Public Reporting from AY 22-23
Bible and Religion
Most of the teaching done in the BRL department continues to be focused on students taking our courses to meet requirements in the common core of our General Education program. The re-introduction of BRL157 Religion and Human Identity for the 2023-24 year will relieve some of the pressure on Intro to Biblical Studies and open the possibility of a new major requirement and assessment need.
Biology
The great majority (nearly 100%) of Bethel graduates with biology majors successfully enter a graduate program of their choosing (science, or health science), or are employed in a science-related field. The pandemic made it harder for our students to focus on their studies, but this past school year (2022-2023), we returned to a more normal environment, and saw an improvement in the performance of our lower-level courses. We made significant changes to BIO481 and BIO482 to ensure students have more accountability for their progress in their senior thesis projects, and also receive more help. We also hope to fix the chronic problem we have with students “falling through the cracks” because they enroll in BIO481/482 but are actually advised by professors in other departments. We hope the addition of the exercise science major (with its own seminar) will help in that regard. We also hope to end the practice of students enrolling concurrently in BIO481 and BIO482. This problem was exacerbated by the chaos of the pandemic. But the admissions could help by not recruiting seniors transfer students in the sciences. The one student who enrolled concurrently in BIO481 and BIO482 this past year failed to finish.
Business
Bethel College’s bachelor of science degree in business administration is designed to expose students to skill sets in high demand from business, nonprofits, and civic organizations. Combined with a commitment to experiential learning, Bethel business students have opportunities to engage with outside speakers, work on real-world problems with local businesses, gain valuable experience in teamwork settings, and interact with current events. While the primary mission of Bethel’s business faculty is teaching, faculty recognize the importance of keeping abreast of current developments in their fields through research, consulting, speaking, and service activities.
Bethel continues to offer more accounting courses than any other ACCK school, thus better preparing students interested in this career area for the CPA exam. Business faculty engage in ongoing continuing education, and some are sought after for national speaking engagements. For the past four years the Business department at Bethel College was led by three women. Recent AAUW reports suggest that across the nation, females account for 20-30% of full-time faculty in business programs. It is our pleasure to be outliers in this group.
It is noted that a growing number of students entering Bethel College who identify business as their major continues to steadily increase. The business department regularly houses a quarter of our student population. At the same time, a growing divide is evident between well prepared, academically gifted students and those students who enter the program less prepared and less able to successfully complete college level academic tasks. The department is encouraged to see additional support services for underprepared students, and the addition of athletic coaches who value the whole person.
The majority of business majors enroll in an external internship during the senior year. During the 2022-2023 academic year, 16 students successfully completed experiential learning opportunities at for profit and not for profit businesses in Newton and surrounding area. Internship foci included accounting, marketing, graphic design, and small business management. Bethel College business majors who participated in an internship experience continued to score in the “excellent” range on the following personal competencies: professional attitude, enthusiasm, teamwork, initiative, and dependability. Bethel College business majors who participated in an internship experience continued to score in the “excellent” range on the following professional competencies: academic preparation, communication, critical thinking and leadership.
Chemistry
The Chemistry Department assesses the content knowledge of its Biochemistry and Molecular Biology students using standardized American Chemical Society (ACS) exams. Based on the results of the exams given at the end of Chemistry I and Chemistry II, the department is modifying its pedagogy to better meet the needs of entering students. Poor performance on some of the ACS exams for the more advanced courses often reflects misalignment of the exam with the course objectives. The Department performs a question analysis for these exams to gain a better understanding of the student learning in these courses. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology students are actively engaged in research projects, and most of our students present their research findings at the annual URICA Symposium and at local and national chemical conferences, such as the National American Chemical Society Conference, Midwest Regional Meeting of the American Chemical Society and PittCon. Finally, we have placed most of our graduates over the past 5 years into the workforce, a professional school (medical, dental, veterinarian), or graduate school within the first year (often sooner) following graduation from Bethel College. This success has been achieved by ensuring that our students graduate knowing how to use most scientific instrumentation and the skills to be critical thinkers.
Communication Arts
In our assessment of departmental objectives, we have observed significant progress in achieving Objective 1, with class averages surpassing benchmarks for Objectives 1, 3a, and 3b. Although there was a notable decline in class averages for
Objective 2, this can be attributed to unique circumstances related to course delivery. We remain optimistic about future improvements. Therefore, we recommend maintaining current assessment practices for Goal No. 2 while continuing to emphasize these objectives in various courses.
Conflict Resolution certificate (KIPCOR)
The Conflict Resolution Certificate has historically served and been completed by a wide range of students: Bethel College undergraduate students who complete this as part of their undergraduate degree; “special” Bethel College students who are taking certificate classes for graduate credit to obtain professional development units or to supplement degrees from other institutions; and students completing the certificate for professional training and who are not enrolled at Bethel College.
In addition, while this program is not a sanctioned certification for professional practice, SSC 460 and SSC 464 have been approved by the Kansas Supreme Court as required primary training under Supreme Court Rule 914, for individuals desiring to become approved Core or Domestic mediators in Kansas.
Finally, it should be noted that two of the certificate courses, SSC 460 and SSC 464 are now taught via Zoom in order to make them more accessible to people across Kansas. Both courses were the first such virtual mediation courses offered in Kansas (and the first approved by the Kansas Supreme Court’s Office of Judicial Administration).
All courses are provided to improve a student’s skills in handling conflict in diverse settings, including in the workplace. The overall structure and schedule of the program is likely to change in the near future to respond to student needs and interest (both undergraduate and special/graduate credit or working professional students).
