student learning assessment report - Marymount University!

Academic Year : 2009-2010 Program: BS Information Technology (IT)
STUDENT LEARNING ASSESSMENT REPORT
SUBMITTED BY: DIANE MURPHY
DATE: OCTOBER 4, 2010
BRIEFLY DESCRIBE WHERE AND HOW ARE DATA AND DOCUMENTS USED TO GENERATE THIS REPORT BEING STORED:
BLACKBOARD COURSES FOR ACADEMIC YEAR 2009-2010
FILING CABINET IN BALLSTON ROOM 311B
List all of the program’s learning outcomes:
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Almost every major challenge in the world today is turning to information technology for a solution, from conquering disease to
running a large business, from improving education and healthcare, to running a government agency. Marymount’s BS in Information
Technology program combines a solid foundation of knowledge across the computer systems life cycle, from requirements definition
to managing a production computer system, and includes courses covering hardware, software, databases, networks, software
testing, project management, and security.
Students have the ability to focus in one of six concentration areas:
• Applied IT for students who wish to use their IT knowledge in a specific field of application such as biology or education.
• Computer Science for students who wish a career designing and building software products or designing, building, and securing
complex networks.
• Forensic Computing for students who wish to specialize in this new and growing field, investigating computer crimes, and
preparing evidence for use in a court of law.
• Health IT for students who wish a career in the emerging field of electronic medical records and other uses of IT to improve
health care
• Information Systems for students who will administer computer networks, provide technical support to system users, and design
and manage Web sites, usually in a business context
• Interactive media for students who wish to work in the creative arts field or specialize in the use of multi-media on the Web..
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Academic Year : 2009-2010 Program: BS Information Technology (IT)
Learning Outcome
1. Build a broad knowledge of information technology, allowing students to
function as IT professionals that can successfully analyze problems and
implement IT solutions to these problems both in an internship and in a
job after graduation.
2. Build specific skills in a segment of the information technology field
(such as software testing) allowing students to compete successfully for
internships and entry level jobs and to work effectively in these areas.
3. Become proficient in at least one programming language, but be able to learn
additional programming languages based on a knowledge of programming
principles, and participate in programming competitions.
4. Become proficient in a variety of skills such as computer repair, computer
networking, database design, and information security through a combination
of theoretical knowledge and hands-on experience sufficient to obtain industry
certifications.
5. Conduct a capstone project that includes research in an aspect of information
technology (hardware, software, data, or information security) and apply that
research to a current information technology concern for businesses or society
in general.
6. Compose and construct written documents and give presentations articulating
business needs, identifying solutions, and considering decision implications,
with arguments backed up by data.
7. Work successfully in a team environment both as a team leader and as a
participant of a team, and communicate effectively with team members who
do not have a technical background.
8. Conduct themselves as responsible professionals and global citizens
who are aware of ethical issues and societal needs and who can
determine the most ethically response to common ethical dilemmas in
the field
9. Possess the knowledge and skills required to pursue life-long learning,
including advanced degrees in areas relating to information technology and to
adapt to an ever-changing, global technological and business environment.
Year of Last Year of Next Planned
Assessment Assessment
2009-2010 2011-2012
2009-2010 2013-2014
2007-2008
2008-2009
2007-2008
2008-2009
2012-2013
2012-2013
2010-2011
2013-2014
2007-2008 2010-2011
2008-2009 2012-2013
2009-2010 2011-2012
2010-2011
2012-2013
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Academic Year : 2009-2010 Program: BS Information Technology (IT)
Describe how the program’s outcomes support Marymount’s Mission, Strategic Plan, and relevant school plan:
The BS in Information Technology program is fully compliant with the mission of Marymount University and the outcomes include
both the foundation in arts and sciences (needed for a well-rounded education) and career preparation (broad IT knowledge,
specialized knowledge, and specific skills proficiency leading to certifications). It recognizes the new job skills required in the
profession and offers specialized courses (e.g., software testing, health information systems) to increase each student's success in
getting a good internship and/or first job. These job skills are matched with current industry certifications such as A+ and Security+
from CompTIA, and the Certified Software Tester (CSTE) from the QAI Global Institute. The program also includes skills that are
commonly requested by today’s employers (communication skills and the ability to work in teams). Finally, it recognizes the changing
nature of the IT field and hence the need for life-long learning. The Applied IT concentration recognizes that the application of IT
covers a wide range of disciplines and can be instrumental in everything from healthcare to education and provides opportunities for
students to apply IT to another field, such as biology..
