Jim Petro has served the people of Ohio for more than 40 years, including having led Ohio's University System as the Chancellor of the Ohio Board of Regents and having been elected by the people of Ohio to one term as Attorney General and two terms as Auditor of State.
During the Keynote address he will share his insights about higher education, public service, and the skills public administrators need to be effective leaders and managers, particularly when working with elected and appointed officials.
Jim Petro retired as Chancellor of the University System of Ohio in 2013. A graduate of Denison University and Case Western Reserve University School of Law, his legal career began with the prosecution of adult felony crimes as an Assistant Prosecutor in the office of Franklin County, Ohio Prosecuting Attorney George Smith. His 40-year legal career included litigating cases in venues from Mayor’s Court to the United States Supreme Court.
Jim Petro also pursued public service and was elected to serve Ohioans as Rocky River Council Member and Director of Law, State Representative, Cuyahoga County Commissioner, Auditor of State, and Attorney General. He was the first state Attorney General to intervene on behalf of an Innocence Project client and later became a pro-bono lawyer for the Ohio Innocence Project (OIP). He worked with OIP Director Mark Godsey on Ohio’s criminal justice reform law enacted in 2010. Jim Petro received the 2010 Innocence Network Champion of Justice Award.
Watch the Keynote address online and interact via Twitter - #TPAC38
Service Learning: A Refreshing, Different Teaching/Learning Experience
Robert Cunningham – University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Are you tired of "same-old, same-old" in the classroom, of students who sit in the back of the class and text? Try a new challenge! Try motivating both you and your students by service-learning—either as a stand-alone class or as a component in any PA class. In this session I will describe how I got started, student responses, what we both learned, and traps to beware.
The Potential of an Unbundled Executive MPA Based on the Principles of Experiential Learning
Richard Orman – Barry University
“….for things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them.”(Aristotle, Nichomachean Ethics, c. 350 BCE.) Thus, experiential learning is as old as learning itself. At a time when many experts in higher education and others have opined that we have to change something, perhaps unbundling utilizing experiential learning is one way higher education can be extended to many. Unbundling means to disregard the stacked way we award degrees and the silos of disciplines. The tools for unbundling higher education are found in the literature of experiential learning. “While there are several models on how experiences are transformed into learning, David Kolb’s four-stage model (Kolb, 1984; Baker & Kolb, 1990), based on the precepts of Dewey, Piaget, and Lewin, is most frequently used in PLAR experiential learning portfolio programs to explain this phenomenon.”(Brown, 2011). The purpose of this paper is to report the innovative approach to an Executive Master of Public Administration being developed by Barry University’s PACE (School of Professional and Career Education). Guided by the universal competencies provided by NASPAA, PACE is proposing an executive master of public administration without regard for previous degrees or disciplines that will attract many in the public service for whom they had to learn to do them by doing them.Room: Phillips Hall233
Higher Education beyond Job Creation: Universities, Citizenship, and Community
Thomas Bryer – University of Central Florida
This presentation will consider higher education reform proposals that focus on skill development and job creation, and it will suggest strategies for responding to such proposals within the context of public affairs education. Specifically, strategies for measuring impact based on Return on Engagement will be suggested, along with vehicles to successfully engage community in the academy to achieve not only job creation and skill development but citizen cultivation and knowledge dissemination.
Choices, Challenges and Curriculum Design in an Age of Austerity: Teaching and Learning after the Crash
John Diamond – Edge Hill University, United Kingdom
This paper explores the tensions between learning for public managers/ professionals which encourages critical self-reflection and professional or personal development and the context within which such learning is situated. The global crisis in public finances has meant not just a reduction in public services but also a crisis of confidence or legitimacy for the concept of the 'public'. It is intended that this paper examines how these tensions are explored, discussed and then drawn upon in the teaching and learning settings across post graduate and continuing professional development programmes. Whilst there is a broad agreement that the direct lived experiences of participants will be an important contribution to group discussions, reflections and activities, there remains questions of how do we capture these developments in our curriculum and assessment choices? How do we frame these debates as part of our teaching and learning approaches? Has the crisis affected our choices about teaching and learning? In what ways are our programmes able to meet the needs of participants but also of the external environment? What pedagogical choices are we making? What models of practice are we developing and have these changed or been adapted as a consequence of the crisis? What significance do differing political and cultural settings and institutions play in shaping our responses to these questions? Are we able to frame a curriculum with shared meanings and definitions about such concepts as the ‘public realm’ or the ‘state’ or the idea of ‘public service’? And if we can (or cannot) how does that shape our response to the global financial crisis post 2007?
