Program: Philosophy (PhD)
Degree: Doctorate
Date: Thu Oct 09, 2014 - 1:37:04 pm
1) Below are your program's student learning outcomes (SLOs). Please update as needed.
1. Philosophical reading competence in a philosophically significant language other than English.
2. Reading and research competence in English.
3. Knowledge and understanding of the Western philosophical tradition and where applicable a non-Western tradition.
4. Ability to participate in a field of contemporary philosophical endeavor.
5. Ability to conduct and write up publishable research.
6. Mastery of a specific topic.
7. Ability to express and defend their views in oral presentations.
2) Your program's SLOs are published as follows. Please update as needed.
Department Website URL: www.hawaii.edu/phil
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: syllabi Other: Other: 3) Select one option:
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.
We do an evaluation of all graduate students each February.
We do an evauation every semester of the teaching performances of our teaching assistants.
We do a compilation of academic placement results on an ongoing basis.
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.
Faculty visits to TA-led classes, resulting in letters of evaluation, and private discussions, regarding the classroom performance.
Reports from recent alumni regarding their success (or lack of it) on the academic job market.
8) State how many persons submitted evidence that was evaluated. If applicable, please include the sampling technique used.
About two dozen alumni reported on their job searches.
About five TAs are visited each semester in their classrooms.
All faculty are involved in the comparative evaluation of our graduate students.
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: 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.
We're doing fine. Placement results are a little lower than in previous years (when they were very high--80%).
Our students tend to be quite good teachers.
12) State how the program used the results or plans to use the results. Please be specific.
Results were used to determine how the department's financial support was to be divided among our graduate students. There has also been a decision to become more selective in our admissions into the doctoral program--not because our current doctoral students are not excellent, but just because we no longer have the faculty resources to support quite such a large doctoral program as we have been carrying for the past two decades.
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.
No.
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.
Nothing to report.