3.3.1.5
The institution identifies expected outcomes, assesses the extent to which it achieves these outcomes, and provides evidence of improvement based on analysis of the results in each of the following areas: (Institutional effectiveness)
3.3.1.5 Community/public service within its mission, if appropriate
Compliance Judgment
X In compliance Partially compliant Non-compliant
Narrative
Francis Marion University includes in its mission that it will serve the Pee Dee region and the state of South Carolina. The University also serves the needs of Florence and the surrounding area in ways beyond formal education.
- The University serves the needs of Florence and the surrounding area through its outreach efforts
- The University serves the needs of Florence and the surrounding area through numerous artistic and cultural activities
- The University serves the needs of Florence and the surrounding area through its health initiatives [1].
Outreach efforts
The University devotes substantial funding to Community/Public service projects like the Center of Excellence for Teachers of Children of Poverty [2] and the Dooley Planetarium [3].
Center of Excellence for Teachers of Children of Poverty
The Center of Excellence for Teachers of Children of Poverty, established in 2004–2005, works to solve problems inherent in the education of children of poverty by developing expertise in those who work with these children on a daily basis. The project strives to improve the quality of undergraduate teacher preparation, graduate teacher preparation, and the professional development of in-service teachers. Initially, Darlington, Dillon 2, and Marion 1 served as “partner districts.” From the original three districts, there are now nineteen districts participating in the project [4, 5].
The Center has established three goals for promoting the academic success of children in and of poverty in South Carolina. These goals include:
- Design and implement pre-service and graduate teacher education programs that attract qualified applicants and enable graduates to effectively teach children of poverty
- Provide high quality professional learning programs that include collaborative research activities and the use of existing research evidence to improve curriculum, instruction, and assessment in schools serving large numbers of children of poverty
- Serve as the premier resource for helping teachers learn how to provide a high quality education to all children of poverty.
Goal 1
The Center uses a variety of measures to track performance and impact. To explore progress toward the integration of Teaching Children of Poverty standards in pre-service and graduate education courses (Goal 1), four measures are used:
- Attitudes and Beliefs Survey (Fall and Spring)
- Mastery Assessment (Fall and Spring)
- Longitudinal Survey (Fall and Spring)
- Student Teacher Focus Group (Spring).
Goal 2
To explore impact of professional development sessions for in-services teachers (Goal 2), an online survey is used to gain their perspectives about the session, identify its quality in comparison to other professional development, and explore ways in which teachers believe they will use the information. Teachers who participate in more intensive professional development are asked to submit:
- formative and summative standardized assessments (e.g., MAP)
- reflection essays to be coded by evaluators, and
- end-of-grade or end-of-course standardized assessments of their students [In some cases, these data are available; however, security, privacy, and concerns about releasing data have prevented some schools and districts from sharing information].
Goal 3
To explore impact toward becoming a premiere resource for teaching children of poverty (Goal 3), multiple measures are used:
- tracking awards, recognitions, and other accolades
- an online survey related to the annual Center Research Consortium
- exploring website traffic, Facebook likes, and other social media presence.
