ASSESSMENT REPORT
FOR
Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice (BSCJ)
Administrative or Educational Support Unit
Spring 2004
Assessment Period Covered
June 30, 2004
Date Submitted
Expanded Statement of Institutional Purpose Linkage:
Institutional Mission/Goal(s) Reference:
Texas A & M International University is committed to the
preparation of students for leadership roles in their chosen profession
and in an increasingly complex, culturally diverse, state, national,
and global society … Through instruction, faculty and student research,
and public service, Texas A & M International University is a strategic
point of delivery for well-defined programs and services that improve
the quality of life for citizens of the border region, the State of
Texas, and national and international communities.
College/University Goals(s)Supported:
Provide a curriculum that teaches current and relevant Criminal Justice
material and that facilitates employment.
Intended Administrative Objectives:
1. Students completing the baccalaureate program will have
a basic understanding of the field of Criminal Justice.
2. Graduates at the baccalaureate level will be prepared to perform
to the satisfaction of employers in Criminal Justice jobs.
3. Students completing the baccalaureate program will be prepared for a career in criminal justice.
ASSESSMENT REPORT
FOR
Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice (BSCJ)
Administrative or Educational Support Unit
Spring 2004
Assessment Period Covered
June 30, 2004
Date Submitted
Intended Administrative or Educational Support Objective:
NOTE: There should be one form C for each intended objective listed
on form B. The intended unit objective should be restated in
the box immediately below and the intended objective number entered
in the blank space below
1. Students completing the baccalaureate program will have a basic
understanding of the field of Criminal Justice.
First Means of Assessment for Objective Identified Above:
1a.Means of Unit Assessment & Criteria for
Success:
Graduating seniors will take a standardized criminal justice
examination that measures their basic understanding of the field of
Criminal Justice. The average score on the examination should be 70
percent.
1a. Summary of Assessment Data Collected
Scores for the most recent testing period, Spring 2004 have
been tabulated. Scores in parentheses indicate % performance for 19
students who took the ACAT in May 2004. The ACAT is subdivided into
nine parts, including correction processes (32%), criminal justice systems
(44%), criminal law (34%), criminology (54%), juvenile justice (50%),
law enforcement (48%), legal aspects (33%), research methods (44%),
and administration (46%). Criminology, juvenile justice, law enforcement,
research methods, and administration were the strongest among the nine
areas, with the weakest areas being criminal law, corrections processes,
and legal aspects. Overall performance for the 19 students was 32%.
Compared with Fall 2003, these students didn’t do as well, as the Fall
2003 students averaged 70% overall on the ACAT (N = 18).
One tentative explanation for these differences is that in both for
the Fall 2003 and Spring 2004, the sample of graduating students was
small relative to the total number of graduating seniors in criminal
justice. A second explanation is that no credit was given for taking
this voluntary examination. A third explanation is that although the
test appears to be fairly general, it may be that certain topics are
covered in greater detail on ACAT than are emphasized in the actual
coursework taken by students at TAMIU. It would be premature to conclude
that score average fluctuations from one semester to the next, on a
test that is taken on a strictly voluntary basis, has no incentives
for students to do well, and has not been tested for validity or reliability
as it pertains specifically to TAMIU students are indicative of program
deficiencies or weaknesses.
1a. Use of Results to Improve Unit Services:
Nineteen graduating seniors took the standardized criminal justice examination
in May 2004. Scoring irregularities were reported, in that some students
did not indicate their names or identifying numbers on their examinations.
This made it difficult to reach substantive and tentative conclusions
about the relation between student GPAs and ACAT performance. No strong
indicators emerged, at least at this and the previous ACAT administration,
that these results should be used to alter present program content or
to make specific improvements in the formats of particular courses associated
with areas where student scores were particularly low. More data are
needed before unit services can be improved in productive ways.
A preliminary analysis of the May 2004 ACAT scores show that although
the scores for these students in the nine (9) subareas were systematically
lower than the originally anticipated 70% or higher performance level
articulated in previous SACS reports, the standard deviations were particularly
large for certain subareas such as juvenile justice, law enforcement,
criminology, and criminal justice systems. Taking into account these
standard deviations, the norm of 70% was encompassed by at least four
of these nine subscales.
