Data-Based Decisions Correlated to Direct Measures
Undergraduates
Based on the outcomes data from the NCE courses, student performance continues to show regular attendance, expected performance, and active engagement. To date, no students enrolled in the program have transferred out. In 2021, three students completed senior-level internships and graduated (2 Ag Education, 1 FCSE). Three students were able to complete successful introductory internships with USU Extension, and another completed two advanced internships with USU Extension. The largest sector of growth in the program continues to be from Family and Consumer Sciences Education, 98% of students are from this emphasis, and 100% at the end of 2021 were students that identified as female.
The number of students participating in the minor NCE degree continues to grow. Program teaching numbers were supplemented in 2021 with students from agricultural business (2), animal science (1) , equine science (1), and interdisciplinary studies (1). These students are most interested in the teaching methods-related courses, rather than program planning and evaluation.
Student grades within the program courses remain steady (average GPA 3.8). There were no students that failed an NCE-core course, and all students were in good standing. It is anticipated that our enrollment numbers will double in 2022.
Due to student comments and the desire for growth, the ASTE 5220/6220 course will be taught as a 15-week course during the spring semesters. The course was originally developed as a 7-week summer short-course but is a popular course for undergraduates and graduate students (elective). IDEA evaluation comments and recommendations for improvement reflected a desire for a full semester change. ASTE 3625 was not taught in 2021 but will be taught Spring 2022. The low enrollment was due to a gap in the number of upper division students and early enrollers in the program. To improve and supplement the enrollment in this course, it will be directly marketed to youth-related programs (i.e., Parks & Recreation, Outdoor Education, Museum Education, and Nonprofit certification students) in 2022.
Exit interviews and surveys will be conducted starting in 2021 for graduating students and first-year students. Additionally, an internship webinar training will be developed and distributed to all first-and second-year students. The purpose will be to assist them in obtaining an internship that reflects their professional and personal goals. Additional funding has been sought to strengthen the internship courses and process to ensure that NCE students obtain the instructional experiences necessary for benchmark competency.
Graduates
The ASTE 6170 course remains a critical course for graduate students. Outcomes-based measures design has been designated as one of the primary skills necessary for nonformal education/extension work. The course outcomes show that students struggle in the first half of the class but continue to improve due to the policy of revision and resubmission of their work. This course will continue to use project-based learning to enable students to experience program planning through experiential learning.