Public Relations (BS)

Intended Program Outcomes / Direct and Indirect Measures
Criteria for Success / Methods of Assessment
1. Demonstrate ability to write journalistically on deadline, using standard grammar, spelling and punctuation. / Direct Measure(s)
After taking a comprehensive common final exam, 70% of students will pass the journalism core courses of Language Skills for Journalists and Mass Media Methods with a C or better.
After taking a comprehensive final exam, 80% of students will pass the journalism skill course of News Writing & Reporting with a C or better.
After preparing and presenting media kits and/or campaign projects, 80% of public relations students will pass the public relations skill courses of PR Methods and PR Campaigns (aka Corporate Communication Production) with a C or better.
Indirect Measure(s)
Faculty review of test scores, media kits or campaign projects will indicate that faculty think 80% of students are showing progress from the beginning to the end of the semester. / Direct Measure(s)
A comprehensive common final exam will be administered in the core journalism courses of Language Skills for Journalists and Mass Media Methods. A pretest and posttest is also administered in PR Research & Strategies (aka Case Studies in Public Relations) to measure PR students’ knowledge of PR history, terminology, categories of work, theories, strategies and tactics, research methodology and campaigns.
Faculty discuss assignments and compare how students performed on them. Grading checklists/rubrics are analyzed and evaluated. Faculty concur on what current student strengths and weaknesses are and how assignments/lessons might better facilitate student performance.
The primary method of assessment in News Writing and Reporting is the news story. Faculty require each student to write as many as 12 news stories in a semester. Each story is graded using a standard grading checklist/rubric, which differs slightly among faculty but seeks to evaluate student performance on course objectives.
All faculty require students to create and pitch their own story ideas – in writing and orally. Some faculty assign students to beats. Some faculty submit student stories for publication consideration by the student newspaper, and all faculty encourage students to try to get their class stories published.
In Language Skills for Journalists, faculty use writing assignments, classroom exercises, worksheets, a workbook and tests to assess student performance. Students are drilled on the fundamentals of grammar and Associated Press style.
In PR Methods, students must demonstrate their ability to create a variety of documents that could appear in a media kit, including a news release, client fact sheet, event fact sheet, radio PSA, TV PSA, speech, brochure, biography, feature story, Web text, backgrounder, media alert, pitch letter, etc. In PR Campaigns, students may prepare some of the items needed for a media kit, as well as other written assignments and a comprehensive campaign booklet. Special emphasis is now placed on how to prepare communication pieces using online media such as social networking sites, blogs, podcasts, wikis, e-zines, etc.
Indirect Measure(s)
Faculty who teach News Writing & Reporting, Language Skills for Journalists and PR courses (Introduction to PR, PR Methods, PR Research & Strategies [aka Case Studies in Public Relations] and PR Campaigns [aka Corporate Communication Production]) gather several times annually – informally and formally – to discuss assignments and student performance.
Faculty give abundant written feedback to students on each written assignment, along with a grading checklist/rubric. Students and faculty review the feedback before the next story is written.
Faculty agree that teaching students how to plan and write “real” assignments that could be or are published is the best way to facilitate student performance.
2. Demonstrate strong ability to research and gather useful information on deadline, for journalistic products. / Direct Measure(s)
After taking a comprehensive final exam, 80% of journalism students will pass the Use of Information Resources plus News Writing & Reporting with a B or better, and 80% of public relations students will pass the comprehensive public relations exam, which is administered senior year in PUR 4801 PR Research & Strategies (aka Case Studies in Public Relations).
After completing a variety of research projects, such as benchmarking, surveying and focus groups, 90% of students in PR Research & Strategies will earn a C or better in the course.
Indirect Measure(s)
80% of students are showing progress from the beginning to the end of the semester. / Direct Measure(s)
In a survey of employers, 80% of supervisors will respond that, when measuring this outcome, FAMU journalism grads are more effective or somewhat more effective than graduates of other journalism programs.
Students in Use of Information Resources and in News Writing & Reporting are given a variety of assignments that require them to do research and find answers to questions. These include conducting interviews, using library and online databases, reviewing secondary documents, doing observations and so on.
Students in PR Research & Strategies and in PR Campaigns are required to do primary research (e.g., create and evaluate surveys, do content analyses, participate in focus groups) as well as secondary research (e.g., benchmarking).
Indirect Measure(s)
Faculty give abundant written and oral feedback to students on each written assignment, usually by using a grading checklist/ rubric.
Clients listen to student presentations at the end of PR Methods and PR Campaigns, giving feedback on how well the students helped the clients achieve their goals.
