curriculum map

The Department of Botany faculty members have completed the initial steps of developing a program assessment plan for our three undergraduate degrees: BA, Botany; BS, Botany; and BS, Ethnobotany. We first devised explicit and realistic Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) for all students completing any of our degrees. We then considered the extent to which our existing classes addressed individual SLOs and scored each class for each SLO in one of 5 overlapping categories: 1) does not address SLO; 2) provides introductory material that relates to SLO; 3) provides learning material that reinforces a subject; 4) provides students with the opportunity to master a subject; and/or 5) provides an assessment of student performance. This scoring process resulted in a curriculum map for each degree. The entire process has caused us to consider revising some courses, eliminating some courses, and designing some entirely new courses. The next step is to develop and implement tools for assessing the success of achieving programmatic learning outcomes.

Program Assessment – Department of Botany

The Department of Botany faculty members have completed the initial steps of developing a program assessment plan for …

The Chinese Section at the East Asian Languages and Literatures (EALL) department at University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (UHM) completed an oral proficiency rubric assessing Chinese B.A. speaking learning outcomes during the Spring semester of 2014. Time has come to address the need for a writing rubric that can indicate students’ learning outcomes (SLOs) and match the program goals. This poster presents the development of Chinese writing rubric, and introduces the adaptation of this rubric in a series of courses where the instructions and SLOs are set for students to produce expected written work. Following the description above, this presentation shows collaborative work engaging all interested faculty members as a sectional program assessment effort. Particular procedures and assessment results are featured in this poster. Examples on implementing various strategies in the organization and conducting assessment activities are highlighted as well. The outcomes and benefits of inviting UHM assessment experts to conduct customized faculty workshops is also discussed. Faculty members’ comments and responses to the hands-on activities at the workshop, such as examining curriculum map, setting up the common goals, identifying assessment evidence, and optimizing data collection methods, etc. are reported as well. Through the collaborations of rubric development and assessment workshop participation, the Chinese Section faculty has deepened their understanding of the nature and benefits of active involvement in program assessment. They have made collective contributions to the Chinese BA program revision, and to the improvement of programmatic course articulation.

Writing rubric development and collaborative assessment work in the Chinese program

The Chinese Section at the East Asian Languages and Literatures (EALL) department at University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa …

This poster highlights the work of University of Hawaii at Manoa 2013 Information Literacy Working Group. Tasked by the Manoa Faculty Senate, the General Education Committee established this working group that (1) reviewed definitions of information literacy, (2) reviewed academic department’s undergraduate Student Learning Outcomes, (3) reviewed courses’ information literacy aspects, and (4) surveyed writing intensive instructors on information literacy. The poster will present the curriculum map created by the group. The map included courses for the 2012-2013 academic year that had (1) a library instruction workshop, (2) Student Learning Outcome addressing some aspect of information literacy, or (3) writing intensive designation. The poster will also share the results of an information literacy survey sent to a stratified sample of instructors who taught writing intensive courses during the 2012-2013 year.  Observations and recommendations of the working group will also be presented.

Information Literacy Across the Curriculum

This poster highlights the work of University of Hawaii at Manoa 2013 Information Literacy Working Group. Tasked by …

The Public Administration Program offers a Master’s of Public Administration (MPA) degree. Currently our program is 30 credits, but after using assessment our program will be 39 credits starting in Fall 2015. Using curriculum mapping, the PUBA was able to align our program learning outcomes with our student learning outcomes. We revised our student learning outcomes to include content areas and skills the curriculum was not covering. In addition, we mapped out three degree pathways and identified learning opportunities and assignments that we can use to assess outcomes. After using these assessment tools, in addition to adding an additional 9 credits to PUBA, we have added 3 new courses, and revised individual course student learning outcomes and opportunities.

