Unit: Women's Studies
Program: Women's Studies (BA)
Degree: Bachelor's
Date: Thu Oct 15, 2015 - 3:57:40 pm

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

1. Demonstrated ability to engage in critical and interdisciplinary thinking, analysis, and problem solving through effective written and oral communication.

(1a. General education, 1b. Specialized study in an academic field, 2a. Think critically and creatively, 2b. Conduct research, 2c. Communicate and report, 3a. Continuous learning and personal growth)

2. Evidence of ability to integrate key concepts in Women's Studies, including the social construction of gender; intersectionalities among gender, sexuality, race, class and other vectors of power and identity; social stratification; and how these issues manifest in a Pacific-Asia context in written and oral work.

(1a. General education, 1b. Specialized study in an academic field, 1c. Understand Hawaiian culture and history, 2b. Conduct research, 3a. Continuous learning and personal growth, 3b. Respect for people and cultures, in particular Hawaiian culture, 3c. Stewardship of the natural environment)

3. Demonstrated ability to connect the classroom with "real world" feminist issues through active engagement in citizenship and civic participation.

(1a. General education, 1b. Specialized study in an academic field, 2a. Think critically and creatively, 2b. Conduct research, 3a. Continuous learning and personal growth, 3c. Stewardship of the natural environment, 3d. Civic participation)

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

Department Website URL: www.womenstudies.hawaii.edu
Student Handbook. URL, if available online:
Information Sheet, Flyer, or Brochure URL, if available online: the same as department website
UHM Catalog. Page Number:
Course Syllabi. URL, if available online: NA
Other: The UHM cataloge will be udpated to include our SLOs this year.
Other:

3) Please review, add, replace, or delete the existing curriculum map.

Curriculum Map File(s) from 2015:

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 learning assessment activities between June 1, 2014 and September 30, 2015?

Yes
No (skip to question 16)

6) What best describes the program-level learning assessment activities that took place for the period June 1, 2014 to September 30, 2015? (Check all that apply.)

Create/modify/discuss program learning assessment procedures (e.g., SLOs, curriculum map, mechanism to collect student work, rubric, survey)
Collect/evaluate student work/performance to determine SLO achievement
Collect/analyze student self-reports of SLO achievement via surveys, interviews, or focus groups
Use assessment results to make programmatic decisions (e.g., change course content or pedagogy, design new course, hiring)
Investigate curriculum coherence. This includes investigating how well courses address the SLOs, course sequencing and adequacy, the effect of pre-requisites on learning achievement.
Investigate other pressing issue related to student learning achievement for the program (explain in question 7)
Other: formulation of internship program for undergraduate program.

7) Briefly explain the assessment activities that took place in the last 18 months.

 

The Women’s Studies Department’s 2015 assessment program employed three research methods—a student survey; and evaluation of student papers; and two-part exit interviews with graduating seniors.  Our student survey investigated students’ perceptions about their achievement of our three student learning objectives. The survey received 5 responses.   Our paper assessment entailed a faculty member scoring 11 theory papers using the rubric developed by our department for such a task. Our exit interviews were conducted by our advising specialist, Penny Kapilialoha Bovard.  During these interviews, 6 graduating seniors discussed their ideas for improving the department and their evaluation of various aspects of their experiences as UHM Women’s Studies (WS) majors.



 



 

 

8) What types of evidence did the program use as part of the assessment activities checked in question 6? (Check all that apply.)

Direct evidence of student learning (student work products)


Artistic exhibition/performance
Assignment/exam/paper completed as part of regular coursework and used for program-level assessment
Capstone work product (e.g., written project or non-thesis paper)
Exam created by an external organization (e.g., professional association for licensure)
Exit exam created by the program
IRB approval of research
Oral performance (oral defense, oral presentation, conference presentation)
Portfolio of student work
Publication or grant proposal
Qualifying exam or comprehensive exam for program-level assessment in addition to individual student evaluation (graduate level only)
Supervisor or employer evaluation of student performance outside the classroom (internship, clinical, practicum)
Thesis or dissertation used for program-level assessment in addition to individual student evaluation
Other 1:
Other 2:

