In the context of its 50^th Anniversary in 1997, the faculty of the Institute of Communications Research reviewed its undergraduate and graduate programs in all phases during the calendar year 1996. An Advisory Council of distinguished alumni were included on site in April, and curriculum review was incorporated into a Strategic Plan at a faculty retreat at Allerton in October. (This effort grew out of a self-study completed in the Fall 1994 for our College external accreditation review.) The Strategic Plan provided the framework for a faculty review of our program during 1997-98 in light of the Report of the UIUC Task Force on Graduate Education. We also participated during 1997-98 as a pilot in the Graduate College R&I Annual Indicators program. This process involved several aspects of assessment planning and the quality of student-learning in our unit. Regarding the Outcomes Assessment Plan itself, the Institute’s Executive Committee met on two occasions in preparation for faculty meetings that were held on April 22 and November 6, 1998. In addition, ICR’s Graduate Student Advisory Committee met with Norman Denzin, our Director of Graduate Studies, to provide their input and ideas. The reports of discussions and the recommendations from these various meetings have been combined by the Director into the plan outlined below.

II. DESIRED LEARNING OUTCOMES

ICR’s mission statement is inclusive of both our undergraduate and graduate programs:

The Institute of Communications Research is an internationally recognized program for interdisciplinary education, scholarship, and public service in communication and culture. Drawing broadly on the social sciences and humanities, the Institute seeks to develop critically interpretive knowledge about communications in a global economy.

Therefore, we state our academic purpose as "Leadership in a Multicultural World."

The Institute’s Ph.D. in Communications and B.S. degree in Media Studies train students for intellectual leadership and public service in the academy, government, and commerce. Leadership perspectives grounded in intellectual breadth and social responsibility are the hallmarks of ICR graduates.

In light of the focus in our mission statement on "critically interpretive knowledge" and "intellectual breadth and social responsibility" as our purpose, we have adopted these learning outcomes:

1. Undergraduates

1. Thorough understanding of the history and theory behind the media as social institutions.

2. Appreciation of a broad liberal arts framework for critical thinking on contemporary communications.

3. Ability to identify and articulate the key issues (social, cultural, economic, ethical and political) raised by the global information order.

4. Effectiveness in writing skills, with basic computer literacy.

5. Commitment and competency in academic work that is gender inclusive, culturally diverse, and international in scope.

6. Opportunities for interested students to conduct individualized research and fulfill a supervised internship experience.

7. For students choosing graduate education, preparation for first-class programs in such fields as the media, law, political science, sociology, and public policy studies.

2. Graduates

1. Ability to conceptualize, design, initiate and complete research on significant problems in communication and culture.

2. Professional competence in teaching, including preparation of syllabi, testing and grading, use of instructional tools in the classroom, and articulating a philosophy of education.

3. Commitment to interdisciplinary scholarship that is critically developed, innovative and conceptually rigorous.

4. Reflective awareness of the social, economic, political, ethical and cultural dimensions of global communications systems and institutions.

5. Commitment to an academic environment and scholarly work that are gender inclusive, culturally diverse, and international in scope.

III. MEASUREMENT INSTRUMENTS/TECHNIQUES

Admissions are selective on both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Undergraduates are not admitted into the College of Communications to the B.S. in Media Studies until their junior year, with enrollment capped at 50 total students. Selective admission means a GPA of B in a broad liberal arts curriculum for the first two years, helping insure that the learning outcomes of an awareness of history and theory, identifying the key issues, and critical thinking can be achieved during the students’ major. For doctoral students, the total enrollment is capped at 30, with the result that only 6 to 7 percent of those who apply are admitted. In addition to entering with high GPA’s and GRE scores, graduate applicants need to demonstrate an aptitude and ability for working independently in a multidisciplinary environment.

In addition to these attempts to select excellent students who will flourish in a liberal arts, interdisciplinary program, these instruments and techniques are used during their degree program and after:

1. Undergraduate students must complete successfully six required courses that explicitly connect communications to the liberal arts (Comm 217, 220, 231, 251, 310). Graduate students are required to complete a two-semester proseminar course that provides an overview of the field and introduces the current issues and debates within it (Comm 471-472).

2. For graduate students, a faculty Program Evaluation Committee reviews and must approve a detailed program of study for all doctoral students – including courses in major and minor area, and methodology courses.

3. Ph.D. Examinations and Dissertation. Doctoral students demonstrate their command of the field by successfully passing written and oral preliminary examinations administered by a faculty committee of at least four members approved by the Graduate College. They also write and verbally defend a Ph.D. dissertation.

4. Student Surveys. The UIUC Senior Surveys are evaluated each year regarding the perceived weaknesses and strengths of the undergraduate and graduate programs.

5. Alumni Surveys. A survey of the Media Studies graduates is now being prepared for implementation this Fall regarding career and graduate school preparation. The intention is to conduct this comprehensive survey every five years. The Ph.D. program sends a newsletter twice a year to graduates, actively pursuing feedback from them on their careers, reflections on their graduate education, and analysis of the current media environment.

6. This unit and the college are assessed every six years by a team of external examiners from the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications. A five member team of professors and media professionals visits the campus for several days to evaluate our self-study, visit classes, examine records, and talk with students, faculty, and administrators. The team prepares a report determining whether the unit is in compliance with twelve standards including curriculum, teaching, advising, diversity, and internships. The report must then be approved by the national accrediting council.

IV. USING THE ASSESSMENT RESULTS

The Director of ICR will compile the outcome measures annually with the assistance of the Associate Director for Graduate Studies and the Associate Director for Undergraduate Studies. The graduate program material will be analyzed and critiqued by the ICR faculty Advisory Committee, and presented to a faculty meeting for discussion and evaluation. Formal recommendations will be submitted to the Director for implementation. The same procedures will be followed for the undergraduate assessment measures, though presented for discussion and evaluation to the Media Studies faculty instead of to the ICR faculty as a whole.

V. TIMETABLE FOR IMPLEMENTATION

Summer-Fall 1999: Survey designed and distributed for Media Studies alumni. Spring 2000: Annual assessment reviews implemented and completed. Summer-Fall 2000: Self study report for both B.S. and Ph.D. prepared for ACEJMC Accreditation. Spring 2001: National accreditation visit and report.