Program: Library & Information Sciences (MLISC)
Degree: Master's
Date: Fri Oct 12, 2012 - 9:00:33 am
1) Below are your program's student learning outcomes (SLOs). Please update as needed.
In spring 2011, the LIS faculty revised the program’s SLOs based on the most recent edition of Core Competences adopted by the American Library Association. These SLOs define the content of the LIS Curriculum. Each SLO also includes several specific examples of skills (evidence indicators). All course syllabi will include the Student Learning Outcomes being covered by the course.
SLO 1: Understand, apply and articulate the history, philosophy, principles and ethics of library and information science and the related professions.
1a) Apply LIS theory and principles to diverse information contexts
1b) Demonstrate understanding of the historical context of information services and systems
1c) Develop and apply critical thinking skills in preparation for professional practice
1d) Craft and articulate a professional identity
SLO 2: Develop, administrate, assess, and advocate for information services by exercising principled communication, teamwork and leadership skills.
2a) Demonstrate understanding of leadership
2b) Work effectively in teams
2c) Develop, manage, and assess information services for specific users and communities
2d) Create instructional and outreach programs
2e) Demonstrate the ability to advocate effectively for information services
SLO 3: Organize, create, archive, preserve, retrieve, manage, evaluate, and disseminate information resources in a variety of formats.
3a) Demonstrate understanding of the processes by which information is created, evaluated, and disseminated.
3b) Organize, create, archive and manage collections of information resources following professional standards
3c) Search, retrieve and synthesize information from a variety of systems and sources
3d) Demonstrate understanding of issues and techniques of preservation of physical and digital objects
SLO 4: Evaluate and use the latest information technologies, research findings and methods.
4a) Evaluate systems and technologies in terms of quality, functionality, cost-effectiveness and adherence to professional standards
4b) Integrate emerging technologies into professional practice
4c) Apply current research findings to professional practice
SLO 5: Engage in projects and assignments dealing with multicultural communities and representing diverse points of view.
5a) Communicate and collaborate with diverse colleagues, information seekers and community stakeholders
5b) Demonstrate understanding of the social, cultural, political, and economic context of information services and systems
5c) Apply LIS principles to meet the needs of Native Hawaiian and Asia-Pacific communities and to promote cultural sustainability
2) Your program's SLOs are published as follows. Please update as needed.
Department Website URL: http://www.hawaii.edu/lis/program.php?page=mission [this is still current]
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: http://www.hawaii.edu/lis/courses.php?page=descriptions [this is still current] Other: Other: 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.
All the 18 evidence indicators of the 5 SLOs were graded by the instructors based on the assignments and exercises of the LIS courses taught in the Spring 2012 semester. The instructors rated the students’ assignments/exercises on a 4-point scale (4=exceeded, 3=met, 2=approached, 1==did not meet expectations). The results were aggregated at the course level, forming the SLO-profile of the courses. A senior faculty member then aggregated these indicator scores for the set of courses taught in the semester. See the aggregated summary table for each SLO skills.
The analyses provide valuable feedback for the instructors in adapting the extent of teaching certain skills where not all the students demonstrated competence at Grade level 4 or 3 in the skills set defined for the specific SLOs.
These were the 5 SLOs, and 18 evidence indicators targeted
1a) Apply LIS theory and principles to diverse information contexts
1b) Demonstrate understanding of the historical context of information services and systems
1c) Develop and apply critical thinking skills in preparation for professional practice
1d) Craft and articulate a professional identity
SLO 2: Develop, administrate, assess, and advocate for information services by exercising principled communication, teamwork and leadership skills.
2a) Demonstrate understanding of leadership
2b) Work effectively in teams
2c) Develop, manage, and assess information services for specific users and communities
2d) Create instructional and outreach programs
2e) Demonstrate the ability to advocate effectively for information services
SLO 3: Organize, create, archive, preserve, retrieve, manage, evaluate, and disseminate information resources in a variety of formats.
3a) Demonstrate understanding of the processes by which information is created, evaluated, and disseminated.
3b) Organize, create, archive and manage collections of information resources following professional standards
3c) Search, retrieve and synthesize information from a variety of systems and sources
3d) Demonstrate understanding of issues and techniques of preservation of physical and digital objects
SLO 4: Evaluate and use the latest information technologies, research findings and methods.
