Assignment:
Discussion 1:
Evaluators must familiarize themselves with the institution's mission, vision, and goals before beginning the program evaluation in order to ensure alignment. Jamestown College's mission is to provide an efficient student learning environment focused on the discovery, development, declaration, and application of knowledge through a variety of academic programs (Jamestown College, Case Study Scenario, 2017). This mission is what drives the recommended program plan for Jamestown College's BA in Mathematics program.
The recommendations made to Jamestown College following the program evaluation are to implement a more effective course evaluation process, increase educator effectiveness through additional professional development opportunities and increased accountability, and design more comprehensive course plans by adding new resources and courses to the program. All of these recommendations will help support Jamestown College's mission to provide a high-quality education to its students. These recommendations are also aligned with Jamestown College's goals to increase new instructional technology, enhance undergraduate curriculum, and enhance workforce development and lifelong learning (Jamestown College, Case Study Scenario, 2017).
Data sets used to identify opportunities for improving alignment were taken from both internal and external sources. Internal data sets that were used to identify opportunities to improve alignment included program participant performance and outcome data, teacher observations, and student surveys. This data showed that there were areas that needed improvement if the BA in Mathematics Program was going to become more closely aligned with the institution's mission, vision, and goals. External data sets such as Employer Expectations and Occupational Statistics were also used to identify opportunities for alignment improvement.
Resources
Case Study Scenario, Jamestown College. (2017).
Discussion 2:
Misalignment is the core reason for the program evaluation on the BA of Math at Jamestown College. I ensured alignment among the program plan and the institution overall by primarily focusing on addressed the many goals set by Jamestown College since those goals are already aligned with the mission of providing "an efficient student learning environment" (Jamestown College, BA in Mathematics, 2017). Jamestown College has a plethora of goals including promoting academic quality, increasing new instructional technology, enhancing the undergraduate curriculum, and enhancing workforce development to name a few (Jamestown College, BA in Mathematics, 2017).
By configuring the evaluation recommendations and objectives to match the goals of Jamestown College, alignment is ensured. For example, the goal of increasing new instructional technology is addressed in the recommendation of broadening the math curriculum to include more in-depth math-based technology courses and adding the most current math-technologies to all courses (Hackling, 2019). The recommendation not only aligns the math program with the institution better, but it also aligns with standards of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) that Jamestown College must abide by.
Another example is seen with the goal of enhancing workforce development. Throughout the program evaluation, recommendations, and identification of key audiences, the employers in the math industry have been a driving force for change. To keep the program up to date with entry-level positions and help the school in "supporting the preparation and continued skill development of the regional workforce, the BA of Math needed to address missing competencies needed in the real world. Those missing competencies led to the recommendations of increasing math-based technology and adjusting the undergraduate curriculum, both of which were individual goals of the institution as well. Using the college goals, recommendations are already practically written for the math program because it just needs to find a way to support those goals.
The most critical data I used to identify the opportunity for alignment for the student feedback reports and the employer expectations. The student feedback report gave insight into what students thought of the program and touched on aspects that caused misalignment. For example, student feedback indicated a need for a better developed undergraduate curriculum and a lack of academic quality by students not understanding the program's path or why technology was a part of the program (Student Feedback Report, Jamestown College, 2017).
Following the feedback, I was able to pinpoint goals that the math program just was not attempting to support and make recommendations based on the data. In addition, the data available through the Bureau of Labor Statistics gave me insight into what employers are expectating of graduates with a math degree and what type of skills are needed in an entry-level position (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2019). The data of labor statistics helped me see missing elements in the program that was critical for proper workforce development.
References
Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2019, April 12). Mathematicians and statisticians.
Hackling, K. (2019). Jamestown College Program Plan. Unpublished paper, Southern New Hampshire University.
Jamestown College, BA in Mathematics. (2017).
Student Feedback Report, Jamestown College. (2017).
Attachment:- Case Study.rar