Program: Journalism (BA)
Degree: Bachelor's
Date: Thu Sep 27, 2012 - 1:58:04 pm
1) Below are your program's student learning outcomes (SLOs). Please update as needed.
Students can:
- SLO #1: gather, analyze and organize information, and to communicate it clearly, effectively and responsibly using multiple media platforms;
- SLO #2: demonstrate an understanding of the social, cultural and historical contexts of reporting on social institutions as well as on individuals and groups;
- SLO #3: demonstrate an understanding of the importance of a free, vigorous and responsible press to the maintenance of an informed citizenry to exercise the rights of self-governance in a democracy;
- SLO #4: contribute to lifelong learning through reports that enlighten and enliven audiences, whether in print, broadcast, online or other new media formats.
2) Your program's SLOs are published as follows. Please update as needed.
Department Website URL: http://www.communications.hawaii.edu/ Student Handbook. URL, if available online: http://www.communications.hawaii.edu/jour/index.html Information Sheet, Flyer, or Brochure URL, if available online: http://www.communications.hawaii.edu/jour/index.html UHM Catalog. Page Number: See online: http://www.catalog.hawaii.edu/schoolscolleges/arts-sciences/departments/jour.htm
Course Syllabi. URL, if available online: Other: Instructors choose to post their syllabi online via Laulima or the college's website. Other: 3) Select one option:
- 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) Did your program engage in any program assessment activities between June 1, 2011 and September 30, 2012? (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 June 1, 2011 to September 30, 2012: State the assessment question(s) and/or assessment goals. Include the SLOs that were targeted, if applicable.
Fifteen students in an advanced journalism class were asked to complete an anonymous questionnaire based on programmatic SLOs. These students have completed Year 1 of the journalism curriculum and are beginning Year 2. The questionnaire was distributed in September 2012. Students were asked to answer five questions as part of a broadly worded survey to get a sense of their perceptions of their own learning outcomes.
1) Through the UH Manoa Journalism Program, I am able to gather, analyze and organize information, and to communicate it clearly, effectively and responsibly using multiple media platforms (e.g., print, video and web).
2) Through the UH Manoa Journalism Program, I am knowledgeable about public institutions (e.g., state government, law enforcement, the courts, etc.) and how to report about them.
3) Through the UH Manoa Journalism Program, I understand the importance of a free, vigorous and responsible press in maintaining an informed citizenry.
4) Through the UH Manoa Journalism Program, I am able to write like a journalist (e.g., using AP Style, writing in the inverted pyramid structure when appropriate, incorporating material from sources into news stories, etc.)
5) Overall, I feel as though I have received (or am receiving) the training and preparation necessary for me to work as a professional journalist after I graduate from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
All of our SLOs were tageted in the questions above.
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.
Individual student responses were collected, organized and analyzed. Students were assured of anonymity and that their grades and standing in the program would not be affected by their responses. Our hope was to get honest responses about whether students felt the SLOs were being met at the beginning of Year 2.
8) State how many persons submitted evidence that was evaluated. If applicable, please include the sampling technique used.
15 students responded. Students from an advanced journalism class who had completed Year 1 were selected for the survey.
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: Assessment coordinator, who shared with department chair and journalism faculty colleagues10) 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.
1) Through the UH Manoa Journalism Program, I am able to gather, analyze and organize information, and to communicate it clearly, effectively and responsibly using multiple media platforms (e.g., print, video and web).
All 15 students either strongly agreed (n=5) or agreed (n=10) with this statement.
2) Through the UH Manoa Journalism Program, I am knowledgeable about public institutions (e.g., state government, law enforcement, the courts, etc.) and how to report about them.
12 students either strong agreed (n=5) or agreed (n=12); 3 students responded "Not Sure."
3) Through the UH Manoa Journalism Program, I understand the importance of a free, vigorous and responsible press in maintaining an informed citizenry.
All 15 students either strongly agreed (n=12) or agreed (n=3) with this statement.
4) Through the UH Manoa Journalism Program, I am able to write like a journalist (e.g., using AP Style, writing in the inverted pyramid structure when appropriate, incorporating material from sources into news stories, etc.)
14 students either strongly agreed (n=3) or agreed (n=11) with this statement. 1 student responded "Disagree."
5) Overall, I feel as though I have received (or am receiving) the training and preparation necessary for me to work as a professional journalist after I graduate from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
12 students agreed, 1 responded "Not Sure," and 2 responded "Disagree."
Note: Please keep in mind that these students have not yet completed the program. They had more than 1.5 semesters left in the program at the time they completed it, so survey results might be different at the end of the program.
12) State how the program used the results or plans to use the results. Please be specific.
Results will be shared with journalism faculty and chair and taken into consideration as program curriculum undergoes further modification. Curriculum and program changes are currently occurring.
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.
Students were asked to elaborate on any of the multiple choice questions they were asked to answer, but they did not. In the future it would be good to collect qualitative responses to see why, for example, a couple of them felt they were not yet prepared to work as a professional journalist and whether their perceptions might shift toward a positive response at the END of Year 2.
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.
This assessment was done on a small scale and addresses very basic level questions we have about our SLOs. They provided limited but useful feedback. In the future, a variety of assessment techniques will be used to gain additional feedback, insights and perspectives.