2020-2021 Assessment Data

Student Learning Outcome Assessment Data

2020-2021 Learning Outcomes Assessment Results – Department of Horticulture, Undergraduate Courses (HRT)

Note: This entire academic year was taught entirely online (either synchronous or asynchronous) due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore the Learning Outcomes Assessment Committee evaluated these results against our past results in evaluating the program's effectiveness.

Learning Outcome	Class Evaluated	Assessment Results*
1. Apply concepts of horticulture science to select, manage, and improve plants and their products	HRT 203 HRT 204 HRT 221 HRT 341 HRT 361 HRT 493	56% 79% 89% 55% 67% 100%
2. Demonstrate competence with laboratory and/or field-based technologies used in modern horticulture	HRT 203 HRT 221 HRT 341 HRT 361 HRT 362 HRT 493	74% 97% 73% 59% 100% 100%
3. Anticipate and recognize problems, identify causes of these problems, quantify potential impacts, analyze options, identify viable solutions, and evaluate actions and consequences of treatments and interventions	HRT 203 HRT 221 HRT 341 HRT 361 HRT 493	71% 68% 64% 70% 100%
4. Describe social, spiritual, and cultural importance of plants to historical and contemporary communities of people	HRT 203 HRT 460	79% 67%
5. Use multiple sources, including current and older literature, to find, evaluate, organize, and manage information related to horticultural systems	HRT 203 HRT 203 HRT 221 HRT 341	91% 76% 97% 82%
6. Identifies and applies, as appropriate, quantitative methods for defining and responding to horticultural problems.	HRT 203 HRT 341 HRT 361 HRT 362 HRT 493	53% 91% 100% 89% 100%
7. Understand how global issues including climate change, energy use, water availability, and/or food safety impact sustainability of horticultural systems locally, nationally, and globally	HRT 203 HRT 341 HRT 361 HRT 362 HRT 460	79% 73% 81% 100% 60%
8. Apply principles of accounting, business law, labor, marketing, and personnel management to a horticultural business and contribute to developing various components of a business plan	HRT 404 HRT 411	93% 88%
9. Demonstrate professionalism and proficiency in skills that relate to horticulture through leadership and the ability to collaborate and work in teams	HRT 404	93%
10. Develop thoughtful, clear, and consistent perspectives on ethical and moral issues related to horticulture	HRT 404	48%
11. Communicate effectively with various audiences using oral, written, and visual presentation skills, and contemporary networking/social media technologies	HRT 203 HRT 341 HRT 404 HRT 493	91% 73% 90% 100%
12. Quantify economic importance of plants in managed ecosystems and the impact of horticultural crops in food systems	HRT 404 HRT 460	55% 27%

*Percent value indicates the percentage of students who received 75% or better on a given assessment. Our goal is that 80% of our students will receive a grade of 75% or better

2020 Employer Evaluation of Student Interns

The summer 2020 employer evaluation of our student interns was not conducted this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and only three students able to participate in an formal internship.

May 2021 Graduating Seniors Survey: Self-Reported Results

The annual student survey data was administered in April and May 2021. Results of the student self-reported assessment results are shown below, where the goal is for 80% of our students to report 4+ on a scale of 1 (strong disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). This question was only asked to those students who indicated they were graduating in Spring or Summer 2021 (n=11).

Rate your agreement to the following statement*

My horticulture degree educated/trained me to....	Average Score*
1. Apply concepts of horticulture science to select, manage, and improve plants and their products	4.5
2. Demonstrate competence with laboratory and/or field-based technologies used in modern horticulture	4.2
3. Anticipate and recognize problems, identify causes of these problems, quantify potential impacts, analyze options, identify viable solutions, and evaluate actions and consequences of treatments and interventions	4.4
4. Describe social, spiritual, and cultural importance of plants to historical and contemporary communities of people	4.0
5. Use multiple sources, including current and older literature, to find, evaluate, organize, and manage information related to horticultural systems	4.5
6. Identifies and applies, as appropriate, quantitative methods for defining and responding to horticultural problems.	4.5
7. Understand how global issues including climate change, energy use, water availability, and/or food safety impact sustainability of horticultural systems locally, nationally, and globally	4.2
8. Apply principles of accounting, business law, labor, marketing, and personnel management to a horticultural business and contribute to developing various components of a business plan	4.0
9. Demonstrate professionalism and proficiency in skills that relate to horticulture through leadership and the ability to collaborate and work in teams	4.5
10. Develop thoughtful, clear, and consistent perspectives on ethical and moral issues related to horticulture	4.4
11. Communicate effectively with various audiences using oral, written, and visual presentation skills, and contemporary networking/social media technologies	4.5
12. Quantify economic importance of plants in managed ecosystems and the impact of horticultural crops in food systems	4.3