The Center identifies expected outcomes for these goals. For instance, the Center identified outcomes for 2014-2015 shown in Table 1 below:
| Past Outcomes Fiscal Year 2014-2015 | How Does the Outcome Contribute to the Profile of a SC Graduate? | |
|---|---|---|
1 | On average, pre-service and graduate students indicated preparedness (3.3 on 4.0 scale) related to teaching children of poverty. | Pre-service and in-service teachers who are prepared to teach children of poverty will be better able to support the development of World Class Knowledge and Skills and desirable Life and Career Characteristics in the students they teach. Further, teachers who have a higher level of perceived preparedness for their work in high poverty schools will be more likely to continue in those positions, thereby slowing teacher turnover and the associated negative impact in those schools and districts. |
2 | For each course completed with integrated Teaching Children of Poverty standards, students improved their perceived knowledge (average of 0.2 points per course on 5 point scale) of teaching children of poverty. On average, students who have completed 8 or more courses with integrated standards increased their perceived knowledge by 1.6 points. | |
3 | More than 40% of students achieved mastery on 3 of the 6 teaching children of poverty standards. | |
4 | More than 80% of Partner District participants indicated that Center sessions were “Somewhat Better” or “Much Better” than other PD. | |
5 | 76% of Center Research Consortium participants rated it “Good” or “Excellent.” | |
6 | More than 43,000 visits annually to Center website, and ranked “1” by Google for searches including terms “poverty” and “education.” | |
7 | 77% of participants who responded to surveys rated the Fall Conference “Somewhat Better” or “Much Better” than other Partner Districts. | |
8 | 97% who completed evaluations rated the Center Summer Institute as “Good” or “Excellent.” | |
Table 1. Center expected outcomes 2014-2015
The Center also identified outcomes for 2015-2016 shown in Table 2 below:
| Current and Future Outcomes Fiscal Year 2015-2016 and beyond | How Does the Outcome Contribute to the Profile of a SC Graduate? | |
|---|---|---|
1 | On average, pre-service teachers and graduate students indicate preparedness (at least 3.0 on 4.0 scale) related to teaching children of poverty. | Pre-service and in-service teachers who are prepared to teach children of poverty will be better able to support the development of World Class Knowledge and Skills and desirable Life and Career Characteristics in the students they teach. Further, teachers who have a higher level of perceived preparedness for their work in high poverty schools will be more likely to continue in those positions, thereby slowing teacher turnover and the associated negative impact in those schools and districts. |
2 | For each course completed with a focus on teaching children of poverty, students improve their perceived knowledge of teaching children. | |
3 | More than 40% of students achieved mastery on 3 of the 6 Teaching Children of Poverty Standards. | |
4 | 80% of Partner District participants indicate that Center Partner District is “Somewhat Better” or “Much Better” than other PD. | |
5 | 80% of Center Research Consortium participants rate it “Good” or “Excellent.” | |
6 | More than 45,000 visits annually to the Center website occur, and the site maintains “1” rank by Google for searches including terms “poverty” and “education.” | |
7 | At least 80% of participants who complete evaluations rate the Fall Conference as “Good” or “Excellent.” | |
8 | At least 80% of participants who complete evaluations rate the Summer Institute as “Good” or “Excellent.” | |
Table 2. Center expected outcomes 2015-2016
The evaluation philosophy and methods used are based on Michael Quinn Patton’s utilization-focused evaluation [6]. After all data collection events, the independent evaluator provides a synopsis of evaluation findings. These synopses are designed to inform Center staff of findings, recommendations, and suggestions as soon as possible. The Center’s progress toward the three goals is assessed through a utilization-based evaluation approach. The Center has made progress in each of these three goals in its tenure, and a continuous quality improvement model is used to identify strengths and areas for attention. This is also reflected in the 5% funding increase for the Center in 2015-2016 [7-scroll down to next page].
Use of Results
Pre-service and Graduate Education
Six Teaching Children of Poverty standards were developed early in the Center’s history, and these standards were infused in coursework throughout the Francis Marion University School of Education. Recent results from surveys, assessments, and focus groups indicated that Teaching Children of Poverty standards were implemented differently in specific courses or within certain certifications. Based on these findings, programs were put in place to encourage effective implementation of Teaching Children of Poverty standards with faculty who were engaged in process
In-service Education
The Center enhanced the knowledge and practices of in-service teachers related to teaching children of poverty through partnerships with multiple districts, more than 120 professional development sessions offered in 2014–2015, and intensive site-based or course-based professional development in schools and districts. Based on data collected, the Center continued to develop high-quality professional development opportunities across South Carolina.
Premier Resource
The Center conducts professional development for in-service teachers and other educational stakeholders approximately 167 days per year. In addition, the Center offers poverty simulations that facilitate an understanding of poverty among mostly middle- and upper-income participants. Based on data collected, the Center continued strategies that have resulted in it being a go-to resource for teaching children of poverty and explored partnerships to infuse Teaching Children of Poverty standards into coursework at other colleges and universities that have expressed interest in the Teaching Children of Poverty endorsement or add-on certification.