Leading The Way To Accreditation With Assessment

The Public Administration Program offers a Master’s of Public Administration (MPA) degree. Currently our program is 30 credits, …

This poster will present how the Civil Engineering B.S. program utilized multiple sources of evidence to evaluate the student ability to apply mathematical skills in solving engineering programs and how the program has utilized results to make programmatic improvement. To assess students’ ability to apply math skills to solve engineering programs, our faculty used the results from Fundamental in Engineering license exam and course embedded assessment. In the licensure exam, we found student scores on the Structural analysis section, which involves using math to solve engineering problems, have been lower than average in the past few years. Using embedded course assessment, faculty in the course 361 Transport Engineering and 381 Structure analysis give students engineering tasks that require them to use math skills. These tasks are evaluated using a rubric. The results on the math skills show that the student performance did not meet the target (more than 80% students scoring 3 and 4’s and fewer than 5% students scoring 1) set by the department. As the students assessed were juniors and the target was set for the graduating class, the data indicate either more work needs to be done to bring students up to the desired level of performance, or a scaled scoring system needs to be used to compensate the mismatch between the expectation (target) and the status of the students assessed. The program assessment coordinator and course instructors collect and summarized the assessment results. The program faculty collaboratively interpreted the results and discussed improvement strategies. The program used the assessment results and made multiple curricular improvements, such as changing the Structure analysis course from the electives to required courses, limiting enrollment, increasing frequency of course offerings, modifying expectations on the rubric, and applying appropriate standards to students at different academic levels. We think that our program’s assessment practices can inform skill-based outcome assessment for other programs. We will also share lessons learned.

Assessing Math, Science & Engineering Skills in Civil Engineering

This poster will present how the Civil Engineering B.S. program utilized multiple sources of evidence to evaluate the …

The Communication Department’s undergraduate curriculum is currently guided by seven SLOs (Student Learning Outcomes), which are demonstrable skills or abilities that students are expected to possess before the conferral of a bachelor's degree. We, with our poster presentation, propose an additional SLO in civic engagement. Civic engagement has not been a formally assessed part of the department's curriculum in the past, but a recent internal evaluation has revealed it to be an important aspect of our faculty's teaching. A department-wide curriculum change to formally include this area would, therefore, pose no undo imposition on faculty independence. The students, more importantly, would benefit from new competencies and gain an awareness of issues of public concern that are essential to sound democratic governance. The SLO framework, by design, promotes effective learning through the application of a cohesive curriculum. Put simply, each class serves to advance a common educational aim or aims. Our proposed SLO—and its accompanying curriculum map—functions no differently. The assessment of student portfolios was directed by a rubric endorsed by the Association of American Colleges and Universities, but other assessment tools may be used in its place. In addition to advocating an official position on the teaching of civic engagement, our poster project is intended to foster faculty discussion on enhancing the Communication Department's curriculum.

Encouraging Civic Engagement Among Undergraduates

The Communication Department’s undergraduate curriculum is currently guided by seven SLOs (Student Learning Outcomes), which are demonstrable skills …

New LCME accreditation standards will require medical schools to monitor curriculum and content and to develop a curriculum inventory over the next 1--2 years. There is little literature on the use of curriculum mapping to evaluate Problem-Based Learning (PBL) curriculum. Equipping medical students with knowledge and skills to care for our rapidly aging population is critical. We describe how developing a curriculum map for geriatric medicine core competencies during preclinical education helped identify areas to target revision of curricula. While curriculum mapping will be necessary in meeting AAMC inventory requirements in the future, the Curriculum Mapping of Geriatric Medicine Core Competencies at JABSOM has already proven to be an effective strategy. During our analysis, we found that we covered many LCME survey topics important for accreditation (e.g. care of the disabled, abuse, end--of--life care, health care systems). Through examination of the preclinical curriculum, we identified areas of deficiency, and also that the sequence was not ideal. Greater emphasis on geriatric physiology should occur earlier in the preclinical years, and coverage of optimal medication management should occur in later courses. Greater discussion regarding “Hospital Care for Elders,” including the important topics of patient safety and discharge planning towards the end of the second year, would also help better prepare students for their clinical years. Revisions to the curriculum and examinations are planned. We also plan to expand our analysis to include interprofessional education and cultural competence.

