Unit: Social Work
Program: Social Work (BSW)
Degree: Bachelor's
Date: Tue Oct 08, 2013 - 12:13:29 pm

1) Below are your program's student learning outcomes (SLOs). Please update as needed.

Since our last report, we have transitioned to new SLOs for each course in the curriculum that align with and are informed by the ten (10) core competencies as outlined by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) in the Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS 2008).  Currently, all the SLOs and corresponding Core Competencies are explicitly stated in master syllabi, as well as syllabi for all courses.  This provides a strong internal cohesiveness to the curriculum and is consistent with guidelines from the CSWE and in accord with EPAS.  All courses must be horizontally and vertically sequenced so that courses build upon each other across semesters and mutually inform each other within a given semester.  

Beginning this Academic Year (2013) the Seven Abilities have been replaced by the Ten (10) Core Competencies as outlined in CSWE EPAS.  These competencies are:

  1. Identify as a professional social worker and conduct oneself accordingly.
  2. Apply social work ethical principles to guide professional practice.
  3. Apply critical thinking to inform & communicate professional judgments.
  4. Engage diversity and difference in practice.
  5. Advance human rights and social and economic justice.
  6. Engage in research-informed practice and practice-informed research.
  7. Apply knowledge of human behavior and the social environment.
  8. Engage in policy practice to advance social and economic well-being and to deliver effective social work services.
  9. Respond to contexts that shape practice.
  10. Engage, assess, intervene, and evaluate with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.

2) Your program's SLOs are published as follows. Please update as needed.

Department Website URL: http://www.hawaii.edu/sswork/bsw-assessment.html
Student Handbook. URL, if available online:
Information Sheet, Flyer, or Brochure URL, if available online: http://www.hawaii.edu/sswork/bulletin.html
UHM Catalog. Page Number:
Course Syllabi. URL, if available online:
Other: New Student Orientation Materials
Other:

3) Select one option:

Curriculum Map File(s) from 2013:

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, 2012 and September 30, 2013? (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, 2012 to September 30, 2013: State the assessment question(s) and/or assessment goals. Include the SLOs that were targeted, if applicable.

The assessment goals for the last academic year were fourfold.  First was to finalize the SLOs for each of the courses in the BSW curriculum and correlate those SLOs to the Core Competencies and Practice Behaviors as outlined by CSWE EPAS.  Toward that end, each syllabus was reworked to assure both horizontal and vertical sequencing such that each of the Core Competencies and all of the 41 practice behaviors were covered in at least two places within the curriculum.  Second, create an 11th Core Competency that responds to our indigenization process and our school as a Hawaiian Place of Learning as outlined in our strategic plan.  Third, create and implement a review process to assess knowledge, values, and skills acquisition on the part of our students.  And fourth, finalize our curriculum map.  All four goals were completed as stated, though the 11th Core Competency and its requisite practice behaviors have yet to be implemented or reflected in the curriculum for formal review and assessment.  This should be completed this year and ready for implementation beginning fall 2014.  Evaluation summaries for the BSW Program can be found at http://www.hawaii.edu/sswork/bsw-assessment.html.

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.

a) Student Self-Assessment

b) Instructor Evaluation

c) Syllabi

8) State how many persons submitted evidence that was evaluated. If applicable, please include the sampling technique used.

A total of 65 students (Junior 36 + Senior 29) participated in a post program self-assessment process and 6 faculty participated in an independent student evaluation to gauge student acquisition of 10 Core Competencies and 41 practice behaviors as outlined by CSWE EPAS.

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: BSW Program Chair, Assessment Committee Chair, & Sequence Chairs

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.

1. To revise the SLOs for each class so that each reflects the most recent 2008 EPAS core competencies.

The MBTSSW BSW program committee, in response to faculty and sequence chair recommendations revised the SLOs to reflect the accreditation standards (i.e., 2008 EPAS 10 core competencies by CSWE).  Each Core Competency and corresponding practice behaviors were added to all master syllabi for every course in the curriculum.

2. To infuse identified strategic priorities of the current school strategic planning process into any and all relevant classes.

An 11th Core Competency and requisite practice behaviors were created by the School’s Indigenous Affairs committee and Hawaiian Place of Learning Implementation group and are awaiting approval by full faculty.  This Core Competency reflects our strategic plan that prioritizes our School’s mission and position as a Hawaiian Place of Learning.  The Core Competency will be ready for curricular implementation in the fall for AY 2014-2015.

3. To create and implement a review process by which to assess each of the newly revised SLOs by the end of the 2013 academic year.  (There are currently 10 EPAS standards that must be met.  One possible strategy is to select 2 or 3 standards for in-depth review each academic year). 

The BSW Program Committee, with the ongoing support of the School Assessment Committee, evaluated Core Competency and practice behavior acquisition through student self assessment and faculty evaluation.  Results can be found at http://www.hawaii.edu/sswork/Assessment_Learningoutcomes_BSW_AY2012-2013.pdf.  Student self-assessment and faculty evaluation revealed that more than 75% of students demonstrated competency in each of the 10 core competencies at a level of 4 or higher on a five-point scale (4 indicates “ability of student to apply Social Work knowledge, values, & skills in practice – competency at BSW level”) thus meeting or exceeding program goals.

4. To create a curricular map reflecting the horizontal and vertical sequencing/integration of the BSW curriculum.

A curriculum map was created in AY 2012-2013.  That same map was refined and revised for AY 2013-2014.

12) State how the program used the results or plans to use the results. Please be specific.

As results have only recently come in, the program plans to use said results as a form of continual quality improvement.  Immediate areas for improvement include a better understanding social policy and its affect of social service delivery, hardship alleviation and the promotion of well-being.  In addition, the program is looking to increase the connection for students between research methodology, social work practice, and social welfare delivery.

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.

Not noted as of yet.

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.

N/A