Emporia State University Program Review – Reporting Year 2021 Program CIP Degree Level Recommendation* Notes** Computer Science 11.0101 B Continue Information Technology 11.0103 M Program is being relaunched as an Accelerated Online Program; will Additional Review monitor enrollment Informatics 11.0104 M Program was revised and reintroduced; will Additional Review monitor enrollment Information Systems 11.0401 B Continue Business/Business Education 13.1303 B, M Already Discontinue discontinued Library Science/Info Mgmt 25.0101 M, D Continue Business Administration 52.0201 B, M Continue Accounting 52.0301 B, M Continue Management 52.1001 B Continue Business Data Analytics 52.1301 B Program is fairly new; will monitor Additional Review enrollment Marketing 52.1401 B Continue M= Masters; B=Bachelors; D= Doctorate Highlighted degree level indicates this program is also a part of the University’s Strategic Program Alignment Report on Low-Enrollment Programs. You do not need to include those programs in this report. *Recommendation options are: Continue, Additional Review, Enhance, Discontinue **Notes are only required for programs that have a Recommendation other than “Continue” The Notes field should contain information on Academic Support Program, etc., as well as information on programs with designation other than “Continue.” EMPORIA STATE UNIVERSITY INSTITUTIONAL OVERVIEW Program Review Process At Emporia State University, administrative units have the responsibility to organize program review efforts in a manner that best suits their environment and the nature of the program being reviewed. It is considered essential that all faculty connected to the program participate fully and actively in the program review process. While some departments appoint individual faculty and/or committees to process data associated with the review, reports are provided to the faculty as a whole for discussion, reflection, and decision making. Required Components of Program Review The information gathered for program review is meant to be helpful, informative, and instructive. It is a vehicle to change, improve, and enhance programs. While the review includes statistical and quantifiable information, qualitative and ‘value added’ information is equally important. Review components have been provided below, along with required and suggested elements within each component. 1. Centrality of the program to fulfilling the mission and role of the institution. • Alignment with ESU mission • Support of ESU strategic plan • Support of Regents strategic plan • Distinctiveness 2. The quality of the program as assessed by the strengths, productivity, and qualifications of the faculty. • Effective teaching, including the use of appropriate technology • Research and creative activity • Service contributions • Honors/awards 3. The quality of the program as assessed by its curriculum and impact on students. • Program learning goals and outcomes assessment • High-impact learning opportunities • Student achievement (research and creative activity, leadership, honors/awards) • Specialized accreditation and other external evaluation • Student feedback 4. Demonstrated student need and employer demand for the program. • Success in meeting Regents minima (required element; see KHEDS Minima Report) 2 • Graduates’ employment and advanced study • Alumni and employer surveys • Disciplinary employment trends 5. The service the program provides to the discipline, the university, and beyond. • Support of general education and other majors • Contributions to campus and community life • Collaboration with external partners • Advancement of the discipline • Impact on Kansans’ quality of life 6. The program’s cost effectiveness. • Cost of instruction (required element; see Program Review Indicators for cost per credit hour and cost per FTE student) • External funding Use of Data The program review process at the departmental level requires gathering quantitative and qualitative program information. Both types of data assist units to reflect upon the quality of the program and lend validity to the self-evaluation and resulting recommendations. Budget and financial information is provided by Fiscal Affairs. The Office of Institutional Effectiveness compiles quantitative data related to numbers of majors, credit hour production, productivity per full time/part-time FTE, etc. Surveys of recent graduates, current students, and employers provide qualitative data. For some programs, qualitative data may also include numbers of students who matriculate into graduate programs of study. Once data are collected, faculty, staff, and administrators engage in serious and ongoing dialogue both formally (department meetings) and informally (hallway discussions, over coffee, etc.) about the implications of the data. Department chairs provide written summaries, including recommendations for each program of study, to the respective school/college dean and to the provost. Significant Changes and Recommendations Most programs reviewed during this cycle have shown to be productive and cost-effective, and require no action at this time. Significant changes and recommendations resulting from this review are as follows: The Master of Science in Business Education program has already been discontinued. The Master of Science in Information Technology program is being relaunched as an Accelerated Online Program, and should undergo additional review to ensure that it achieves adequate enrollments. 3 EMPORIA STATE UNIVERSITY SUMMARY ASSESSMENTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 11.0101 BS in Computer Science Centrality of the program to fulfilling the mission and role of the institution. The mission of Emporia State University, “preparing students for lifelong learning, rewarding careers, and adaptive leadership,” is consistent with the aims of the computer science program. Housed within the School of Business, computer science majors are prepared to successfully launch careers in a field that is growing and dynamic. These graduates are given strong fundamentals that allow them to take on a variety of assignments. The computer science program supports, to some degree, all five of the Emporia State strategic plan goals. It is particularly in line with GOAL 3, “Enhance the competitive role of Kansas by enrolling, retaining, and graduating students ready for life and career.” It is well documented that Kansas lacks sufficient home-grown talent to fill jobs requiring education in the STEM fields (computer science is in STEM). More talent available to Kansas businesses creates a more competitive Kansas. A strong case can be made that the computer science program supports each of the Regents’ three strategic pillars. However, the program is most central to the second pillar because it creates a much-needed talent pipeline to Kansas’ businesses, as computer science graduates are among the most sought-after degrees holders and are in short supply to businesses in Kansas. The quality of the program as assessed by the strengths, productivity, and qualifications of the faculty. Each faculty member teaching in the computer science program holds a PhD in the field or a master’s degree and several years as a practitioner. Plus, all current tenure track faculty have some years of experience as a practitioner in addition to their academic credentials. This is helpful to our students who have practical, workplace careers in mind. Faculty in the computer science program increase their teaching effectiveness by availing themselves of classroom instructional technology available to all faculty in the School of Business. Each classroom where the program is taught has projection ability to share internet and presentation materials, simultaneous Zoom capability, and lecture capture of all class lectures. The use of Canvas as our course management system allows students to have full access to faculty members’ lectures, notes, grades, and other class communications. This is one reason we can quickly pivot to remote learning should conditions require it. Tenure track faculty in the Department of Accounting, Information Systems, and Finance averaged 2.75 peer reviewed journal articles (PRJ’S) in the five-year period ending 2019 versus our AACSB goal of 2 PRJ’s. The quality of the program as assessed by its curriculum and impact on students. Five program learning goals for the computer science program are assessed annually by our Student Learning Committee. All 17 faculty in the AISF Department combined to produce 2,075 student high impact learning experiences in calendar year 2020. Significantly, a team of Emporia State computer science students won the first-ever Kansas Collegiate Case Competition powered by Cerner. The cases focused on developing a resourcing strategy to meet the needs of Cerner’s global client base. Each team was given a real-world business challenge designed for students to explore and develop their abilities to create innovative solutions. These students 4 competed against teams from Fort Hays State University, Kansas State University, Pittsburg State University, and the University of Kansas. Faculty sponsor Dr. Sajed Rahman summed it up best: “We want our students to come out of the classroom as good problem solvers. This achievement confirms that.” Students in this program have opportunities for internships, industry visits, and membership in business-based student honors clubs such as Beta Gamma Sigma and Beta Alpha Psi, and in specialty and service clubs such as the IT Club and Phi Beta Lambda. Demonstrated student