In compliance with the “students come first” culture at Marymount, the program outcomes also reflect the needs of today’s IT
students to have hands-on training to enable them to obtain industry certifications, vital to getting good jobs in the IT field.
Two of the university’s strategic plan goals are reflected in the program assessment outcomes:
• “Academic success: Enhance Marymount’s mission of excellence in Catholic higher education through a compelling
academic vision that emphasizes intellectual rigor; outstanding instruction; state-of-the-art facilities, technology, and learning
resources; and strong academic support services.” The BS in Information Technology program is rigorous with outstanding
instruction that will be measured during outcomes assessment by the success of our students in a variety of general and
specific technologies including programming, computer repair, computer networks, databases, software testing, and
information security.
• “Student life: Build an exceptional sense of campus community and provide an environment that stimulates and supports
each student’s intellectual, moral, spiritual, cultural, and physical growth.” The BS in Information Technology program enables
students to participate in a variety of community events such as the ACM programming competition and School of Business
activities that builds on the sense of campus community. The IT program emphasizes “real projects for real clients” and
involves the university and local communities in its activities.
The School of Business Administration (SBA) Strategic Action Plan emphasizes activities that support the University’s strategic
plan. The ability for students to pursue the 5-year BS/MS in Information technology and continue their learning programs is one of
the initiatives included in the plan. Another initiative is “to expand ethics considerations in the syllabi” which is reflected as an
outcome measure in this assessment.
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Academic Year : 2009-2010 Program: BS Information Technology (IT)
Provide a brief description of the assessment process used including strengths, challenges and planned improvements:
This is the third year of the program and several transfer students have graduated in the last two years. Some changes were made
this year to reflect changes in the IT industry including the rise of IT in health care, the increased use of interactive media, and the
new field of software quality assurance.
Students will be evaluated on their competence to work in the regional IT industry, including both government and commercial
settings. This includes looking at students’ ability to complete an internship and to obtain a meaningful job in the field. In addition, a
project, typical of work in the workplace is used to available the technical performance of each student. The standard of 70% was
used for this outcome and all factors measured were met. However, programming proficiency, and its reliance on critical thinking still
maintains difficult for several students.
The second learning outcome related to the need for students to acquire skills which are marketable in an ever changing field. The
area selected was software testing (quality assurance), a field selected by the IT Advisory Board as germane to today's IT
workplace.. The new course (IT355) was offered for the first time in Spring 2010 and was used as the focus of this outcome.
Students did not meet the standard for their requirements documentation in their junior year. As this is a precursor to their internship,
this needs to be addressed to ensure their success in the workplace.
The third learning outcome assessed related to ethics, a kingpin of education at the School of Business Administration at Marymount
University. The outcome was measured in MSC345, Project Management, as this course discusses the decision-making process.
Students, for the most part, made good ethical decisions but were often unable to articulate the reasons behind their decision.
Further emphasis will be placed on ethics in earlier IT courses (IT110 and IT210) and the course PH305, Business Ethics, will be
made a prerequisite to MSC345. The increased focus on writing throughout the program should also assist in this process.
Three sources of information were used for all three outcomes: a classroom exercise corresponding to each outcome, the Internship
Program Semester Reports from Fall 2009 and Spring 2010 prepared by David Pomeroy, SBA Director of Business Learning, and
the Graduating Student Survey conducted by the Office of Institutional Effectiveness..
Describe how the program implemented its planned improvements from last year:
The department developed seminars for the sophomore, junior and senior level and these will run in Fall 2010 when students will be
first required to take them based on the revised degree plan. Working with its advisory group, the department examined each of the
courses in the program and their relevance to entry level jobs. Software testing was identified as a key area and is included n this
year's evaluation.
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Academic Year : 2009-2010 Program: BS Information Technology (IT)
The department obtained approval for its Inquiry-based learning courses and for its writing intensive courses. In addition, the
introductory IT class (IT110) was revised and approved as a global course. The teaching of these courses will begin in this revised
format in Fall 2010.
Provide a response to last year’s University Assessment Committee review of the program’s learning assessment report:
The main comment from the Assessment Committee was that many of the outcomes were not learning outcomes. The outcomes
have been rewritten to include more "action" words.
