Program: American Studies: Museum Studies (Graduate Certificate)
Degree: Certificate, Graduate
Date: Sun Oct 23, 2011 - 3:59:15 pm
1) Below are your program student learning outcomes (SLOs). Please update as needed.
1. Broad knowledge of the field of Museum Studies in the U.S. and internationally.
2. Understanding of key disciplinary methods used in Museum Studies to analyze important issues in the field.
3. Understanding of current issues in Museum Studies.
4. Broad knowledge of the work and responsibilities of museums and related institutions.
5. Specific knowledge of a specialized area in museum work through practical experience.
6. Critical analysis and writing skills to analyze pertinent issues and competently write about them.
7. Advanced research skills necessary to develop Museum Studies projects or competently evaluate them.
2) Your program's SLOs are published as follows. Please update as needed.
Department Website URL: http://www.hawaii.edu/amst/MS_graduatecert.htm
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: Course Syllabi - available via Laulima website for each core course. Other: 3) Below is the link(s) to your program's curriculum map(s). If we do not have your curriculum map, please upload it as a PDF.
- File (03/16/2020)
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) For the period June 1, 2010 to September 30, 2011: State the assessment question(s) and/or assessment goals. Include the SLOs that were targeted, if applicable.
What did the program want to find out (during the last 18 months)?
We wanted to see what kinds of additional content we should offer within courses by revising the syllabi, and outside of them by offering public lectures and workshops. Outreach programs are an important way to introduce auxiliary content we cannot cover in courses for lack of time or are unavailable in elective courses. We are especially interested in creating professional development workshops that involve hands-on learning and/or practical experiences to augment information introduced in AMST 684 (Museums and Collections). These concerns are addressed in SLO #5 “Specific knowledge of a specialized area in museum work through practical experience.”
We began asking the following questions during the 2010 assessment period and used them to guide our 2011 activities and will continue to use them in the future:
How can the certificate program obtain better information about the delivery of specialized or new content that would address changing issues, needs, and problems in the field of museum work? Should this content be delivered through specialized workshops or lectures/presentations, or should it replace current topics within the curriculum?
6) State the type(s) of evidence gathered to answer the assessment question and/or meet the assessment goals that were given in Question #5.
To assess the student learning outcome or answer the assessment question, what evidence was collected?
We asked both current students and graduates to answer an online questionnaire (Survey Monkey) in February 2011. Since MSGCP is a pre-professional program, we wanted to collect information on the kinds of museum-related jobs, internships, and volunteer projects students were involved in while they were students in the program and after they graduated. We hoped the the online survey would provide additional information on internships, volunteer projects, and museum-related employment we were not aware of; the skills students learned and used; and suggestions for improving the program. We did not ask for information about internships fulfilled via the core classes, AMST 686 (Museum Practicum), since this information was already on file.
During the 2011 assessment period we also received evaluative comments from students during student appointments and/or class discussions, or through emails from currently enrolled students or graduates. We also received comments from graduates who answered an “Exit” questionnaire mailed to them after graduation.
7) State how many persons submitted evidence that was evaluated. If applicable, please include the sampling technique used.
If applicable, please include the sampling technique used.
32 students responded to our online questionnaire (6 current students and 16 graduates). Because the program is very small (27 graduates as of Fall 2010), we were pleased with the number of responses.
Questions from Online Survey for Museum Studies Graduates (not currently enrolled Students):
Survey of Graduates of Museum Studies Graduate Certificate Program
Conducted February – March 2011
1. Name and Contact Numbers (optional)
2. Academic Status
3. What full-time or part-time museum-related jobs did you hold while you were a student or since you graduated? You may list any jobs that you feel makes use of skills you acquired during your education in the MSGCP program. Please start with your most recent job. Please use this format: 1. Name of institution and location (city, state). 2. Position. 3. Years you worked at this institution (beginning and end dates).
4. What museum-related internships or volunteer jobs did you hold while you were a student or since you graduated? (Do not include AMST 686 – Museum Studies Practicum.) Please use this format: 1. Name of institution and location (city, state). 2. Position. 3. Years you worked at this institution (beginning and end dates).
5. What skills did you use in your museum-related jobs, internships, or volunteer positions that you acquired through the MSGCP program? (Through core and elective classes and practicum experience.)
6. Did you enter another graduate degree program while you were in the MSGCP or since you graduated? If yes, please indicate: 1. Name of school. 2. Name of Degree Program. 3. Years you were in this program (beginning and graduation dates).
7. Please list current or past non-museum-Related job(s) since graduation from MSGCP. (This information will also be helpful.)
8. Other comments. Please feel free to share evaluative comments about your experience in the MSGCP, suggestions for improving the program, or other information.
Thank you for taking the time to provide us with this information!