Indirect evidence of student learning


Alumni survey that contains self-reports of SLO achievement
Employer meetings/discussions/survey/interview of student SLO achievement
Interviews or focus groups that contain self-reports of SLO achievement
Student reflective writing assignment (essay, journal entry, self-assessment) on their SLO achievement.
Student surveys that contain self-reports of SLO achievement
Other 1:
Other 2:

Program evidence related to learning and assessment
(more applicable when the program focused on the use of results or assessment procedure/tools in this reporting period instead of data collection)


Assessment-related such as assessment plan, SLOs, curriculum map, etc.
Program or course materials (syllabi, assignments, requirements, etc.)
Other 1:
Other 2:

9) State the number of students (or persons) who submitted evidence that was evaluated. If applicable, please include the sampling technique used.

Seventy- one students overall participated.  Data were gathered in three separate ways.  Our student assessment survey was a convenience sample recruited via email to our students.  Data from student papers were gathered from one of our 400-level courses.  Finally, exit interviewees were invited via email to all of our graduating seniors.

10) 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: graduate assistant

11) 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:

12) Summarize the results of the assessment activities checked in question 6. For example, report the percent of students who achieved each SLO.

 

Introduction

 

The Women’s Studies Department’s 2015 assessment program employed three research methods—a student survey; and evaluation of student papers; and two-part exit interviews with graduating seniors.  Our student survey investigated students’ perceptions about their achievement of our three student learning objectives. The survey received 54[1] responses.   Our paper assessment entailed a faculty member scoring 11 theory papers using the rubric developed by our department for such a task. Our exit interviews were conducted by our advising specialist, Penny Kapilialoha Bovard.  During these interviews, 6 graduating seniors discussed their ideas for improving the department and their evaluation of various aspects of their experiences as UHM Women’s Studies (WS) majors.

 

Student Assessment Survey Results

 

Our first student learning objective (SLO) is that students demonstrate an ability “to engage in critical and interdisciplinary thinking, analysis, and problem solving through effective written and oral communication.”  We included three survey items that students’ fulfillment of this objective.  We asked students how much they had to write in their WS classes; how much they had to participate in class discussion; and how much interdisciplinary character their courses had.  Approximately thirty-five percent (33.3%) of students reported writing 5-10 pages per class, while 40.7% reported having to write 10-15 pages and 13.0% of students reported writing 15-20 pages.  As well, 7.4% of students said they were required to write more than 20 pages.  Students reported a wide range of verbal participation in class.  Nearly one in five students (18.5%) reported having to talk during most class sessions.  However, the largest proportion of students reported having to talk almost every other class (29.6%).  Approximately twenty-five percent (24.1%) reported having to speak about six times per semester, while 24.1% said they almost never spoke, and one (1.9%) said he/she never spoke.  Finally, most students felt that their courses were somewhat interdisciplinary in character; 88.9% of students either agreed or strongly agreed with the statement, “WS course(s) that I took this semester brought different academic disciplines together (e.g. to or more of sociology, psychology, gender students, law, political science, anthropology, medicine, environmental science, public health, and other natural sciences, etc.).”  On the other hand, three students (5.6%) disagreed with this statement, while three students also responded neutrally.

 

Our second SLO is that students show, “evidence of ability to integrate key concepts in Women's Studies, including the social construction of gender; intersectionalities among gender, sexuality, race, class and other vectors of power and identity; social stratification; and how these issues manifest in a Pacific-Asia context in written and oral work.”  In order to measure this, we asked students about their comprehension of these key concepts, their intersections, and their manifestations in an Asia-Pacific context.  These survey items asked students to indicate their agreement with statements reading, “I understand the concept of “blank” better than I did at the beginning of the semester.”  In each statement, the “blank” was one of the key concepts listed above.  Table 1 provides the frequencies of student responses to these survey items.

