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Family and Consumer Sciences Education & Extension Degree

ASTE Graduate Programs

View All ASTE Assessments

Program Objectives:

Skills and Career Competencies

1. Objective 1 - Describe and demonstrate research skills and qualitative and quantitative research methods.

2. Objective 2 - Improve critical thinking and written communication skills.

3. Objective 3 - Develop and practice professional and leadership skills to communicate effectively within the scholarly FCSEE community, formal and nonformal settings, and in collaborative efforts.

4. Objective 4 - Develop contemporary curricula and content based on workforce or public needs.

5. Objective 5 - Demonstrate the effective use of online communication tools and communication software.

6. Objective 6 - Model student-centered instructional practices supported by learning theories.

7. Objective 7 - Develop and use evaluation and assessment instruments to measure achievement, attitude, or behaviors, and program impacts.

Each of the program objectives must be achieved and properly assessed with the following required and elective courses. The course information related to the transparency of the student work and how the student work is evaluated is given in the links that correspond to the objectives. The course objectives are written to meet the course description (link to the USU catalog) and achieve the program objectives. Students are evaluated in each course by completing assignments, projects, quizzes, exams, and other forms of formative and summative assessments. To better help students understand the course and program expectations, the corresponding assignments, and the assessment tools (e.g., rubrics) are given for each program objective and its aligning course objective.

MS FCSEE Courses Currently in Development:

ASTE 6200: Principles & Practices of Extension Education

MS FCSEE Courses Used for Thesis Research and Development: Achievement assessed on individual merit and goals by the student's Supervisory Committee Members

ASTE 6970: Research and Thesis

Program Objective 1:

Describe and demonstrate research skills and qualitative and quantitative research methods.

Courses that meet the Program Objective

ASTE 6100: Research and Academic Writing | Instructors, Courtney Clausen & Kelsey Hall

Course Objectives from the Syllabus that meet the Program Objective

  • Students will demonstrate expertise using APA 7 formatting
  • Students will construct a pre-proposal (thesis) document
  • Students will develop a research proposal
  • Students will effectively present their research proposal to an audience

Course Assignments that meet the Course Objectives

  • Assignment 2 & 3: Students will complete APA Citation Corrections
  • Assignment 4 : Students will read and review the required elements of a pre-proposal and develop a pre-proposal. Ten pages must be written and presented to their Supervisory Committee within the first three weeks of the semester
  • Assignment 5: Students will submit a high-quality thesis proposal (30 pages max), ready for presentation at the end of the semester
  • Assignment 6 : Students will prepare a thesis proposal presentation between 15-20 minutes in length.

ASTE 6170: Program Planning & Evaluation | Instructor, Rose Judd-Murray

Course Objectives from the Syllabus that meet the Program Objective

  • Students will critically analyze social & educational programs and conduct a needs assessment
  • Students will apply the procedures for protecting the rights and welfare of human participants in research settings
  • Students will plan and design an intervention to meet an identified need
  • Students will develop skills to frame evaluation projects based on evaluation theory
  • Students will plan and design evaluations based upon stakeholder input, the purpose of the evaluation using appropriate methods for data collection and analysis
  • Students will develop skills related to submitting and presenting a program proposal complete with evaluation

Course Assignments that meet the Course Objectives

  • Assignment 4a: Developing a Needs Assessment
  • Assignment 4b : Revising the Needs Assessment and crafting a survey instrument
  • Assignment 4c: Developing a proposal to address the needs assessment
  • Assignment 5: Conducting a Logic Model development and critique
  • Assignment 6: Proposal Presentation

ASTE 6370: Grant Writing & Management | Instructors, Michael Pate

Course Objectives from the Syllabus that meet the Program Objective

  • Students will perform a critical review of a competitive grant proposal
  • Students will outline and complete essential elements of a proposal for funding

Course Assignments that meet the Course Objectives

  • Assignment: Students will complete a group panel peer review
  • Assignment : Students will complete and submit a final draft of a grant proposal

ASTE 6750: Research Methods & Design | Instructor, Michael Pate

Course Objectives from the Syllabus that meet the Program Objective

  • Students will demonstrate strategies for writing a research proposal
  • Students will summarize and plan specific research designs for review

Course Assignments that meet the Course Objectives

  • Assignment: Students will complete a research prospectus
  • Assignment : Students will work in a group to complete a research preview presentation

