I. Process used in developing the plan:

This School of Social Work Outcome Assessment Plan builds upon the existing outcome assessment process that is ongoing, and an expectation of our accreditation under guidelines set forth by the Council of Social Work Education. The plan has been examined by diverse groups of constituents including the School’s faculty, students, alumni, and its specialization advisory groups. These groups made suggestions for revision of program outcomes and assessment methods, and proposed ways in which the School could use outcome results to improve academic programs. These suggestions were then considered and approved by the faculty.

II. Desired learning outcomes.

The School has two degree programs; the Masters in Social Work (MSW) and the doctorate in social work (Ph.D.). Outcomes for each of these programs are included in this section.

A. The MSW program.

The MSW program allows students to choose one of four areas of specialization: child welfare, mental health, health, or school social work. Students will obtain advanced knowledge and skills in that field of specialization, and in related areas of human behavior and the social environment; social policies, programs and services; practice theories and approaches; and research. In addition, all students will:

1. Demonstrate knowledge and skills in assessment, intervention and evaluation of services to individual, families, groups or communities.
2. Demonstrate the ability to work with diverse populations (i.e., racial, gender, social class, ethnic, age groups), and knowledge of the impact of racism, poverty, and sexism upon individuals, families, groups and communities.
3. Demonstrate skills in evaluating practice in their own area of specialization, using a scholarly approach to practice, and applying research findings to practice.
4. Demonstrate knowledge of human behavior in the social environment, as it relates to the mission of social work with individuals, groups, families, organizations, and communities.
5. Adhere to social work values and ethics as contained in the NASW Code of Ethics.
6. Demonstrate an understanding of how social and political dynamics, and how to influence and change these policies, programs affect social service policies, programs, and agencies, and agencies.

a. Health care outcome objectives

Upon completion of the health care specialization, students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate knowledge of how the current health care system is organized, financed, and regulated.
2. Describe how health care delivery affects access to and outcomes for all populations with special attention to persons distinguished by gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, social class, economic resources, disease type and age.
3. Integrate theory with practice to identify from an ecological perspective the physical, psychological, social, and financial issues associated with disabilities and specific disease processes and how it impacts the client and his/her family.
4. Recognize how cultural beliefs and values affect the understanding of the disease concept, the utilization of health care services and the relationship of the client to the health care provider.
5. Display an understanding of the social work role in the health care setting and the skills needed to adequately fulfill that role.
6. Exhibit an understanding of the moral, ethical, and legal issues that can affect practice in a health care setting.

b. Child welfare outcome objectives

Upon completion of the child welfare specialization, students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate knowledge of federal and state legislation, administrative regulations and court decisions related to child welfare practice.
2. Undertake advanced practice in the child welfare system based on knowledge and skills of interventions at the individual, group, family, organization, and community levels.
3. Demonstrate competence in critical analysis and evaluation of the organization, policies and interventions of current child welfare practice.
4. Display understanding of how major social problems such as poverty affect child welfare interventions and services.
5. Exhibit the ability to identify evidence-based knowledge about the effectiveness of child welfare services and to recognize gaps in knowledge about the effectiveness of these services.
6. Demonstrate skill in the development of service plans based on the principles of risk assessment, reasonable efforts, family preservation, family reunification and permanency planning.
7. Demonstrate knowledge of, and competence in, the components of effective child and family assessment and case management.

c. School social work outcome objectives

Upon completion of the school social work specialization, students will be able to:

1. Describe and analyze the social organization and political environment of the schools and how these impact upon the delivery of school social work services and the major factors and condition in schools and communities which affect their relations.
2. Demonstrate an understanding of major federal and state legislation and court decisions which impact the children and families served by school social workers and school social work practice, including discriminatory practices towards certain groups of students (i.e., labeling, tracking, suspension, corporal punishment, etc.)
3. Demonstrate a knowledge of the social, emotional, and educational needs of at risk students (and their families), including, but not limited to, abused and neglected children, minority students, culturally and linguistically different children, and children with disabilities (e.g., gifted, mentally or physically impaired, developmentally delayed, behavior or learning disable, emotionally disturbed, etc.)
4. Demonstrate a wide repertCTEe of intervention and prevention strategies for change at the individual, group, organizational, and community levels and skills in determining and applying the most appropriate methods and techniques of social work intervention to enhance learning opportunities for all students, including at-risk students
5. Demonstrate skills in completed Social Developmental Studies, including collecting and interpreting appropriate information to document aspects of adaptive behavior, and the biological, psychological, cultural, sociological, emotional, and environmental factors that affect the learning process of students, and discuss its utility in terms of the overall process of students, and discuss its utility in terms of the overall process of student evaluations (i.e., the Comprehensive Case Study Evaluation).
6. Demonstrate skills in maintaining effective liaison between students’ homes and school, collaborating with community agencies to solve specific problems or to identify and develop specific resources for students and families, influencing community policy and decision-making processes which affect students and families.
7. Demonstrate skills in maintaining one’s professional identify in a host setting, including protection of confidentiality, demonstrating accountability, and developing and furthering professional competence.

d. Mental health outcome objectives

Upon completion of the mental health specialization, students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate knowledge of past and current mental health legislation, court rulings, and policies, and be able to examine how they affect people of color, women, children, persons with serious and persistent mental illness, and other oppressed populations.
2. Demonstrate an ability to analyze public policies and their impact on mentally ill clients and their families.
3. Demonstrate knowledge for assessing and diagnosing mental disorders using psychosocial, cognitive, behavioral and ecological information as part of a comprehensive biopsychosocial assessment.
4. Demonstrate knowledge of biological, ecological and social learning theories and the supporting research used for understanding neurobiological and psychosocial disorders, with and emphasis on the most severe and persistent disorders.
5. Demonstrate an ability to develop differential treatment plans for individuals with serious ling term or temporary mental problems and their families.
6. Demonstrate knowledge of how to provide appropriate education, case management, advocacy, and social-cognitive treatments for mentally ill clients and their families.
7. Demonstrate knowledge of how clients with mental disorders and their families receive public assistance, health care, mental health care, and other community services.