Dooley Planetarium
The Director of the Dooley Planetarium tracks attendance and program data. Since the beginning of the 2011-2012 school year there have been 762 presentations at the Dooley Planetarium to over 33,492 visitors. Of these presentations, 147 were for a bi-monthly public programs open to all members of the public. The majority of the programs offered are for schools in the Pee Dee region of South Carolina. In the 2016-2017 school year, over 7,300 visitors attended programs making it the highest attendance Dooley Planetarium had seen in 14 years. The average number of visitors at the Planetarium over that past six years was 5,582. The average number of programs during this same period was 127. Table 3 provides a breakdown of visitors and programs dating back to 2011:
| School Year | Number of Visitors and Programs |
|---|---|
2011-2012 | 5,884 visitors for 122 programs |
2012-2013 | 4,813 visitors for 119 programs |
2013-2014 | 4,810 visitors for 117 programs |
2014-2015 | 4,122 visitors for 92 programs [shut down for most of fall 2014] |
2015-2016 | 6,531 visitors for 143 programs [closed for one month to replace seating and carpet] |
2016-2017 | 7,332 visitors for 169 programs |
Table 3. Planetarium Activity Breakdown by School Year
Artistic and cultural activities
According to its mission statement, the Theatre Arts Program “educates the student body at large and serves the community through quality performances that exhibit student and faculty artistic work” [8]. In its 2014-2015 annual institutional effectiveness report, the Program states as a core goal that “Theatre arts students and faculty will collaboratively serve the community and region by producing plays open to the general public”[9-scroll down to p. 1-2]. The Program identifies expected outcomes in this area.
For example, the program sets attendance goals for its productions, assesses the extent to which it achieves those goals, and provides evidence of improvement based on analysis of the results. In its 2014-2015 institutional effectiveness report, the Theatre Arts Program stated an attendance goal of 75% Capacity. It recorded an attendance level of 66.5% for the year. In that same report, the Theatre Arts Program stated that
“…Analysis of these statistics indicates that the majority of the University Theatre’s audience is from the FMU student body (our primary target audience). Additional study of these statistics shows a very limited attendance by the surrounding and academic communities (a growing concern)” [10].
Particular action item statements indicate efforts to increase attendance through continued monitoring of attendance, using the new Francis Marion University Performing Arts Center for show performances, and engaging community affairs (FMU Office of Public Affairs) to generate greater publicity [11].
The 61,000-square foot Performing Arts Center in downtown Florence is operated by Francis Marion University and is home to an 850-seat theatre and a smaller 100-seat experimental theatre [12]. Additionally, the Department of Fine Arts sponsors an annual “Arts International” festival in conjunction with the University’s special events office, the City of Florence Parks and Recreations Department and nearby Florence-Darlington Technical College. This festival, which has been held for the past two years in downtown Florence on the site of the University’s Performing Arts Center campus, brings together local artisans and members of the local international community for cultural displays, performances, food tastings, and family activities. It also provides current University students with the opportunity to showcase related work in a public setting, such as the annual Arts International Festival [13].
Health initiatives
In 2012, the University President announced that the Nurse Practitioner program would begin operations in January 2013, and that discussions continue with the University of South Carolina about developing a Physicians’ Assistant (PA) Program. He stated that the agreement for the PA program would be finished within the next year followed by a starting date announcement for the program. The President also reported that start of fundraising for a Health Sciences building in downtown Florence. He stated that the building will cost around fifteen million dollars and be built in the vicinity of the FMU Performing Arts Center [14-scroll down to next page].
The University serves the needs of Florence, the surrounding areas, and the State of South Carolina through its health initiatives. The School of Health Sciences and the new Physician Assistant Program, both which are currently operational [15], are examples of how the University seeks to serve the Pee Dee region and the state of South Carolina through collaboration [16]. Overall, the University devotes significant funding to public and community service projects in Florence and the surrounding area [17].
Documentation
- Catalog 2016-2017, Mission Statement, p. 9
- Center of Excellence for Teachers of Children of Poverty Website
- Dooley Planetarium Website
- Center of Excellence District Partners 2004-2005
- Center of Excellence District Partners 2016-2017
- Michael Quinn Patton Utilization-Focused Evaluation
- Center of Excellence for Teachers of Children of Poverty Budget Allocation
- Theatre Arts Mission Statement
- Fine Arts Theatre IE Report, Core Goal, p. 2
- Fine Arts Theatre IE Report, Analysis of Attendance, p. 6
- Fine Arts Theatre IE Report, Action Items, p. 10
- Performing Arts Center Web Site
- Arts International Festival
- FMU Board of Trustees Minutes, November 9, 2012
- The School of Health Sciences Web Site
- Strategic Planning 2016 Accountability Report–Health Collaboration
- Strategic Planning 2016 Accountability Report–Funding for Centers and Institutes