ASTE 7100: Research Methods & Design | Instructor, Kelsey Hall

Course Objectives from the Syllabus that meet the Program Objective

  • Students will demonstrate expertise using APA 7 formatting
  • Students will construct a pre-proposal dissertation document
  • Students will develop a research proposal
  • Students will effectively present their research proposal to an audience

Course Assignments that meet the Course Objectives

  • Assignment 2 & 3: APA citation correction assignments
  • Assignment 4: Read and review the required elements of a pre-proposal and develop a pre-proposal and present it to Supervisory Committee
  • Assignment 5: Submit a high-quality dissertation proposal, ready for presentation at semester end
  • Assignment 6: Prepare a dissertation proposal presentation, 15-20 minutes in length
  • preview presentation

ASTE 7500: Diffusion of Innovations | Instructor, Brian Warnick

Course Objectives from the Syllabus that meet the Program Objective

  • Students will analyze factors that contribute to change agent success
  • Students will evaluate the potential consequences of an innovation and cite examples of desirable, undesirable, direct, indirect, anticipated, and unanticipated consequences
  • Students will evaluate the role of communication networks and social learning theory on the rate of innovation adoption

Course Assignments that meet the Course Objectives

  • Assignment: Students will write and submit a reflection paper on change agent characteristics and aptitudes
  • Assignment : Students will complete the consequences of innovations review
  • Assignment : Students will investigate and review a "hardware or product" innovation

Program Objective 2:

Improve critical thinking and written communication skills.

Courses that meet the Program Objectives

ASTE 6100: Research and Academic Writing | Instructors, Courtney Clausen & Kelsey Hall

Course Objectives from the Syllabus that meet the Program Objective

  • Students will demonstrate expertise using APA 7 formatting
  • Students will construct a pre-proposal (thesis) document
  • Students will develop a research proposal
  • Students will effectively present their research proposal to an audience

Course Assignments that meet the Course Objectives

  • Assignment 2 & 3: Students will complete APA Citation Corrections
  • Assignment 4 : Students will read and review the required elements of a pre-proposal and develop a pre-proposal. Ten pages must be written and presented to their Supervisory Committee within the first three weeks of the semester
  • Assignment 5: Students will submit a high-quality thesis proposal (30 pages max), ready for presentation at the end of the semester
  • Assignment 6 : Students will prepare a thesis proposal presentation between 15-20 minutes in length.

ASTE 6180: Administration & Leadership | Instructor, Rebecca Lawver

Course Objectives from the Syllabus that meet the Program Objective

  • Students will assess their individual leadership skills and strengths, ability to be a change agent, exercise the opportunities for self-assessment, reflection, and feedback
  • Students will communicate a personal leadership vision to guide continued development and success.

Course Assignments that meet the Course Objectives

ASTE 6220: Volunteer Programs & Partnerships ( Elective ) | Instructor, Rose Judd-Murray

Course Objectives from the Syllabus that meet the Program Objective

  • Students will review principles and concepts of community engagement
  • Students will compare models and frameworks for the practice of community engagement
  • Students will plan, prepare, and evaluate volunteers or community-based activities, including recruitment, training, policy, and risk management
  • Students will participate in a ten-hour volunteerism experience
  • Students will interview and conduct a learning dialogue with volunteer coordinators, program planners, and active volunteers to create foundational knowledge and first-person learning

Course Assignments that meet the Course Objectives

  • Assignment: Students will reflect on prior volunteer experiences and conduct a peer review
  • Assignment : Students will conduct two 30-minute interviews with a volunteer coordinator or volunteer administrator
  • Assignment: Students will develop one infographic as a volunteer recruitment tool
  • Assignment: Students will develop one five-to-seven-minute video presentation designed to retain volunteers
  • Assignment: Students will participate in a minimum of ten hours of volunteer service, either face-to-face in the local community or in a virtual volunteer experience
  • Assignment: Students will develop and present a video reflection pertaining to their required volunteer experience
  • Assignment: Students will submit a six-page reflective summary of three different peer-reviewed journal articles pertaining to content discussed within the course

ASTE 6370: Grant Writing & Management | Instructors, Michael Pate

Course Objectives from the Syllabus that meet the Program Objective

  • Students will perform a critical review of a competitive grant proposal
  • Students will outline and complete essential elements of a proposal for funding

Course Assignments that meet the Course Objectives

  • Assignment: Students will complete a group panel peer review
  • Assignment : Students will complete and submit a final draft of a grant proposal

ASTE 6750: Research Methods & Design | Instructor, Michael Pate

Course Objectives from the Syllabus that meet the Program Objective

  • Students will demonstrate strategies for writing a research proposal
  • Students will summarize and plan specific research designs for review

