Program: Asian Studies (BA)
Degree: Bachelor's
Date: Thu Oct 11, 2012 - 2:41:58 pm
1) Below are your program's student learning outcomes (SLOs). Please update as needed.
Student Learning Outcomes
A. We expect the student to:
1. possess basic skills in at least 1 Asian language by demonstrating “intermediate” level proficiency in reading, writing, and speaking
2. demonstrate a basic understanding of the economics, politics, literatures, religions, arts, and histories of those regions of Asia that are the student’s foci. This includes the following:
a) the major socio-economic, conceptual, and historical themes in Asian studies and articulate what "Asian Studies" as an academic field means
b) the ways in which exogenous forces (art, literature, ideas) have interacted with indigenous Asian contexts in shaping the character and course of societies in Asia today
3. possess a basic understanding of at least two Asian countries
4. be open to and articulate “the view from Asia” by understanding critical differences between Asia and “the West” as well as amongst Asian societies
5. have basic research and analytical skills commensurate with class level and to present and communicate in a classroom setting those skills
7. possess a spirit of healthy skepticism and desire for inquiry particularly with regard to conventions about Asia
8. experience a genuine liberal arts education
2) Your program's SLOs are published as follows. Please update as needed.
Department Website URL: currently updating our website to be more user friendly and placing SLO's in a more logical place within the site
Student Handbook. URL, if available online: Information Sheet, Flyer, or Brochure URL, if available online: http://manoa.hawaii.edu/asianstudies/undergrad.html, http://manoa.hawaii.edu/asianstudies/ugrad_require.html UHM Catalog. Page Number: Page 312-313 Course Syllabi. URL, if available online: Other: 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.
We continue to conduct exit interviews with both our BA and MA candidates to help us reassess our curriculum requirements, course relevance and examine other shortfalls that may delay students in completing their academic goals.
During the current assessment period, the program made a concerted effort to enforce enrollment in ASAN 201/202 as a pre-requisite for Asian Studies majors before going on to the upper division course offerings. Mandatory advising for new as well as students transferring into the major aided in monitoring of course requirements.
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.
Student evaluations of both class and instructor are conducted in every ASAN class. Student feedback helps formulate future course offerings and eliminate courses that are not effective in meeting student expectations or departmental goals. Mandatory advising that extends beyond incoming freshmen helps to gauge student interests in terms of area study and discipline. Student evaluations combined with advising allows the department to be flexible in course offerings through our ASAN 491 series of topics based classes.
Professors offering ASAN 300/400 level courses noted that enforcement of the ASAN 201/202 pre-requisite has resulted in students performing at a higher level of understanding and eliminated the need for professors to back track. Student feedback in entry level courses i.e. ASAN 201/202 and the required ASAN 310 or 312 aided the program in reassessing the cohesiveness of our required course progression.
8) State how many persons submitted evidence that was evaluated. If applicable, please include the sampling technique used.
As previously mentioned, each ASAN class is surveyed as to the relevance of the class as well as instructor effectiveness. In addition, a written exit interview is administered to students finishing both the BA and Ma programs at the time of their final graduation check. Each semester there are between 12-16 undergraduates completing their BA. Students are asked to assess the overall program, pros/cons, course effectiveness, course instructors as well as their future plans.
Incoming undergraduates both freshmen and transfer students participate in mandatory advising. Students are asked to articulate program expectations. This Fall, Asian Studies had 24 incoming freshman and transfer students. Fifteen participated in mandatory advising either through the NSO program or after receiving emails directly from the advising office.
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: 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.
A review of students completing their BA program revealed that many exceeded the 4 semester requirement for an Asian language. A majority if the students participated either in an International Exchange or Study Abroad program in the country of the area focus.
Several students graduate with either a concurrent degree or a minor.
Asian Studies as a program has a disproportionate number of Phi Beta Kappa nominees. Our general student body runs between 100-120 students in any given semester. The diversity of their study program as well as the programs high requirement for upper division credits often qualify our students for consideration as PBK nominees.
Exit interviews show that our students are attracted to the program because they have the ability to build their own course of study within given parameters and within multiple disciplines. Students did not consider the 60 upper division credit requirement burdensome with several stating that the requirement pushed them to work at a higher level.
12) State how the program used the results or plans to use the results. Please be specific.
Data collected is used to create new courses or eliminate courses that do not meet either program or student expectations. The data is also used to enhance the programs flexibility in offering courses that are topics driven.
Courses that are deemed necessary through survey data are often provided by utilizing visiting faculty supported by endowed Chairs or external funding such as the U.S. Department of Education and other grants when possible.
Exit interviews and student advising sessions enable us to identify short falls in course offerings. As a result, we were able to identify short falls in our Korea course offerings as well as in South Asia. Hiring new professors in slots vacated through retirement has enabled us to bolster our Korea component as well as South Asia. It has also encouraged us to work collaboratively with our area centers in developing new courses.
Student comments have also encouraged professors in the department to offer more focus courses i.e. HAPS, E, O and WI within the Asian Studies course offerings.
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.
none
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.
We continue to assess the relevance of our course offerings and re-examine course progression and cohesiveness. The program has a futures committee the assesses the program in terms of course offerings and whether our program addresses the needs of our students in a rapidly changing society.