Department of Mathematics Planning Website
Learning Outcomes and Assessment

Program:  M.S. Mathematics

Program Outcomes

1. Increase graduate student enrollment through recruitment and marketing.
   
   
   • Action Plan: Making application forms to the graduate program easily available on the web. Recruiting qualified students from other B.S. programs. Encouraging B.S. majors to pursue graduate studies at TTU. Improving the quality of the Graduate Program through introducing new graduate courses, sequences of graduate courses, and increasing emphasis on research among faculty and students.
     
   
   
   • Assessment: The current formula for the average number of graduate students is linked to the number of graduate assistantships.  Currently, there are seven graduate assistantships provided by the University.  Thus, a graduation rate of 3.5 students per year is considered to be the norm.  Any number greater than this number is considered better than average and any number lower than this number is considered below average. We monitor number of applications and the number of students who have begun their graduate studies in mathematics at TTU. We monitor faculty research activities including any grants received. Annual reviews of faculty travel provide information how departmental travel funds are spent.
     
   
   
2. Expand and improve faculty development efforts.
   
   
   • Action Plan: Encouraging faculty to seek external funding to support the Graduate Program by providing internally release time. Encouraging faculty to do research by internally providing release time. Encouraging faculty to seek funding for their research through the University Research Committee as well as through the CAS Faculty Development Fund. Setting aside substantial department funds to support faculty travel. Providing Technical Report series as an avenue for quick internal publications.
   
   
   • Assessment: To assess the impact of departmental and university funds allocated for faculty development, the number of technical reports, research proposals, and journal papers submitted as well as the number of research grants received and research and development conferences attended is compared with the funds these activities required.  

Analyzing and Using Assessment Results for Program Outcomes

The Program Outcomes are formulated and assessed by the Graduate Committee.  The role of the Committee is to ensure that quality is maintained and that departmental goals are being met.  The Committee meets and formulates suggestions on all policies governing the M.S. program.  Recommendations for new goals and/or modifications to provide more meaningful results are discussed at departmental faculty meetings and voted upon before implemented.  This entire process and any items of significance is shared with the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences during the annual evaluation meeting.

Learning Outcomes

1. All Master of Science candidates in the Department of Mathematics will be able to demonstrate a command of principles of general mathematics and the specialized disciplines in their area of interest.
   
   
   • Action Plan: Constantly improving and expanding graduate course offerings as well as providing better and more varied sequencing of courses. Helping students plan their programs of study by following a schedule when graduate courses are offered
   
   
   • Assessment: Command of mathematical principles is evaluated through:
   • In the non-thesis option via comprehensive written exams in two of three subject areas covered by the three required sequences that are to be selected and administered by student's advisor and subject to the approval of the student's Graduate Advisory Committee.
   • In the thesis option via the oral defense of a written Masters Thesis written in accordance with the guidelines defined by the University Graduate Office. The student's graduate committee judges the written thesis and the student's defense.
     
     
2. All Master of Science candidates in the Department of Mathematics will participate in extracurricular activities related to their disciplines.  These activities will include participation in the Graduate Seminar, the opportunity to present research at conferences, participation in the teaching seminar, tutoring undergraduates in Mathematics Tutoring Lab, teaching college level mathematics courses, and attendance at scientific meetings.
   
   
   • Action Plan:  Attending the Graduate Seminar is required from all graduate students. Encouraging students to present posters and short talks at professional conferences, especially of the South East Section of the AMS. Providing travel support to students. Encouraging students to apply for the CAS Graduate Student Travel Support.
     
   
   
   • Assessment: Graduate students are expected to present their work or the published work of others once or more per semester during the weekly Graduate Seminar.  The student's Graduate Advisor informally assesses presentation skills.  The departmental Graduate Advisor administers a weekly Teaching Seminar attended by the graduate assistants.  This seminar assists in preparing graduate students for teaching assignments.  Assessments are conducted by the departmental Graduate Advisor and include mock teaching lectures given by the graduate students. Eventually, teaching effectiveness is assessed by student evaluations at the end of teach semester. Technical Report series published by the Department provides a quick avenue for publishing research results.
   
   
3. All Master of Science candidates in the Department of Mathematics will acquire mathematical abilities that are more advanced than those delivered at the undergraduate level.
   
   
   • Action Plan:  Attending the Graduate Seminar is required from all graduate students. Students are encouraged by their advisors to select courses appropriate to their interests and are being helped to formulate their program of study by their Graduate Advisory Committees.
     
   
   
   • Assessment: All graduate students must demonstrate advanced mathematical abilities appropriate to the graduate level.  Departmental faculty who teach the required graduate mathematics sequences perform the assessment, which may include oral exams, written exams, etc.  Further assessment includes tracking the success of students earning their M.S. mathematics degree.  This includes tracking employment success, further graduate work through acceptance to a Ph.D. awarding institution, etc.

Analyzing and Using Assessment Results for Learning Outcomes

Graduate committees - one per each graduate student - make sure that the Learning Outcomes are met by students' completing pre-approved programs of study in both the thesis and the non-thesis option. Each individual student's Graduate Advisor, who chairs the student's Graduate Committee, supervises writing of a thesis and then conducts a public defense by the students (thesis option only). Then, in both options, the Advisor organizes and conducts the examination by the members of the Graduate Committee.


Cookeville, February 3, 2006/ra