Course Assignments that meet the Course Objectives

  • Assignment: Students will complete a research prospectus
  • Assignment : Students will work in a group to complete a research preview presentation

ASTE 6800: Analysis of Social Research Data | Instructor, Michael Pate

Course Objectives from the Syllabus that meet the Program Objective

  • Students will select and demonstrate the use of quantitative data analysis techniques
  • Students will develop a data analysis proposal

Course Assignments that meet the Course Objectives

  • Assignment: Students will complete SPSS assigned practice work (sets 4, 5, and 6)
  • Assignment : Students will prepare and submit a data analysis proposal

ASTE 7100: Research Methods & Design | Instructor, Kelsey Hall

Course Objectives from the Syllabus that meet the Program Objective

  • Students will demonstrate expertise using APA 7 formatting
  • Students will construct a pre-proposal thesis document
  • Students will develop a research proposal
  • Students will effectively present their research proposal to an audience

    Course Assignments that meet the Course Objectives

  • Assignment 2 & 3: APA citation correction assignments
  • Assignment 4: Read and review the required elements of a pre-proposal and develop a pre-proposal and present it to Supervisory Committee
  • Assignment 5: Submit a high-quality thesis proposal, ready for presentation at semester end
  • Assignment 6: Prepare a thesis proposal presentation, 15-20 minutes in length
  • preview presentation

Program Objective 3:

Develop and practice professional and leadership skills to communicate effectively within the scholarly FCSEE community, formal and nonformal settings, and in collaborative efforts.

Courses that meet the Program Objectives

ASTE 6180: Administration & Leadership | Instructor, Rebecca Lawver

Course Objectives from the Syllabus that meet the Program Objective

  • Students will assess their individual leadership skills and strengths, ability to be a change agent, exercise the opportunities for self-assessment, reflection, and feedback
  • Students will communicate a personal leadership vision to guide continued development and success.

Course Assignments that meet the Course Objectives

ASTE 6220: Volunteer Programs & Partnerships ( Elective ) | Instructor, Rose Judd-Murray

Course Objectives from the Syllabus that meet the Program Objective

  • Students will review principles and concepts of community engagement
  • Students will compare models and frameworks for the practice of community engagement
  • Students will plan, prepare, and evaluate volunteers or community-based activities, including recruitment, training, policy, and risk management
  • Students will participate in a ten-hour volunteerism experience
  • Students will interview and conduct a learning dialogue with volunteer coordinators, program planners, and active volunteers to create foundational knowledge and first-person learning

Course Assignments that meet the Course Objectives

  • Assignment: Students will reflect on prior volunteer experiences and conduct a peer review
  • Assignment : Students will conduct two 30-minute interviews with a volunteer coordinator or volunteer administrator
  • Assignment: Students will develop one infographic as a volunteer recruitment tool
  • Assignment: Students will develop one five-to-seven-minute video presentation designed to retain volunteers
  • Assignment: Students will participate in a minimum of ten hours of volunteer service, either face-to-face in the local community or in a virtual volunteer experience
  • Assignment: Students will develop and present a video reflection pertaining to their required volunteer experience
  • Assignment: Students will submit a six-page reflective summary of three different peer-reviewed journal articles pertaining to content discussed within the course

Program Objective 4:

Develop contemporary curricula and content based on workforce or public needs.

Courses that meet the Program Objectives

ASTE/HDFS 6045 ( Elective ): Financial Literacy Programs | Instructor, Lucy Delgadillo

Course Objectives from the Syllabus that meet the Program Objective

  • Students will develop two financial education modules to teach interior finances to their audience.

Course Assignments that meet the Course Objectives

  • Assignment Module 1: Interior Finances
  • Assignment Module 2: Interior Finances

ASTE 6160: Foundations of Adult Education | Instructor, Lucy Delgadillo

Course Objectives from the Syllabus that meet the Program Objective

  • Students will apply learning theories and adult motivation strategies to develop meaningful instruction

Course Assignments that meet the Course Objectives

  • Assignment: Students will conduct a peer review of an online instructional module

ASTE 6300: Advanced Teaching Strategies ( Elective ) | Instructor, Lacee Boschetto

Course Objectives from the Syllabus that meet the Program Objective

  • Students will plan a project-based learning unit of instruction, incorporating multiple teaching strategies
  • Students will demonstrate the use of the research-based nine essential teaching strategies
  • Students will develop a community of learners to improve their instructional planning and the use of teaching strategies

Course Assignments that meet the Course Objectives

Program Objective 5

Demonstrate the effective use of online communication tools and communication software.