Curriculum Mapping of Geriatric Medicine Core Competencies in the Preclinical Problem-Based Learning Curriculum at the John A Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawai′i

New LCME accreditation standards will require medical schools to monitor curriculum and content and to develop a curriculum …

In the last 6 months, the Department of Psychology has initiated a new plan that is expected to provide useful information that will eventually assess our Psychology Undergraduate Program. This new Undergraduate Assessment Plan (UAP) emerged from training in Assessment Leadership Institute at UHM, which highlighted major principles and strategies to assess academic programs. With this training knowledge, an undergraduate curriculum map was developed with faculty input that incorporates the most recent Student Learning Objectives (SLOs) from the American Psychological Association (APA). These SLOs that graduating psychology majors should know include: psychological knowledge of key concepts; scientific inquiry and critical thinking using scientific reasoning to interpret psychological phenomenon; ethical and social responsibility in diverse settings; communication development for effective writing and oral presentation; and professional development for meaningful direction after graduation. The curriculum map is important in describing specific SLOs associated with each Psychology undergraduate course taught at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Effective Fall 2014, all instructors will include SLOs in their syllabus that reflects their course content. Another feature of the UAP in development is the incorporation of a rubric to assess student writing. To do so, a rubric for writing to meet the APA communication SLO was obtained from the American Association of Schools & Universities and modified to assess the writing occurring in our Psychology W courses. Pilot work is being conducted to determine the feasibility and reliability of a rubric to assess student writing in a small sample of student papers. On the basis of this study, the scoring and assessment method of papers may require modifications before presenting a working rubric to the department faculty for discussion. The UAP is to eventually require a final paper written in Psychology W courses to be assessed by the instructor using a rubric accepted by the Psychology faculty.

Department of Psychology Undergraduate Assessment Plan

In the last 6 months, the Department of Psychology has initiated a new plan that is expected to …

In Spring 2013, the Matsunaga Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (MIPCR) began a program review process by completing a curriculum map of the Graduate Certificate in Conflict Resolution (GCCR). The 15-credit interdisciplinary certificate is designed to address a set of program-level student learning outcomes (SLO). A curriculum assessment would determine if the GCCR’s Peace and Conflict Education (PACE) courses, as well as GCCR-approved courses from other programs, aligned with these outcomes. It would also reveal whether students had adequate opportunities to achieve the outcomes. This initiative would open dialogue among faculty, administrators, and students to discuss student success and program improvement. Instructors of PACE and GCCR-approved courses received a survey listing each program-level SLO and were asked to indicate the degree to which their course addressed each outcome. Responses to the surveys were recorded in a curriculum map and presented to a volunteer review committee for interpretation and discussion. This committee made recommendations for the program, including clarifying program goals and positioning to guide program-level SLOs, and further clarifying SLOs to ensure collective understanding by faculty members. Committee members also noted that there are limited opportunities for students to focus on professional ethics. It was further recommended that faculty and staff ownership of the review process be fostered through transparency and collaboration. Challenges of meeting SLOs through interdisciplinary programming were also revealed. The MIPCR Curriculum Committee discussed the results and recommendations and concluded that a more complete curriculum map and continued discussion was needed before making any curricular decisions.

Starting the Curricular Conversation through Mapping: A Curriculum Review of the Graduate Certificate in Conflict Resolution

In Spring 2013, the Matsunaga Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (MIPCR) began a program review process by …

TIM school began to build the program assessment frame in 2009 and have developed the student learning outcome, curriculum map, and experienced a couple of rounds of actual assessment. We would like to share the process and learning of TIM school as we engaged in the assessment process and how the Assessment office helped every step of the way. The poster will be designed to illustrate the steps TIM school went through and types of help provided by the Assessment office as well as the learnings we acquired along the way in regards to the program assessment.

How TIM School Began and Progressed with Program Assessment

TIM school began to build the program assessment frame in 2009 and have developed the student learning outcome, …

In the last few years, the need has increased at UHM for students to more actively engage in educational planning amidst many changes, including the decline of state resources for education and the economy at large. Providing advising and related academic services for over 5,000 A&S undergraduate majors, the Colleges of Arts and Sciences Student Academic Services (CASSAS) has been responding to these changes by determining its goals for assessment before revising programs. As such, this poster session represents the process by which CASSAS faculty have developed assessable student learning outcomes and advising programs in line with the department’s mission and objectives. The process begins with the distillation of student learning outcomes from a broader set of initial outcomes devised during a CASSAS retreat. With the establishment of understandable and assessable student learning outcomes, CASSAS faculty proceeded to build a learning map which charted when, how and through what potential or modified programs students would be given the opportunity to practice the skills that would lead them to master the established outcomes. The beginnings of an assessment rubric are also built into the learning map to identify different stages of knowledge and skill mastery as indicated by the outcomes. Finally, the poster provides artifacts that will be used to assess the quality of student’s internalization of CASSAS’s learning outcomes at various stages of their educational development. The extent to which students achieve the indicators of CASSAS student learning outcomes correlates to the validity of CASSAS advising programs.

