Assessment and Results of Programs
Assessment is a vital part of any quality educational institution. At Summit Christian University, we seek to provide the best quality education with experienced, educated, and qualified instructors. Each instructor is experienced in the field in which they teach and hold at least a Master’s degree in the field they teach. While it is important to have quality instruction, our academic department has gone to great measures to develop courses and coursework that allow the instruction to be absorbed and retained beyond the end of the course.
To that end, we have developed an assessment plan to measure the progress and academic success of the student. While it would be great to measure every student in every course, it is neither feasible nor necessary to do so. Much like the Cardinal points on a compass that point one in the correct direction, we have developed Cardinal Courses. Taken from each program, specific courses are assessed with different methods to determine the progress and success of the students. Writing assignments, final exam scores, research papers, and field exams provide information to instructors, department chairs, deans, and administration on where things are going well and where things need attention. As part of the overall assessment plan, administrators can make adjustments and changes when necessary.
An up-to-date assessment shows various results in the different departments – academic and non-academic – taken from Cardinal Course assessments and student surveys.
Non-Academic Programs
Surveys are developed using a Likert Scale response system 1- Strongly Disagree, 2- Disagree, 3 – Agree, and 4 – Strongly Agree.
Admissions – The goal of Admissions is to find leads, encourage applications, and guide students through the application process. The results for the Admission’s Department have scored 4.0 out of 4.0 consistently since the beginning of SCU.
Registrar – The goal of the Registrar’s Office is to maintain a record of student grades and progress through to graduation. The Registrar also assists the student in the transfer of credits to and from the University. We take pride in the fact that our Registrar provides expert information and precise documentation of student progress. The Student Survey results indicate a 4.0 out of 4.0 on all aspects of the Registrar’s Office responsibilities.
Career Services – While our students are usually employed when they come to SCU, they have at their disposal Career Counseling Services to help guide them to the correct field of interest or career choice. The goal of the Career Services Department is to assist the student in understanding their strengths and weaknesses, personality characteristics, and “best fit” possibilities in their career search. The Career Services Department scores a 4.0 out of 4.0 for the services they offer.
Student Services – The services offered to our students is somewhat different than traditional college campuses due to the format we offer to the nontraditional student. With that said, we still seek to provide the educational services the student needs to be successful. The goal of the Student Services Department is to help meet the student’s educational, spiritual, and relational needs using the nontraditional format. The overall average score of the Student Services Department remains consistent with a 4.0 out of 4.0.
Our Non-Academic programs consistently and continually meet the needs of our students as reported in the Student Surveys collected after each course.
Academic Programs
Business Administration – The Cardinal Courses for Business Administration include:
– BUS 221 Principles of Economics
– BUS 322 Principles of Management
– BUS 331 Principles of Finance
– BUS 372 Human Resources Management
The goal of the Business Administration Department is to help fulfill SCU’s mission by educating and training students for service to God, inside and outside their respective professions, and by helping students understand diverse society. In the highly competitive business world, a business administration degree can make a difference. Through an integrated curriculum that incorporates business fundamentals with an emphasis on ethical leadership and strong values, SCU’s Business Administration Degree has made a difference for hundreds of adult students who wanted to advance their careers. The most recent results of the End of the Course Student Surveys, Embedded Papers, Research Paper, and Final exam indicate that the program was meeting the desired outcomes established for the Cardinal Courses and the Program in general.
One hundred percent of the BA students have scored in the “skilled” or “proficient” level in the scoring of their writing abilities and “exemplary” in their oral presentation skills demonstrating their level of understanding in Management and Human Resources. The same holds true for the BA student’s results in the subject material for Economics and Finance. The assessment over a period of two years (FY 18 – FY20) showed a definitive increase (FY18 avg. – 85.42 to FY20 avg.- 87.28) in writing skills. The longer the student attends the better they understand the format. This leads to a better understanding of business principles which increases their complete knowledge of the subject matter. This is indicated by their research skills and comprehension of subjects to research. Students are assessed through an embedded question in their exams that are reviewed by an outside reader trained in writing and research skills.
The benchmark for assessment is 90% of students to score “Skilled or Proficient” on writing assignments within the Cardinal Courses. Students in the BA program have shown their abilities to be at the “Skilled” level consistently throughout their time in the program.
There is always room for improvement within a program and the planned improvements for this program include making available to the student assistance in writing and research skills to help increase their writing abilities. The plan is to offer this help through online sources and contact with our Learning Resources Department. The LR Department includes the online library and includes self-use resources but the LR Director, Amber Clapp, can give guidance and direction through virtual contact including emails, phone conversations, texting, and face to face via orientations.
Christian Ministries – The Cardinal Courses for the Christian Ministries include:
– CHM 341 Christian Ministries
– CHM 461 Christian Leadership
– BIB 212 New Testament
– THE 340 Biblical Interpretation
The Bachelor of Science in Christian Ministries challenges students to develop skills relating to the health and growth of church or para-church organizations. This major prepares students to assume leadership roles in ministry through a deeper understanding of Biblical teachings and theology. Students will better understand how to develop an effective ministry-based approach to doing ministry in the local church setting. Successful candidates for the Bachelor of Science in Christian Ministries will be armed with Biblical truth and sound leadership tools to fulfill the Great Commission.
