Departmental Assessment Update - Natural Sciences Report

Department: Communication and Information Sciences
Program: Communication and Information Sciences
Level: Graduate

1. Has your program developed learning outcomes? If yes, please list.

There are no learning outcomes in the traditional sense as this is a PhD program with no fixed content area that would be amenable to specifying a set of learning outcomes. The program is highly customizable and the content addressed depends on each student. The outcome is that the student become an active member of their chosen academic community. 

2. If your program has learning outcomes, where are they published (e.g., department web page)?

See our web site, particularly the focus areas at http://www.hawaii.edu/cis/?page=areas and policies at http://www.hawaii.edu/cis/?page=policies

3. Do your faculty list course learning outcomes on their syllabi?

 We are an interdisciplinary program across four departments: COM, ICS, ITM, LIS. . Each department will have already answered this question: please see their replies. 

4. Does your program have a curriculum map that links course outcomes to program outcomes? If so, please include.

In general, this is not applicable, but see http://www.hawaii.edu/cis/?page=areas for general recommendations on which courses to take to prepare for comprehensive exams.

5. Does your program benchmark or have goals for student performance? (e.g. 70% students will graduate within 5 years)

Yes. See http://www.hawaii.edu/cis/?page=policies for deadlines by which students pass each milestone (comprehensive exams, published paper, proposal defense and dissertation). 

6. Other than GPA, what data/evidence is used to determine that graduates have achieved stated outcomes for the degree? (i.e. capstone project, class assignment)

Students must pass three comprehensive exams in three focus areas of their choosing. This includes two secondary exams and one primary exam. Students must have a research paper accepted for publication. Students must then successfully defend a dissertation proposal and the dissertation itself according to normal graduate division procedures. 

7. Who interprets the evidence of student learning?

Depending on the situation, the exam committee (for comprehensive exams), the executive board and external reviewers  (for evidence of publication), and the dissertation committee (for proposal and final defense). 

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

We have recently compiled data on comprehensive exam passes to make decisions concerning readjustment of our exam system. We have also used data on time to completion for each major milestone to motivate a revision to the program that was initiated summer 2008 (replacing a former fourth comprehensive exam with the paper requirement, and adding a mentoring system). 

9. What attempts are made to monitor students’ postgraduate professional activities?

The program has been operating for over 20 years with no budget or staff, based entirely on faculty volunteer time . Recently (fall 2008) we were finally given resources for a half time APT, and are able to begin to address this issue. We have been tracking down alumni addresses and will be sending them a report soon. Subsequently we will begin actively tracking alumni and sending at least annual reports to them, in addition to requesting donations to the program.