Assessment Plan – Economics Department:

Student Outcomes

The goal of the Department of Economics is to provide our students with knowledge of the fundamentals of microeconomics and macroeconomics.

Mission

Being in the College of Arts and Science, the Department of Economics considers itself a liberal arts department. As such, our goals and aspirations coincide with those of the college and university to provide students with a solid, liberal arts education and to prepare them for life-long learning. To accomplish these goals the department will continue to offer a variety of courses in the various field areas in economics. Here students are exposed to the economic way of thinking as it is applied to numerous settings in a market economy.

Educational Objectives

Students completing our program will demonstrate a command of key economic concepts and distinctions. This includes understanding the elements of supply and demand, equilibrium analysis, consumer choice theory, and the theory of production. In addition, students must know the causes and consequences of unemployment, inflation, and economic growth.

Approaches to Assessment

The assessment tool will be a standardized economics test, called the Test of Understanding College Economics (TUCE), which will be administered at the concluding semester the student will finish. This test consists of two sections: Microeconomics and Macroeconomics. Each section has 33 multiple-choice questions.

Timeline for Assessment

The test will be given twice an academic year, in December, for Fall semester graduates, and in April, for Spring semester graduates. The test is given at the end of the semester at a time decided by the Curriculum and Assessment Committee. The students are given 90 minutes to complete the exam. The department will also give this as pre-test to students enrolled in the Principles courses at the beginning of the term.

Specific Program and Curricular Changes

Based on assessment data, there have not been any specific changes to the curriculum and program.

Specific Changes to Planning and Reallocation

There have been no specific changes to planning and resource allocation.

Types of Assessment Data to be Gathered

The assessment data will be gathered from the TUCE.

Assessment Liaisons

The responsibility for the implementation of the assessment plan will be that of the members of the Curriculum and Assessment Committee. This committee will gather the data, perform the analysis of the data, and develop a report that will be delivered to the Associate Dean.