B. The Ph.D. program.

The doctoral program is an interdisciplinary research program that seeks to produce social work scholars. The following are the outcomes for the doctoral program.

1. Students passing qualifying examinations.
2. Students completing the degree in a timely fashion.
3. Students presenting at national peer reviewed conferences.
4. Students publishing in referred journals.
5. Graduates in appropriate positions. For most graduates an appropriate position is a faculty appointment in a peer institutions. For international graduates an appropriate position is a faculty appointment in one of the best universities in the home country. For graduates not seeking faculty positions an appropriate position would be a research or policy position in a leading research organization or a high level policy position or research position in a large social service organization.
6. Graduates publishing in referred journals.

III. Evaluation measures and methods.

A. The MSW program.

1. Examination of student products.

The MSW curriculum includes the curriculum themes of practice, policy, human behavior and the social environment, and research. Within each of these themes there are selected courses that are either required or are elected by almost all students. For example, in the research area SW 491 is required of all students. In human behavior and the social environment students can select from two courses but nearly all enroll in SW 452.

Each semester faculty in each specialization will select a core course in their area from the previous semester and ask the instructors to provide two student products (papers or tests). The instructors will select one that they judge to be excellent and one they judge to be average. The specialization committee will examine these papers as to the degree to which they reflect student performance that is consistent with specialization outcomes and use this information to reinforce the current curriculum or make suggestions for change in the curriculum. The MSW committee will also select one course a semester and follow the same procedure.

2. Evaluation of student performance by field instructors.

Students complete the MSW program by applying classroom knowledge in an agency. Field instructors currently evaluate student performance. This process will continue with the results summarized and provide to the specialization committees and the MSW Committee.

3. A survey of graduates conducted by the School of Social Work that includes assessment of general MSW outcomes, outcomes of each specialization and graduates perceptions of use of skills.

The School periodically conducts surveys of graduates to obtain their feedback on achievement of educational outcomes and employment. These surveys will be combined and every two years all new graduates will be surveyed.

4. The survey of alumni conducted by the University.

B. The Ph.D. program.

1. Percent of students taking qualifying examinations with a score of 2.5 (passing) or better and the percent with a score of 3.0 or better.
2. Percent of students in each entering cohort completing the degree within 5 years.
3. Percent of students in each entering cohort presenting papers at national peer reviewed conferences.
4. Percent of Ph.D. students with publications in referred journals.
5. Percent of graduates (last 10 years) with publications in referred journals.
6. Percent of graduates in appropriate positions.
7. Responses to University alumni survey.

IV. Process for using the results:

1. Results are given to the School’s curriculum committees, specialization advisory groups, alumni, and students to examine and identify improvements in curriculum and assessment processes.
2. These groups make curriculum and assessment system improvement recommendations to the faculty.
3. Faculty review the recommendations and take action. Results of faculty actions are implemented and the improvement process continues.

V. Timetable for implementation:

MSW Outcomes Timeline

Student products

MSW Committee and Specializations Spring 99 Fall 99 Spring 00 Fall 00 Spring 01 select courses from which two students products are to be selected and notify instructors.

MSW and Specialization Committees Fall 99 Spring 00 Fall 00 Spring 01 Fall 01 examine products in comparison to relevant course objectives and make recommendations. Evaluation of student performance by field instructors.

MSW Committee reviews current field Fall 99 instruction evaluation instrument and makes revisions as needed. Revised field instruction evaluation Fall 00 Fall 01 Fall 02 Fall 03 instrument is implemented with results summarized and given to the MSW Committee. Committee reviews results and makes recommendations.

Survey of graduates

MSW Committee reviews current surveys Fall 99 and makes revisions as needed. Revised survey is implemented. Spring 00 Spring 02 Spring 04 with results. Survey results are summarized and Fall 00 Fall 02 Fall 04 reviewed by the MSW Committee.

University Alumni Survey

Survey results are reviewed by Spring 00 Spring 01 Spring 02 the MSW Committee Ph.D. Outcomes. Percent of students taking qualifying examinations with a score of 2.5 (passing) or better and the percent with a score of 3.0 or better.

Compiled and reviewed by the Ph.D. Spring 00 Spring 01 Spring 02 Committee. Percent of students in each entering cohort completing the degree within 5 years.

Compiled and reviewed by the Ph.D. Spring 00 Spring 01 Spring 02 Committee. Percent of students in each entering cohort presenting papers at national peer reviewed conferences.

Compiled and reviewed by the Ph.D. Spring 00 Spring 01 Spring 02 Committee. Percent of Ph.D. students in three previous cohorts with publications in referred journals.

Compiled and reviewed by the Ph.D. Spring 00 Spring 02 Spring 04 Committee. Percent of graduates (last 10 years) with publications in referred journals.

Compiled and reviewed by the Ph.D. Spring 00 Spring 03 Spring 06 Committee. Percent of graduates in appropriate positions.

Compiled and reviewed by the Ph.D. Spring 00 Spring 03 Spring 06 Committee. Responses to University alumni survey.

Survey results are reviewed by Spring 00 Spring 01 Spring 02 the Ph.D Committee.