 

Table 1- Student Assessment Survey Results

 

Concept (#of responses

Strongly Agree/Agree (%)

Neutral (%)

Disagree/Strongly Disagree (%)

Social construction (52)

38 (73.1)

11 (21.2)

3 (5.7)

Race (52)

32 (61.5)

14 (26.9)

6 (11.5)

Gender (50)

46 (92.0)

2 (4.0)

2 (4.0)

Class (52)

32 (61.5)

15 (28.8)

5 (9.6)

Sexuality (51)

48 (94.1)

1 (2.0)

2 (3.9)

Social Stratification (52)

36 (69.2)

12 (23.1)

4 (7.7)

Masculinity (51)

43 (84.3)

4 (7.8)

4 (7.8)

Intersectionality[2] (52)

46 (88.5)

3 (5.8)

3 (5.8)

Asia-Pacific[3] (51)

32 (62.7)

12 (23.5)

7 (13.7)

 

As Table 1 indicates, students generally felt that WS classes enhanced their understanding of these key concepts, though the degree to which they believed this varied among specific concepts.  Very high proportions of students indicated they better understood gender, sexuality, masculinity, and intersectionality.  On the other hand significant numbers of students indicated they were unsure if they had furthered their understandings of race, class, social stratification, and how these key concepts manifest in an Asia-Pacific context.  As well, it seems significant proportions of students did not feel that their studies had furthered their understanding of race, class, social stratification, masculinity, and how all factors manifest themselves in an Asia-Pacific context.

 

Our third learning objective is that students demonstrate “ability to connect the classroom with "real world" feminist issues through active engagement in citizenship and civic participation.”  In relation to this objective, we asked students how much they agreed with the statement, “As a result of taking this course, I have engaged in feminist activities in my community or in other contexts outside the classroom.”  Students’ responses to this item were somewhat evenly divided.  Nearly half of respondents (47.2%) marked agree or strongly agree, while about a quarter of respondents (26.4%) marked either neutral or disagree/strongly disagree, respectively.

 

Student Paper Evaluations

 

In addition to asking students about the department and their academic experiences, we examined 11 student papers[4] from our theory course, to determine if these papers indicated that students were able to meet our SLOs.  Evaluation of students’ achievement of our first SLO was broken into two components critical and interdisciplinary thinking, and effective writing.  On the first component, students’ papers averaged a score of 3.56 out of 4.  On the second component, papers averaged a 2.78 out of 4.  Scoring of papers for our second SLO averaged 3.10 out of 4.  Finally, papers averaged a score of 4.0 out of 4 on our third SLO.  Thus, results indicate that students are largely meeting our SLOs, especially our fist and third SLOs, though they could improve most in regards to our second SLO.

 

Student Exit Interviews

 

As stated earlier, our spring assessment program also included a two-part exit interview/questionnaire with our graduating seniors.  Eleven total women’s studies major undergraduates were identified as petitioning for graduation in spring 2015. All eleven students were invited to participate in an exit interview via e-mail, of which, a total of six of the spring 2015 women’s studies undergraduate major class who petitioned for graduation participated.

 

The first part of WS undergraduate exit interview was a questionnaire. The exit survey, composed of ten questions, on average took students thirty minutes to complete. The second part of the exit survey was an individual interview, which in addition to asking about their general experiences, entailed asking students to elaborate on question ten in the questionnaire, regarding incorporating an internship/practicum program component to women’s studies undergraduate major requirements. Any other additional comments were included.

 

The purpose of two-part exit interview was to evaluate the students various experiences and discuss their suggestions for improving the UHM Women’s Studies undergraduate program. The six students that completed exit questionnaire and individual interview did not complete the WS end of semester Assessment Questionnaire.

 

All students identified as female, two white, three Asian, and one Native Hawaiian. Of the six students graduating, two of the students were accepted to graduate programs, both on the continental U.S. One student will be attending Portland State University accepted into the Criminal Justice/Law Master’s program, with the goal of working in law enforcement. This student would ultimately like to work for the FBI as a profiler. The other student will be attending University of Washington as a master’s student in the department of social work. This student wants to return to Hawai’i and work with women and children who have been victims and survivors of all forms of abuse and violence.

 

The survey questionnaire included two questions, which addressed SLO #1. Question #1 asked students: to describe how the Women’s Studies undergraduate program at UHM developed your critical thinking and writing skills and how these will assist you in your future social, cultural, economic and civic activities, as well as your future academic (if applicable) and work life. All six students, 100% responded positively, stating that their critical thinking and writing skills increased and were enhanced during their undergraduate career in women’s studies. Additionally one student elaborated on how critical thinking skills has “taught her to seek out the silences.”