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Academic Year : 2009-2010 Program: BS Information Technology (IT)
Outcome and Past Assessment
Learning Outcome 1: Build a broad knowledge of information technology, allowing students to function as IT professionals
that can successfully analyze problems and implement IT solutions to these problems both in an internship and in a job
after graduation.
Is this outcome being reexamined? No
Assessment Activity
Outcome Measures
Explain how student
learning will be
measured and indicate
whether it is direct or
indirect.
Direct: Ability of student
to effectively complete an
internship in the field.
Indirect: Ability of the
students to find a job and
succeed in that job
Performance Standard
Define and explain
acceptable level of
student performance.
All IT students must
complete an internship (6
credits) in the IT field or
show evidence of
experience in the field to
receive a waiver of the
internship requirement.
70% of these students
must receive a positive
rating from their
internship supervisor in
all areas of their
performance.
Getting a job is an
important outcome for a
career-oriented program,
particularly in today's
economy.
Data Collection
Discuss the data
collected and student
population
The data is taken largely
from the Internship
Program Semester
Reports from Fall 2009
and Spring 2010
prepared by David
Pomeroy, SBA Director
of Business Learning. In
addition, two students
were given waivers
because of their work
experience. A total of 19
students were included in
the analysis.
Information was
extracted from the
Graduating Student
Survey (GSS)
Analysis
1) Describe the analysis process.
2) Present the findings of the analysis including
the numbers participating and deemed
acceptable.
Information was extracted from the reports and
isolated to the IT program (the reports apply to all
SBA programs).
All 17 students passed the internships with a
variety of responses from the supervisors.
Supervisors felt that the IT students had good
technical skills with one exception (JAVA
programming skills) but there were several
comments about other deficiencies in other work
habits: communication (2), time management (5),
and dress attire (1). These negative comments
related to 5 students. 71% of students received no
negatives.
The following three factors were extracted from
the GSS with a total of 11 responses::
Find a job in your field 72.7%
Succeed in a job in your field 81.8%
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Academic Year : 2009-2010 Program: BS Information Technology (IT)
At least 70% of
graduating students
should be able to get a
job in their field and be
successful in that job, or
get a promotion in their
current position, within
90 days of graduation.
Attain a promotion 81.8%
The individual student comments were generally
positive, including "challenging courses that will
help me in the job market"
Direct: Ability of students
to complete the final
programming project in
IT225, Advanced Web
Development, in Summer
2010 using a language of
their own choice, such as
Python or C#.
Students are expected to
have their Web
application run
successfully, be fully
documented, and use
program logic constructs
effectively.
Scoring is in compliance
with a documented rubric
(see attachment, rubric
1).
At least 70% of the
students must be
successful in the final
assignment (score of 9 or
more).
HTML and server-side
scripting code was
submitted by each
student for an individual
project in IT225,
Advanced Web
Development. The
application was reviewed
by the professor using
Rubric 1
.
Using the rubric 17 out of
20 will be considered as
highly successful, 13 to
16 being considered as
successful, and 12 to 15
considered as
acceptable..
The professor reviewed the project requirements,
and assessed how well the student understood
them and implemented the Web site to meet those
requirements.
The Web page and application were run and
evaluated for usability, functionality, and
documentation. The code was examined to
determine its compliance with good programming
practices and to evaluate effective use of
programming constructs.
The application was evaluated using Rubric 1.
There were 9 students in the class.
Results from the analysis of those students were
as follows:
2 students received 17 or more
3 students received between 13 to 16
2 students received between 9 and 13
2 students received 8 or under
As a result, 54% were considered highly
successful or successful and 77% were
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Academic Year : 2009-2010 Program: BS Information Technology (IT)
Interpretation of Results
Extent this Learning Outcome has been achieved by students:
acceptable. The main deficiency was in meeting
customer requirements.
This learning outcome was achieved with students successfully completing their internships, with students finding jobs, and students
showing technical competence in a programming language in the Web development field. However, programming proficiency, and its
reliance on critical thinking still maintains difficult for several students, independent of language. The ability to critically examine
customer requirements and to interpret them as a functional program in a disciplined way was the major deficiency found in their
programming assignment
Program strengths and opportunities for improvement relative to assessment of outcome:
It is believed that the seminars that start in the 2010-11 school year will help students feel more comfortable in internship selection
and job placement.
