Program & Vital Statistics Reports

The Comprehensive Assessment Report comprises a synopsis of program areas that were evaluated at the end of the year and were deemed to be improved according to all the data sources utilized.

        1. Area Addressed: Strategy for additional faculty lines for the graduate program in counseling.

Summary/action: The comprehensive assessment committee will continue to communicate with the SAHS Director and other administrators that the counseling program student enrollment numbers are driven by the 1:10 CACREP faculty to student ratio. High applicant numbers allows the program to be highly selective, but also mean that many qualified applicants are not offered admission. Additional faculty lines would allow the program to increase admission numbers. Equally important to communicate is the high demand for school counselors in the state of Iowa, with many students hired during internship, prior to graduation. 

Source: Applicant numbers for clinical mental health counseling and school counseling programs for the University of Northern Iowa program. Also considered and compared to University of Iowa, Drake University, and Buena Vista University.

        2. Area Addressed: Increase graduate assistantship allocations to counseling

Summary/action: The comprehensive assessment committee determined that the program should seek additional support for minority and other graduate assistantships allocated through the graduate college to the counseling program. Continue to work with the SAHS Director advocating for these additional supports of the graduate assistantships.

Source: A comprehensive assessment committee member on the graduate council and on an University of Northern Iowa task force to exam graduate assistantships is aware that the University of Northern Iowa is seeking to move toward equity in the allocation of graduate assistantships. In the CACREP re-accreditation under the 2001 standards, the University of Northern Iowa program did not have graduate assistantship support from the university comparable to similar other accredited graduate programs (School Psychology and Social Work). The allocation has grown considerably through the advocacy efforts of the comprehensive assessment committee and the SAHS Director from the one graduate assistantship during the last self-study.  The number awarded to counseling is still not equal to the ones received by other University of Northern Iowa graduate programs. The Counseling Program often has minority students who qualify for assistantships (3.0 GPA) but do not receive awards.

        3. Area Addressed: Improving Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Exam (CPCE) exit exam test scores for Career and Assessment CACREP core areas

Summary/action: The comprehensive assessment committee decided that when new faculty lines are available to the counseling program is would be wise to seek out individuals with experience and passion for both the career and assessment CACREP core areas. Although the University of Northern Iowa Counseling Program consistently scores above the national mean for the individual CACREP core areas (since adoption fall 2007), career and assessment are the CACREP areas that dip below the mean on occasion. These two courses have traditionally been taught by adjunct faculty. 

Source: CPCE data, CACREP core areas fall and spring tests since fall 2007

        4.  Area Addressed: Increase the diversity in the program and the recruiting of male students to the counseling profession 

Summary/action: The comprehensive assessment committee places a high value on increasing the diversity of students within the counseling program. Past efforts have been successful but need to be continued to recruit both diverse and male students to the program. COUN 5103 Introduction to Professional Counseling is a successful tool in diverse student recruitment; this course is offered at the undergraduate level. In addition to the course the comprehensive assessment committee will continue to reach out to University of Northern Iowa student organizations that represent diversity, by speaking at their meetings about our program as a graduate studies option. Additional ideas are to take a program banner to Marshalltown, Waterloo, Des Moines, and Cedar Rapids to events and recruit.

Source: CACREP vital stats for 2007-2012. The CACREP Vital Stats for past years detail improvements, but the comprehensive assessment committee will strive for greater diversity for the program.

        5. Area Addressed: Restructuring the program assessment process via the Program Comprehensive Analysis Form

Summary/action: In order to increase the efficiency level of the program evaluation, a new form will be devised to be utilized at the end of the academic year. This form will allow the comprehensive assessment committee to evaluate the program at all levels in a more structure fashion.

Source: Comprehensive Assessment Committee 

The Comprehensive Assessment Report comprises a synopsis of program areas that were evaluated at the end of the year and were deemed to be improved according to all the data sources utilized. 

       1. Area Addressed: Reconceptualization of Comprehensive Assessment Committee

Summary/action: The core faculty determined that all tenured track counseling professors most be on the Comprehensive Assessment Committee and must be involved in the assessment of all students and program’s curricular and assessment changes.

Source: Comprehensive Assessment Committee

      2. Area Addressed: Refurbishing the Comprehensive Assessment Diagram and Sequence’s Fundamentals for Program Evaluation

Summary/action: The comprehensive assessment committee determined that a more ample and coherent model of program and students’ assessment was needed in order to increase the level of efficiency and balance.

Source: Comprehensive Assessment Committee and previous assessment process

     3. Area Addressed: Renovating and Creating Various Student and Program Assessment Measures

Summary/action: The comprehensive assessment committee decided that several assessment tools needed to be revised for consistency purposes and others needed to be created in order to have more sources of assessment relative to program development.