Room: Phillips Hall 234
Panelists
Deputy Chief Timothy Becker - Columbus Division of Police
Chief Kevin O’Connor - Columbus Division of Fire
Superintendent Dr. Tracy Reveal - Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections
Direct or Maria Mone. J.D. - Ohio State University John Glenn College of Public Affairs, Management Development Programs
City Administrator Dr. Michael Williams - City of St. Cloud, Minnesota
Room: Alumni Hall, Ross Audiorium
Forming Leaders for Public Service: Developing Insight in MPA Students
Richard Jacobs – Villanova University
Forming leaders for public service requires more than teaching MPA students the body of management and leadership theory and best practices. It requires using this body of knowledge to develop in MPA students the power of insight to differentiate between the problems and issues confronting public service organizations.
Preparing Students for the World of Work through Public Policy and Administration
Marco Castillo – New York City College of Technology, CUNY
Research studies conducted over the past decades illustrate a declining interest in the world of public affairs. In particular, the millennial generation, having grown up during the digital age, has been noted for exhibiting lower levels of participation and interest in traditional civic and public life, often making teaching government to undergraduate students difficult. Teaching about government and public affairs is even more difficult when teaching students enrolled in highly applied fields of study. Simply stated, students enrolled in highly applied programs of study may have a utilitarian orientation towards higher education and therefore question the relevance public affairs to their specific career interests. In this paper, I argue that courses in public policy and administration can serve as bridges for such students, orienting them to the very practical ways that government affects their lives and their fields of employment. Constructing such courses require that instructors tailor the course curriculum toward the specific needs and interests of such students. Such adjustments require public policy and administration professors to adapt the teaching of academic theory to the needs and interests of the student population while bringing to the foreground the development of other critical student skills. Therefore, the development of student general education skills, skills in teamwork and project management, and an emphasis on developing specific policy knowledge related to how government affects specific fields of employment may be critical to the success of these courses. I explore the different ways such courses can be designed utilizing the example of a new interdisciplinary public policy and administration course I am developing at a public urban comprehensive college.
Interactive Criminal Justice Systems Model:
Developing Innovative and Effective Teaching Tools to Meet Complex Needs
Karen Miner – Romanoff – Franklin University
Criminal justice education must prepare graduates to think analytically, emphasizing information literacy, and holistically across and through all subsystems. Utilizing the Technology Acceptance Model and content-specific learning outcomes, this research seeks to test the efficacy of a comprehensive, complex, and interactive criminal justice systems computer model and a 15-part experiential criminal case study. The reflective and experiential model allows students the opportunity to work within the multifaceted networks of diverse agencies and subsystems and explore best practices, concepts, theories, relationships, and sequences in order to better prepare them to solve complex societal problems. The 15-part case study begins with legal policy and requires the student to systemically analyze the processes, goals and challenges of a criminal trial and the sentencing and punishment objectives of our criminal justice system. The research design takes a mixed-method approach that includes industry and student participants and focus group qualitative analysis, survey responses, and pre- and post-tests.
Room: Phillips Hall 233
Teaching Introductory Statistics to Non-Stem Learners: A Data Driven Redesign Experience
Nimet Alpay – Franklin University
Introductory statistics has always been a challenging topic to learn for most college students, especially for those who are majoring in non-STEM fields. In this session, a general overview of an introductory statistics course will be given to the audience followed by a summary of recent redesign process of introductory statistics course at Franklin University. The session will conclude with some future plans to improve the course and with some suggestions for teachers.
Teaching Methodological Reasoning to MPA Students
Alex Heckman – Franklin University
Often quantitative courses for Master's students are the same as those for doctoral students, yet we know that most Master's students will be practitioners who will not conduct their own original research or apply sophisticated statistical techniques. Too often we also emphasize technical skills too much and interpretation too little. Building on ideas advanced by Desai (2008), I developed a curriculum that emphasizes being a critical consumer of research so that students can evaluate studies and research proposals for decision making. I advance a dialogue on what we should be teaching Master's student's and offer some ideas about how to do it.
