Program: Computer Science (PhD)
Degree: Doctorate
Date: Tue Nov 30, 2010 - 9:41:19 am
1) Below are the program student learning outcomes submitted last year. Please add/delete/modify as needed.
The PhD program prepares students for research, teaching in higher education and service. This program gives students the opportunity to expand and develop the body of theoretical and empirical knowledge in computer science through deep and meaningful research endeavors. Students in this program receive advanced training in the scientific principles and technology required to new computer systems and applications.
1. Student Learning Outcomes
Student will be able to:
a. Curriculum:
1. Use current technology concepts and practices in software development as it relates to their specific field of interest;
2. Manage all aspects of solving computer-based problems involving requirements analysis, design, implementation, and project management;
3. Participate in collaborative team orientated activities;
4. Communicate effectively using modern technologies that require oral, written and web media;
5. Obtain an advanced technical education on that is provided by the Master’s program.
b. Research
1. Student and faculty engage in research that responds to community information needs and their program of study.
2. Students engage in research under faculty mentorship.
3. Students present their research.
4. Students achieve recognition for the quality of their research through receipt of awards.
c. Service
1. Graduates will take on a variety of leadership roles in high technology, from research and development to starting up new high tech companies.
d. Teaching
1. Be able to teach and direct research projects higher education
2) As of last year, your program's SLOs were published as follows. Please update as needed.
Department Website URL: 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: Planned: Department website (to be voted on by faculty early Sprint 2011) Other: 3) Below is the link to your program's curriculum map (if submitted in 2009). If it has changed or if we do not have your program's curriculum map, please upload it as a PDF.
- File (03/16/2020)
4) The percentage of courses in 2009 that had course SLOs explicitly stated on the syllabus, a website, or other publicly available document is indicated below. Please update as needed.
0% 1-50%
51-80% 81-99% 100%5) State the assessment question(s) and/or goals of the assessment activity. Include the SLOs that were targeted, if applicable.
We yet have to begin program-wide assessment specific to our program-wide SLOs. Answers to the next two questions thus describe our own assessment process which is yet to be cast in an SLO-based process, partly due to the SLOs needing to be finalized/approved by our busy faculty, which will happen in 2011.
One assessment that took place was for the graduate student orientation. At the end of the orientation, the attendants were asked to rate the following 2 statements and answer the following 2 questions:
1) This session was useful to me
2) I would recommend this session to other incoming students
3) What was the most useful part?
4) What was the least useful part?
All student answers to the orientation session were collected. For the statement "This orientation was useful to me", 4 students answered "Totally Agree", 3 answered "Partially Agree", and 1 answered "Totally disagree". To the statement "I would you recommend this session to other incoming students" 7 students answered "Totally agree" and 1 answered "Totally disagree".
6) State the type(s) of evidence gathered.
Assessment of student progress is accomplished through:
a. Written examinations assess student progress in understanding, integrating and applying theoretical and technical knowledge and skills through objective tests, essays, short responses and problem solving tasks.
b. Individual projects, research papers and user studies assess student progress in determining an appropriate focus and depth for study, obtaining relevant published information, synthesizing published research in a literature review, designing a research study, analyzing data, making logical conclusions from the findings, and writing a publishable article.
c. Internships, practica and fieldwork components assess student progress in applying knowledge and skills in professional settings, working collaboratively on the job, being supervised, and learning procedures and skills. Professional librarians administer evaluations of work in internship and practica settings.
d. Group projects assess student progress in collaborative work skills, project management abilities and achieving client/customer satisfaction.
e. Portfolios are used to assess student progress within a particular course.
f. Exit surveys assess how graduates perceive their preparation in the Program.
g. Oral examinations assess student abilities in professional discourse and communication, including synthesis of pertinent information, interviewing skills, sufficient content preparation to respond to ad hoc queries and the presentation of the professional self.
h. Oral presentations assess student abilities in professional discourse and communication, including synthesis of pertinent information, appropriate media presentation of pertinent information, sufficient content preparation to respond to ad hoc queries, the presentation of the professional self and collaborative work.
7) Who interpreted or analyzed the evidence that was collected?
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: 8) How did they evaluate, analyze, or interpret the evidence?
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: 9) State how many persons submitted evidence that was evaluated.
If applicable, please include the sampling technique used.
10) Summarize the actual results.
From the data currently collected, the ICS faculty reviews the results to make informed decisions concerning the curriculum and administration of the program. These reviews have resulted in changes to the curriculum and administration of the program in the following areas:
a. The data collected is used to advise, and counsel students in addressing their academic and career concerns.
b. The ICS program is constantly developing new topics advising to enable students to select specified courses in their particular areas of interest. This allows the student to establish a subject emphasis in their preparation toward their Master’s research project.
c. The Department has made administrative changes recently and hired a Faculty Specialist who will work on both the ICS and LIS programs to address student issues such as student data management (creating a database to integrate all relevant student information including survey data, advising, courses taken, background, track, alumni status and directory information, etc.). This position will provide the support needed to better advise students and track assessment.
11) How did your program use the results? --or-- Explain planned use of results.
Please be specific.
12) Beyond the results, were there additional conclusions or discoveries? This can include insights about assessment procedures, teaching and learning, program aspects and so on.
This year, prompted by graduate division, the graduate chair has spent an inordinate amount of time to produce a document to evaluate the outcome of our M.S. (and Ph.D.) program, essentially looking at time-to-graduation, acceptance, impact of students beyond graduation. While not cast in an SLO-based, rubric-based, assessment, this document (available upon request) provides overwhelming evidence that our program is effective.
13) Other important information:
One issue, which is beyond anybody's control, is that putting a new assessment process in the midst of a terrible crisis in which our department, like others, has lost 5 faculty members that it hasn't had the opportunity to replace in the last 3 years. Consequently, this is a time when all are scrambling to make ends meet, which does not provide for a ideal terrain for putting in place a new effort.
The Information and Computer Sciences Assessment Committee is currently working on assessment plans for the Bachelor of Arts in Information and Computer Sciences, the Bachelor of Arts in Information and Computer Sciences w/ and IT focus, and the Bachelor of Science in Computer Science. Once the assessment plan is complete, the committee plans to assess the Master of Science and PhD in Computer Science.