8) 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: 9) 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: 10) For the assessment question(s) and/or assessment goal(s) stated in Question #5:
Summarize the actual results.
1) In Fall 2010 we slightly revised the “Exit Questionnaire” mailed to all graduates to obtain more information from them.
Previous question #3: Any suggestions on how we may improve the program?
Revised question #3: Any suggestions on how we may improve the program? For example, are there topics you would like us to cover as well as topics you would like us to eliminate?
2) We developed an online survey previously mentioned in Question #6 above.
This questionnaire provided specific information on the museum-related institutions MSGCP students were working in during the program or after graduation. It also provided suggestions from students for improving the content of the program by including more information in four areas: 1) grant research/writing, 2) financial planning and management, 3) exhibition design and standards, and 4) digital technologies and databases.
11) State how the program used the results or plans to use the results. Please be specific.
A former graduate suggested MSGCP offer more information to assist students in grants research/writing and financial management (tracking resources, developing budgets, allocating resources). In Fall 2011, the instructor of two core classes made two changes to begin to address both issues. Firstly, to reinforce the course content on grants writing in AMST 684 (Museums and Collections), she invited a grants manager from the Hawai‘i Council for the Humanities to speak to the students on “good” and “weak” grant applications, and to walk them through the importance of carefully following grant application guidelines. This person was ideal because he had both national and local experience—previously working at the Whitney Museum in New York City, and the Hawai‘i Arts Alliance in Honolulu.
Secondly, the instructor invited a former museum professional who is now a financial consultant in Honolulu to be a guest speaker in one of the core classes, AMST 683 (Museums: History, Theory, Practice). For many years this invited speaker was the curator of education at The Contemporary Museum in Honolulu. After years of frustration over the museum’s eroding budget for educational programs, she left her job and entered the MBA program at Columbia University with the intention of specializing in social entrepreneurship. After graduation she managed the London office for Phillip de Pury auction house, and worked as an independent financial consultant for art organizations in New York city. She recently returned to Honolulu. She is scheduled to speak to the students about innovative financing for both profit and non-profit organizations.
Regarding the initial student request to provide more information about financial management, the only way we can adequately cover this request would be though an outreach program. In 2008, MSGCP offered two “Budget 101” workshops in collaboration with the Hawai‘i Museums Association for students and museum professionals in Honolulu and Hilo. The MSGCP director recently spoke to the HMA president to see if the two organizations can offer this workshop again in the near future.
Two other students suggested that MSGCP should provide more information on exhibition design and standards, and digital technologies and databases. Each of these topics is addressed in two separate sessions in AMST 684 (Museums and Collections). However, it seems students would like even more information on these topics.
In Fall 2011, the instructor of AMST 684 will address exhibition design principles in more depth in her lecture presentation. However, this means she will be required to minimize other content on exhibition development. The instructor already invites a guest speaker to reinforce and expand on course information on digital technologies/data bases. In general, the MSGCP director encourages interested students to enroll in elective classes in exhibition design in the Department of Art, and in digital technologies and databases in the Library and Information Science program to obtain information in these specialized areas.
The MSGCP offered special workshops on exhibition design in the past, as well as a public lecture on digital preservation/technologies for students and museum professionals. She is looking into the possibility of offering workshops on both issues in the near future in partnership with the Hawai‘i Museums Association.
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.
Addressing the suggestions given by current students and graduates of the MSGCP will require that more information or auxiliary training be offered outside of the established curriculum, primarily though outreach programs (lectures and workshops). This is due to time constraints and the fact the MSGCP curriculum is already covering a great deal of content.
All currently enrolled MSGCP students and many of our graduates attended the 2011Western Museums Association Annual Meeting (September 23-26, 2011) at the Hawai‘i Convention Center. Several students were also able to attend the workshops offered in conjunction with the meeting. The students and former graduates were highly enthusiastic to meet so many professionals from the continental U.S., Oceania, New Zealand, and Australia, and learn from the range of panels and workshops. However, the program director was disappointed that more currently enrolled students did not sign up for the workshops either because of lack of time (conflicts with work schedules) or the cost of the workshops.
Evaluative comments on the WMA workshops and sessions were obtained from currently enrolled students in debriefing sessions in core classes as well as from graduates through personal conversations or through emails.
In the future the MSGCP director would like to find ways to support student and graduate attendance at future meetings of the American Association of Museums and the Western Museums Association. (The program has always offered funding for students invited to make presentations on panels, but not for those who simply want to attend sessions or enroll in workshops.) The director also hopes to find ways to support student enrollment in online workshops and webinars. However, at present, the program does not have the resources to support student enrollment in many of these opportunities.
13) Other important information.
Please note: If the program did not engage in assessment, please explain. If the program created an assessment plan for next year, please give an overview.
None