Assessment for Advising

In the last few years, the need has increased at UHM for students to more actively engage in …

The B.S. degree in Marine Biology from the University of Hawaii at Manoa College of Natural Sciences is an interdisciplinary academic program that offers unique opportunities for hands on learning. Extensive field experiences are integrated with traditional classroom and laboratory courses, giving full exposure to the theoretical/practical aspects of marine biology. The program’s student learning outcomes (SLOs) are aimed at preparing students for either future graduate school experiences or entry into the private sector. The students will be able to apply the scientific processes, to communicate about biological sciences through writing and oral communicating, and to recall foundational biological information that is necessary for pursuing post-baccalaureate schools or entering a career in the biological sciences. Certain ways that are proposed to collect assessment are to check students’ laboratory notebooks and reports, observe students as they perform laboratory techniques, evaluate students’ oral presentations, evaluate students’ research proposal and exams, and evaluate student portfolios and their senior capstone experience. Future steps we are proposing are to have more specific program SLOs for the marine biology majors. Presently, the current program SLOs highlight the student’s basic biological science foundation experiences. We plan to start assessing the senior students in the marine biology program through analysis of the experiences in their required directed research. We also plan to implement assessment through the students’ capstone course, which is also required. Finally, we intend to broaden the scope of the curriculum map with the inclusion of more courses with their new specific program SLOs.

B.S. Marine Biology Proposed Program SLOs and Assessment

The B.S. degree in Marine Biology from the University of Hawaii at Manoa College of Natural Sciences is …

In fall 2014 and spring 2015 the Botany faculty at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa devised programmatic Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) and linked them to courses via a curriculum map. This poster outlines how the Botany faculty implemented assessment after such steps were taken. A summary of the assessment plan is presented in this poster along with SLOs, a sample rubric, examples of how exams and courses relate to SLOs, and tips for engaging faculty in assessment.

Advancing Program Assessment Beyond the Curriculum Map: Recent Progress in the Department of Botany

In fall 2014 and spring 2015 the Botany faculty at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa devised programmatic …

In February 2009, the TIM School, through its Faculty Senate, began a process of program assessment with the guidance and assistance of the Manoa Assessment Office. A team of TIM faculty attended the WASC-sponsored retreat on program assessment, and developed a set of student learning objectives for the TIM program. These objectives were further developed and finalized by the TIM Faculty Senate in March 2009. They then served as the basis for the development of a curriculum map for the Hospitality emphasis courses in April 2009, and for the Tourism/Transportation emphasis courses in October 2009. The TIM School poster will include an overview of this process, as well as its planned next steps and intended uses of the assessment process outcomes.

TIM School’s Assessment Process

In February 2009, the TIM School, through its Faculty Senate, began a process of program assessment with the …

The Tropical Medicine Curriculum Committee reviewed the organization and content of the Tropical Medicine MS and PhD core course series (TRMD 604 & 605). The following data relating to Student Learning Outcome #1 (Tropical Medicine Knowledge Base) were assessed: (1) student comments in program review interviews by an external committee and in course evaluations; (2) faculty review of student performance on qualifying examinations over the past 5 years; (3) faculty interviews of current graduate students regarding specific core content and overall fulfillment of the program’s student learning outcomes; and (4) overall demonstration of student proficiency in the various disciplines of Tropical Medicine. The major point emerging from this assessment was that the core Tropical Medicine content, particularly in immunology and virology, was not being adequately covered in the current two-semester Infectious Disease Microbiology course format. Based on the above data, it was decided that the core courses required expansion from two to three semester courses to (1) increase and improve coverage of the major topics in virology, an area of research emphasis in the program, and (2) to provide a background in immunology which is more focused and relevant to infectious disease pathogenesis, immunity, and host:pathogen interactions.

Assessment & Revision of Core Curriculum in Tropical Medicine

The Tropical Medicine Curriculum Committee reviewed the organization and content of the Tropical Medicine MS and PhD core …

The philosophy undergraduate program has a relatively small number of student learning outcomes and most of these refer to acquired skills rather than to content knowledge. Mapping courses to these was a pretty uncontroversial and painless process. Development of assessment tools for the skills is a bit more challenging but we are making progress.

