • Use linear regression (R2) when the variables are interval or ratio • Use ordinal logistic regression • IV is nominal, ordinal or interval/ratio, • DV is ordinal • e.g., rubric scores, Likert scaled survey results • Add covariates – GPA, age, et al.

  23. Review of Research Strategy • ANOVA or MANOVA • With more than 2 groups • IV is nominal or ordinal • DV is interval or ratio • e.g., online/ on ground/mixed modality as an IV, and test scores as the DV

  24. Mann-Whitney U example in SPSS 60 students – 27 on ground, 33 online Ordinal rubric data scored 1-5 Mean ranks similar p=0.415, so no statistically significant differences

  25. References: Berk, R. A., & Rossi, P. H. (1990) Thinking about program evaluation. Newbury Park, CA: Sage. Cantrell-Bruce, T. & Blankenberger, B. (2015). Seeing clearly: Measuring skill sets that address the “blurred boundaries” of nonprofit education. Journal of Public Affairs Education, 21(3), 367-380 de Winter, J. C., & Dodou, D. (2010). Five-point Likert items: T test versus Mann-Whitney-Wilcoxon. Practical Assessment, Research & Evaluation, 15(11), 1-12. Gravezetter, F. J. & Forzano, L. B. (2009). Research methods for the behavioral sciences, 3rd ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/measlevl.php Rossi, P. H., Lipsey, M. W., & Freeman, H. E. (2003). Evaluation: A systematic approach. Sage publications. Sylvia, R. D., & Sylvia, K. M. (2012). Program planning and evaluation for the public manager. 4th ed. Long Grove, IL:Waveland Press, Inc.

  26. Questions?

More Related