Our internship coordinator speaks informally with more than 20 recruiters to get feedback on how our students are doing with internships and placement efforts.
Faculty will review and listen to student media to gauge progress toward this objective.
3. Demonstrate ability to apply media law and ethics in critically analyzing, synthesizing and evaluating information. / Direct Measure(s)
As part of assessing this outcome, 80% of journalism students will pass Media Ethics, Communication Law and their sequence capstone projects with a B or better.
As part of PR Practicum (PUR 4941), 90% of PR students will pass their capstone experience, during which they must describe a communication law case and answer questions about communication law and media ethics.
Indirect Measure(s)
Students will participate in PR Practicum. / Direct Measure(s)
The media law class is now quite large, with more than 40 students in attendance. Faculty decided to forego giving a pretest and posttest in communication law class starting fall 2007. The new metric is for 80% of students to earn a B or better in Media Ethics and Communication Law.
In PR Practicum, PR students present and describe a portfolio of their work to a panel of faculty and external PR professionals as part of the capstone experience. Students must earn at least 35 points out of 50 on a checklist/rubric that measures, among other things, their knowledge of communication law and ethics.
4. Demonstrate ability to use technical/electronic journalism tools. / Direct Measure(s)
As part of assessing this outcome, 100% of public relations students will pass their capstone projects with a C or better.
Indirect Measure(s)
As part of their PR coursework, students will be expected to successfully use technical/electronic tools to demonstrate their knowledge and skills.
In a survey of employers, 80% of supervisors will respond that, when measuring this outcome, FAMU journalism grads are more effective or somewhat more effective than graduates of other schools of journalism. 80% of employer surveys will indicate that FAMU students are above average in knowledge and expertise on equipment used in entry-level positions. / Direct Measure(s)
Starting in fall 2008, 15 of 50 on the PR capstone rubric relate to successful use of technology during a professional presentation. This includes giving a PowerPoint presentation, creating and showing a Web page, producing a TV public affairs show or public service announcement, creating a podcast or blog, doing video streaming, and so on.
Indirect Measure(s)
Students in PR Research & Strategies and PR Campaigns are expected to use online and digital technology as part of their coursework to share what they have learned.
5.Demonstrate effective oral and written communication skills and professionalism in appearance. / Direct Measure(s)
100% of public relations students will pass the capstone project. Students must have been published a minimum of five times in fall 2009 to pass capstone. The number will increase to seven published articles in spring 2010 and 10 in fall 2010.
Indirect Measure(s)
PR students are expected to speak and write effectively in all of their courses, and when communicating with clients or potential employers.
PR students are expected to dress appropriately (no hats, plunging necklines, drooping pants, etc.) while in class and while participating in PRodigy and PRSSA.
In an employer survey, 80% of supervisors will respond that, when measuring this outcome, FAMU graduates are more effective or somewhat more effective than graduates of other journalism programs. 80% of employer surveys will indicate that FAMU graduates are above average in these categories. / Direct Measure(s)
During the 30-minute capstone presentation, students have 10 minutes to present and discuss their portfolios, using whatever technology they deem appropriate. Students then describe a law case, answer questions about ethics and other topics, and leave the room while the three- or four-person review team evaluates the performance. Students return to receive oral comments and to be informed whether they have passed capstone. Written evaluations are given to the students within a week after they present their portfolios. If a student does not pass capstone on the first try (usually because he or she has not been published the required number of times), he or she has until the end of the semester to remedy the situation and re-present to the division director or a faculty member.
Indirect Measure(s)
As part of their coursework, PR students are regularly called upon to give presentations in and outside of class. They are taught and expected to practice effective presentation skills.
Feedback will be sought from employers providing internships and from participants at the SJGC Career Fair.
6. Demonstrate research and scholarship in journalism and public relations. / Direct Measure(s)
Both of the tenured/tenure-track PR faculty will have research and/or scholarly projects in the year ahead.
Indirect Measure(s)
Both of the tenured/tenure-track PR faculty will rate their ability to conduct research and scholarship as satisfactory or better. / Direct Measure(s)
A list of publications and other forms of communication related to research and scholarship will be compiled.
Indirect Measure(s)
Faculty will rate themselves through surveys.
Supervisors will include faculty research and scholarship results as part of the annual evaluation.
7. Participate in fellowships or academic/industry training or research programs. / Direct Measure(s)
100% of PR faculty will participate in fellowships or academic/industry training or research programs.
Indirect Measure(s)
100% of PR faculty will rate their training/research experiences as satisfactory or better. / Direct Measure(s)
All three PR faculty members participated in at least one professional conference during the year.
Indirect Measure(s)
Student evaluation of teaching was strong.