Room: Phillips Hall 234
Field Research in Health Care Administration Courses: An Effective Teaching Technique
Minerva Cruz – Western Michigan University
The literature related to education and health care shows several teaching techniques that can be utilized in Health Care courses. For instance, application of technology in the classroom, motivation, and service learning are shown in the literature as important teaching techniques in Health Care related courses (Adler, Judd, Bringman, Wells, & Marrs, 2013; Wells, Jones, & Jones, 2013; Wyatt & Peterson, 2008). However, in order for students to understand how health care services are provided and how satisfied customers are with those services, it is important for students to perform field research. This presentation is about a project assigned to Master and Doctoral students in a Public Administration program with concentration in Health Care Administration. Students were assigned to visit a health care institution of their choice and interview its administrator (or someone in a similar management position) to learn about services health care institutions provide to customers/recipients of health care services. In addition, students were assigned to interview a customer/recipient of health care services to learn about the quality of services they receive, and how satisfied they are with those services. Students were asked to submit a written report and provide an oral presentation in the classroom based on their experiences during the interviews. In this presentation I will discuss the motivation behind the fieldwork project, reactions of students during the process, and outcomes of the project. In addition, I will present questions used during these interviews as sample questions that can be used in this type of assignments. The project was used to complement the readings and textbook in class. It also provided students the opportunity to apply theoretical concepts learned in class to solve real world cases. To my knowledge, the fieldwork project described here has not been adequately employed in the literature as a teaching technique in health care courses. In this regard, this fieldwork project can make a contribution to the literature by providing another effective teaching tool in Health Care courses.
Teaching Today’s IT Generation Using Old Tried and True Techniques:
Field Trips and Experiential Learning in Public Administration and History
Amanda Sedlak-Hevener – The University of Akron
“The history that lies inert in unread books does no work in the world.” ~ Carl L. Becker. Venturing outside a classroom is useful for public administration students, particularly when they are learning about the past. This is where the academic majors of Public Administration and History collide in a multi-disciplinary way. However, it must be done in an innovative way in order to capture the attention of today’s technologically savvy students. There are two effective ways in which to do so: field trips and experiential learning. Field Trips: Sometimes looking at a textbook picture of a couch that Ulysses S. Grant sat on is not enough – one needs to go there and see it in person. Walking in the footsteps of an historical figure, particularly a former U.S. President brings history to life, creating a new learning experience at the same time. Experiential Tourism: In a regular tour of a historical site, you might see butterflies. On an experiential tour, you release the butterflies. These tours put visitors right into the time period of the home or site that they are visiting. At the Dennison Railroad Depot, visitors are instantly transported back to the WWII era. Students and visitors have to make sandwiches for the soldiers in the canteen, pick up and distribute magazines for the soldiers to read, and go onto authentic, restored, time period train cars to see the soldiers. The students and visitors are then led to an auditorium where they watch a short WWII clip while in the back of the theater (unbeknownst to them) workers are setting up tables with the sandwiches, beverages and other treats. At the end of the film, the visitors turn around and they become the soldiers - they are given a hero’s welcome, and get to snack on the food that they prepared earlier. These experiential experiences are not possible when sitting in four walls of a classroom.