 

My entire understanding of the world around me has changed since joining the program [WS]. I have learned how to more thoroughly analyze what I read, hear, watch, and write. Being taught to seek out the silences in the world around me has opened my eyes to a new way of experiencing, and I intend to apply this perspective not only to all future professional and educational pursuits, but to my personal life as well.

 

For another student, learning to engage in critical thinking and writing has “led me to my future academic journey,” which includes graduate school and working in the community as an activist for women and children effected and affected by various forms of gender violence.

 

I am definitely more of a critical thinker in a sense that I question everything. I’ve learned not to take anything at face value and to think about the underlying reasons things are done the way they are. My undergraduate degree [WS] has led me to my future academic journey. I am going to continue my education by working toward achieving my MSW [Masters Social Work]. The program [WS] has developed within me the necessary qualities needed to be an advocate for women and children who have been abused. Passion, commitment combined with a diligent and determined work ethic will guide me on my life path. All of these qualities I either learned to develop or were increased in [WS] program.

 

Finally, for another student, not only has the WS undergraduate degree prepared them to think critically, more importantly, the degree has developed writing skills necessary for student’s future goal as a graphic novelist.

 

The [WS] curriculum prepared me to be able to think critically and develop creative research ideas and goals for independent analyses. I am planning to write a graphic novel, so learning how to write critically and creatively is vital for my future goals as a graphic novelist. In women’s studies, I was inspired to think out of the box, to be critical and creative at the same time. None of my other classes, outside of my women’s studies encouraged me to do so. I was an English major and switched to women’s studies because the English department did not encourage or support my creativity. 

 

Additional comments from students are below.

 

•”Being involved in Women’s Studies and taking classes affiliated with the Women’s Studies, has helped me bring myself into my critical thinking and my writing.  It allowed me to see myself in the academic discourse in which I will continue to carve out my own place.”

•”The program has helped me be more investigative when it comes to taking in information and critically analyzing what I’m told. My writing skills have improved immensely. I apply my new outlook to my life and hold myself accountable to what I say my beliefs and values are; that goes for work, home, family, friends, and all others whose paths I might cross.”

•”Women’s Studies has helped me develop a better understanding of how to critically analyze situations. I feel I am now better equipped to effectively communicate my ideas and theories regarding race, class, economics, and gender.”

 

Furthermore, survey question #2 consisted of a list of concepts students believed most shaped their critical and interdisciplinary thinking. Students checked off from list those concepts that they believed shaped their perceptions the most, and those concepts that would inform their decision-making and prepare them for graduate school, and/or the workplace. Eight specific concepts were listed, with an “Other” category for students to write in a concept not listed, if applicable:

 

1.         Comparable worth and pay equity

2.         Feminist theories and perspectives

3.         History of Women’s movements

4.         Intersection race, class, gender, and other aspects of identity

5.         Social responsibility/activism/advocacy

6.         Social construction of gender

7.         Connections between personal and political

8.         International and global gender issues

9.         Other (write in any additional concepts)

 

Table 2 lists the eight concepts with an opportunity for an Other category to write in by students. The frequencies of students’ responses are reported in table below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Table 2- Exit Interview Responses for SLO #1 Concepts

 

Concepts

Positive Response (%)

TOTAL (n=6)

(%)

1. Comparable worth and pay equity

 

3 (50%)

6

(100%)

2. Feminist theories and perspectives

 

5 (83%)

6

(100%)

3. History of Women’s movements

 

1 (17%)

6

(100%)

4. Intersection race, class, gender, other aspects of identity

6 (100%)

6

(100%)

5. Social responsibility/activism/advocacy

 

4 (67%)

6

(100%)

6. Social construction of gender

 

5 (83%)

6

(100%)

7. Connections between personal and political

 

6 (100%)

6

(100%)

8. International and global gender issues

 

4 (67%)

6

(100%)

9. Other (write in)

 

0

(0%)

6

(100%)

 

 

As Table 4 indicates, Concept 4: Intersection of race, class, gender, and other aspects of identity; and Concept 7: Connections between the personal and political were concepts that all six students, 100%, felt most shaped their perceptions and will inform their future decision-making.

