Program Assessment Report
Assessment Reporting
Spring 2009 – Spring 2010
As you now know an interim report on the assessment of student learning is due to WASC in fall
of 2010. We have been asked to demonstrate that we are using assessment data to improve
student learning (i.e., “closing the assessment loop”) and that the assessment process is
sustainable. To that end, we are asking programs to report on their most complete student
learning outcome (SLO) during this reporting cycle. Please identify your selected SLO in the box
below and provide the requested information.
Program Information
Degree Program(s): BASW and MSW
Department Chair: Alice Hines
Department: Social Work
Phone: 408-924-5800
Report Prepared by: Peter Allen Lee
Phone: 408-924-5850
Student Learning Outcome (SLO)
The School of Social Work completed its professional re-accreditation review in Spring 2008 and also
concluded the planned assessment review cycle. Our Assessment Committee met in Fall 2008 and
Spring 2009 to discuss and strategize the next 5-year assessment review cycle. During that time, our
professional accrediting organization, the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), released its new
Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS). In planning our required university assessment
to coincide with our next professional accreditation review, we are focusing on CSWE’s priority that
“supports academic excellence by establishing thresholds for professional competence.” Specifically,
CSWE defines competencies as measurable practice behaviors that are comprised of knowledge,
values, and skills. The goal of the outcome approach is to demonstrate the integration and application of
the competencies in practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
Since the updated EPAS were just released, our School must have the opportunity to study and plan
detailed SLOs, goals, and objectives which fit the new standards. However, to meet the university’s and
our School’s timeline, instead of attempting to revise our evaluative criteria to fit the new accreditation
standards, our Bachelors of Arts in Social Work (BASW) and Masters of Social Work (MSW) programs
decided to measure an SLO which is relevant to our current and future assessment and accreditation
needs.
Thus, our selected SLO for both the BASW and MSW Programs is the demonstration of practice
behaviors that are comprised of knowledge, values, and skills through the direct measure of students’
overall performance in the field internship.
Evidence for Need:
What evidence was used to identify this SLO as a candidate for improvement (e.g., describe the
prior assessment activities and data that led to this decision)?
In many ways, field education is the heart of our social work curriculum because it is the component
where students integrate, demonstrate, and refine their professional practice skills. Prior assessment
data indicated that students were performing well in internship, but feedback from students via course
evaluations and town hall meetings revealed that there were many areas in our field education that
needed improvement. (See table below.)
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Program Assessment Report
Changes to Curriculum or Pedagogy:
What actions were taken to improve student learning related to this outcome (e.g., program
changes, changes in pedagogy, process changes, resources requests, etc)?
(f09 or earlier)
The School has made a series of actions in the last 1 to 2 years to improve field education, including the
hiring of a permanent full-time Field Director, restructuring the selection and training procedures of the
field education faculty who supervise the students, and instituting regular student field seminars.
Evidence for Impact:
What is the evidence that the actions taken above impacted student learning for this outcome?
(f09 or earlier)
As a starting point in examining the new EPAS and to assess an important area relevant to our School
and the university, we wanted to evaluate the overall performance of our BASW and MSW students in the
field. In Fall 2008 and Spring 2009, we collected data from the field instructors who evaluate student
performance in their internships. We randomly sampled 25 BASW students, 29 foundation-year MSW
students, and 23 advanced-year MSW students. We used an outcome benchmark of a mean of 4.0 out
of 5.0 or 80% at or over 4.0 out of 5.0. Please see the table below for our results.
Semester Period and Outcome
SLO
BASW Program:
Demonstration of practice behaviors
that are comprised of knowledge,
values, and skills - overall
performance in the field internship
MSW Program (Foundation Year):
Demonstration of practice behaviors
that are comprised of knowledge,
values, and skills - overall
performance in the field internship
MSW Program (Advanced Year):
Demonstration of practice behaviors
that are comprised of knowledge,
values, and skills - overall
performance in the field internship
(Benchmark of mean = 4.0;
80% at or over 4.0)
Fall 2008
52.0% of students rated 4.0 or
better (Mean = 3.96)
Spring 2009
84.0% of students rated 4.0 or
better (Mean = 4.35)
72.4% of students rated 4.0 or
better (Mean = 3.93)
96.6% of students rated 4.0 or
better (Mean = 4.33)
91.3% of students rated 4.0 or
better (Mean = 4.09)
91.7% of students rated 4.0 or
better (Mean = 4.62)
SLO and BASW Students. Our results show that we are below benchmark regarding BASW students in
the first semester of their one-year field education training, but above regarding their second semester.
These results indicate a continued need for improvement regarding initial filed preparation and training for
BASW students. It is encouraging in that the students are improving their competencies significantly as
they progress through the field component, as expected.
SLO and MSW Students. Our results show that we are below benchmark regarding MSW students in
the foundation year and in the first semester of their first year of field education training, but above
regarding their second semester. Similar to the BASW student findings, these results indicate a
continued need for improvement regarding initial field preparation and training for MSW students.
However, it is again encouraging that graduate students are improving their competencies significantly as
they progress through the field component. In addition, we reached benchmark for MSW students in the
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Program Assessment Report
advanced year with a trend of increased demonstration of competencies through the second year of the
field component.
Conclusion. These assessment results provide valuable information regarding the field education
component of our BASW and MSW Programs in the School of Social Work. We must be mindful of the
limitations of our method and sample size, but nonetheless will use this data to plan next steps in
developing our goals and objectives in the context of our new professional accreditation EPAS and the
university’s assessment.
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