Keeping Program Assessment Simple

The Philosophy undergraduate program has a relatively small number of student learning outcomes and most of these refer …

Active and interested faculty members met in a half a day workshop to develop a "curriculum concept map" for the Kamakakuokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies. This exercise coupled the techniques of traditional curriculum mapping with those of conceptual mapping. Thus, at the end of this exercise faculty were able to develop in a graphic manner, the broad organizational concepts that link the Center's areas of concentration together. An underlying advantage was the sequencing of classes by area and in typical curriculum mapping tradition, sequence level of mastery by course.

Kamakakuokalani Curriculum Concept Map Exercise

Active and interested faculty members met in a half a day workshop to develop a “curriculum concept map” …

Open-Doors Communication for Continual Assessment

American Studies -The UHM American Studies Department is one of the oldest and largest American Studies departments in …

Assessing Civic and Community Engagement in Ethnic Studies

Ethnic Studies was born out of community demand and community engagement has had a central place in the …

Assessment across the Disciplines: Increasing Faculty Engagement in Assessment

During the 2020-2021 academic year, the English, Hawaiian and Foreign Languages, Speech and Communication disciplines in the Language …

Creating a Rubric of Critical Thinking for Writing Intensive Courses

This poster reports an ongoing project collaborated by a team of Chinese faculty who teach writing intensive (WI) …

Curricular Assessment for Improved Sequenced Learning

Many students find sequenced courses to be challenging due to prerequisite knowledge being the starting point in each …

Establishing an Assessment Plan for the Undergraduate Molecular and Cell Biology Curriculum to Achieve Program Permanence at UHM

This project establishes a programmatic assessment plan for the Bachelors of Science program in Molecular and Cell Biology …

Life Sciences Uniting in Assessing Student Writing

Student learning outcome (SLO) statements made by an educational program serve as targets for achievement and openly communicate …

This poster presents the assessment of curriculum through the Interprofessional Education committee, which was created in 2015 with the support of the Deans of the John A. Burns School of Medicine, School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene, Myron B. Thompson School of Social Work, the Daniel K. Inouye School of Pharmacy and Director of the Office of Public Health Studies in order to help prepare students for working collaboratively in complex healthcare settings. The process through which the curriculum is assess against the Interprofessional Education Collaborative competencies is outlined. In addition to discussing the identified curriculum gaps and plan for action, a detailed curriculum map is provided.

Working Across Professions to Develop the Interprofessional Education Curriculum Pathway

This poster presents the assessment of curriculum through the Interprofessional Education committee, which was created in 2015 with …

The poster describes the content mapping process that aligned the learning priorities in the problem-based-learning pre-clerkship medical curriculum to accreditation standards and JABSOM’s graduation objectives. The resulting map serves as a resource for course directors to monitor content themes, determine curriculum gaps and redundancies, and address accreditation requirements.

Content Maps of Health Care Problems in the Pre-clerkship Curriculum: Monitoring Themes, Gaps, Redundancies and Accreditation Requirements

The poster describes the content mapping process that aligned the learning priorities in the problem-based-learning pre-clerkship medical curriculum …

Less than 75% of Biological Engineering students have been assessed as meeting student learning outcome targets in the identifying, formulating, and solving engineering problems. The program faculty have collaborated to adopt a developmental approach to assessment, rubric development, curriculum mapping, and instruction, including a signature assignment at the junior level.

Scaffolding and Assessing Engineering Design: Effecting Program Change from Course Innovations

Less than 75% of Biological Engineering students have been assessed as meeting student learning outcome targets in the …

Children in Hawaii experience the worst oral health outcomes nationally. Seven out of 10 third graders experience tooth decay, 7% need urgent dental care and 60% lack dental sealants. Limited pediatric didactic and clinical educational experiences for BS dental hygiene students affects attitudes towards treating pediatric patients. Curriculum changes should be considered in order to improve the comfort and skill level of future BS students in treating pediatric patients.

Pediatric Dental Care Curriculum Component Integrated in the Existing Dental Hygiene Program

Children in Hawaii experience the worst oral health outcomes nationally. Seven out of 10 third graders experience tooth …

A process to conduct an overhaul of the JABSOM curriculum map of the medical education program was conducted, in part, to address a recent accreditation citation. The curriculum map was revised by faculty, reviewed by the Curriculum Committee, and will be utilized at the upcoming annual Curriculum Committee retreat.