 

Concept 2: Feminist theories and perspectives and Concept 6: Social construction of gender followed with five students (83%) checking as a valuable concept.

 

Concept 5: Social responsibility/activism/advocacy and Concept 8: International and global gender issues had four students (76%) deem as pertinent to their perceptions and future goals.

 

Concept 1: Comparable worth and pay equity half or (50%) of students included in their list. Followed by Concept 3: History of Women’s movements with only one student (17%) checking off as valuable concept to their insights. No students (0%) filled in the other category.

 

Concept 9: Other was an opportunity to fill in any “other” additional concepts not listed. No students listed Concept 9. However, these are additional comments from students are listed below.

 

•”I leaned much more than any other history class about the history of the women’s movement. As well as how the intersection of gender, race, and class affect each other in our society.”

•”Activism. Choosing women’s studies, as a major is a form of activism and for me, has strengthened my commitment to remaining an activist.” 

•”Intersectionality. All of my courses talked about this and how to understand and apply intersectionality in our studies, and our lives.“

•”Aspects of identity and social responsibility/activism/advocacy were both substantial to me as concepts learned. To be able to put yourself in someone else’s shoes, to walk in their shoes, is critical to understanding a person who is identified as different from yourself, and being aware of your responsibility to society through activism is also key to relating to others within the society.”

•”The concept of the intersecting of race, class, gender and other aspects of identity, in addition to the concept of the social construction of gender, has helped me structure my thesis research in preparation for my graduate studies in social work. My thesis will center on developing policies and advocating for legislature to support women and children who have been abused and are truly survivors.“

•”I learned that race, class, gender, sexuality, and all other aspects dealing with identity are interconnected stations of privilege and oppression for those in minority groups. I learned that though I am a Black woman and oppressed because of my race and sex, I am also privileged because I am accepted as able-bodied, which is the normative in our society.“

 

Questions 1 and 2 in the survey addressed the key concepts and topics comprising SLO #2. Beyond that, in the individual interviews, students enhanced their written answers by stating their appreciation and relevance of learning and being able to apply a Pacific-Asian lens to their studies. As one student shared: “It makes so much sense to look at specific issues that effect the Pacific and Asia. These are relevant and timely issues that I learned only in my women’s studies courses. I was able to utilize what I learned in my other [WS] classes, which enriched my learning, writing, and class discussions.”

 

Student Learning Objective (SLO) #3 is that students demonstrate “ability to connect the classroom with "real world" feminist issues through active engagement in citizenship and civic participation.” In relation to this objective, the survey included Concept 5: Social responsibility/activism/advocacy, which scored high in questionnaire, with four (67%) out of six listed concept as critical to their women’s studies undergraduate degree, as well as for their future academic and employment careers. All four students prominently noted that the women’s studies program is where they learned about the importance of activism and social responsibility and even found their passion. As this student noted: “I found my passion in women’s studies. I want to move on to being involved in activism as a career. I can’t imagine doing anything else with my life.”

 

The Spring 2015 Women’s Studies Undergraduate Major Exit Questionnaire also included individual interviews with all six women’s studies undergraduate students. During the individual interviews, participants primarily spoke about what they believed were the strengths and weaknesses of the Women’s Studies undergraduate program, as well as ways to improve the program. They also discussed how the program changed their life. Additionally, students commented on whether or not they received adequate support from faculty, advisors, and staff members to succeed academically and post-graduation.

 

All six students interviewed were very satisfied with their experience as WS majors. All student participants echoed the following student’s comments:

 

This program [WS] has challenged and altered my way of thinking in ways I never would have expected. Not only that, I believe it has empowered me to become a better person.

 

Though they discussed being very satisfied with the curriculum, faculty, and staff in WS Department, the students also had suggestions for continued growth and improvement for WS program. Suggestions all centered on curriculum and course scheduling.  For example, one student commented:

 

I suggest incorporating a specific course dedicated entirely to the exploration of gender and identity in contemporary society. This proposed course would build on WS/SOC362: Sociology of Gender by focusing primarily on identity making in modern society.