Hollywood's Influence on Teaching Today's IT Generation:
Clipping Old and New DVD's to Teach Concepts, Recurring Themes, & Theories of Public Administration
Ramona Ortega-Liston – The University of Akron
Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them" - Act II, Scene V, Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare. Movies abound that can make each of us more effective teaching professionals. When teaching Leadership and Decision-Making, two movies are especially effective: Norma Rae and Patton. Both films dramatically teach differences in leadership styles. Norma Rae is an unlikely leader—one thrust into a leadership role, while General George Patton believes he was born to lead. Paraphrasing a quotation taken from Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, it has been said that some are born to lead, some aspire to lead, and some have leadership thrust upon them. Norma Rae clearly has leadership thrust upon her and Patton believes his DNA has equipped him to lead. Clipping and showing specific scenes enables students to capture leadership styles quickly and in this age of MTV, concepts and theories must be taught fast or we lose our audience. Mr. Holland’s Opus and Dead Poets Society illustrate needed passion for teaching the next generation of young leaders. Stand and Deliver, starring James Edward Olmos, stands alone by teaching how passion for a subject and believing in our students’ abilities to learn makes teaching complicated courses like math, algebra, and calculus to “drop-out prone” Latino students by convincing to the students who watch the film—not the entire film, just a few clips. It is in the editing that key concepts and principles can be taught efficiently and effectively—two recurring themes in public administration. This film in particular motivates, inspires, and gives confidence to minority students who need to be convinced that they, too, can learn math. Nell and Absence of Malice can be used in teaching Ethics in Public Service. In both films, ethical issues are clear and lead to salient discussions of what makes an ethical administrator. Discussions of the differences between ethics and morals are made possible. Lewis’s Go/No Go Model is made clear by a few deft clips. Her model asks future administrators to ask themselves if the decisions they have made are legal, moral, and effective? Short film clips deftly illustrate concepts and theories important to teaching public administration theories, concepts, and recurring themes.
Room: Phillips Hall 231
Collective Intelligence: The Effectiveness of Students Teaching Students
Robert Peters – Western Michigan University
A 2014 Joint TPAC/JUC paper (Ademi, 2014) examined the inclusion of collective intelligence in public administration courses. Similar approaches have been undertaken in three of the author’s courses. In the case of the quantitative data analysis course, students are encouraged to post on the course’s e-learning discussion board questions and responses relating to the course. The analysis is based on the extent to which the information addressed on the discussion boards are reflected in the students’ responses to exam questions that are devoid of keywords or phrases from the courses. Prior experience indicates that in the absence of these cues, the responses for a minority of students (typically between ten and 40 percent) include information from the course. The remainder of the responses is reminiscent of the answers one would expect from the person on the street, i.e., those who never enrolled in the course. If the use of discussion boards fosters a deeper understanding of the material, one would expect a greater proportion of students to incorporate the course material into their responses.
How to Teach Like an Award-Winning Instructor
Joel Gardner – Franklin University
In this presentation, I will share best practices for teaching like award-winning instructors. These best practices will be based on a review of literature and on a research study observing award-winning instructors in higher education. Attendees will leave the presentation with practical strategies for teaching more effectively.
Teaching Law and Policy through the Use of Oral Arguments
Christi Bartman – American Public University
Teaching online one finds varying technologies available to add the “oral” aspect to the classroom. As an online professor that teaches public administration, policy and the law to undergrads and graduate students, this author has taken the use of oral interaction up a notch! By adding the oral arguments by the Supreme Court Justices to the classroom, students can experience the ultimate in discussion. Not only do they come to a better understanding of the workings of the court, they also are exposed to all sides of the issue – which can have a decided influence on policy and administration of that policy! As they listen, the students are asked to try to predict how the individual Justices will rule and in whose favor the case might be resolved. They learn that just because the Justices ask divisive questions to either get to a point or make a point, those questions are not always indicative of their final position. Finally, the students learn, from viewing published opinions, that in the end, the Justices can respectfully agree to disagree. This alone adds a whole new dimension to the discussion of law, policy and public administration.
Room: Phillips Hall 233
The Fairness Exercise
Mark Tompkins and John A. Dukes – University of South Carolina
Gregory Plagens – Eastern Michigan University
Fairness and “equity” are key concepts in the study of politics and public policy. The many features of judgments about equity become a central challenge in teaching. We report on an active learning exercise that provides fertile and interesting insights into these issues which we have used at the outset of many different classes over many years. On the first day of class, we bring one instance of a required purchase for the course – ordinarily a required textbook or a “clicker” for a classroom response system. These are worth somewhere between thirty and one hundred dollars in current value. The instructor announces that he plans to give the item to someone in the class, albeit “fairly,” and expects the class to determine how this can be done “fairly.” We have been using variations of this exercise for more than twenty years (and in a variety of different classes). In this paper, we consider the range of "prompts" offered to the class before they are asked to resolve the dilemma and we offer our reflections on the outcome of the exercise (the outcome has been the same over twenty years each time the senior author administered it but there have been some differences in administration and in outcome with the other two authors). We also offer a rich array of resources for faculty who wish to use the exercise in their classes.
