Departmental Assessment Update - Social Sciences Report

Department: Sociology
Program: MA
Level: Graduate

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

Student Learning Outcomes for the Plan MA Degree (draft) a. understanding of a broad range of sociological theories and methods, and commonly used statistical techniques b. ability to design a feasible research project to address a sociological problem or issue of theoretical interest c. understanding of principles of protection of human subjects and how to design sociological research that respects and protects human subjects. d. ability to carry out an independent research project to collect and analyze research data that addresses a sociological question e. ability to interpret research results in relation to sociological theory, to draw reasonable inferences, and to report research results and conclusions accurately and effectively.

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

The learning outcomes will be posted on the department website.

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

For the most part yes they are but they are not always explicitly identified as course learning outcomes.

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

Map SLOs to curriculum a. Required graduate core course in theory (611 or 612) with undergraduate theory course (321 or equivalent) as prerequisite; required basic statistics course (476/L, with 605 optional), and required methods course (Soc. 475, 478, 604, 606, 608, 609, or 691 ). b. Detailed thesis proposal, which must be approved by student’s thesis committee. c. Soc. 606 includes certification in human subjects protection for investigators; students must obtain human subjects committee approval for all thesis research involving human subjects or data on living humans. Consideration of human subjects protection is concurrent with development of an acceptable thesis proposal. d. Thesis data collection, data analysis, and write-up e. Thesis write-up and oral defense.

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

We use four forms of assessment. a. Individual course grades, since students must maintain at least a B average to remain in good standing in the program. All 400, 600, and 700 level courses evaluate students on a combination of written work and oral performance in class. b. Supervision and evaluation of the thesis proposal, thesis, and oral defense of the thesis by a three-member committee. Most thesis proposals undergo at least two drafts before the committee approves them, and most theses require at least two or three drafts to meet committee standards. The oral defense of the thesis evaluates whether the student can organize a formal presentation of the work and can answer questions about it at an acceptable professional level. The completed theses are public products. c. Since most of our MA thesis projects involve human subjects, the research must also pass human subjects review before the student can carry it out. While this is not a direct measure of quality, it does require that the student present a clear description of a research project that provides appropriate protection of human subjects.

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)

At present no additional projects or courses are used to assess the outcomes of students besides their theses and final papers.

7. Who interprets the evidence of student learning?

Annual review of all graduate students, in which the entire faculty of the department assesses whether each student is progressing at an appropriate pace through the program. Students receive a letter each year indicating whether they are progressing appropriately and what milestones they are expected to achieve by the time of the next annual review. Students who fail to meet annual goals despite two years of warnings are dropped from the program. (see attachments B and C) Many of our MA students are selected competitively to present seminar papers or parts of their thesis at either graduate student conferences or at state, regional, or national professional meetings.

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

As a result of several years of using this assessment methods the sociology department now also offers a Plan B MA degree in Population Studies in conjunction with the Population Studies Program, but in recent years there have only been one or two students applying for this MA track. Performance in this program is assessed with a rigorous sequence of courses and an exit examination offered through the Population Studies Program. We have also recently instituted a Plan B MA degree for students who complete the MA course work satisfactorily, but are unable to produce an MA thesis that meets the department’s high standards. We have awarded this degree to two students whose fellowship time had ended and whose English language ability was not yet adequate to the demands of writing a thesis in English.

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

We try to determine what students do after completion of the MA. Although the MA is intended as a terminal degree, each year one or two of our MA students petition successfully to enter our doctoral program. We do not permit these transfers until the MA thesis is completed. In addition, about a third of our MA students earn a concurrent or subsequent second degree or certificate in another academic or professional field. About a third of them teach in community colleges or four year colleges with the MA degree. About a quarter are employed in public and private agencies, primarily in the state of Hawaii, where they use their sociological training for research, teaching, or social service positions. However, a recent increase in funded international students in the MA program will change these outcomes, since most of those students will return to positions in their home countries. There have been two effects to date. a. The annual review has led to removal of inactive students from the program and serves to keep students on track toward completion of their degree. b. Imposition of stricter human subjects monitoring for the social sciences and the inclusion of this training in our required methods course has led to stricter evaluation of MA thesis proposals and a corresponding upgrading in the quality of MA thesis research. This has raised awareness of ethical standards and also provides students with practical experience in the negotiation of research bureaucracies.