Family and Consumer Sciences
College of Agriculture, Life Sciences and Natural Resources
FCSC Graduate Assessment
Approved December 2012
The objective of our graduate program is to prepare students to:
- Be competent in the content area studied
- Be competent in oral and written communication
- Be independent and reflective learners
- Integrate theory, research, and practice
The goal for our graduate assessment for years 2012-2014 is to assess our second objective:
competency in oral and written communication. For this assessment, we will complete
the following tasks:
- Students’ presentations in the required graduate seminars will be evaluated by faculty
members attending the seminar using the AAC & U1 oral communication rubric. This will be done at two points in time (in both required
seminars). If one of the seminars is outside of the department (as could occur for
a student in the Food Science/Human Nutrition Master’s program), the graduate advisor
is responsible for ensuring that the oral communication rubric is completed by at
least one faculty member.
- Students’ one page synopsis of their seminar presentation will be evaluated by faculty
members attending the departmental seminar using the AAC & U written communication
rubric (using the first and fifth categories of the rubric: context and purpose for
writing; control of syntax and mechanics).
- Students’ oral communication proficiency will be evaluated during their thesis/plan
B presentation by each student’s M.S. committee members.
- Students’ thesis/plan B will be evaluated for written communication proficiency by
their major professor using the written communication rubric.
- Faculty will be asked to assess graduate student assignments/in class work using the
oral and written communication rubrics as appropriate. Faculty are asked to make note
of the use of these rubrics on course syllabi.
Notes:
This assessment program is required for all graduate students including those enrolled
in the interdisciplinary Masters’ Degree that is offered in Food Science and Human
Nutrition.
The instructor of the FCSC graduate seminar is required to coordinate the use of the
first and second stated assessment procedures.
1 The AAC& U rubrics can be accessed at the following website- https://www.aacu.org/initiatives/value-initiative/value-rubrics