A Framework for Incorporating Behavioral Economics into Public Affairs Education
Stephen Kleinschmit – Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne
Can incorporating the lessons of behavioral economics into public affairs education lead to more desirable societal outcomes? Informed by Dan Ariely’s Predictably Irrational, this paper examines economic rationality and instrumental rationality in the public and nonprofit sectors. By applying developments in psychology research to public service, this work seeks to explore their effectiveness in aligning citizen choice towards agency goals as a means to improve societal outcomes. This paper explores whether such measures could provide a worthwhile addition to the field’s academic and professional development programs.
What Should We Teach Students about Ethical Leadership?
Alex Heckman – Franklin University
Many texts and courses teach ethical leadership from an individual perspective and in abstract or stylistic manner in which the leader serves as sort of an ethical judge making a ruling. This presentation discusses the idea of ethical leadership from an organizational and practical perspective where a leader must think systemically about how to act ethically and create ethical organizations in the real world. In doing so, the leader has to create organizational policies and structures that shape action systematically in order to help create an ethical environment. I illustrate this approach to teaching ethical leadership by applying the McKinsey 7-S model. The presentation is designed to stimulate a dialogue about what it means to be an ethical leader, how leaders can make their organizations ethical, and how we can teach this to students.
Room: Phillips Hall 231
Scholars from around the world will discuss the current state of public administration education and what trends, challenges, and opportunities they foresee over the next decade. The panelists will discuss learning assessment, service learning, and online education. Watch the panel online and ask questions via Twitter - #TPAC38
Panelists:
Dr. Russell Hassan — Glenn College of Public Affairs, Ohio State University - USA
Dr. Egle Gaule — Institute of Public Policy and Administration, Kaunas University of Technology - Lithuania
Dr. Jolita Sinkiene — Institute of Public Policy and Administration, Kaunas University of Technology - Lithuania
Dr. John Diamon - Edge Hill University - United Kingdom
A Historical Approach to Innovative Teaching Strategies:
Are We Really being Innovative or Just Failing to Build on Lessons Learned?
Pamela Dunning and John Dunning – Troy University
This paper is a qualitative study reviewing 25 years of innovative practices designed to improve teaching and learning as presented at the annual Teaching Public Administration Conferences. The paper and the presentation will be in three parts. The first presents a classification of innovative practices showing the number of presentations in each category given over a 25 year period. This is further refined by the presentations that included measurable results regarding their effectiveness. The second part of the paper will discuss the relationship of the papers being presented at the 38th Annual Conference and the number of previous presentations on the same topic over the past 25 years. The third part of the paper will introduce the integration of a researchable TPAC data base in the SPAE web site. While the data base will provide a historical record of the conferences, it will also enable our members to build on past lessons learned and be truly innovative.
Myths, Learning Legends, & Neuroscience
Matt Barclay – Franklin University
Some long-time “best-practices” in teaching and learning continue to be cited as indisputable means to help learners succeed when in truth they are unsubstantiated. What is worse, they distract us from the serious work of helping students reach greater heights of knowledge and skill. This presentation will expose some of the well-entrenched myths about learning. It will also share some of the findings from neuroscience that enlighten our understanding about brain functionality with respect to learning.
The Coming of Age of Public Affairs Teaching Research
David Schultz – Hamline University
This talk examines trends in public affairs teaching and research found in the Journal of Public Affairs Education (JPAE). Emphasis will be upon what has been published, scholarly trends, areas of potential publication, and what JPAE looks for in terms of manuscripts.
Room: Phillips Hall 233
4.2 Panel - The Practitioner as Instructor: Teaching as a Non-Professional Educator
This panel will discuss the experience of those practitioners who have gone into the classroom without formal training as educators. What lessons can be learned from the experiences of professionals in the field who have become full-time or part-time educators sharing experiences within Public Administration and related fields? How can their success and challenges inform the field and contribute to better classroom management?
