Unit: Interdisciplinary Studies
Program: Interdisciplinary Studies (BA)
Degree: Bachelor's
Date: Tue Oct 02, 2018 - 3:13:12 pm

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

1. To acquire knowledge and understanding in students' chosen interdisciplinary field of study

(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, 3b. Respect for people and cultures, in particular Hawaiian culture, 3c. Stewardship of the natural environment, 3d. Civic participation)

2. To develop skills in exploring interdisciplinary relationships

(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, 3b. Respect for people and cultures, in particular Hawaiian culture, 3c. Stewardship of the natural environment, 3d. Civic participation)

3. To develop critical thinking skills through comparing, contrasting, and synthesizing a variety of perspectives

(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, 3b. Respect for people and cultures, in particular Hawaiian culture, 3c. Stewardship of the natural environment, 3d. Civic participation)

4. To communicate clearly both orally and in writing

(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, 3b. Respect for people and cultures, in particular Hawaiian culture, 3c. Stewardship of the natural environment, 3d. Civic participation)

5. To develop problem-solving and life-long learning skills

(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, 3b. Respect for people and cultures, in particular Hawaiian culture, 3c. Stewardship of the natural environment, 3d. Civic participation)

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

Department Website URL: https://manoa.hawaii.edu/undergrad/is/program-overview/
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: https://manoa.hawaii.edu/undergrad/is/program-overview/
Other:
Other:

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

Curriculum Map File(s) from 2018:

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) Does the program have learning achievement results for its program SLOs? (Example of achievement results: "80% of students met expectations on SLO 1.")(check one):

No
Yes, on some(1-50%) of the program SLOs
Yes, on most(51-99%) of the program SLOs
Yes, on all(100%) of the program SLOs

6) Did your program engage in any program learning assessment activities between June 1, 2015 and October 31, 2018?

Yes
No (skip to question 17)

7) What best describes the program-level learning assessment activities that took place for the period June 1, 2015 to October 31, 2018? (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)
No (skip to question 17)
Investigate other pressing issue related to student learning achievement for the program (explain in question 7)
Other:

8) Briefly explain the assessment activities that took place.

1. Current Student Survey

2. Grad Exit Survey

3. IS Proposal Review

9) What types of evidence did the program use as part of the assessment activities checked in question 7? (Check all that apply.)

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

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

1. Current IS Student Survey (Spring 2016) was sent electronically to 103 current students using Survey Monkey. 33 Current students completed the survey.
Current IS Student Survey (Spring 2017) was sent electronically to 83 current students using Survey Monkey. 29 Current students completed the survey.
Current IS Student Survey (Spring 2018) was sent electronically to 82 current students using Survey Monkey. 16 Current students completed the survey.
2. Graduating Seniors' Exit Survey using Survey Monkey was completed by 38 students between May 2015 and May 2016.
Graduating Seniors' Exit Survey using Survey Monkey was completed by 46 students between May 2016 and May 2017.
Graduating Seniors' Exit Survey using Survey Monkey was completed by 33 students between May 2017 and May 2018.
3. IS Proposal Review and Monitoring: Each prospective IS major submits an IS proposal before he/she can officially declare IS as a major. Student progress is monitored  throughout their IS degree
4. Student Evaluation of IS courses: We reviewed the course evaluations completed by students to get their impressions of how the teaching-learning process contributed to the achievement of various relevant SLOs.

11) 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:

12) 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: Reviewed the course evaluations completed by students taking IS courses.

13) Summarize the results of the assessment activities checked in question 7. For example, report the percentage of students who achieved each SLO.

