Faculty Qualifications/Expertise

• 67% of faculty hold terminal degrees (2); 33% of faculty ABD (1)
• 100% of faculty meet regional accreditation requirements

Faculty Service Projects

Institution

• One faculty member regularly teaches GSU 1210.
• One faculty member serves as the faculty advisor for the student organization, Student Association of Xology

• One faculty member is a member of the Undergraduate Committee. Community
• Faculty members offer “Exploring Xology,” a program conducted in area high schools for juniors and seniors.
• A faculty member volunteers with Bulloch County Young Farmers.

• All faculty members are active members of the Georgia Association of Xology Programs (GAXP). One faculty member serves as treasurer for the state organization.
• The Xology program maintains a “Careers in Xology” website that received over 15,000 hits in 2004.

Faculty Scholarly Productivity

Publications

• One refereed, book-length work of research—The Comparative Growth Rates of Beanstalks, published.
• One textbook, Xology: A Growing Field, published.
• Eight refereed journal articles published—two in the discipline’s leading journal, Xology Quarterly.

Presentations

• One international presentation made.
• Four presentations made at the annual conference of the National Association of Xology Programs.
• Three presentations made at regional conferences.
• Five presentations made at state conferences.
• Two presentations made to local organizations.

• 100% (3/3) faculty have active grants totaling $190,000.
• One internal grant funded for $30,000.
• Two external grants funded for $160,000 ($60,000 from Grow Your Own, U.S.A., and $100,000 from the National Xology Foundation).

Faculty Professional Development

Publications

• One refereed, book-length work of research—The Comparative Growth Rates of Beanstalks, published.
• One textbook, Xology: A Growing Field, published.
• Eight refereed journal articles published—two in the discipline’s leading journal, Xology Quarterly.

Curriculum

Coherency (strengths)

• Cohort model that follows a logical progression of development within the field
• Curriculum follows guidelines set forth by the National Association of Xology Programs and the accrediting body, National Association of Collegiate Xology Programs (NACXP)
• Student exit interview surveys support program outcomes—defined for graduating students as:
  • effective communicators
  • skilled in the collection, interpretation, & analysis of Xology data
  • skilled in the use of discipline appropriate technology
  • historical awareness of field—both theoretical and applied
  • capable of formulating independent research projects

• High failure rate in Statistics in Xology (XOLO 2110)—required course and prerequisite to Advanced Statistics in Xology (XOLO 2120)—directly proportional to program’s attrition rate
  • FY00: 75% (3/4)
  • FY01: 18% (1/6)
  • FY02: 14% (1/7)
  • FY03: 29% (2/7)
  • FY04: 22% (2/9)

Currency (strengths)

• Ongoing review of curriculum for currency
• Curriculum follows guidelines set forth by the National Association of Xology Programs and the accrediting body, National Association of Collegiate Xology Programs (NACXP)

Currency (weaknesses)

• Alumni report that they do not feel as prepared for working in the field as they would like or expected.
• Alumni cite the program’s emphasis on theory in Xology over application of the science as a disconnect to real world experience.
• Accrediting body—National Association of Collegiate Xology Programs—noted lack of currency of the curriculum as one of its major findings in its 2000 review.
• Employers report that graduates need to be educated on the latest technologies used in the field

Learning Experiences (strengths)

• Capstone course: intensive, seminar-style experiences; required final project incorporating techniques of all upper division courses in major; required public defense of final project—pass rates:
  • FY00: 100% (2/2)
  • FY01: 100% (3/3)
  • FY02: 67% (2/3)
  • FY03: 100% (3/3)
  • FY04: 100% (5/5)
• 56% of majors in 2003-04 (5/9) completed a research internship experience.
• 44% of courses include web-based component (4/9) in Fall 2004, representing an increase over Fall 2000 where 0% of courses included web-based component (0/9).

Learning Experiences (weaknesses)

• Pass rates on certification exam were low but curricular changes implemented to improve them:
  • FY00: 0% (0/2)
  • FY01: 33% (1/3)
  • FY02: 100% (3/3)
  • FY03: 100% (3/3)
  • FY04: 80% (4/5)

• Classroom space is adequate and in good condition.
• Square footage of lab space is adequate, but equipment out-dated and below par.
• Faculty office space is adequate.
• Computer lab has only three Macintosh G3 computers which are overdue for upgrades to G4s

• 6,845 bound volumes
• 11 periodical subscriptions
• Adequacy and currency of the library holdings are deemed strong by the programís faculty.

• University standard software program is XP1000 Office Suite.
• University offers 30 public user rooms featuring over 150 Macintoshes and another 200 PCs.
• Xology department maintains three Macintosh G3 computers in the Xology lab for use in analysis of lab results.
• Standard software program for Xology, Xpac version 8.0, requires a minimum of a G4 processor.
• Xology majors have requested PCs in the lab as an alternative for non-Mac users.

Relevancy of Curriculum

(strengths)

• Curriculum follows guidelines set forth by the National Association of Xology Programs and the accrediting body, National Association of Collegiate Xology Programs (NACXP)
• Student exit interview surveys support program outcomes—defined for graduating students as:
  • effective communicators
  • skilled in the collection, interpretation, & analysis of Xology data
  • skilled in the use of discipline appropriate technology
  • historical awareness of field—both theoretical and applied
  • capable of formulating independent research projects

(weaknesses)

• Alumni report that they do not feel as prepared for working in the field as they would like or expected.
• Alumni cite the program’s emphasis on theory in Xology over application of the science as a disconnect to real world experience.
• Employers report that graduates need to be educated on the latest technologies used in the field.

Available Budget Resources

• Program revenues generated through external funds over a five-year period total $160,000.
• Potential for enhanced external funding due to the number of grants available in the area of Xology
• Program revenues generated from internal grant sources total $30,000.
• Program has been unsuccessful the last two years in receiving funding through the Student Technology Fee to upgrade labs.
• Program budget includes $3,500 for travel.

Teaching, Scholarship, and Service Contributions

• Xology program supports University mission statement:
  • Program’s strength is in local & regional flora
  • Secondary emphasis on environmental impacts
  • Student learning experiences extend beyond the classroom and lab environment with 56% of majors in 2003-04 (5/9) completing a research internship experience
• Xology program strives for academic distinction, most recently reviewing its curriculum in light of disconnections with the state certification exam
• Xology program internship program fosters public-private partnerships with 100% of the placement (5/5 for 2003-04) in small community businesses in the local region.
• Xology program is exploring opportunities for expanding its internship program into a comprehensive service-learning program.
• Classes increasingly incorporate new instructional techniques and technologies—needs to be greatly enhanced; is a major goal for the program
• Georgia Southern offers the only public Xology program in the state of Georgia and the only one in the southeast region of Georgia.
• Georgia Southern offers the only Xology program in the state with two emphases areas—regional flora and environmental impacts.
• Georgia Southern’s Xology program provides extension services to local Xologists.