4a) Evaluate systems and technologies in terms of quality, functionality, cost-effectiveness and adherence to professional standards
4b) Integrate emerging technologies into professional practice
4c) Apply current research findings to professional practice
SLO 5: Engage in projects and assignments dealing with multicultural communities and representing diverse points of view.
5a) Communicate and collaborate with diverse colleagues, information seekers and community stakeholders
5b) Demonstrate understanding of the social, cultural, political, and economic context of information services and systems
5c) Apply LIS principles to meet the needs of Native Hawaiian and Asia-Pacific communities and to promote cultural sustainability
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.
Evidences were collected from assignments and exercises which served to demonstrate the level of skills expected from the students for one or more of the 5 SLOs and the related evidence indicators.
8) State how many persons submitted evidence that was evaluated. If applicable, please include the sampling technique used.
Evidence indicators - identified by the instructor as the expected skill set to be acquired by the students - were determined for the total population of each classes from all the required assignments and exercises. The scores of these evidence indicators were then aggregated by a senior LIS faculty member at the course, SLO and SLO skill-set levels. See attachment SLO course profiles of Spring 2012 summary (If it cannot be attached to this survey, the summary will be e-mailed to the U Assessment Offcie.
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: Senior LIS faculty member 10) 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.
SLO 1 Exceed: 70% Meet:26% Approach: 4% Not Meet: 0%
Understand, apply and articulate the history, philosophy, principles and ethics of library and information science and the related professions
SLO 2 Exceed:66% Meet:24% Approach:8% Not Meet: 1%
Develop, administrate, assess, and advocate for information services by exercising principled communication, teamwork and leadership skills.
SLO3 Exceed: 67% Meet: 25% Approach: 5% Not Meet: 4%
Organize, create, archive, preserve, retrieve, manage, evaluate, and disseminate information resources in a variety of formats
SLO4 Exceed: 60% Meet: 35% Approach: 4% Not meet: 1%
Evaluate and use the latest information technologies, research findings and meth
SLO5 Exceed: 69% Meet:24% Approach: 6% Not Meet: 1%
Engage in projects and assignments dealing with multicultural communities and representing diverse points of view
Average for all the 5 SLOs
Exceed: 67% Meet: 27% Approach: 5% Not meet:1.2%
12) State how the program used the results or plans to use the results. Please be specific.
The assessment have led the faculty to consider the following essential questions: A) Does the Program’s current set of core courses appropriately meet the need of our students? B) Does the ICT slate of elective courses reflect the rapidly changing technological landscape? C) Does the current oral comprehensive examination accurately measure the range of SLOs in our Program? D) What actions might we take to effect improvement?
Although the findings were very encouraging, as across the board, 94% of the students demonstrated to have exceeded (67%) or met (27%) the expected skills defined for the specific SLO, we resumed to have discussion about the questions above in a series of faculty meeting, and curriculum meetings.
These involved student representatives at the former, and student members at the latter. We had presentations and discussion at these meetings about making changes in the syllabi and/or methodology of the 5 required courses to further increase the level of achievement by the students.
Importantly, we agreed to have one more additional course a required one: LIS 663 (Basic Database Searching). This is meant to ensure that MLS holding librarians will perform much better in discovering, evaluating and using the appropriate scholarly and professional tools and resources than the average Jane or Joe Searcher in a universe where almost everyone is a practicing or potential searcher.
The faculty agreed with the modifications to be implemented in LIS 605 (Basic Cataloging), to reflect the significant changes in cataloging and metadata production concepts, practices and rules.
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.
The answer to question #12 included the conclusions and the changes, and we shall continue to remain open minded to keep making changes in response to the paradigm shifts in the information world, to educate librarians and other information professionals to not only search for but also to find efficiently through adequately collected, cataloged and organized and synthesized information collections the most relevant and also the most pertinent information for the end-users matching their information needs reflecting their educational and cultural diversity
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.
The answer to question #12 included the conclusions and the changes, and we shall continue to remain open minded to keep making changes in response to the paradigm shifts in the information world, to educate librarians and other information professionals to not only search for but also to find efficiently through adequately collected, cataloged and organized and synthesized information collections the most relevant and also the most pertinent information for the end-users matching their information needs reflecting their educational and cultural diversity