The most recent results of the End of the Course Student Surveys, Embedded Papers, Research Papers, and Final exams indicate that the program was meeting the desired outcomes established for the Cardinal Courses and the Program in general. The results of assessment for the Christian Ministries program show that students are scoring in the “skilled” level on writing assignments from the Cardinal Courses. The goal of the program is for students to perform at the “skilled” or “proficient” levels in their writing skills and presentation skills.
The statistics show that students are writing at a skilled level (Avg. 82.56) on research writing assignments but scoring in the “proficient” range on embedded writing assignments (Avg. 4.6 out of 5.0). This indicates that students are becoming better with practice. They are learning to formulate and appraise pertinent background, themes, interpretive questions, and related information pertaining to books found in the Old and New Testaments. The Final Exam essay (embedded) shows an increase from 4.2 to 4.6 from FY18 to FY20 for both New Testament and Biblical Interpretation. These essays and writing assignments are scored using a Writing Rubric by an outside, objective, and qualified reader, Amber Clapp, our Learning Resources Director.
Areas of improvement for the Christian Ministries program include developing methods to increase critical thinking skills, improve retention, and enhance writing skills. Instructors are encouraged to offer research methods, enhancing outline skills, and writing guidance to students as they work diligently to put their thoughts to paper. We are encouraging our student to utilize our Learning Resource Center. The plan is to offer this help through online sources and contact with our Learning Resources Department. The LR Department includes the online library and includes self-use resources but the LR Director, Amber Clapp, can give guidance and direction through virtual contact including emails, phone conversations, texting, and face to face via orientations.
Psychology – The Cardinal Courses for the Psychology Department include:
– PSY 331 Abnormal Psychology
– PSY 330 Theories of Personality
– PSY 370 Principles of Statistics
– PSY 410 Physiological Psychology
– PSY 420 Quantitative Methods
The Psychology major integrates a broad knowledge and perspective from the field of psychology with the Christian faith. Major theories in psychology are evaluated from a Biblical worldview and application of psychological principles is encouraged to help students grow personally and professionally. Students will develop the skills needed to aid clients in accomplishing goals allowing them to manage problem situations and their lives more effectively.
The most recent results of the assessment for the Psychology Program are most promising. Decisions for changes and modifications to the Program come from results of the End of the Course Student Surveys, Embedded Papers, Research Papers, and Final exams which indicate that the program was meeting the desired outcomes established for the Cardinal Courses and the Program in general.
The Field Exam for the Psychology Program is made up from questions found in exams of each course and chosen by instructors to be the information a student would need to know to have a complete understanding of Psychology. It is divided into sections (courses) and graded sections are dissected to reveal the student’s knowledge of the tested section. Students are expected to have at the very least a passing grade (60% or above) in each of the Cardinal Course sections. The Field Exam has proven to be a valuable tool to understand the level of knowledge and understanding students have overall. Recommendations to support improvement include the developing the in- class methods that enhance comprehension and memory retention of Personality Theory by using class activities geared for retention; review the textbook; develop better examples of personality theory and behaviors associated with each theory and breaking down the different theories into manageable and memorable sections.
The research and writing skills have shown improvement but still have room for improvement. Mostly, students score proficient on writing assignments and embedded questions but all score at least skilled. The recommendations to help enhance writing skills by assisting the student with topic choice, outline development, and research sources to enhance writing skills and comprehension of the material.
General Studies (Associate) – The Cardinal Courses for this program include:
– COM 110 Principles of Speech
– ENG 120 English Composition II
– HIS 210 United States History to 1877
– MUS 210 Music Appreciation
– PSY 101 General Psychology
– SCI 100 Environmental Science
The SUMMIT Associate of Science degree is a non-traditional program that serves students with little or no college education. Students typically are employed full-time during the day; thus, the program is offered face-to-face in the evening or online. The face-to-face format is designed for adults aged 20 and older. Five-week classes meet one night per week with 24 months of year-round instruction (there are added breaks throughout the program), providing the student the opportunity to earn 60 semester credit hours. The courses are taught in a seminar format that is conducive to learning for adults. This format brings groups of students together who are making similar sacrifices to achieve a common goal. SUMMIT cohort groups quickly develop a spirit of camaraderie and support. Successful completion of the associate program allows the student to transition into the Bachelor of Science degree completion program.
The SUMMIT associate degree programs enable students to develop:
– Interpersonal skills
– Communication skills
– Problem-solving and decision-making skills
– Information literacy
– Self-reliance and leadership skills
– Self-knowledge and self-image growth
The General Studies Program is developed to offer the necessary tools and skills to help the student be successful in college level education. While some skills are expected to be present, not all students have the knowledge and understanding to produce the level of skill necessary for college. The goal of SCU is to help students attain the skills necessary to achieve college level learning. Assessment for this Program has been limited due to the limited number of students enrolled in this program. Just as the other programs, General Studies has the assessment procedures in place to determine the effectiveness of the program.
Rate of Employment
The rate of employment of our graduates is 87%. While we have been in operation and offering classes for six years, we have had 16 graduates. Three of those are retired and are no longer in the workforce. Although, they continue to volunteer in their churches and community. The rest of the graduates are working in the respective fields associated with their degrees. Most of our graduates come to SCU already employed. Their education helps them to enhance their positions or allows them to position themselves for advancement in their places of employment.