Room: Phillips Hall 234
Building Community in Online and Residency Programs
Elaine Ahumada, Pat Kircher, and Mark Kling – California Baptist University
These panelists will address how student and faculty build community in graduate programs through the use of social media and technology tools. Innovative practices will be shared as well as examples of how to integrate the use of social media, web tools, and learning platforms in ways that foster collaboration, support, and self-reflection for effective learning outcomes
Franklin Connect: How to Build a Virtual Community of Practice
JoAnn Jordan, Leslie King, Redd Branner – Franklin University
Theorist Jean Lava and Etienne Wenger (1991) proposed the idea of legitimate peripheral participation which serves as the foundation for Communities of Practice (CoP). Three elements are required for CoP’s to be successful; 1) domain, 2) community, and 3) practice. CoP’s are successful when members interact, share ideas and discuss best practices over a period of time. This type of social learning is accompanied by a gradual, yet sustained improvement of practice and knowledge among community members. The panelists will discuss the development and growth of a virtual Community of Practice for faculty, designed to enhance teaching and operational effectiveness. See how one college’s early concept has expanded to support and enhance several programs across the university using the Ning! social media platform. Learn how to start your community of practice from the ground-up, using a simple online tool and the power of great ideas.
Room: Phillips Hall 234
Would you like to improve the insights gained and usefulness of the research you conduct into teaching and learning practice? Do you want help with a study you are currently planning, conducting, or looking to publish? If so, this interactive workshop is for you. In the workshop we will present an example of how to develop a high quality study from start to finish using the workshop as a case study example. We will also discuss the fundamentals for ensuring high quality research and examine relatively simple methods for significantly improving the quality and usefulness of your teaching and learning studies. Finally, we will walk you through the peer-review process and recommend effective strategies for getting your studies published, so other scholars and educators can benefit from your research. All participants should bring with them an idea for a study they plan to conduct, a study they are currently working on, or a completed study that they would like to publish. A key part of the workshop will be helping you to develop, execute, and/or prepare to publish your study – this will be a true work session for you to get advice and assistance with your research. We also will use participants’ studies as case examples about how to conduct and publish better teaching and learning research.
Alex Heckman, Barbara Fennema, and Jennifer Wisel – Franklin University
Room: Phillips Hall 231
In this very interactive session we will move from theory to practice to offer you opportunities to explore a variety of strategies and tools for integrating media & technologies into your classroom. We will dive into six applications and technology tools that instructors can use to enhance student learning. Participants are encouraged to BYOD (bring your own device).
Lisa Kahle-Piasecki – Tiffin University
Barbara Carder and Fawn Winterwood – Franklin University
Room: Phillips Hall 229
This session will provide participates with practical ideas for integrating library research into Public Administration courses and programs. The librarians facilitating this session will offer ways to assist faculty and programs with achieving academic success for their students. In this informal setting, participants will have the opportunity to share experiences collaborating with librarians as well as brainstorm with others on how librarians and libraries can improve teaching and learning. Librarians are typically thought of when it comes to providing library orientations and ordering new books for the collection but there are so many ways they can assist in the teaching and learning process. In addition to providing instruction sessions for traditional face–to-face courses, librarians can be embedded in online courses to provide invaluable research instruction for distance learners. There are additional approaches librarians can use to introduce students to resources available through their library. Another approach is to partner with your librarian to create a curriculum map for your program. This will ensure information literacy is included throughout your program. Join the conversation and learn how collaborating with your librarian can build successful strategies to improve not only student learning but improve your teaching!
Linda Colding – University of Central Florida
Carmen Byg – Franklin University
Room: Phillips Hall 233
Jim Mahoney, Ph.D., is Executive Director of Battelle for Kids in Columbus, Ohio. With more than 35 years of experience serving as a superintendent, assistant superintendent, principal, teacher, and adjunct professor at several Ohio universities, Jim joined Battelle for Kids as executive director in 2001.
Under his leadership, the organization has partnered with state departments of education, some of the country’s largest school districts, and national foundations to implement successful education improvement initiatives in more than 20 states and Hong Kong.
A well-known speaker, Jim has given presentations throughout the United States, Canada, and China. He also co-authored the book, Data-Driven Decisions and School Leadership: Best Practices for School Improvement, and has had several articles printed in state and national publications.