Another factor that must be considered is that 13 out of 19 students were transfer students from other schools. In most cases, these involved the transfer of numerous Criminal Justice credits from community college courses, where the Criminal Justice faculty at TAMIU had no control over the quality of instruction or programming. Thus, to this extent at least, there arise certain validity and reliability problems that are beyond the scope of this report to address in any conclusive or systematic way. It is anticipated that this particular problem will continue in future semesters, since large numbers of transfer students from local community colleges have acquired substantial course hours in Criminal Justice before taking additional coursework from present TAMIU Criminal Justice faculty. Furthermore, most of the courses taken by the transfer students are the core courses we require of our own 4-year students; thus, the ACAT scores, which reflect performance levels in our primary core curricula are based largely on transfer student performance from these core courses taken elsewhere.
ASSESSMENT REPORT
FOR
Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice (BSCJ)
Administrative or Educational Support Unit
Spring 2004
Assessment Period Covered
June 30, 2004
Date Submitted
Intended Administrative or Educational Support Objective:
NOTE: There should be one form C for each intended objective listed
on form B. The intended unit objective should be restated in
the box immediately below and the intended objective number entered
in the blank space below
2. Graduates at the baccalaureate level will be prepared to perform
to the satisfaction of employers in Criminal Justice jobs.
First Means of Assessment for Objective Identified Above:
2a. Means of Unit Assessment & Criteria for
Success:
Students are required to take part in an internship program during their
senior year, working in a public agency related to Criminal Justice.
Evaluations by external internship managers will rate the level of performance
of each intern. At least 80 percent of the interns will be rated excellent
or good by the internship manager.
2a. Summary of Assessment Data Collected
100 percent of all interns for Spring 2004 were rated excellent or good
by their internship program manager.
2a. Use of Results to Improve Unit Services:
The scale used for ratings has been expanded to a five-point Likert
scale to encourage more specific ratings of interns. Additional criteria
were added to the ratings to generate more specific information.
Second Means of Assessment for Objective Identified Above:
2b. Means of Unit Assessment & Criteria for Success
Graduating seniors will be surveyed to gather supporting data concerning
how well the degree in Criminal Justice prepared them for Criminal Justice
jobs. At least 80 percent will strongly agree or agree on a five-point
Likert scale that the degree prepared them well for such jobs.
2b. Summary of Assessment Data Collected:
90 percent of the graduating seniors surveyed strongly agreed or agreed
that the program prepared them for Criminal Justice jobs.
2b. Use of Results to Improve Unit Service:
The number of students who responded (19) is somewhat small
to be used as the basis for deciding whether this particular goal was
met. We will continue to ask this question of future graduating seniors
until the number of responses is sufficient to conclude that our goal
was met. However, there is considerable improvement from the Fall 2003
respondents compared with the latter Spring 2004 respondents on how
well the Criminal Justice degree prepared them for jobs.
ASSESSMENT REPORT
FOR
Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice (BSCJ)
Administrative or Educational Support Unit
Spring 2004
Assessment Period Covered
June 30, 2004
Date Submitted
Intended Administrative or Educational Support Objective:
NOTE: There should be one form C for each intended objective listed
on form B. The intended unit objective should be restated in
the box immediately below and the intended objective number entered
in the blank space below
Graduates of the baccalaureate program will be prepared for graduate
study.
First Means of Assessment for Objective Identified Above:
3.a. Means of Unit Assessment & Criteria for
Success:
Acceptance rates in post-baccalaureate programs have not yet been gathered.
It is unknown at this time how many students out of the Criminal Justice
graduates have applied and been accepted into advanced graduate study.
3.a. Summary of Assessment Data Collected
At this time, the Criminal Justice program faculty members have no data
for this means of assessment.
3.a. Use of Results to Improve Unit Services:
Because program faculty members have no data for this means
of assessment, they can make recommendations at for changes to the program
at this time.
Second Means of Assessment for Objective Identified Above:
3.b. Means of Unit Assessment & Criteria for Success
Graduates with a BA in Criminal Justice and who have entered graduate
programs will be surveyed in one year to gather supporting information
about whether the BA prepared them for graduate study. The responses
will be measured according to a five-point Likert scale ranging from
“1” (not at all) to “5” (very well). At least 80 percent of those responding
will agree that the BA in Criminal Justice prepared them well for their
respective programs of graduate study.
3.b. Summary of Assessment Data Collected:
No information has been obtained thus far, since the first contingent
of graduating seniors and graduate applicants has not commenced their
first year of graduate study. When this information is subsequently
gathered in the Summer 2005, it will be reported and summarized in the
Fall 2005 Assessment Report.
SUPPORT DOCUMENTATION
| SOURCE |
LOCATION/Special Instructions |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|