Departmental Assessment Update - Social Work Report

Department: Social Work
Program: MSW
Level: Graduate

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

The MSW Program objectives specify the abilities students master in order to be prepared for effective professional social work practice.


1. Values and Ethics
At the completion of classroom and field education, MSW students will be able to: Understand, articulate, and integrate the principles, values, and ethics of the social
work profession into their practice.
Upon completion of the foundation curriculum students will be able to:
• Identify and discuss the core values, ethical principles, and ethical standards of the social work profession as codified in the NASW Code of
Ethics
• Practice in a manner consistent with the mission of social work and its core values Master of Social Work Program
• Determine when an ethical issue is present and identify the key values and principles involved.
Upon completion of the advanced curriculum, students will be able to:
• Understand legal regulations and standards related to social work in Hawai‘i and their application in professional practice
• Employ ethical problem-solving in their social work practice
• Analyze ethical dilemmas and develop, implement, and assess an action plan in line with their analysis.
2. Professional Use of Self
At the completion of classroom and field education, MSW students will be able to:
Demonstrate achievement of professional use of self in practice.
Upon completion of the foundation curriculum students will be able to:
• Distinguish professional and personal roles, with awareness of the need to elevate service to others above selfinterest
• Use self purposefully and with awareness of own personal strengths and limitations in carrying out professional roles
• Demonstrate flexibility in assuming various social work roles and coping with change, and is able to utilize supervision effectively.
Upon completion of the advanced curriculum students will be able to:
• Understand their own personal values and biases and show understanding of and be able to describe how these impact work with clients
• Participate in and assume responsibility for ongoing development of professional knowledge and skills
• Identify and modify personal and professional barriers to effective practice and use self effectively in practice in an area of concentration.
3. Critical Thinking
At the completion of classroom and field education, MSW students will be able to:
Apply critical thinking skills in professional contexts.
Upon completion of the foundation curriculum students will be able to:
• Understand the differences between verifiable facts and value claims, and the need to weigh knowledge claims against the evidence for them
• Critically examine arguments and evidence and show openness in the evaluation of their own practice
• Utilize research to inform and evaluate their practice.
Upon completion of the advanced curriculum students will be able to:
• Examine evidence, synthesize disparate information, see patterns, determine relevance of evidence, develop and defend a theoretically based, empirically grounded rationale in
analyzing a problem and developing a strategy
• Modify their practice as a result of weighing feedback from supervisor, clients, instructors, self, and other data
• Use research as a basis for practice, accurately interpret evidence, evaluate and select among alternative approaches, and determine and increase the extent to which clients
benefit from their practice.
4. Applying Theory to Practice
At the completion of classroom and field education, MSW students will be able to:

Analyze and apply knowledge to assessment and intervention in social work practice of biopsychosocial variables and theoretical frameworks that explain individual and social systems development.
Upon completion of the foundation curriculum students will be able to:
• Understand and apply at multiple system levels a broad range of knowledge regarding individual and social development and behavior
• Display a community-based, generalist perspective on practice
• Apply theory-grounded assessment tools and interventions appropriate to practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
Upon completion of the advanced curriculum students will be able to:
• Synthesize and apply a broad range of theory and knowledge with respect to assessment and intervention in an area of concentration
• Engage in learning activities and apply new theory and knowledge relevant to their area of
concentration
• Select and apply theory-grounded assessment tools and practices appropriate to their area of concentration.
5. Advocacy
At the completion of classroom and field education, MSW students will be able to:
Advocate effectively for social and economic justice.
Upon completion of the foundation curriculum students will be able to:
• Integrate knowledge of the mission, history, and philosophy of social work and social welfare
• Use their knowledge and skills to improve the lives of communities and the individuals in them
• Analyze the impact of social policies on client systems, workers, and agencies.
Upon completion of the advanced curriculum students will be able to:
• Understand and critically analyze specific social welfare policies and programs pertinent to their area of concentration
• Engage in social change in the quest for social and economic justice
• Demonstrate skills for influencing change through advocacy, empowerment, and other strategies.
6. Diversity
At the completion of classroom and field education, MSW students will be able to:
Achieve competency in working with diverse populations.
Upon completion of the foundation curriculum students will be able to:
• Demonstrate personal and professional awareness of their own cultural values and biases and how these impact their abilities to work with others
• Demonstrate skills for ongoing knowledge development of diversity with a focus on Native Hawaiians, other Pacific Islanders, Asian Americans and other oppressed groups and diverse populations
• Develop skills in engaging persons from diverse cultures and groups.
Upon completion of the advanced curriculum students will be able to:
• Understand and analyze the forms and mechanisms of discrimination and oppression, and the strategies and skills that advance social and economic justice for all populations at risk, with special attention to Native Hawaiians, other Pacific Islanders, and Asians
• Actively evaluate and improve their own ability in valuing diversity and challenging oppression
• Demonstrate competency in the areas of diversity relevant to their concentration.
7. Communication
At the completion of classroom and field education, MSW students will be able to:
Demonstrate the oral, written, and attending skills that will enable them to communicate effectively and appropriately in relation to their setting and audience.
At the foundation level, students will be able to:
• Demonstrate knowledge of the basic requirements of record keeping in social work; and use information technologies appropriate to communicating effectively with clients and
colleagues
• Demonstrate that they are able to relate to clients in a non-judgmental manner
• Demonstrate skill in interviewing and in communicating with different audiences orally and in writing in their academic and field work.
At the advanced level, students will be able to:
• Understand the specific forms of written and oral communication relevant to their area of concentration
• Communicate appropriately and respectfully with different groups and client systems
• Demonstrate a professional level of oral and written communication skills in the context of a specialized area of practice, including the ability to vary the use of those skills with different client populations, colleagues, and members of the community.