Social media tools such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, and blogging platforms are ubiquitous in today’s society. Initially viewed by some observers as just the latest marketing fads used by emerging generations, professors and professionals in all disciplines must now understand and embrace these technological tools as being the manner in which society communicates, and a way in which students can learn. The first half of the session is designed as a hands-on interactive session for anyone who has heard of social media, but needs a non-intimidating environment to gain a comfort level and familiarity what it is and how they can use it. The second half of the session is for current digital media users who want to receive and share ideas about how social media can be strategically used by instructors within and outside of their classrooms.
JoAnna Williamson – Franklin University
Shaun Holloway – Association of College and University Housing Officers, International
Room: Phillips Hall 230
Assessing Student Skills Development in a Graduate Public Affairs Program:
A Comparison of Initial and Final Skills Assessments
David Powell – California State University, Long Beach
This paper examines the use of initial and final skills self-assessment in the MPA Program at California State University, Long Beach. The paper compares the results of initial skills self-assessments that students prepare in their introductory PPA 500 Foundations class to the final skills self-assessments that students complete in their final core course (PPA 697 Directed Research). The analysis uses a panel design over the period of 2011-2014. Results indicate that students demonstrate a statistically significant increase in self-assessments over a majority of core skills and competencies. These results suggest that students experience a significant increase in self-perceived competency in these areas and a resulting increase in efficacy upon completion of the MPA Program.
Five Things You Need to Know about Program Assessment
Yuerong Sweetland – Franklin University
The presentation will start with the three fundamental questions that assessment should answer: 1) Are students learning? 2) How do we know? 3) What do we do after assessment? Five important considerations will be illuminated based on best practices and scholarship in evaluation and assessment, including:
Room: Phillips Hall 233
The Dissertation and Beyond: Developing Outcomes for the Scholarly Practitioner
Suzanne Beaumaster – University of La Verne
Linda-Marie Sundstrom – California Lutheran University
Elaine Ahumada and Mark Kling – California Baptist University
The dissertation has long been the primary culminating experience for doctoral programs in the US. The dissertation demonstrates a student’s ability to work independently on an original study, and exhibits one’s knowledge of a specified research area. For traditionally focused academic scholars, this approach has led to significant contributions in their field of inquiry. While this is certainly true for public administration as well, a substantial number of PA scholars are experienced and active practitioners, engaged in academic scholarship while remaining in service. Many of these scholars expect to complete their careers as practitioners. Certainly the same criteria for evaluation of a student’s academic progress is as necessary for career professionals as it is for traditional academics—but should there be some outcome based culminating experience which not only emphasizes necessary research skills but also enhances the immediate needs of the practitioner and his/her organization? This panel explores these possible outcomes. Identifying and analyzing these options as additional culminating experiences for public administration doctoral students—similar to the dissertation but designed for outcomes more suited to career practitioners. The focus of this panel will revolve around the “scholarly practitioner” and their need to find innovative ways to move theory to practice. The panel will explore options that allow students to integrate theoretical knowledge, research, and the resources of their institutions in analyzing and developing collaborative administrative strategies to address problems facing their organizations, institutions and communities. All while maintaining the necessary focus on academic scholarship and contributing to the knowledge of the field.
Overcoming Doctoral Education Deficiencies
Wendell Seaborne and Tom Seiler – Franklin University
Franklin University is proposing to offer its new DBA program in an online, face-to-face and hybrid model to domestic and international students. This is our first foray into doctoral education, and we address many of the traditional issues that have plagued students in the past and prevented their timely completion of a degree program. Our view of faculty roles and responsibilities are different than some institutions and our processes for accepting, enrolling and progressing students all hold a distinctly student-centric focus. Although these factors may be different than many schools, they are helping to define our “typical way of doing business” in the Ross College of Business at Franklin University. We propose to demonstrate and explain how Franklin University envisioned and accomplished this from inception, through the program development by our assigned task force, including the details mentioned above along with accreditation considerations and actions, marketing and recruitment of qualified students, the logistics of delivery—including faculty recruitment and assignment—to our final offering to our students.
Room: Phillips Hall 234
