Bachelor of Science in Behavior Analysis

Assessment Report, 2015-2016

CLASS, Behavior Analysis

Assessment Identifiers

College / School
College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences

Department
Social and Behavioral Sciences

Program / Major / Certificate
Behavior Analysis Major

Assessment Coordinator(s)
Sherry Serdikoff

Has there been a change to the Assessment Coordinator(s) since the last assessment plan?
No

Person(s) responsible for writing and/or submitting this report:

Sherry Serdikoff

Program Mission Statement

MISSION: The mission of the undergraduate major in Behavior Analysis is to educate individuals about behavior analysis—a natural science approach to understanding the behavior of individuals—by providing instruction, mentoring, and opportunities to engage in research and practice in behavior analysis to a diverse student population who will contribute to the well-being of society.

(Additional clarifying statements – to be included on web site and other places where more extensive explanations are an option):
Behavior analysis grew out of the scientific study of principles of learning and behavior in the field of psychology and thus can be characterized as a specialized conceptual framework for approaching psychological science and its applications. Accordingly, within the behavior analysis major, courses in behavior analysis are complemented with foundational courses and opportunities for some electives in the broader discipline of psychological science.
Like the broader field of psychological science, the continuum of behavior analysis encompasses basic science, applied science, and application. It ranges from the basic science of the experimental analysis of behavior (EAB), that has accumulated a considerable body of research literature providing a scientific foundation for fundamental principles of behavior to applied behavior analysis (ABA), that includes both applied science that researches questions directed as changing socially significant behaviors and the delivery of services to meet behavioral needs in diverse populations. As with psychological science, behavior analysis can be applied to changing a broad range of behaviors (e.g., drug taking, self-injurious behavior, skill-building, and workplace safety) in a variety of settings (e.g., clinical, educational, and organizational settings).

Has this mission statement been revised since the last plan?
No

PSLOs

1. Knowledge Base in Behavior Analysis: Students will be able to demonstrate proficiency regarding key concepts, principles, procedures, and overarching themes in behavior analysis.

2. Scientific Inquiry and Critical Thinking: Students will be able to demonstrate scientific inquiry and critical thinking skills when exploring behavioral phenomena.

3. Ethical and Social Responsibility in a Diverse World: Students will be able to demonstrate ethically and socially responsible behaviors for professional and personal settings in a landscape that involves increasing diversity.

4. Communication: Students will be able to demonstrate effective writing and oral presentation skills for different purposes as well as interact effectively with others.

5. Professional Development: Students will be able demonstrate skills that reflect readiness for post baccalaureate employment, graduate school, or professional school.

6. Behavior Analysis in Relation to Other Disciplines and Fields: Students will be able to describe relationships between behavior analysis and other fields.

LINK TO: Assessment Report, 2015-2016 – Supporting Documents

Assessment Results (PSLOs)

