38 Review Team: What recommendations do you have for this program?

• The Math Pathway matter should be a high priority. The statistics course can be the centerpiece. Some students who have trouble with “math” can manage statistics because of the verbal logic and applicability that goes along with stats. It also satisfies the GEM 3 Core Math requirement. The Program itself may not be able to solve the problem by itself. We recommend contact with state 4-year Programs and Departments to explore the appropriateness of STAT 150 for students who might struggle with 251/253.
• The Program recognizes the applicability of Psychology to a number of other disciplines. Psychology B.S./B.A students are also finding that they are competitive applicants for Law School, Medical School, MBA and MPH programs, advanced Education degrees, and more. Formal recognition of this in coursework and posted materials might be helpful.
• There are multiple mentions of the need for additional full-time faculty. The current faculty are under pressure to teach heavy loads and to continue to hire temporary outsiders to cover classes. This can have an impact on excellence in instruction over time. The addition of a full-time faculty member can go a long way toward reducing the pressure. The Program should then consider whether additional “High Impact Practices” can be undertaken, e.g., common reads, 1-credit proseminars, research and internship course numbers, etc. Teaching loads per FTE are large, but the class sizes are in the 28-32 range. Some practices might be able to cross sections of the same class to reduce the burden on faculty for their High Impact efforts.
• We feel that students would benefit, and retention may be improved, if faculty were better connected to students. Faculty career advising may help. NIC has a cadre of professional advisors for curricular advising. Faculty can make themselves available for individual (or small group) student contacts where the discussions center on career possibilities. In truth, many, perhaps most, students will not take advantage of this opportunity. However, there is value in knowing that the faculty care, and the advice and guidance is readily available. This, and the aforementioned additional High Impact practices, may promote the sense of community mentioned earlier.
• We indicated earlier that Program outcomes are clearly presented. The Program needs to discuss more concretely the learning outcomes within courses, and to assess more carefully whether particular courses and instructors are successful in delivering content that satisfies those outcomes. It would also be useful to collect data demonstrating student preparedness for higher level course work. Psych 218 is a difficult course to offer online, but we feel it should be more frequently available this way to reduce barriers for working students.

As noted, our student informant had/has a strong relationship with a Psych instructor at NIC, and has returned to NIC to speak to current Psychology students, particularly in PSYC 218– it might be a good exercise to identify the aspects of instructors that create and continue these kinds of relationships with students.