Unit: Second Language Studies
Program: Second Language Studies (BA)
Degree: Bachelor's
Date: Tue Oct 07, 2014 - 1:25:37 pm

1) Institutional Learning Objectives (ILOs) and Program Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)

1. Manifest the skills, understandings, and dispositions necessary to be exceptional language professionals.

(1b. Specialized study in an academic field, 2c. Communicate and report)

2. Demonstrate critical thinking and awareness of issues within the context of their professional work and social practice.

(1b. Specialized study in an academic field, 2a. Think critically and creatively)

3. Demonstrate an understanding of the value bases of their professional work.

(1b. Specialized study in an academic field, 2c. Communicate and report)

4. Understand and interpret the history of second and foreign language study and its contemporary issues.

(1b. Specialized study in an academic field)

5. Critically evaluate and make use of research into the learning, use, structure, and pedagogy of second languages.

(1b. Specialized study in an academic field, 2a. Think critically and creatively)

6. Develop and apply sound frameworks in the assessment and evaluation of institutions and agents involved in second language instruction, planning, and policy.

(1b. Specialized study in an academic field)

7. Show an understanding of local language issues of Hawai'i and the Pacific in their professional work.

(1b. Specialized study in an academic field, 1c. Understand Hawaiian culture and history, 3b. Respect for people and cultures, in particular Hawaiian culture)

8. Be able to support language minority students development of academic and/or professional literacies.

(1b. Specialized study in an academic field, 1c. Understand Hawaiian culture and history)

9. Be able to improve the quality of teaching and learning of second, foreign, and heritage languages, in the state of Hawai'i, domestically, and abroad.

(1b. Specialized study in an academic field)

2) Your program's SLOs are published as follows. Please update as needed.

Department Website URL: http://web41.its.hawaii.edu/www.hawaii.edu/sls/ba/?page_id=246
Student Handbook. URL, if available online:
Information Sheet, Flyer, or Brochure URL, if available online:
UHM Catalog. Page Number:
Course Syllabi. URL, if available online:
Other:
Other:

3) Select one option:

Curriculum Map File(s) from 2014:

4) For your program, the percentage of courses that have course SLOs explicitly stated on the syllabus, a website, or other publicly available document is as follows. Please update as needed.

0%
1-50%
51-80%
81-99%
100%

5) Did your program engage in any program assessment activities between June 1, 2013 and September 30, 2014? (e.g., establishing/revising outcomes, aligning the curriculum to outcomes, collecting evidence, interpreting evidence, using results, revising the assessment plan, creating surveys or tests, etc.)

Yes
No (skip to question 14)

6) For the period between June 1, 2013 and September 30, 2014: State the assessment question(s) and/or assessment goals. Include the SLOs that were targeted, if applicable.

1. Student Learning Outcomes Assessment. Assessment of SLOs 1 and 3

2. Five-Year Provisional Review. Because the BA in SLS is a new major (as of Fall 2011), we are currently under “provisional” status, and will be up for review in spring, 2016. We have engaged in the following program review activities in order to prepare the proposal to be moved from “provisional” to “established” status.

  • Meetings with OVCAA to clarify proposal requirements
  • Collection and analysis of program cost and revenue data to determine program efficiency
  • Development of an outcomes assessment plan and timeline, assessment of SLOs

3. LLL Survey of Students Graduating with a BA in SLS. The College of Languages, Linguistics, & Literature (LLL) encourages all students in its programs to complete exit surveys when they graduate. Among the information sought, of particular relevance to SLS, is students’ self-assessment of the program-level student learning outcomes, as well as their satisfaction with the program and our courses and recommendations for the program.

7) State the type(s) of evidence gathered to answer the assessment question and/or meet the assessment goals that were given in Question #6.

1. Student Learning Outcomes Assessment. Assessment of SLOs 1 and 3

Samples of student work (statements of professional philosophy and tailored cover letters from students’ e-portfolios) have been collected from SLS 485, the program's capstone course.

2. Five-Year Provisional Review.

Data available from the IRO and MAPS have been collected and analyzed to assess program efficiency.

3. LLL Survey of Students Graduating with a BA in SLS.

Students’ ratings of their attainment of the program SLOs and their satisfaction with the program and courses.

Qualitative data (responses to open-ended survey questions) on program strengths and areas for improvement.

8) State how many persons submitted evidence that was evaluated. If applicable, please include the sampling technique used.

1. Student Learning Outcomes Assessment.

Evidence was collected from the capstone course e-portfolios of 30 students. The 30 students were randomly selected from all students who had completed the capstone course between fall 2012 and spring 2014.

2. Five-Year Provisional Review.

N/A

3. LLL Survey of Students Graduating with a BA in SLS.

Out of 37 graduating seniors, 11 students who graduated in AY 2013-2014 completed the survey. All responses were included in the analysis. Responses over the last 2 years total 23. (We look at yearly results and aggregated results.)

