University of Nebraska Kearney

Interior Design Assessment Report 2005

Submitted Fall, 2005

This report reflects assessment activities for the Interior Design program in the department of Family Studies and Interior Design during the 2004-2005 academic calendar year.

Methodology

Learning Objectives: Knowledge

1. Students will develop a broad knowledge and understanding of their disciplinary studies and how these can be applied in the working world.

   Assessment Tool – Senior Show.

   Assessment Tool – External Review of Student Drawings – FSID 305.

Learning Objectives: Skills

1. Students will demonstrate proficiency in the use of computer technologies necessary for competence and proficiency in the workplace.

   Assessment Tool – Senior Show.

2. Students will demonstrate the ability to write in their professional field.

   Assessment Tool – Ethics paper generated in FSID 446 – Professional Practice.

3. Students will demonstrate competency in oral communication by creating and delivering public presentations related to their disciplinary studies.

   Assessment Tool – Senior Show.

Learning Objectives: Values

1. Students will demonstrate professional attitudes such as good work place habits, motivation, anticipating work demands, and ethical and social sensitivity, deemed essential for professional competence.

   Assessment Tool – Internship Assessment Rubric.

2. Students will demonstrate professionalism in the workplace regarding appropriate dress, deportment, sensitivity to diversity issues, as well as ethical and moral issues that may confront them. Length of Internships is 320 clock hours or seven credits. Internships are processed through an Internship Coordinator the department shares with another department.

   Assessment Tool – Internship Assessment Rubric.

Results

Learning Objectives: Knowledge

Learning Objectives: Skills

1. Students will demonstrate proficiency in the use of computer technologies necessary for competence and proficiency in the workplace.

   Assessment Tool – Senior Show

   It was determined that the Senior Show was not a viable venue to assess whether or not students were able to demonstrate proficiency of computer technologies necessary for competence and proficiency in the workplace. The assessment tool “Internship Assessment Rubric” does specifically ask the on-site internship supervisor to respond to a direct question “Use of Technology”.  This instrument was found to be a more direct assessment of student computer technology skills than the senior show. All students’ scores were aggregated to a percentage of total possible scores. That aggregate percentage was 93%. Faculty have discussed this score and plans are to continue the curriculum and course work currently in place. The 93% will become the baseline score from which future scores will be compared.

2. Students will demonstrate the ability to write in their professional field.

   Assessment Tool – Ethics paper generated in FSID 446 – Professional Practice of Interior Design.

   This assessment was not completed due to a change in the format of FSID 446. The course is no longer taught in a writing intensive format.

3. Students will demonstrate competency in oral communication by creating and delivering public presentations related to their disciplinary studies.

   This assessment was not completed due to time constraints of the external jury.

Learning Objectives: Values

1. Students will demonstrate professional attitudes such as good work place habits, motivation, anticipating work demands, and ethical and social sensitivity, deemed essential for professional competence.

   Assessment Tool – Internship Assessment Rubric.

   Internships were assessed during 2004-2005. On-site supervisors/employers were asked to complete the “Supervisor Evaluation of Intern” rubric for all completed internships.  Scores of all completed internship evaluations were aggregated and a mean percentage was calculated. That mean percentage was 91.6% This percentage will become a baseline score from which all future aggregate scores will be compared. Faculty met to review the evaluations. No significant patterns of weaknesses or strengths were identified. Since the 91.6% is considered a favorable score, plans are to continue to prepare students in the same manner as in the past with continued emphasis on work place preparation.

2. Students will demonstrate professionalism in the workplace regarding appropriate dress, deportment, sensitivity to diversity issues, as well as ethical and moral issues that may confront them. Length of Internships is 320 clock hours or seven credits. Internships are processed through an Internship Coordinator the department shares with another department.

   Assessment Tool – Internship Assessment Rubric.

   See Section II, Item # 1 above.  The Internship Assessment Rubric does not necessarily separate objectives 1 and 2 of Section II above. The aggregate percentage was 91.6%.

Conclusions and Recommendations

The repeated very favorable national ranking of UNK’s design students’ work indicates that students do indeed develop an understanding of their disciplinary studies in the practice of the substance areas of interior design.  Although last year the rankings were very high (second in the nation) student scores this year placed the students first in the nation. Recommendations are to continue with the curriculum and instruction currently in place and work to ensure the quality is maintained and further enriched.

Results of Internship Supervisors’ evaluations indicated students were indeed able to apply technology, communicate, and demonstrated professional attitudes such as good work place habits, and motivation.

Recommendations include a strengthening of the knowledge base regarding construction and building codes so that student scores on the NCIDQ will improve.

Use of Results

The results of the NKBA external review and ranking will continue to be maintained on an annual basis so that continuing comparative analysis can be conducted. The results of the NCIDQ as well as the Internship Supervisors scores will also be maintained on an annual basis for comparative analysis.

Observations of the Process

The following internal questions were discussed during an Interior Design Faculty retreat summer of 05.

1. Are current measures of student assessment reflective of the competencies we expect our graduates to have?
2. Are current methods of assessing students effective, consistent, and in keeping with standards in our disciplines?
3. Are there new or modified methods which will better assess what we want to learn about student outcomes?

The responses to these questions include:

1. The following measures of student assessment are very reflective of the competencies we expect our graduates to have?
   • The NKBA external review of student project drawings is especially appropriate in measuring competencies as it measures a student’s ability in all interior design knowledge substance areas.  The review is conducted by a board of external jurors who are certified practicing designers.
   • The Supervisor Evaluation of Interns was found to be especially valuable.  It was possible to assess student technology skills, written and oral communication skills; as well as professional values.
   • The NCIDQ practice practicum examination portion of the Senior Show was found to be very effective in measuring student knowledge of interior design substance areas. It is a practice examination intended for professionals preparing for the national examination, tests for interior design knowledge substance areas, includes an evaluation criteria sheet, and controllable for external abnormalities than the
    
2. The current methods of assessing students were found to be effective, consistent, and within the standards of our discipline except for the following:
   • The FSID 407 Senior Show – Assessing written and oral communication during the Senior Show proved to be problematic as the number of student presentations was greater than the jury was able to accommodate.  The Supervisor Evaluation of Interns directly asks supervisors questions regarding the intern’s ability to communicate in writing and orally. Since the objective is to evaluate the student’s ability to communicate in the professional arena, it seems appropriate to use this evaluation. The supervisor has the opportunity to evaluate the intern over a period of nearly ten weeks.
   • The Ethics paper previously assigned in FSID 446 is no longer a requirement of the course. FSID 446 is no longer designated as a WI course.
    
3. The modified reporting of scores of student project drawings that NKBA is now able to provide is a very valuable improvement over previous reporting.  In the past, NKBA reported whether or not students’ work “was acceptable or not acceptable” for continued endorsement by NKBA. Actual individual student scores plus the addition of national rankings is an invaluable aid to assessment.

Interior Design faculty will continue to monitor assessment activities for efficiency, accuracy, and relevance to the established mission and objectives of the program.  Data will continue to be gathered, analyzed, and used toward continued improvement activities.

A revised Assessment Plan for Interior Design is attached that reflects the changes to the plan as outlined above.