Identifying requirements accurately is still a major issue. Some of the issue is one of better reading, writing, and asking questions.
Discuss planned curricular or program improvements for this year based on assessment of outcome:
Programming remains a barrier to many IT students, particularly for those students who are not interested in software engineering as
a career. In the 2009-2010 school year, the program was modified so that students can take either 2 courses in JAVA (IT130, Java
Programming, and IT230 Advanced Java Programming) or two courses in Wed development (It125, Web Development, and It325,
Advanced Web Development). To be effective in any programming language, however, students need to be able to understand user
requirements and translate them into detailed coding requirements. These skills will be reinforced in IT210, Software Engineering
and IT 355, Software Testing, Documentation, and Quality Assurance, both re-designated as writing intensive courses..The writing
process allows them to get feedback on their first attempts and to reflect on deficiencies, which will hopefully lead to a better result.
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Academic Year : 2009-2010 Program: BS Information Technology (IT)
Outcome and Past Assessment
Learning Outcome 2: Build specific skills in a segment of the information technology field (such as software testing)
allowing students to compete successfully for internships and entry level jobs and to work effectively in these areas.
Is this outcome being reexamined? No
Assessment Activity
Outcome Measures
Explain how student
learning will be
measured and indicate
whether it is direct or
indirect.
Indirect: The number of
students who obtained a
position (internship or
summer job) in the
software testing field in
Summer 2010 after
taking the course IT355,
Software Testing,
Documentation and
Quality Assurance, in
Spring 2010
Performance Standard
Define and explain
acceptable level of
student performance.
70% of students who
searched for positions in
the software quality
testing field were able to
get internships/summer
jobs in the field.
Data Collection
Discuss the data
collected and student
population
Students in the IT355,
Software Testing, class
responded to a survey
from the Department
Chair who followed them
throughout the summer
semester.
Analysis
1) Describe the analysis process.
2) Present the findings of the analysis including
the numbers participating and deemed
acceptable.
Of the 14 people in the class, all responded to
the survey and 6 expressed an interest in
working in the field during summer. One was
awarded a very competitive internship at Datatel
in the quality assurance field. One was given an
internship with a local company doing software
testing. Two students competed for the same job
with Fairfax County Public Schools and one was
given the position and the second nearly missed
it. Two other students got positions in web
development industry, with some focus on quality
assurance, a little later in the summer.
Direct: Students ability to
develop a requirements
document for a mobile
application in IT355,
70% of students achieve
a score of 30 or more on
the rubric for the
requirements document,
One of the major
assignments in the class
was to prepare a
requirements document
83% of the students who expressed an interest in
summer It jobs were successfully engaged in the
field in the summer.
Of the 14 students in the class in Spring 2010, 3
were very successful (35-30) on the rubric and 6
were moderately successful (30-34). (64%
achievement rate).
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Academic Year : 2009-2010 Program: BS Information Technology (IT)
Software Testing and
Quality Assurance.
Direct: From the
graduating student
survey, student’s feeling
that they could use
technology effectively in
a workplace setting and
apply knowledge and
skills to new situations
max score 40, see rubric
2 in attachment
80% of all students feel
that that can use
technology effectively in
their field based on their
education at Marymount.
for a mobile application.
The professor reviewed
the document using the
rubric shown in the
attachment (rubric 2)
Graduating Student
Survey prepared by the
Office of Institutional
Effectiveness.
Students DID NOT meet the 70% standard in this
area.
90.9% of students felt that they could use
technology effectively in a workplace
environment. In addition, 81.8% felt that they
could apply knowledge and skills to new
situations..
Interpretation of Results
Extent this Learning Outcome has been achieved by students:
The students were confident in their ability to perform in the technology field and were awarded internships in a very competitive
environment. Data on their success in their summer internships is not available at this time. As noted above, students were unable to
meet the standard for requirements documentation in the IT355 class.
Program strengths and opportunities for improvement relative to assessment of outcome:
In this exercise in class, students were able to define their own requirements so the issue was not the ability to communicate with a
customer, it was more their understanding of the specificity of the documentations and their writing ability.