9) Who interpreted or analyzed the evidence that was collected? (Check all that apply.)

Course instructor(s)
Faculty committee
Ad hoc faculty group
Department chairperson
Persons or organization outside the university
Faculty advisor
Advisors (in student support services)
Students (graduate or undergraduate)
Dean/Director
Other: LLL staff compiled the LLL survey results. A graduate assistant working as an assessment specialist in SLS analyzed the LLL survey results, and compiled and prepared SLO assessment results, presenting them to the faculty committee for interpretation.

10) How did they evaluate, analyze, or interpret the evidence? (Check all that apply.)

Used a rubric or scoring guide
Scored exams/tests/quizzes
Used professional judgment (no rubric or scoring guide used)
Compiled survey results
Used qualitative methods on interview, focus group, open-ended response data
External organization/person analyzed data (e.g., external organization administered and scored the nursing licensing exam)
Other:

11) For the assessment question(s) and/or assessment goal(s) stated in Question #6:
Summarize the actual results.

1. Student Learning Outcomes Assessment. Assessment of SLOs 1 and 3

Student work was assessed using a rubric and rated as “Below expectations,” “Meets expectations,” or “Exceeds expectations.” 70% of students met or exceeded expectations for SLOs 1 and 3.

2. Five-Year Provisional Review.

Initial cost and revenue data indicates a highly efficient program.

3. LLL Survey of Students Graduating with a BA in SLS.

Self-Assessment of SLOs. Student self-assessment with regard to attainment of the program’s SLOs was high. Students rated their ability to perform the SLOs on a 5 point Likert scale, where 1 = not at all and 5 = very well. Mean scores for the nine SLOs were all above 4.0. This indicates that students felt confident they had attained the program’s SLOs.

Overall satisfaction with the program. Students rated their satisfaction with the program on a 5 point Likert scale where 1 = very dissatisfied and 5 = very satisfied. Ratings indicate high levels of satisfaction with most of the SLS program elements. The only elements to receive a mean rating below 4.0 were “Research opportunities” and “Career training opportunities” (however, both were still in the “satisfied” range).

Satisfaction with courses in the program. Students were highly satisfied with the courses in the program. All six survey items received mean ratings of 4.0 or above on a Likert scale of 1 to 5.

Satisfaction with the capstone course. Students were highly satisfied with the capstone course. All six survey items received mean ratings of 4.0 or above on a Likert scale of 1 to 5.

Comments and recommendations. Open-ended responses continue to indicate the need for a practicum course.

12) State how the program used the results or plans to use the results. Please be specific.

1. Student Learning Outcomes Assessment.

The faculty committee is currently discussing how to enhance teaching and learning so as to increase the percentage of students who meet or exceed expectations for SLOs 1 and 3. Potential actions include:

  • Revising the rubric and guidelines for certain assignments in the capstone course
  • Identifying key assignments in courses where SLOs 1 and 3 are introduced and reinforced to ensure that students receive adequate guidance and preparation before the capstone course.

2. Five-Year Provisional Review.

  • IRO and MAPS data collected for the provisional review proposal has been used to inform program planning decisions during faculty committee meetings; e.g., discussions regarding course planning in light of budget constraints and the hiring freeze.

3. LLL Survey of Students Graduating with a BA in SLS.

  • The results of the AY 2012-2013 and AY 2013-2014 LLL surveys, as well as an internal departmental study conducted in 2012, all indicate a demand for a practicum course in the SLS curriculum. In response to this demand, the SLS program is currently developing a practicum course, which will be offered as an elective with an anticipated start date of either fall 2015 or spring 2016.
  • The results of the AY 2013-2014 LLL survey suggested that the only area in the program where students were not highly satisfied was “Research opportunities”.  The department has designated a faculty member to serve as “faculty resource for research”, which includes providing information about UROP (Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program) and other research opportunities, as well as helping interested students explore potential research possibilities and connecting them with faculty with research expertise in the students’ areas of interest.  Additionally, the faculty committee for the BA program is exploring additional ways of introducing research opportunities to students.

13) Beyond the results, were there additional conclusions or discoveries?
This can include insights about assessment procedures, teaching and learning, program aspects and so on.

None

14) If the program did not engage in assessment activities, please explain.
Or, if the program did engage in assessment activities, please add any other important information here.

The department continues to collect students’ portfolio materials every semester for assessment purposes.

The SLS Assessment GA has drafted an alumni survey, and the department plans to send it out to alumni in the upcoming academic year.

The support of our Assessment GA has been crucial for us to develop, administer, and analyze the assessments listed in this year’s report.  Without this Assessment GA, program- and department-level resources would not be adequate to engage in sustained comprehensive assessment.