Dodd-Nufrio, Philip M

Nikitenko, Gleb

English

University of San Francisco

The University of San FranciscoUSF Scholarship: a digital repository @ Gleeson Library |Geschke CenterEntrepreneurship, Innovation, and Strategy School of Management2014Teaching Public Administration ConferenceUpdatePhilip M. Dodd-NufrioGleb NikitenkoUniversity of San Francisco, nikitenko@usfca.eduFollow this and additional works at: http://repository.usfca.edu/esibPart of the Education Commons, and the Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public AdministrationCommonsThis Article is brought to you for free and open access by the School of Management at USF Scholarship: a digital repository @ Gleeson Library |Geschke Center. It has been accepted for inclusion in Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Strategy by an authorized administrator of USF Scholarship: adigital repository @ Gleeson Library | Geschke Center. For more information, please contact repository@usfca.edu.Recommended CitationPhilip M. Dodd-Nufrio, Gleb Nikitenko. Teaching Public Administration Conference Update. JPAE. 2014 20(2): 149-150. Journal of Public Affairs Education 149From the Guest EditorsTeaching Public Administration Conference UpdatePhilip M. Dodd-NufrioMetropolitan College of New YorkGleb NikitenkoUniversity of San FranciscoThis JPAE mini-symposium on teaching public administration is the outgrowth of papers presented at the June 2013 Teaching Public Administration Conference (TPAC) in San Francisco. The conference was sponsored jointly by the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) Section on Public Administration Education (SPAE) and the University of San Francisco. Following the conference, a call for conference papers was placed for submission and publication in JPAE. Two articles from TPAC 2013 form the basis for this mini-symposium on teaching public administration. Both articles describe two excellent case studies on how student learning is measured in MPA curricula. In his article, “Motivating MPA Students to Independently Develop Linkages Among Multiple Courses,” Robert Peters designed an experiment to address and manage the limitations of the traditional “course-based silo approach.” Peters argues that the silo app - roach and its emphasis on specializations, perspectives, and terminology creates artificial boundaries. He believes that these boundaries limit critical thinking and creative skills. He argues that the development of such skills requires students to make strong connections between courses. Peters created and executed an in-class course experiment that would motivate and shift students into identifying concepts of prior coursework. His goal was to measure and test students’ ability to develop a deeper understanding of MPA course material and facilitate the achievement of public administration competencies. His study yielded disparate results on course concept integration (concept maps, essays, and final exams). His data (and related theory), however, supported the proposition that his approach empowers students, promotes a deeper understanding of material, facilitates competencies, and enhances best practices in public administration. Peters also found that the specificity of grading criteria influenced but was not a primary motivator in having students make connections. In their symposium article, “Capstone Assess-ment of NASPAA Competencies,” David Powell, Michelle Saint-Germain, and Linda-Marie Sundstrom describe the approach used by California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) to measure NASPAA competencies. NASPAA expects affiliated MPA programs to use direct measures of student learning on “competencies.” This article describes the use of a capstone course to measure student learning on NASPAA’s third universal compe-tency: “To analyze, synthesize, think critically, solve problems and make decisions.” The students whose learning was assessed were in the university’s PPA-696 Research Methods course. The PPA-696 case analysis is one step in the systematic assessment process used in the MPA Program at CSU, Long Beach. JPAE 20 (2), 149 –150150 Journal of Public Affairs EducationThe faculty compared the scores students earned on the case study to the students’ grades for PPA-696. Students received a numerical score (0–100) on their submitted case study. For the 28 students in the study, the average score assigned was 89.6 with a low of 78 and a high of 100. The case analysis concludes that although most students performed well, several areas of learning deficiencies were identified. Powell and colleagues report that CSULB faculty will use this data to remedy deficiencies when planning and delivering future sections of PPA-696.ABOUT THE GUEST EDITORSPhilip M. Dodd-Nufrio is an associate professor of Public Administration in the School of Public Affairs and Administration, Metropolitan Col-lege of New York. He was co-conference chair for the 2013 Teaching Public Administration Conference held in San Francisco. He holds a Master of Public Administration from the Maxwell School of Citizenship, Syracuse University, and a PhD in Public Administration from Rutgers University. Gleb Nikitenko is director of Program Ser vices, University of San Francisco, and was co-conference chair of the 2013 Teaching Public Administration Conference held in San Francisco. He holds a Master of Arts in International Relations from Kiev State Uni-versity (Ukrainian Institute of International Relations), a Master of Public Administration in International Management from the Monterey Institute of International Studies, and a doctorate in learning and instruction from the USF School of Education.G. Nikitenko & P. M. Dodd-Nufio

Teaching Public Administration Conference Update

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Teaching Public Administration Conference Update

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