JABSOM Medical Education: A Systematic Review Process for a Medical Education Curriculum

A process to conduct an overhaul of the JABSOM curriculum map of the medical education program was conducted, …

Curriculum Map: An Elegant & Powerful Tool in Your Assessment Toolbox

This workshop shows how a curriculum map can reveal the contribution of individual courses to the goals of …

Make The Most of Your Curriculum Map

This workshop is an introduction to the Curriculum Map: it is a graphical illustration of the relationship between …

Curriculum Mapping for Graduate Programs

This workshop will explain how to develop a graduate program curriculum map, including strategies for programs that tailor …

An Introduction to Curriculum Maps

This workshop is an introduction to curriculum maps. PowerPoint and Handout Workshop Assessment Report Do your students understand …

Learning Outcomes & Curriculum Maps

This workshop is an introductory tour of the what, why, and how of learning outcomes and curriculum maps designed for faculty and …

The Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) utilized historic program data to identify potential gaps in campus awareness of and participation in UROP funding opportunities. Using this information, UROP launched a targeted information campaign, which increased the overall number of applications and the number of student applicants from select underrepresented units.

Using Data to Promote Awareness of and Participation in Undergraduate Research & Creative Works

The Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) utilized historic program data to identify potential gaps in campus awareness of …

Faculty and doctoral students of the Department of Urban and Regional Planning (DURP) initiated a review of their PhD program requirements and curriculum. This poster highlights the usefulness of faculty-student collaboration for program assessment to enable program improvement. The assessment coordinator organized a colloquium in which PhD candidates presented their dissertation research. Faculty evaluated the presentations based on the PhD program student learning outcomes (SLOs). Written comments from faculty evaluators were then coded as strengths and weaknesses corresponding to each SLO component to generate a preliminary qualitative assessment. At a subsequent meeting, faculty and doctoral students reviewed the preliminary qualitative assessment, PhD curriculum, core course syllabi, and PhD guidelines. They identified shortcomings in the existing curriculum, mapped degree requirements and program SLOs, and proposed revisions to better align the curriculum with program SLOs. They also outlined next steps toward improving the curriculum such as increasing the number of core course credits and providing more teaching opportunities for PhD candidates through summer school and online courses.

An Assessment-Informed Collaborative Initiative: Curriculum Mapping for PhD Program Improvement

Faculty and doctoral students of the Department of Urban and Regional Planning (DURP) initiated a review of their …

Exploring possibilities for, and effects of, Integrated Performance Assessments (IPAs) in the Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures, this poster reports an action study using IPAs in an undergraduate beginning Mandarin program. The poster first features a review of IPAs, followed by an overview of curriculum redesign and IPA test reconstruction. The poster then presents a concrete model for IPAs in a Chinese 101 and 102 Beginning Mandarin. Successful teaching activities and assessment task samples will be presented. The effects of this adaptation are demonstrated using quantitative and qualitative data, including oral assessment videos, writing samples, supplementary listening and reading materials, rubrics for scoring, test scores, student self-reflections, and more. The data show that students (1) generally favored using IPAs, (2) took initiative to review the IPA rubrics and to reliably engage in filling out "can-do" checklists, (3) demonstrated a positive correlation between IPAs and traditional test scores. The poster concludes that IPAs can be equally successful, and can offer more, in university foreign language classes.

Implementation of Integrated Performance Assessments (IPA) in Beginning Level Chinese Language Classes

Exploring possibilities for, and effects of, Integrated Performance Assessments (IPAs) in the Department of East Asian Languages and …

The Master of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) is nationally accredited and trains future speech language pathologists. This project aims to evaluate and improve the curriculum map for the program. A curriculum map shows how each course contribute to the student learning outcomes (SLO). To facilitate the process, the department’s educational coordinator met individually with each instructor to complete a “Course Map” for their course(s). Each course map aligned the class assignments with the SLOs, as assignments are the meaningful and measurable deliverables of students learning. Faculty also indicated how each assignment emphasized the target SLOs by assigning a weight. All weighted course maps were then merged to create a weighted curriculum map, which provided information on which SLOs were significantly addressed in the program and which were addressed with less emphasis. Outcomes of faculty discussions of weighted curriculum map included: recognizing course redundancy, combining courses to increase learning opportunity and using faculty time more effectively, rewriting of SLOs to better match accreditation standards and required student competencies, as well as a new assessment project focusing on the SLO related to professionalism.

