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ECONOMICS DEPARTMENT
Program Review Report
I. - Background
This report was primarily prepared by Dennis Brennen, the Department Chair. Professors Faham and Healy were generous with their time and provided help, information and suggestions.
II. - Analysis
PROGRAM SCOPE
A. The major function of the Department is to provide the standard two-semester principles of economics sequence ECO 211 (Principles of Microeconomics) and ECO 212 (Principles of Macroeconomics). Virtually every four-year business program requires this sequence. A secondary function is to provide the one-semester "survey" course (ECO 200 - Introduction to Economics) for general educational purposes and to serve various Harper programs. A number of Harper programs also require or suggest one or more of ECO 115, 200, 211, 212.
B. No major changes in the scope or objectives of the Department are anticipated.
STUDENT AND MARKET NEED
A. Enrollment has declined generally in line with Business and Social Science Division trends. However, there has been a slight increase in recent semesters. Most of the Department's students are enrolled in the ECO 211/212 sequence. Most of these are enrolled because their intended business program requires the sequence. Hence, enrollment in ECO 212/212 is largely a function of the demand for business transfer education, and has varied with that demand.
In contrast, enrollment in ECO 115 and ECO 200, the demand for which arises from a multitude of sources, has been relatively steady. These courses, however, account for less than 20% of enrollment.
B. As noted above, economics enrollment is largely a function of the demand for business transfer education. In the absence of evidence to the contrary, slow growth is probably the best prediction.
C. All courses transfer satisfactorily
D. We have no majors as such. As noted above most enrollees intend to transfer credit to a four-year business program.
CURRICULUM
A. Transition from the course sequence macro-micro (old ECO 201/202) to micro-macro (ECO 211/212) has been completed. Some sequencing difficulties were experienced in adapting the telecourses based on Economics U$A to this change, but this problem will soon be over. (See "Instructional Approaches" below.)
B. No significant changes anticipated.
STAFFING
A. Due to the decrease in total FTE, full-time coverage has risen from approximately 50% of FTE to approximately 65% in a "normal" semester. This is despite the allocation of some of Professor Healy's time to the Department of Geography. ("Normal" here means a semester when no full-time faculty members are on leave.)
B. The only change that might be expected to occur is the allocation of even more of Professor Healy's time to Geography. This change appears to be in the interests of the Division and the College, and is entirely satisfactory to Professor Healy.
STAFF DEVELOPMENT
Professor Brennen has attended numerous conferences and professional meetings, including the National Association of Scholars, the Philadelphia Society and the Ludwig von Mises Lectures. He has presented papers at the Association for Private Enterprise Education meeting in Las Vegas, organized a session on Law and Economics for the Illinois Economics Association and spoken on economics at Hillsdale College and Lake Michigan College. In addition, he co-authored a study published by the Heartland Institute and has published more than a dozen newspaper articles.
Professor Faham has completed more than 50 CEU's of training in computer science and programming, including courses in Windows, Word, PowerPoint, File Management and Netware Administration. He has consulted with firms in technological areas. He intends to continue developing his computer science expertise and apply it in his classroom activities, especially the teleweb courses he is developing for Spring, 2000.
Professor Healy has continued his graduate studies in geography at Northern Illinois University, completing over 30 graduate credits
there. In addition he has attended several geography-related conferences, professional meetings and workshops, including a week-long NSF-funded Virtual Geography Department web page development workshop in Austin, TX, and the National Council for Geographic Education Annual Meeting in Indianapolis. He conducted a workshop at the Two-Year College Geography Instructors Conference at Illinois State University and co-organized the conference “Great Ideas for Teaching Geography and Earth Science in Northern Illinois.”
INSTRUCTIONAL APPROACHES
A. Telecourses in ECO 211 and 212 have been introduced, taught by Professors Faham and Brennen respectively.
Professor Healy has constructed and teaches both a telecourse and an internet teleweb course in Geography. He uses computer-assisted instructional methods extensively in all his courses.
B. Both the text and videos for the ECO 211/212 telecourses will be replaced and updated starting in Spring, 2000. We believe this will be a significant improvement over the current offerings. It will also eliminate the sequencing difficulty mentioned under "Curriculum."
Both Eco 211 and 212 will also be offered as internet-based teleweb courses, developed by Prof. Faham, in Spring, 2000.
FACILITIES
No new facilities are needed.
EQUIPMENT
No need for new equipment is anticipated, other than what is implicit in the new web-based courses, most of which will be supplied from sources external to the Department. Normal upgrading of individual faculty computer equipment is expected.
SUPPORT SERVICES
We will need additional support for the new web-based courses. This will be supplied, indeed is already being supplied, by the LRC. Dr. Lee Vogel and Joan Kirkwood, Instructional Designer, are providing this support.
MARKETING AND PROMOTION
A. We have no special admissions policies or procedures.
B. We distribute our own flyers promoting Summer session, and of course advise and assist any students who express an interest in economics. As mentioned earlier, most students take economics because business programs require it, so promotion of general business studies will have the side effect of promoting enrollment in economics.
Prof. Healy has constructed a Departmental web page, increasing the Department’s accessibility and visibility.
STUDENT OUTCOMES, ACHIEVEMENT, PLACEMENT AND FOLLOW-UP
A plurality of our students transfer to Northern Illinois University for completion of a BBA. The Chair of the NIU Economics Department, Dr. Khan Mohabbit, has given us positive feedback.
FINANCIAL ANALYSIS
A. The Department is "profitable" in the sense that revenues exceed expenses. Even if this were not the case, it would be strange to operate a college or a business program without an Economics Department.
B. Not applicable.
EXTERNAL CONSULTANT
Dr. Khan Mohabbit, Chairman, Department of Economics, Northern Illinois University will issue his report early in Fall, 1999, semester.
III. UNIT PLANNING AND RECOMMENDATIONS
GOALS, STRATEGIES AND ACTION PLAN
The major development over the next few years will be the creation and fine-tuning of the two new teleweb courses, ECO 211-059 and 212-059. In addition, the present telecourses, ECO 211-050 and 212-050 will be updated.
RECOMMENDATIONS
1. Continued development of distance learning and alternative delivery systems, including internet, telecourses and CD’s.
2. Continued cooperation with instructional design staff.
3. Continuance of present basic course structure: ECO 115, 200, 211 and 212.
4. Replacement of Prof. Brennen with a full-time faculty member when he retires in August, 2000. Prof. Healy now teaches half time in the Geography Department, and this commitment is expected to increase. Hence, if no replacement is hired, Economics will have fewer than 1.5 full-time faculty. This would necessitate staffing 3 to as many as 5 day sections with adjunct faculty. This would be difficult and perhaps impossible.
IV. ICCB SUMMARY
(Attached)
V. EVALUATION OF PROGRAM REVIEW PROCESS
Provides a useful summary, but probably not worth the time and effort involved.
VI. DEPARTMENT PROFILE DATA AND OTHER DOCUMENTS
(Attached.)
Version as of 7/12/99