 

Another student noted that there should be more availability of courses, especially the transnational classes, since a WS major is required to take three transnational courses. This student also noted that there have been times when courses in women’s studies are scheduled at the same time, forcing the student to choose one class over another.

 

I noticed that some of the courses are only offered during either the spring or fall semester. These are wonderful classes, some of them; I have not been able to take because I missed the semester that they were taught. I didn’t realize that they were only offered during certain semesters. Perhaps if there were a way to let us know, that would really help with scheduling our classes. For example, there is a men and masculinity courses that I really wanted to take, and I have a great experience with the instructor who teaches it, but since it was only offered maybe every other semester, I just could not fit the class into my schedule. I think that this course is truly relevant and needs to be made more available.

 

This student also had a suggestion for a specific course offering:

 

I think that feminism and environmentalism need to be taught as a single course, as well as included in other [WS] classes as a topic for discussion. This is an issue that needs to be addressed now and not later.

 

When this student was informed that in fall 2015, a new course: WS 367: Sustainability and Social Justice taught by Dr. Aya Kimura will be offered, where these issues would be discussed, the student stated that this was the exact course that he/she wished had been available during their academic career in WS. However, the student also shared the hope that students appreciate the opportunity to take this class and respond positively by registering and participating in the relevant and vital discussion of global environmentalism and feminism.

 

Finally, students were asked, “if given the opportunity, would they have participated in either an internship or practicum program through the Women’s Studies Department?” This particular question was addressed due to the significant support from the College of Social Sciences for all disciplines within college to offer internship/practicum programs, if they are not doing so already. At this time, the WS Department does not have an internship/practicum program for undergraduates or advanced graduate certificate program. In the fall of 2015, our advising specialist was appointed as a member to the Internship Program Task Force. Based on the findings of the task force, our advising specialist highly recommended that WS Department consider developing an internship program for our undergraduates. Please note below.

 

In the fall of 2014, Dean Konan convened a task force on internships comprised of faculty and staff from the College of Social Sciences (CSS). The primary charge to the task force was to make meaningful internship opportunities more accessible to students, allowing them to integrate theory with practice while increasing their capacity for personal and civic responsibility. To achieve this goal, the task force concluded that it is vital to create a culture of internships within the CSS, which reflects a Hawaiian place of learning and fosters a global culture of collaboration, cooperation, and compassion.  Establishing a culture that promotes internships depends largely on articulating and disseminating the value of the internship experience to students and faculty.  As noted by Richard M. Freeland (2009), “There is a revolution underway in liberal education; a movement toward creating experiential learning opportunities that will connect student learning more strongly with the lives students will actually live after college.” Students describe their experience as the “best educational experience I had.” Clearly, students have found these experiences to be some of the most memorable of their academic careers.

 

Additionally, the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) has selected internships as one of the six measured high-impact practices. According to the 2013 NSSE on high-impact practices, 53% of students at universities with very high research activity have participated in an internship during their undergraduate career. “Due to their positive associations with student learning and retention, certain undergraduate opportunities are designated “high –impact”...participation in these practices can be life-changing” (Kuh 2008). The CSS undergraduate survey indicated that only 22% of students responding participated in an internship; however, 76% are interested in doing so and learning more about them. Clearly, there is a great opportunity here to create a more meaningful academic experience for our students while preparing them for their post-academic lives.  The task force noted: “these efforts will support the creation of a robust culture of internships, which will grow to be a hallmark in the College of Social Sciences. It will provide students with memorable and meaningful undergraduate experiences and allow them to engage in service and feel useful, develop leadership skills, and connect with people and network for future jobs.”

 

In summary, respondents felt that the WS undergraduate program could be improved by: (1) providing more course availability; (2) specific course topics, such as feminism and environmentalism; and (3) an internship component in undergraduate WS program. All six students agreed that their WS undergraduate careers would have been greatly impacted and enhanced through participation in an internship program. One student commented: “An internship program with WS would have been a wonderful way of me to take the theories I learned and put them into practice. WS is all about activism and sharing what we have learned in the community. For me, it would have been a way to have hands on real life experience, working in an area in which I am very passionate about, women and employment.