SSU Strategic Plan Goal	PSLO	Semester	Professor	Courses	Assessment Artifacts and Instruments	Target Levels	Results and Analysis of Results	Actions in Response to Results
Academic Engagement and Achievement	1. Knowledge Base in Behavior Analysis: Students will be able to demonstrate proficiency regarding key concepts, principles, procedures, and overarching themes in behavior analysis.	Fall 2015	S. Serdikoff	BEHV 3105 Learning and Motivation	BACB FK Checklist - Count; no rubric	70% of students report 3 or 4 on 70% of topics	TARGET 1 MET >70% of students report 3 or 4 on 92% of topics	OVERALL: TARGET PARTIALLY MET Description of projected use of results from the 2014-2015 academic year that is being addressed in the 2015-2016 academic year: Develop a more appropriate comprehensive measure of BA content that students should have before graduating (mock BACB exam). Description of the expected use of results that will be addressed in the 2016-2017 academic year: Although most students self-report a high-level of understanding of the fundamental concepts, an objective test after having completed the 4-course sequence of content classes suggests otherwise. We plan to collect more data with the new "in-house" designed Mock exam and examine it for reliability and validity. Ultimately, we hope to use this mock exam, or something like it, as an exit exam for our majors.
		Spring 2016	S. Serdikoff	BEHV 3105 Learning and Motivation	BACB FK Checklist - Count; no rubric	70% of students report 3 or 4 on 70% of topics	TARGET 2 MET >70% of students report 3 or 4 on 92% of topics
		Spring 2016	K. Frame	BEHV 3117 Counseling and Behavior Change	BACB Mock Exam - Key; no rubric	70% of students > 70% score	TARGET 3 NOT MET 8% of students > 70% score
Academic Engagement and Achievement	2. Scientific Inquiry and Critical Thinking: Students will be able to demonstrate scientific inquiry and critical thinking skills when exploring behavioral phenomena.	Fall 2015	S. Serdikoff	BEHV 2103 Behavior Statistics	Final Exam - Key; no rubric	70% of students > 70% score	TARGET 1 NOT MET 23% of students > 70% score	OVERALL: TARGET PARTIALLY MET Description of projected use of results from the 2014-2015 academic year that is being addressed in the 2015-2016 academic year: More practice activities were developed for students in BEHV 2103. Description of the expected use of results that will be addressed in the 2016-2017 academic year: The library exercise seems useful for assessing the information literacy component of this PSLO and we will continue to work with our library liaison to address it. For BEHV 2103, the literature suggests that having a 2-semester integrated stats-methods might serve our students better, to put statistics in context. We will design and propose such a course sequence.
		Fall 2015	S. Serdikoff	BEHV 3112 Experimental Analysis	Information Seeking Skills - Key; no rubric	70% of students > 70% score	TARGET 2 MET 95% of students > 70% score
		Spring 2016	S. Serdikoff	BEHV 2103 Behavior Statistics	Final Exam - Key; no rubric	70% of students > 70% score	TARGET 3 NOT MET 31% of students > 70% score
		Spring 2016	S. Serdikoff	BEHV 3112 Experimental Analysis	Information Seeking Skills - Key; no rubric	70% of students > 70% score	TARGET 4 MET 100% of students > 70% score
Academic Engagement and Achievement	3. Ethical and Social Responsibility in a Diverse World: Students will be able to demonstrate ethically and socially responsible behaviors for professional and personal settings in a landscape that involves increasing diversity.	Fall 2015	A. Mahoney	BEHV 1101 Introduction to Behavior Analysis	BACB Ethics Code ID - Key; no rubric	70% of students > 70% score	TARGET 1 MET 99% of students > 70% score	OVERALL: TARGET MET Description of the expected use of results that will be addressed in the 2016-2017 academic year: Students are performing well on these measures. However, with increasing requirements by the BACB for ethics training, and the addition of the Behavior Ethics course to the required curriculum, we should develop a more comprehensive tool to assess this PSLO.
		Fall 2015	K. Frame	BEHV 3117 Counseling and Behavior Change	Ethics Quiz - Key; no rubric	70% of students > 70% score	TARGET 2 MET 100% of students > 70% score
		Spring 2016	A. Mahoney	BEHV 1101 Introduction to Behavior Analysis	BACB Ethics Code ID - Key; no rubric	70% of students > 70% score	TARGET 3 MET 100% of students > 70% score
		Spring 2016	K. Frame	BEHV 3117 Counseling and Behavior Change	Ethics Quiz - Key; no rubric	70% of students > 70% score	TARGET 4 MET 100% of students > 70% score
Academic Engagement and Achievement	4. Communication: Students will be able to demonstrate effective writing and oral presentation skills for different purposes as well as interact effectively with others.	Fall 2015	S. Serdikoff	BEHV 3112 Experimental Analysis	Lab Report - Lab Report Rubric	70% of students > 2.5points on "writing" rubric items	TARGET 1 NOT MET 15% of students > 2.5 score	OVERALL: TARGET NOT MET Description of projected use of results from the 2014-2015 academic year that is being addressed in the 2015-2016 academic year: Using the lab report in BEHV 3112 to measure this PSLO. Description of any changes for improvements which were made during the course of the 2015-2016 academic year: There was a change in text used; the one used in Spring 2016 provides more support on APA-style writing. Also, some class time was allocated to writing in Spring 2016. Description of the expected use of results that will be addressed in the 2016-2017 academic year: Using the rubric items from class assignments is not well-suited for assessment purposes. We will need to develop a variant of the AACU writing rubric that is specific to writing in our discipline that can be used to assess writing across the major, from BEHV 1101 through BEHV 4213.
Academic Engagement and Achievement		Spring 2016	S. Serdikoff	BEHV 3112 Experimental Analysis	Lab Report - Lab Report Rubric	70% of students > 3.5 points on "writing" rubric items	TARGET 2 NOT MET 14% of students > 3.5 score
Academic Engagement and Achievement	5. Professional Development: Students will be able demonstrate skills that reflect readiness for post baccalaureate employment, graduate school, or professional school.	Spring 2016	S. Serdikoff	BEHV 0000 across multiple 3xxx-level classes	Academic Skills Inventory - Revised Count; no rubric	BASELINE	TARGET NOT ASSESSED	OVERALL: TARGET NOT ASSESSED Description of projected use of results from the 2014-2015 academic year that is being addressed in the 2015-2016 academic year: Using the ASI-R for assessment of this PSLO. Description of any changes for improvements which were made during the course of the 2015-2016 academic year: We wanted to identify an instrument that would be a better assessment of the general academic skills our students have. We identified the Academic Skills Inventory-R, that appears in the Assessment of the Psychology Major literature and adapted it for use. Description of the expected use of results that will be addressed in the 2016-2017 academic year: The program will be analyzing the data and examining the results to identify appropriate future targets for our population of students.
Academic Engagement and Achievement	6. Behavior Analysis in Relation to Other Disciplines and Fields: Students will be able to describe relationships between behavior analysis and other disciplines and fields.	Fall 2015	A. Mahoney	BEHV 4213 Research Seminar	Grant Proposal - Grant Proposal Rubric	70% of students > 70% score	TARGET 1 MET 92% of students > 70% score	OVERALL: TARGET MET Description of projected use of results from the 2014-2015 academic year that is being addressed in the 2015-2016 academic year: Using the BEHV 4213 Grant proposal assignment for assessment of this PSLO. Description of the expected use of results that will be addressed in the 2016-2017 academic year: Although students are performing well on these assessments, we do not think this measurement tool is well-suited for measuring this outcome. The program will consider developing/adopting new/additional assessment (e.g., nationally recognized tool, like the Psychology ACAT).
Academic Engagement and Achievement		Spring 2016	A. Mahoney	BEHV 4213 Research Seminar	Grant Proposal - Grant Proposal Rubric	70% of students > 70% score	TARGET 2 MET 92% of students > 70% score