Courses that meet the Program Objectives

ASTE 6180: Administration & Leadership | Instructor, Rebecca Lawver

Course Objectives from the Syllabus that meet the Program Objective

  • Students will assess their individual leadership skills and strengths, ability to be a change agent, exercise the opportunities for self-assessment, reflection, and feedback
  • Students will communicate a personal leadership vision to guide continued development and success.

Course Assignments that meet the Course Objectives

ASTE 6920: Communication Tools for Extension | Instructor, Kelsey Hall

Course Objectives from the Syllabus that meet the Program Objective

  • Students will produce digital media and materials to support instructional strategies and communication
  • Students will write a social media plan for an agricultural organization, government agency, or Extension office

Course Assignments that meet the Course Objectives

ASTE 7500: Diffusion of Innovations | Instructor, Brian Warnick

Course Objectives from the Syllabus that meet the Program Objective

  • Students will analyze factors that contribute to change agent success
  • Students will evaluate the potential consequences of an innovation and cite examples of desirable, undesirable, direct, indirect, anticipated, and unanticipated consequences
  • Students will evaluate the role of communication networks and social learning theory on the rate of innovation adoption

Course Assignments that meet the Course Objectives

  • Assignment: Students will write and submit a reflection paper on change agent characteristics and aptitudes
  • Assignment : Students will complete the consequences of innovations review
  • Assignment : Students will investigate and review a "hardware or product" innovation

Program Objective 6:

Model student-centered instructional practices supported by learning theories.

Courses that meet the Program Objectives

ASTE 6300: Advanced Teaching Strategies ( Elective ) | Instructor, Lacee Boschetto

Course Objectives from the Syllabus that meet the Program Objective

  • Students will plan a project-based learning unit of instruction, incorporating multiple teaching strategies
  • Students will demonstrate the use of the research-based nine essential teaching strategies
  • Students will develop a community of learners to improve their instructional planning and the use of teaching strategies

Course Assignments that meet the Course Objectives

Program Objective 7:

Develop and use evaluation and assessment instruments to measure achievement, attitude, or behaviors, and program impacts.

Courses that meet the Program Objectives

ASTE 6100: Research and Academic Writing | Instructors, Courtney Clausen & Kelsey Hall

Course Objectives from the Syllabus that meet the Program Objective

  • Students will demonstrate expertise using APA 7 formatting
  • Students will construct a pre-proposal (thesis) document
  • Students will develop a research proposal
  • Students will effectively present their research proposal to an audience

Course Assignments that meet the Course Objectives

  • Assignment 2 & 3: Students will complete APA Citation Corrections
  • Assignment 4 : Students will read and review the required elements of a pre-proposal and develop a pre-proposal. Ten pages must be written and presented to their Supervisory Committee within the first three weeks of the semester
  • Assignment 5: Students will submit a high-quality thesis proposal (30 pages max), ready for presentation at the end of the semester
  • Assignment 6 : Students will prepare a thesis proposal presentation between 15-20 minutes in length.

ASTE 6170: Program Planning and Evaluation | Instructor, Rose Judd-Murray

Course Objectives from the Syllabus that meet the Program Objective

  • Students will critically analyze social & educational programs and conduct a needs assessment
  • Students will apply the procedures for protecting the rights and welfare of human participants in research settings
  • Students will plan and design an intervention to meet an identified need
  • Students will develop an appropriate budget for an intervention
  • Students will develop skills to frame evaluation projects based on evaluation theory
  • Students will plan and design evaluations based upon stakeholder input, the purpose of the evaluation using appropriate methods for data collection and analysis
  • Students will develop skills related to submitting and presenting a program proposal complete with evaluation

Course Assignments that meet the Course Objectives

  • Assignment 4a: Developing a Needs Assessment
  • Assignment 4b : Revising the Needs Assessment and crafting a survey instrument
  • Assignment 4c: Developing a proposal to address the needs assessment
  • Assignment 5: Conducting a Logic Model development and critique
  • Assignment 6: Proposal Presentation

ASTE 6750: Research Methods & Design | Instructor, Michael Pate

Course Objectives from the Syllabus that meet the Program Objective

  • Students will demonstrate strategies for writing a research proposal
  • Students will summarize and plan specific research designs for review

Course Assignments that meet the Course Objectives

  • Assignment: Students will complete a research prospectus
  • Assignment : Students will work in a group to complete a research preview presentation