 

However, all six students felt that the WS undergraduate degree has provided them with an excellent foundation to build upon their future graduate education and/or their employment careers. All students were very satisfied with the curriculum, faculty, and staff. They all stated that they received the support and feedback from faculty, and the newly hired part-time advisor to succeed academically. For example, one student stated,

 

Having an advisor specifically for WS is great. I had to see the other general advisors before and they had no idea what the requirements for a WS major was, they couldn’t recommend classes to me, and had no idea what classes I needed for my WS major. Now we have an advisor with WS who knows the classes, the faculty and what are the requirements. This has saved me a lot of time and heartache. She even has dedicated office hours and an office, that’s wonderful for students.

 

Overall, the Spring 2015 Women’s Studies Undergraduate Major Exit questionnaire confirmed that students developed and improved their critical thinking and writing skills and how these skills will assist them in their future, social, cultural, economic and civic activities, as well as their work life. One respondent described how women’s studies will impact her future in the following way: “Writing and critical thinking were skills that I used the most for women’s studies classes. Building those skills has helped me tremendously. I feel that I can confidently express opinions and carry a knowledgeable dialogue through writing with my peers and others.” Another respondent indicated that her experience will help her in Ph.D. program: “I’m now well-versed in feminist theories, feminist movements in America, and the regional, national, and transnational activisms which are so important in the global world we live. This awareness will help me in my Ph.D. program where my focus area will be on post-colonial women and literature.”

 

Conclusion

 

            To recap, our assessment activities have yielded data on student achievement of our SLOs, the strengths of the undergraduate program, and ways to improve the student experience.  It seems, for the most part, that students believe they are meeting our SLOs, and student paper evaluations support such a conclusion.  Furthermore, our graduating seniors expressed that their experiences in the department were positive overall.  However, they suggested that the department could improve student experiences by offering more courses; adding some specific courses, such as one on environmentalism and feminism; and adding an internship component.  The department is currently in the process of addressing the latter two suggestions, and will soon offer both a course on environmentalism and feminist, as well as implement an internship program.  Finally, Women’s Studies is continually seeking out opportunities to increase our course offerings in general, as resources allow.

 

 

 

 

 

           

 

 

 

 

 

           

 



[1] Some students did not respond to all questions.

[2] This survey item read, “I understand how these factors intersect better than I did at the beginning of the semester.”

[3] This survey item read, “I understand how these issues manifest in the Asia-Pacific region better than I did at the beginning of the semester.”

[4] Two papers were excluded from the analysis because they were incomplete, and not appropriate for evaluation.

 

13) What best describes how the program used the results? (Check all that apply.)

Assessment procedure changes (SLOs, curriculum map, rubrics, evidence collected, sampling, communications with faculty, etc.)
Course changes (course content, pedagogy, courses offered, new course, pre-requisites, requirements)
Personnel or resource allocation changes
Program policy changes (e.g., admissions requirements, student probation policies, common course evaluation form)
Students' out-of-course experience changes (advising, co-curricular experiences, program website, program handbook, brown-bag lunches, workshops)
Celebration of student success!
Results indicated no action needed because students met expectations
Use is pending (typical reasons: insufficient number of students in population, evidence not evaluated or interpreted yet, faculty discussions continue)
Other:

14) Please briefly describe how the program used the results.

Results mainly suggested changes already in progress, as noted in our response to question #12.  However, we will continue to work on changes such as implementing an internship program and offering more courses.  Furthermore, we will be updating our curriculum map over the upcoming year.

15) Beyond the results, were there additional conclusions or discoveries? This can include insights about assessment procedures, teaching and learning, and great achievements regarding program assessment in this reporting period.

We will be considering further refining SLOs, our scoring rubrics, and collection of evidence for this report in upcoming faculty meetings.  Ideally, we would like to collect more data next semester, and further streamline the process of evaluating student work. We will also be updating our curriculum map this year.

16) If the program did not engage in assessment activities, please explain.