Discuss planned curricular or program improvements for this year based on assessment of outcome:
IT355, Software Testing, Documentation, and Quality Assurance, has been designated as a writing-intensive class and additional
focus has been made on the writing process. Students will go through the draft and final document process more rigorously. The
professor has attended the writing intensive courses offered by the university and the syllabus for the course has been rewritten and
approved.
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Academic Year : 2009-2010 Program: BS Information Technology (IT)
Outcome and Past Assessment
Learning Outcome 3: Learn to conduct themselves as responsible professionals and global citizens who are aware of
ethical issues and societal needs and who can determine the most ethically response to common ethical dilemmas in the
field
Is this outcome being reexamined? No
Assessment Activity
Outcome Measures
Explain how student
learning will be
measured and indicate
whether it is direct or
indirect.
Direct: Make ethical
decisions as part of an
assignment in the
MSC345, Project
Management, class
Performance Standard
Define and explain
acceptable level of
student performance.
70% of the students in
both MSC345 classes
(Fall and Spring), obtain
36 or more on their
ethical questionnaire
which lists ethical
dilemmas.
Data Collection
Discuss the data collected
and student population
Towards the end of the
semester, students were
give 12 ethical dilemmas
and asked to indicate how
they would respond in the
workplace. Half of the
questions were directed
as their role as a member
of a project team and half
positioned them as the
project manager.
The responses were
collected in class and
evaluated by the
Department Chair using
the rubric in Rubric 3 in
the attachment (maximum
score 48)
Analysis
1) Describe the analysis process.
2) Present the findings of the analysis including
the numbers participating and deemed
acceptable.
All responses were collected by the professor in
class and submitted to the Department Chair.
Of the 40 students in both classes, there were 33
responses. Of these, 18 were from students in the
IST (or prior ISY) program. These 18 were
analyzed.
Using the rubric, the Department Chair assigned
scores to each question to ensure consistency
across both classes (taught by two different
professors). Of the 18 IT students in the two
classes, 11 students received a score of 36 or
more (61%).
The main deficiency was in providing a detailed
justification for their actions which demonstrated
an understanding of ethical principles.
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Academic Year : 2009-2010 Program: BS Information Technology (IT)
Indirect: On their
internship, students
showed an
understanding of the
importance of ethics.
Indirect: From
Graduating Student
Survey, ensure that
students feel confident
about their ability to
make ethical decision
and understand the
major ethical decisions
in their field.
90% of all supervisors
answered agree or
strongly agree to the
question "The intern
showed an
understanding of the
importance of business
ethics and ethical
behavior"
70% of students believe
that they will make good
decisions when placed
with a dilemma in the
workplace.
Data is taken from the
Internship Program
Semester Reports from
Fall 2009 and Spring
2010 prepared by David
Pomeroy, SBA Director of
Business Learning.
Graduating Student
Survey prepared by the
Office of Institutional
Effectiveness.
The supervisors' responses were checked in
terms of the question ""The intern showed an
understanding of the importance of business
ethics and ethical behavior". For Fall 2009, the
figures were not broken out by program, so the IT
students were merged in with all SBA students so
these results were not used, For Spring 2010, 5
supervisors listed agree (4) and 4 listed strongly
agree (5) for the IT students. 100% of IT students
met the ethical standard of their internship
supervisor.
Only 70% off students rated their ability to
determine the most ethically appropriate
response to a situation and only 72.7% felt that
they understood the major ethical dilemmas in
their field (good or excellent result).
Interpretation of Results
Extent this Learning Outcome has been achieved by students:
Students' behavior met the ethical standard intuitively, the only issue was their ability to effectively articulate the rationale for their
behavior. Only 61% of students were able to think the situation through and document what they believed to be the reasons that they
had chosen the right course of action..
Program strengths and opportunities for improvement relative to assessment of outcome:
All students are required to take (PH305), Business Ethics, and this is the only formal discussion of ethics in the program. but this
may be taken . This may or may not be taken before MSC345 so students may not have had this detailed review of ethics
beforehand.
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Academic Year : 2009-2010 Program: BS Information Technology (IT)
Discuss planned curricular or program improvements for this year based on assessment of outcome:
Ethics will be more formally emphasized in two introductory IT classes, IT110, Information technology in the Global Age and IT210,
Software Engineering. In addition PH305 will be made a prerequisite for MGT345, Project management.
The increased focus on writing throughout the IT program should also assist in this process.
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