Elementary Education
Using the recommendations of the KSDE Dyslexia Task Force we continue to shape our elementary teacher preparation program to emphasize the importance of structured literacy and the science of reading. This has been a significant change backed by research to show the past methods of teaching reading which used balanced literacy are inadequate in meeting the needs of all learners in reading. All educator preparation programs in Kansas are required to fully implement the teaching of the Science of Reading in their curriculum. We have met this objective, but will continue to improve and expand our understanding and ability to teach through experience and continued analysis of the research.
English
Assessment of the performance of Bethel College English majors confirms that students in this program are achieving key learning goals: 1) to engage critically with a variety of literary texts, both traditional and contemporary, remaining attentive to issues of social justice and inclusivity; and, 2) to produce a substantial body of creative and scholarly writing that demonstrates analytical skill, theoretical fluency, and critical insight. Students are performing above assessment benchmarks, and the department has a solid track record of placing students in jobs and graduate programs.
Health and Physical Education
The College’s Department of Health & Physical Education is transitioning from a broad Health & Physical Education major to a more specialized and comprehensive Health & Human Performance major. This shift will provide students with focused concentrations in Exercise Science, Health & Fitness, and Health & Physical Education Teaching, aligning the department’s offerings with the evolving needs and demands of the field.
The Exercise Science concentration will provide students with a deep understanding of human physiology, biomechanics, adaptations to exercise to body systems, and research methodologies. Graduates will be well-equipped for graduate programs and careers in exercise physiology, health and rehabilitative sciences, and research.
The Health & Fitness concentration will focus on promoting and maintaining health and wellness in individuals and communities. Students will gain knowledge in nutrition, lifestyle behavior change, wellness programming, and fitness assessment. Graduates will be prepared for careers in corporate wellness, community health promotion, personal training, and health coaching.
The Health & Physical Education Teaching concentration will prepare students to become qualified and effective health and physical education teachers. It will encompass topics such as curriculum development, teaching methodologies, motor skill acquisition, assessment strategies, and classroom management. Graduates will be eligible for teaching positions in K-12 schools and will contribute to the health and well-being of future generations.
History and Conflict Studies
Bethel College history majors produced high-quality work that will enhance their teaching careers be providing their future students with interesting and unique insights into the areas they researched.
Bethel College History and Political Science majors produced excellent research that documents that they are well prepared for graduate school.
Math
The Mathematical Sciences department met all of the goals and measurable objectives for 2022-2023. The department is excited about the new Software Development major, and the hope of maintaining consistent, full-time faculty dedicated to growing majors within the department. Student interest in this new major is growing each semester. The two majors will support each other as students in software development take several mathematics courses and vice versa. There is also a strong interest in recruiting incoming students, as well as current students, to pursue a potential Data Science minor within the department.
Music
Music Department graduates continue to meet our goals. Our graduates continue to score above the national average on comprehensive exams. In addition, our graduates continue to have success in the job market and are frequently accepted into graduate programs across the country. We continue to assess how we can integrate theory, history and aural skills into our curriculum in a unified manner and will continue to shift our curriculum in a manner that meets the needs of our students.
Nursing
The Department of Nursing continues to asses program outcomes annually. For the second year in a row, the nursing graduates achieved a 100% first time NCLEX-RN pass rate. In addition, the department continues to monitor program outcomes required by state and national accrediting bodies including retention and employment rate and consistently meets the benchmarks. Another area of assessment is student performance on holistic admission criteria in comparison to NCLEX performance. The Department of Nursing also monitor student performance on other program identified outcomes for the BSN program to ensure continuation of approval requirements by the Kansas State Board of Nursing and accreditation requirements by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).
Psychology
We plan to continue using several current goals and corresponding objectives to assess departmental outcomes. However, we will likely change some curricular aspects that could affect the outcomes used in the following assessment report, which will be adjusted if needed. Due to departmental faculty changes for both faculty lines, and the impending hire of a new faculty member for 2023-24, several curricular and assessment changes are likely in the next 1 − 3 years.
Social Work
The Bethel College Social Work Program has been fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education since 1974. In February of 2019, the Program received reaffirmation of accreditation for the full eight years with no concerns. Annual internal assessments continue to indicate that all nine competencies/outcomes required by CSWE are routinely met (exceeding the benchmark of having 85% or more of students score in the adequate to outstanding range). In addition to meeting competencies, the Program’s strengths include strong advising relationships between students and faculty, the advice of the Bethel College Advisory Council, and strong attention to issues of service, diversity, and social change.
Teacher Education
The Teacher Education Department is regularly involved in assessing its students and programs in regard to institutional objectives and state and national standards. Institutional data demonstrate that Bethel students and graduates compare favorably with local, state, and national indicators. Affirmation of this assessment has been provided by the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) and the Council for Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) (onsite visit, March 2019). For further consumer information about the education programs, see consumer information at the following website: https://www.bethelks.edu/academics/areas-study/teacher-education
Visual Arts and Design
Our current senior majors are assessed through art writing, oral presentations, and the senior exhibit. Students earlier in the program as well as minors are evaluated through an early assessment, usually based on work in the foundations courses and an individual presentation to department faculty. Our recent students have been more successful presenting ideas orally than in writing, so to help our students improve their art writing skills, we now incorporate multiple writing assignments into all of the lower- and upper-level art history courses as well as in many of the studio courses. To help our students more adequately prepare for their senior exhibits and presentations, we now begin their planning process late in the junior year; then in Art Seminar during their senior year, we set multiple deadlines to break projects down into small steps.