Use of a Weighted Curriculum Map for Programmatic Improvements in Communication Sciences and Disorders

The Master of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) is nationally accredited and trains future speech language …

This poster describes strategies to build faculty capacity in curriculum design and alignment and ways to plant the seeds for faculty collaboration and engagement in program assessment within the newly formed Astronomy BA & Astrophysics BS program in an effort to address the challenge of the difficulty students face in engaging faculty in discussion and planning of teaching and learning due to the nature of the program schedule. This poster provides personal insights and observed impact from efforts to effect change. In addition to providing examples in skill mapping, writing rubrics, curriculum alignment, and course deisgn, effective ways to engage willing faculty in using course assignments to investigate progress towards key student learning objectivese are also outlined.

Engaging science faculty in program assessment – planting seeds and cultivating growth

This poster describes strategies to build faculty capacity in curriculum design and alignment and ways to plant the …

Given the complex nature of the requirements for the 6 degree programs offered by the department of East Asian Languages and Literatures (EALL), the issue of student and advisor concern over the accessibility of accurate information regarding these requirements is addressed. This poster describes the strategies and effort taken by the EALL graduate chair and faculty to merge the 6 graduate programs into two: one MA and one Ph.D. program in EALL through powerful program assessment processes: consolidating student learning outcomes (SLOs) and unifying curricula through curriculum mapping (CM) activity. The poster first highlights the enormous challenges in the merge process: consolidating 13 sets of SLOs and unifying 13 sets of courses/degree requirements while leveraging diverse input and preferences of graduate faculty. SLOs consolidation and CM development process are then detailed along with how faculty were aided in seeing the big program picture and focusing on program commonality instead of individual differences. Faculty engagement strategies, such as meeting with senior faculty individually, SLO content analysis, research of peer institution, and developing mock products first are provided. With the unified degree programs and revised assessment tools, EALL is becoming a unified department sharing common educational goals across different languages and tracks.

Merging graduate degree programs with the Program Assessment tool set

Given the complex nature of the requirements for the 6 degree programs offered by the department of East …

The UH Manoa Anthropology Program, established in 1934, is the leading department of anthropology in Hawai'i, the Pacific, and Asia with full subfield offerings in archaeology, cultural anthropology, and biological anthropology. Presently, it offers BA, MA and PhD degree programs. In 2016, twenty-six (26) students were enrolled in the doctoral program. This poster describes the processes by which assessment procedure/tools were selected and/or developed to measure SLO achievements of these doctoral students. Building on the assessment activities conducted during 2014-2015, specific efforts that led to programmatic improvements and enhanced student learning outcomes are outlined, including faculty engagement strategies that were employed. Faculty expectations of students were better clarified in the newly developed PhD dissertation defense rubrics. Next steps involving close-the-loop strategies to further enhance student learning are also described.

The Anthropology PhD Dissertation Defense Rubric: Enhancing Student Learning

The UH Manoa Anthropology Program, established in 1934, is the leading department of anthropology in Hawai’i, the Pacific, …

The Department of Biology at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa began collaborative program assessment in the fall of 2012. Previously, the Department of Biology had student learning outcomes, but they were not defined and implemented by the entire faculty. Following the generation of collaborative student learning outcomes for the undergraduate BS in Marine Biology, the faculty created a curriculum map and began program level assessment in spring 2014. This poster presents the BS Marine Biology learning outcomes, a curriculum map, successful strategies, and next steps following the assessment.

Collaborative Curricular Improvement Guided by Assessment

The Department of Biology at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa began collaborative program assessment in the fall …

Undergraduate programs in the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (CTAHR) are typically managed solely within a single department. For some programs, the numbers of graduating students each year are low and not considered viable. There is administrative and legislative pressure to dissolve small programs at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, including the agriculturally-focused BSc programs in Tropical Plants and Soil Sciences and Plant and Environmental Protection Sciences. The two departments within CTAHR that manage these programs conjoined to proactively revise their undergraduate programs. The outcome was a merged, redesigned program in agroecosystems having a common core, five areas of specialization and a focus on issues in the tropics. From the inception, developing an operable plan for program assessment was a priority. Consequently, even before selecting the program name, the program-level student learning outcomes (SLOs) were created to form the basis for program construction. A combined departmental meeting generated a curriculum map identifying how each of the core courses articulated with the SLOs, evaluated gaps and issues in the curriculum. Potential signature assignments were identified as indicators for assessment and templates for these were drafted. A number of opportunities and challenges arose throughout this process. Key to the successful creation of this program was encouraging faculty to think more broadly about the content of and rationale for what we teach and the anticipated knowledge and skills of graduating students.

