Unit: Linguistics
Program: Linguistics (PhD)
Degree: Doctorate
Date: Fri Oct 23, 2009 - 3:54:41 pm

1) List your program's student learning outcomes (SLOs).

The primary objective of the Ph.D. program is to provide full professional training for those seeking careers in research. Our program goals are therefore to provide training in the relevant areas in the discipline and to cultivate research skills.

2) Where are your program's SLOs published?

Department Website URL: www.ling.hawaii.edu/degrees-and-requirements#phd
Student Handbook. URL, if available online: www.ling.hawaii.edu/graduate/pdfs/PhDmanual.pdf
Information Sheet, Flyer, or Brochure URL, if available online:
UHM Catalog. Page Number:
Course Syllabi. URL, if available online:
Other:
Other:

3) Upload your program's current curriculum map(s) as a PDF.

Curriculum Map File(s) from 2009:

4) What percentage of courses have the course SLOs explicitly stated on the course syllabus, department website, or other publicly available document? (Check one)

0%
1-50%
51-80%
81-99%
100%

5) State the SLO(s) that was Assessed, Targeted, or Studied

Knowledge of basic areas of the discipline and research skills

6) State the Assessment Question(s) and/or Goal(s) of Assessment Activity

How well the student has developed independent research skills.

7) State the Type(s) of Evidence Gathered

--Results of performance in courses

--Performance on two publishable working papers, including defense

--Performance on comprehensive examinations

--Performance on dissertation proposal

--Performance on dissertation

--Responses on exit survey

8) State How the Evidence was Interpreted, Evaluated, or Analyzed

      The entire faculty meets once a year to consider the accumulated evidence (see question 7) with regards to the performance of individual students currently in the program and to consider the feed back gathered from graduating students via the exit survey (again, see question 7).

9) State How Many Pieces of Evidence Were Collected

Over the course of a student's program, we gather the following types of evidence:

--performance in graduate courses (typically 6 courses a year)

--performance on two working papers and the associated defenses, evaluated by a committee of 2 faculty members.

--performance on comprehensive exams (3 areas), evaluated by a committee of 5 faculty members.

--performance on dissertation proposal, evaluated by a committee of 5 faculty members.

--performance on dissertation proposal, evaluated by a committee of 5 faculty members

--responses on exit survey, made available to the entire faculty. 

10) Summarize the Actual Results

Satisfactory.

11) Briefly Describe the Distribution and Discussion of Results

      The results are available to the entire faculty and are discussed during a half-day meeting that enjoys a very high rate of attendance and participation.

12) Describe Conclusions and Discoveries

Our deliberations often lead to program modifications. For example,       at the spring 2009 meeting, we decided to eliminate the preliminary examination requirement for the Ph.D. in favor of a second publishable paper. This was done out of concern that our students were not focused enough on the need to conduct independent research with a view to obtaining results suitable for presentation at international conferences and publication in appropriate outlets (conference proceedings, journals, etc.).
 

13) Use of Results/Program Modifications: State How the Program Used the Results --or-- Explain Planned Use of Results

      The conclusions described in the answer to question 13 were implemented.

14) Reflect on the Assessment Process

      We are pleased with the way things are going.

15) Other Important Information

16) FOR DISTANCE PROGRAMS ONLY: Explain how your program/department has adapted its assessment of student learning in the on-campus program to assess student learning in the distance education program.

17) FOR DISTANCE PROGRAMS ONLY: Summarize the actual student learning assessment results that compare the achievement of students in the on-campus program to students in the distance education program.