Assessment and Evaluation

AE 6000X. Continuous Graduate Enrollment. 0 Semester Hours.

AE 6310. Race, Class and Gender in Community-based Research. 3 Semester Hours.

Students will be exposed to the ways in which race, class, and gender interact to influence how organizations define and respond to the needs of their clients. Special emphasis will be paid to how client needs have been conceptualized and measured in historical and contemporary times.

AE 6384. Introduction to R Programming. 3 Semester Hours.

An introduction to the structure of R statistical software and its usage in responding to evaluative questions. Emphasis is placed on reading data into R, displaying data, performing basic statistical analyses, and exporting reports. No prior knowledge of R is expected.

AE 6385. Advanced Statistics. 3 Semester Hours.

Advanced topics in statistics to include the analysis of variance, factor analysis, multiple discriminant analysis, multiple regression analysis and the use of statistical software to assist in these analyses.

AE 6386. Multivariate Statistics. 3 Semester Hours.

Includes instruction in confirmatory factor analysis, path analysis, and structural equation modeling. All topics will be approached from a theoretical as well as practical framework with special focus on applications to educational and other non-profit organizational needs. Prerequisite: AE 6385.

AE 6387. Qualitative Methods. 3 Semester Hours.

Students will be introduced to the foundational concepts of qualitative research methodologies. Special emphasis will be placed on critical theory and grounded theory as theoretical approaches toward assisting organizations in documenting internal functioning and service provision. Strategies for combining quantitative and qualitative methodologies are highlighted.

AE 6388. Grant Writing. 3 Semester Hours.

Determining organizational resource needs, identifying grants, writing and revising grants, and submitting grants. Hands-on experience in the use of grant websites.

AE 6389. Applied Program Evaluation. 3 Semester Hours.

This course is designed to introduce students to the process of program evaluation. It assumes that students have introductory-level proficiency in statistics and research methods and challenges them to apply their knowledge in these areas toward solving actual problems in authentic contexts. As such, students will begin the course by learning core concepts related to the various roles of evaluators, identifying stakeholders, methods of building rapport, the process of conducting needs assessments, strategies for creating information feedback loops within existing organizational structures, managing setbacks and obstacles, and report writing. They will then be asked to identify a campus or community organization with whom to work, establish a plan of action that has an appropriate scope and meets an agency-defined need, complete the necessary steps for their project, and submit a professional report. Students will emerge from the course with a basic understanding of the nature of program evaluation and preliminary experience in the field.

AE 6399. Topics in Program Evaluation. 3 Semester Hours.

Elective course only used for transfer work. Students may transfer in a maximum of 9 hours of graduate elective credits completed prior to enrollment in the MS-AE program. Courses must be completed with a final grade of B- or better at an accredited institution.

AE 7321. Tests and Measurement. 3 Semester Hours.

An introduction to basic topics in psychological and educational measurement, including the history of testing, reliability and validity, sampling, item writing, ethics, norming, and test equating. A conscious attempt will be made to integrate the material into a coherent whole with the overarching purpose being the development of a philosophy tests and their appropriate uses.

AE 7380. Internship in Program Evaluation. 3 Semester Hours.

Students complete a semester-long, supervised placement designing and/or implementing an assessment and program evaluation for an organization. The student must receive approval from the graduate program director and work alongside an internship supervisor, either an MS-AE faculty member or an approved on-sight internship supervisor. Expected time commitment is approximately 150 hours total on and off-site commitment. Course may be repeated once. Final course grade is based on internship supervisor evaluation and graduate program advisor evaluation of final evaluation and/or evaluation plan.

AE 7389. Advanced Program Evaluation. 3 Semester Hours.

Students implement a semester-long evaluation project that culminates in a final report. In addition, students critique examples of assessments, instruments, and program evaluations at various stages of completion with the goal of refining their assessment and evaluation skills.

AE 7390. Thesis Proposal. 3 Semester Hours.

Students design and propose an independent research project approved by a thesis committee and chaired by a full-time, tenured/tenure-track faculty member at St. Mary’s University. The formal written proposal will include a document reviewing the relevant preexisting literature and theories as well as the proposed design, an analysis plan, expected results, and implications. Students will submit the written proposal to their thesis committee at least one week prior to oral presentation of the proposal. The thesis committee will convene following the proposal meeting to approve/request revision/disapprove the proposal. Credit for AE 7390 requires committee approval of the proposal as well as subsequent enrollment and completion of AE 7391.

AE 7391. Thesis Defense. 3 Semester Hours.

Students will implement and complete the approved thesis project from AE 7390. Following completion of the project, students will submit a written thesis document to their thesis committee at least one week prior to oral defense of the thesis. The thesis committee will convene following the defense meeting to approve/request revision/disapprove the thesis. Credit for AE 7391 requires committee approval of the thesis project.