Assessment Results (POs)

SSU Strategic Plan Goal	PO Goal	Enabling Strategies	Measures	Targets	Results and Analysis of Results	Actions in Response to Results
Academic Engagement and Achievement	Attract qualified students to the behavior analysis major, help them to achieve academic success, and facilitate their progress through the major requirements in a timely manner so that they graduate from Savannah State University with a bachelor’s degree in four years	Faculty with qualifications to teach BEHV courses and mentor students in behavior analysis; funding to support student research/scholarship/travel to professional meetings	Data from Institutional Research Office on number of majors and graduation rates; student scholarship products	Offer at least three sections of BEHV 1101 each fall and two each spring; Offer at least four upper-level BEHV electives in AY 2015-2016; Offer at least one section of every required major classes each semester.	TARGET PARTIALLY MET Three sections of BEHV 1101 were offered in Fall 2015 and two were offered in Spring 2016. Six upper-level BEHV electives were offered across both semesters. BEHV 2101 was not offered in FA14,	OVERALL: TARGET PARTIALLY MET Description of projected use of results from the 2014-2015 academic year that is being addressed in the 2015-2016 academic year: Having to teach independent study sections of required courses as unpaid-overloads places an undue burden on faculty. The program needs to address staffing needs in the context of curriculum requirements. Description of the expected use of results that will be addressed in the 2016-2017 academic year: Strive to offer all required classes both semesters. The program will consider reducing BEHV 1101 and expanding BEHV 3104 offerings to control enrollment, and expand research opportunities for students with an eye toward increasing student participation in professional development/scholarly activity.
				Maintain/increase number of majors from AY 2014-2105 and graduate at least 10% of majors in AY 2105-2016	TARGET MET Increased number of majors from AY 2014-2015 to AY 2015-2016 (196 and 250 respectively) and graduated 29 majors (12%) in AY 2015-2016.
				Have students present research at a conference and at SSU Research Day	TARGET MET Two students attended the Southeastern Association for Behavior Analysis conference in Fall 2015 and were co-authors on presentations; Four student projects were presented at SSU Research Day in Spring 2016
Academic Engagement and Achievement	Offer students a curriculum that reflects disciplinary guidelines and standards for education in the field of behavior analysis and prepares them to pursue graduate education or enter the behavior analysis workforce	Meetings of the BCBA faculty to discuss curricular issues; complete paperwork necessary to initiate curriculum changes and usher them through the curriculum approval process	Revised mapping of courses to new PSLOs.	Revised mapping document	TARGET MET New mapping of Courses to PSLOs developed.	OVERALL: TARGET PARTIALLY MET Description of projected use of results from the 2014-2015 academic year that is being addressed in the 2015-2016 academic year: Update curriculum maps (courses to PSLOs) to align with new PSLOs; continue discussions of proposed ACS and submit an ACS application to the BACB during AY 15-16; implement course sequencing changes. Description of any changes for improvements which were made during the course of the 2015-2016 academic year: We began advising students in accordance with the new course sequencing recommendations. Description of the expected use of results that will be addressed in the 2016-2017 academic year: The program will update CSLOs and map to recently revised PSLOs, continue discussions of proposed ACS and submit an ACS application to the BACB during AY 15-16, and submit paperwork to support course sequencing changes.
			BACB ACS approval	Have an Approved Course Sequence (ACS) accepted by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB).	TARGET NOT MET A minor adjustment to the proposed ACS was made, but consensus approval of the BCBA faculty was not achieved.
			Completed curriculum approval paperwork as needed	Implement revised course sequencing based on AY 2014-2015 discussion and PSLO assessment data	TARGET PARTIALLY MET We discussed disciplinary recommendations for course sequencing, created new advising documents to reflect these recommendation, and began advising students in accordance with these recommendations.