Departmental Assessment Update - Social Sciences Report

Department: Communications
Program: MA
Level: Graduate

1. List in detail your graduate Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) for each degree/certificate offered.

The School of Communications' Communications program offers an MA program that works within sociocultural and sociotechnical perspective of Communication.  Applicants to the program must submit to the school a statement of academic objectives and the planned role of our program in helping meet those objectives. In this way, the student provides some definition to his or her learning outcomes prior to entering the program.  Students admitted into the program are assigned a interim advisor who assists the student in the initial planning of his or her degree program, providing an added opportunity to define general learning outcomes in the graduate program.  All graduate students are continuously assessed on their ability to conceive of and conduct original, scholarly research, and apply communication theories.

2. Where are these SLOs published (e.g., departmental web page)?

The School website and graduate information packets outline the learning objectives.
Access:  http://www.communications.hawaii.edu/

3. Explain how your SLOs map onto your curriculum, i.e., how does your program of graduate studies produce the specific SLOs in your students?

Students are required to take two foundation courses during their first semester in the program:  (1) Communication Theories (COM 611) and Research Methods (COM 612).  For content areas, students students take at least two courses which demonstrate competence in at least one area of specialization such as Organizational Communication, Intercultural Communication and telecommunications/new media policy and planning.

4. What population(s) is covered by your assessment(s)?

All graduate students in our program. We currently have about 50 students in our MA program and 45 students in our joint Ph.D. program (Communication and Information Sciences).

5. Please list/describe all the assessment events and devices used to monitor graduate student progress through the program. Consider the following questions:

Written exams are the primary means of assessing graduate students.  Courses such as Theories and Research Methods involve written midterm and final exam.  While left to the discretion of the professor, most assignments have a writing component and selected courses have medium to heavy reliance upon computer mediated instruction.

Two options are available in the graduate program.  These options are to complete either a Thesis (Plan A) or Practicum (Plan B) as the capstone activity.  Most students, 90 to 95 percent of them, opt to write a thesis.  The students select  the chair and at least two members of their thesis or practicum committee to evaluate the work.

Graduate students are required to orally defend their thesis or project before the committee.  In addition, students must complete an oral defense of issues in the field of communication.

6. Please list/describe how your graduate students contribute to your discipline/academic area? Consider the following questions:

Students are strongly encouraged to present ant publish their work and a significant number do.  Graduate students have attended regional and national conferences in recent years to present papers. In some cases graduate students are supported, in part, from School of Communications funds.

7. What attempts are made to monitor student post-graduate professional activities?

There is no formal mechanism for monitoring student post-graduate professional activities.  However, many students do keep in touch with faculty to inform them of their whereabouts and to update them on their activities.  In this way, we informally keep up with graduates.  About a third of our MA graduates go on to graduate programs and are successful in receiving their Ph.D.  Others typically go into professional fields such as Public Relations, Video Production, Corporate Training, Governmant and Teaching.

 While much of our evidence is anecdotal, we can point to many successful graduates who became leaders in their fields after graduation.

8. How were the assessment data/results used to inform decisions concerning the curriculum and administration of the program?

The School of Communications has recently (last year) completed a wide-ranging examination of its curriculum and administration, including a recently developed five year plan. This is an on-going process that affects our program and pedagogy in the long-term.

In the short-term, there have not been many changes to the program, in part because it seems to work well in terms of constant and consistent assessment of students.  And, in part because the loss of faculty has limited our ability to make significant changes.  Fewer faculty members to interact with and serve on committees for graduate students has proven to be a challenge, but we continue to provide a program that offers students a strong foundation in Communication studies.

9. Has the program developed learning outcomes? Please indicate yes or no.


No, It varies by courses and professors

10. Has the program published learning outcomes? Please indicate yes or no.

11. If so, please indicate how the program has published learning outcomes.

12. What evidence is used to determine achievement of student learning outcomes?

13. Who interprets the evidence?

14. What is the process of interpreting the evidence?

15. Indicate the date of last program review.