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

1) School of Social Work (SSW) bulletin (published annually)

2) PDF of bulletin on SSW web site

3) On SSW web site under MSW Program

4) MSW Student Handbook

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?

The MSW program goals and objectives are based on the University, School of Social Work, and MSW program mission statements. Each course has a master syllabus that contains course goals and objectives that are tied directly to the program goals and objectives. Every section of that course must have the same course goals and objectives. How the instructor achieves those goals and objectives is up to him or her.

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

All full- and part-time MSW students.

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

Indirect (information from students):

1) Course and Faculty Evaluations (CAFE) - all MSW students are asked to fill out scan sheets and a qualitative form for each class at the end of each semester.  There are questions about the class and about the instructor.  The information is useful but does not match up exactly with program goals and objectives.

2) MSW Exit Survey - paper/pencil, placed in all graduating MSW student mailboxes.  This year, the survey was also e-mailed and mailed to students.  Next year, it will also be online.  Wording for the questions is drawn directly from the program goals and objectives, and students rate how well the school met these goals and objectives on a 5-point scale.

3) MSW State Licensing Information - the SSW purchases information as to how many MSW graduates took and passed the state licensing exam.

4) Alumni Survey - this year, a mailed survey will go to all SSW graduates. In subsequent years, it will only go to those who are 2 years post-degree. A new version is under development. It includes demographic information, detailed questions about the individual's work and workplace, and questions about the program, including many that tie back into the program goals and objectives. 

5) Baccalaureate Educational Assessment Package (BEAP) - first year MSW students about to go into their second year should have learned the same material as a BSW program graduate. To see if this is the case, BEAP is pretesting a new knowledge instrument on graduating BSW students and MSW students who have finished their first year to see if this is the case.

Direct: (information from other sources):

1) Practicum Evaluations - Regular program MSW students participate in 4 semesters of field placement (two semesters each at two different sites).  The field instructor and student develop a learning agreement each semester that includes professional skills and development, progress toward goals, methods of assessment, and a grade.  These items are collected and analyzed.  We are considering an analysis of qualitative information.

2) Graduating Student final GPAs.

3) Agency/Employer Surveys - paper/pencil mailed to employers.  This has not been done in awhile.  When it was last done, it was mailed only to those employers who graduates provided us with names and addresses.  This time, we will likely mail to employers whose names and addresses we get from graduates along with mailing to all large social work employers (e.g., Department of Human Services, Department of Health, etc.). 

Proposed: 

1) Focus groups of graduating students, led by students.

2) Portfolios - currently, only the mental health concentration requires portfolios of all students.

3) Comprehensive examination after first year; must pass before progressing to second year.

There are not too many examinations given in individual classes, except for in research courses, for example.  However, many of the concentration classes (second year classes) incorporate oral presentations in grading.

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

A few graduate students have presented their work at national conferences. They are more likely to participate in local conferences. Very few MSW students have published. At the master's level in social work, the emphasis is on performance in field education.  Presenting and publishing are not an integral part of the program, although some students do conduct their own research projects or work on faculty members' research projects and participate in presentations and publishing.

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

Alumni Survey - this year, a mailed survey will go to all SSW graduates. In subsequent years, it will only go to those who are 2 years post-degree. A new version is under development. It includes demographic information, detailed questions about the individual's work and workplace, and questions about the program, including many that tie back into the program goals and objectives.

Data suggest that graduates find employment within 3 months of finishing school, usually in social service or related areas and agencies.

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

Data were used to make changes in the ASIST class, which is part of the MSW Advanced Standing program. In addition, based on feedback, the SSW is exploring modifying the MSW program's goals and objectives.

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

Yes.

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

Yes.

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

See question #2.

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

The Assessment Committee (see below) looks for patterns over time in the data. They look for scores and GPAs that fall below specified cutoffs. The students rate the program fairly high, so the committee looks for areas in which students rate the School as being weaker (e.g., rated 3 on a 5-point scale). An alumni survey has not been conducted for quite awhile, so the data from the one that will go out soon should be quite useful. The committee compares final GPAs of BSW and MSW students.

13. Who interprets the evidence?

The Assessment Committee, which consists of nine members of the SSW, including the Dean, the Director of Research, research faculty, and representation from all three degree programs (BSW, MSW, and Ph.D. in social welfare). Meetings are open to all faculty and staff.

14. What is the process of interpreting the evidence?

The Assessment Committee oversees all data collection, entry, and analysis. A report was published in Fall 2007 that included analyses from the BSW and MSW programs. A new report is in process that will included analyses from the BSW and MSW programs and a summary written by the Chair and members of the Assessment Committee.

15. Indicate the date of last program review.

UH - 1997

Reaccreditation by Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) - 2002

Currently in the process of preparing for the 2010 CSWE reaffirmation