An Interactive Approach to Curriculum Mapping

Undergraduate programs in the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (CTAHR) are typically managed solely within a …

Basic program information: The Elementary Education Program (EEP) has about 30 instructional faculty and field supervisors who serve about 200 elementary teacher candidates every semester. The EEP offers undergraduate degrees in Elementary, Elementary and Special Education, Elementary and Early Childhood Education and certificates for teaching Multi-Lingual Learners. The EEP continuously uses assessment for formative and summative, and internal and external (national accreditation) purposes. Although we have established checks and balances to ensure that our graduates are prepared to be successful first year teachers, we are currently waiting for the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board (HTSB) and the Center for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) to make policy decisions about requirements for recommendation for licensure. We are waiting for their decisions before we proceed in collecting some data, but we continue to measure our students’ professional dispositions and InTASC standards measured during their final student teaching semester. The purpose of the assessment project is to present our program’s curriculum mapping and its role in program assessment and improvement. Curriculum maps of two of the programs within EEP will be shared. The process of mapping the curriculum provided opportunities to communicate curricular content, processes, skills, and strategies taught in required courses that contribute to and build our students’ skills over the four semesters in our programs. We identified the points where essential concepts and skills were introduced, reviewed, and mastered (for summative assessment). Collection and monitoring of evidence of student growth and achievement helped the faculty monitor our own effectiveness in teaching.

Curriculum Mapping for Program Assessment and Improvement

The Elementary Education Program (EEP) has about 30 instructional faculty and field supervisors who serve about 200 elementary …

Observing that many faculty within the Theater Department at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa lacked a strong understanding of the assessment process, I developed a plan intending to “advertise” elements of assessment, making visible what is currently in place and seeking to spotlight several of these assessment components. However, because I was representing theatre, it seemed appropriate to use performance techniques to accomplish this. Using Augusto Boal’s suggestion of “Invisible Theatre” I have subtly tried to spark a conversation about assessment with a group that is not always eager to “color in the lines.” Invisible Theatre is a play that is played in a public space without informing anyone that it is a piece of theatre. In this poster, I showcase many of the scripts used in this “visible/invisible” project and display the department’s new SLO layout, curriculum map and assessment rubric.

Using the Invisible to Make Visible

Observing that many faculty within the Theater Department at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa lacked a strong …

At the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, the Department of Biology is comprised of over one thousand undergraduate students within five degree programs, seventy graduate students within two degree programs and twenty tenure-track faculty. Recently the faculty created collaborative program-level Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) and a new curriculum map for the BS Marine Biology degree, which currently has over two hundred and fifty students enrolled. With the faculty involved in each step of the process, we identified SLOs lacking the minimum coverage on the curriculum map, consulted the instructors for mapped courses and identified curriculum modifications that could be employed to ensure each SLO was covered through the mastery level. We executed the first assessment cycle during the spring 2014 semester utilizing writing samples from BIOL 404 (Advanced Topics in Marine Biology), the Marine Biology capstone courses. BIOL 404 currently incorporates all but one of the program-level SLOs at the mastery level, therefore it is our primary source of evidence for program-level assessment. Following the first round of assessment, which highlighted a need to further reinforce the assessed SLO, and identified curriculum modifications to address it. We anticipate these changes will result in increased student learning, translating to higher scores on the writing rubric used to assess that SLO. The poster presents the process and products of SLO development, curriculum mapping, and capstone writing assignment evaluation activities in the BS Marine Biology program. The challenges and the success strategies along with how assessment aided in program improvement are discussed.

Collaborative program assessment utilizing an undergraduate capstone course

At the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, the Department of Biology is comprised of over one thousand undergraduate …

Curriculum Mapping / Curriculum Matrix

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