Data-based Decisions

Reducing Overlap in Undergraduate Courses

A series of focus group interviews with undergraduate students in spring 2005 revealed a theme that students felt there was excessive overlap between some courses in the FCHD major. Some of the overlap resulted from having the same faculty teaching two or three related courses. In fall 2006 we completed a process of reassigning courses so that the same faculty members are not teaching all the courses in a sequence in either the family relations or human development areas. We have also added additional term and adjunct faculty to increase the diversity of instructors in our undergraduate courses.

Master's Level Course Work

Based on the results of our 05-06 survey of current students and alums of our graduate programs, we have undertaken a revision of our master's level courses. Our data showed that many students wished they had had additional preparation in research, or teaching, or applied outreach skills. This illustrated that our graduate students have varying academic and professional goals that cannot all be met in one prescribed course of study primarily emphasizing research skills.

Faculty met in subject matter area committees late in the 05-06 academic year, and again early in the 06-07 to discuss how to respond to these concerns. Rather than adding additional courses to our curriculum, it was decided that we would add more flexibility to our graduate seminars. Each seminar will give students options for completing their major assignments to develop expertise in either research, teaching, or outreach. Core courses will require students to complete projects in each of the areas.

Revising Student's Preparation for Practicum Placements

A change in our undergraduate requirements occurred because of feedback from community professionals supervising our undergraduate students in practicum placements. As our department practicum supervisor met with professionals who had supervised students in their Family and Community Services Emphasis practicum placements for the BA/BS in FCHD, site supervisors indicated that they wanted our students to have training in both early childhood and middle childhood, rather than one or the other. Many practicum settings involved students working with children in both age groups as well as families. As a result, we changed the requirements in our BA/BS Family and Community Services Emphasis in the FCHD major to require all students in that emphasis to take both FCHD 3510 (Infancy and Early Childhood) and FCHD 3520 (Children in the Middle Years) rather than one or the other.