1. 2015-16 Current Student Survey Results (April 05, 2016 – May 04, 2016)2016-17 Current Student Survey Results (April 03, 2017 – May 15, 2017), 2017-2018 Current Student Survey Results (April 1, 2018 – May 1, 2018).  All three surveys were administered using Survey Monkey
 
The Rating Averages of the following Seven Key Questions
 
Q#2: I have developed problem-solving skills for life-long learning. (SLO 5)
2016: 4.24                            2017: 4.10                            2018: 4.38
 
Q#3: I learned to value new viewpoints and open my personal perspectives. (SLO 5)
2016: 4.36                            2017: 4.45                            2018: 4.44
 
Q#4: The Interdisciplinary Studies program was a valuable contribution to my overall education. (SLO 5)
2016: 4.42                            2017: 4.34                            2018: 4.63
 
Q#6: Writing the Interdisciplinary Proposal helped me clarify my goals and objectives.(SLO 4)
2016: 4.39                           2017: 4.10                            2018: 4.44
 
Q#7: As an Interdisciplinary Studies major I was able to explore different academic perspectives. (SLO 1, 2, 3)
2016:  4.61                           2017: 4.38                            2018: 4.50
 
Q#8: My interdisciplinary Studies adviser assisted me in the process of developing a meaningful academic curriculum and experience. (SLO 1)
2016: 4.39                            2017: 4.31                            2018: 4.69
 
Q#11: I would give the Interdisciplinary Program a high overall rating. 
2016:  4.48                           2017: 4.34                            2018: 4.75
 
2. Adviser-Specific Graduating Seniors Exit Survey was completed by 44 students between May 2016 - May 2017 and 
Adviser-Specific Graduating Seniors Exit Survey was completed by 33 Students between May 2017 - May 2018. Both surveys were administered electronically using Survey Monkey. 
 
The Rating Averages of the following Eight Key Questions
 
Q#2: I have learned to value new viewpoints and explore interdisciplinary relationships.(SLO 1 & 2)

2015 -16: Between 4.50 & 4.63     2017-18:  4.45  & 4.59

Q#3: I have developed problem-solving skills for life-long learning. (SLO 5)

2015 -16: Between 4.57 & 4.67     2017-18: 4.27 & 4.41

Q#5: Writing the IS proposal as part of my application helped me to undertand how to create an academically rigorous problem-focused major in the area of my interest. (SLO 4)

2015 -16:  Between 4.91 &  4.79       2017-18:  4.30 & 4.36

Q#6: As an Interdisciplinary Studies major, I was able to explore different academic perspectives and thereby improve my critical thinking skills.   (SLO 1 & 3)

2015 -16: Between  4.45 & 4.39       2017-18:  4.55 & 4.86

Q#7: My interdisciplinary Studies adviser assisted me in the process of developing a meaningful academic curriculum in the broad area of my interest. (SLO 1)

2015 -16: Between 4.73 & 4.75       2017-18: 4.09 &  4.73

Q#9: Through the courses in my IS major, I have learned to explore issues from a variety of academic perspectives, which has improved my written communication skills. (SLO 2, 3)

2015 -16: Between  4.23 & 4.50     2017-18:  4.09 & 4.45

Q#10: I have improved my critical thinking skills by learned to compare, contrast, and synthesize a variety of perspectives in my academic field. (SLO 2, 3)

2015 -16: Between 4.50 & 3.92       2017-18: 4.36 & 4.55

Q#13: Considering everything, how would you rate your Interdisciplinary Studies adviser?

2015 -16: Between  4.32 & 4.50      2017-18: 4.36 & 4.32

   
3. IS Proposal Review and Monitoring (Ongoing)

Each prospective IS major submits an IS proposal before h/she can officially declare IS as a major.  The proposal is reviewed by the Review Committee. The reviewer uses the following rubric to review the proposal:

 
    Student demonstrates the capacity to think across disciplines
    Student has created a problem-focused, rather than a discipline-oriented program
    Students communicate clearly in the narrative the justification for the array of courses in the designed curriculum
 
If the IS Review Committee determines any deficiencies in the plan, a set of recommendations are made to the student to improve the plan.  The student revises the narrative and/or major courses with the help of the Adviser and resubmits the proposal. After the student is accepted, we monitor progress in the major curriculum until h/she graduates.

14) 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:

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

16) 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.

17) If the program did not engage in assessment activities, please justify.