While these evaluations are very high, it is not possible to determine whether they are representative of the program faculty as a whole. In addition, we believe that student course evaluation scores do not, by themselves, provide sufficient information about the quality of instruction. If it is not already doing so, we encourage the department to engage in a variety of assessment techniques including alumni surveys and exit interviews. The formation of the program Advisory Committee should also be helpful. Advising High-quality advising, which includes career planning and placement, is specified as a program goal and it is clear that the program values advising.
Students meet regularly with program faculty.
Faculty advising also appears to occur in other settings, such as classrooms, internships, professional conferences, and in shared research projects. However, specific targets with regard to diversity are not mentioned in the goals statement. We recommend that these goals be developed with respect to both faculty and students. With some exceptions, racial and ethnic diversity do not characterize these programs. Page 3 Institutional Support Stipends for doctoral students would allow additional recruitment.