Source: Past assessment measures, feedback from students, and comprehensive assessment committee

     4. Area Addressed: Updating the membership of the Academic Advisory Committee and Supervisory Committee

Summary/action: The comprehensive assessment committee decided that the current membership of both committees should be updated in order to have a smaller group with a higher commitment level with the University of Northern Iowa Counseling Program.

Source: The Academic Advisory committee and Comprehensive Assessment Committee

      5. Area Addressed: Exploration of Standardized Assessment Tools

Summary/action: The Comprehensive Assessment Committee decided that the following Formative Assessment tools will be under consideration for the next academic year:

(To be used in different courses throughout the program)

• Outcome Questionnaire (OQ-45.2) Research Supervisor
• Counselor Self-Efficacy Scale (CSES)
• Counselor Competencies Scale (Introduction and Techniques version) (Measures skills, behaviors, and professional dispositions)

Source: Comprehensive Assessment Committee and exploration of current student assessment measures

      6.  Area Addressed: Utilization of an E-portfolio and/or Taskstream as repository of electronic data

Summary/action: The comprehensive assessment committee decided that the following in order to streamline the process of compiling and analyzing data, the electronic program Taskstream and E-portfolio will be under consideration for the next academic year. Samples and presentations of these programs will be requested in order to present them to the administration for budgetary considerations.

Source: Comprehensive Assessment Committee

      7. Area Addressed: Conversion of paper documentation and data into an electronic format and the utilization of the business dropbox account.

Summary/action: The comprehensive assessment committee decided that as a precursor of the utilization of electronic programs to compile and analyze data, current existent data that has been storage in the form of traditional paper and folder should be scanned and saved in an electronic format in a business dropbox account.

Source: Comprehensive Assessment Committee

REPORT 2013: PROGRAM COMPREHENSIVE ASSESMENT ANALYSIS FORM

Year: 2013

Academic Semester: Fall—August faculty retreat

Members of the Program Comprehensive Assessment: Drs. Barlett, Davis-Gage, Meany-Walen, and Swazo

Program: School Counseling and Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program
 

I: Modifications to Academic Logistics:

Explanation of suggested changes: 1. Suggest Staff Changes- An additional tenure track faculty member will bge suggested to the School Director and Dean. This will allow faculty to offer elective courses and variety to the curriculum. 2. Incorporate technological changes- the use of Taskstream and E-portfolio will be considered for the following academic year to improve data storage and statistical reports. 3. The website will be improved in the following areas: new faculty and students pictures, faculty biographies, powerpoint with voice integrated in the background to provide information relative to admission processes, registration, and commonly asked questions. Also, formative and summative assessments will be uploaded as well as the latest reports using the new Program Comprehensive Analysis Form will be uploaded. 4. Allocation of Student Records-electronic repository data mechanisms will be explored including scanning all paper documentation.

II.  Modifications to Program Comprehensive Assessment Plan

Explanation of suggested changes: 1. Alter Student Learning Outcomes- the learning outcomes will be divided in those measured using formative and summative assessments and those measured via classroom assignments. 2. Analyze Data Access and Collection Methodology-data analysis will be broken down into small reports in order to simplify analysis and interpretation by other constituents. 3. Need to Collect other Data- data collected using new measures such as the evaluation of poster/symposium presentations and research paper will be utilized. 4. As stated in #3, new rubrics will be developed.

III. Curriculum Alterations

Explanation of suggested changes:1. Alter course rotations-course rotations will be altered based on a fall admission instead of spring/fall. 2. Analysis of course content-all courses were revised based on the feedback of students, faculty, supervisors, and academic advisory committee. 3. Revision of course syllabi-all course syllabi will be standardized using one template that follows the CACREP guidelines. 4. Revision of Program Comprehensive Mission Statement-after long deliberations, the comprehensive assessment committee determined that the program comprehensive mission statement responds to the needs of the current populations, is aligned with the CACREP standards, and consonant with the needs of the student body.
 

IV.           Modifications to Formative Assessments

Explanation of suggested changes: 1. Progress Review Evaluation- the form was revised and several alterations and modifications were made to make it more consonant with CACREP expectations. 2. Professional Counseling Performance Evaluation (Counseling Skills Course)-the instrument was modified to reflect all the elements of the counseling process.
 

V. Modifications  to Summative Assessments

Explanation of suggested changes: 1. Research Paper and University of Northern Iowa Counselor Education Scholars Symposium/Poster Presentation evaluative rubrics will be developed. 2. A Professional Counseling Performance Evaluation (Practicum/Internship Courses) rubric will be refined for clinical courses.

VI. Modification to Program’s Evaluative Assessments

Explanation of suggested changes:  A new Student’s Evaluation of Faculty/Onsite Supervisor rubric will be developed to assess the level of satisfaction from the student relative to the supervision process.

Final Comments: A large number of the suggested changes by the comprehensive assessment committee will take place immediately and some will be implemented in the next academic year (Fall 2014).