Strategic Plan Progress Report April 2021
Committee Name: Assessment & Outcomes Committee
Committee Members: Tally Moses, Audrey Conn, Ellen Smith, Russ Portier & Rachel Reynders
Strategic Plan Goal 2: Improve a sense of inclusion for students, faculty, and staff.
Objective 1: Continue to refine the implicit curriculum measures–See Below
Objective #2: Better dissemination of implicit data for faculty and staff to use in making decisions moving forward.–No progress yet
Objective #3: Solicit and prioritize data requests from committees in support of their DE&I efforts.– No progress yet
Progress on goal since February 2021
With respect to Objective #1: As we revised implicit curriculum (IC) items in the CAPE, we considered the following (related to DEI):
- Soliciting information about this year’s CSWE expansion of the option field in place of employment so that the student data can be used to advocate for continued access to this option–which works in favor of students who must work substantially during their BSW/MSW programs. We added an item to identify those who took advantage of this option in 2021 and will use it to assess differences in field experiences overall, and program satisfaction:
- “Did you complete your field placement in your place of employment during this academic year?”
- Measuring the following student DE&I experiences:
- Students’ experiences of self-representation in the School (in addition to experiences of inclusion and respect). We took and built on a suggestion made by Amanda Ngola and added 2 items:
- “ I see myself, my family, and my community represented in the classroom curriculum.”
- I see myself, my family, and my community represented among the students, staff, and faculty in the School.
- Exposure to ‘sufficient’ content on DE&I in courses:
- “My courses contain sufficient content on issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion.”
- Understanding of systemic oppression in the program as well as gained explicit skills to address systemic racism and injustice:
- “While in the program, I have developed more awareness and understanding of systemic oppression (e.g., using abolitionist ideas or critical race theory), such that I am better prepared to notice oppression and understand it.”
- “The social work program has helped me to develop skills to address systemic racism and injustice (e.g., advocacy and community organizing).”
- Refining measures of student characteristics:
Gender identity:
Which of the following best describes your current gender identity? (select as many as apply)
___ Cisgender female/woman
___ Cisgender male/man
___ Genderqueer, gender non-binary, or gender fluid
___ Transgender male/man
___ Transgender female/woman
___ A gender not listed here; please specify ___________________________
___Prefer not to answer
Sexual identity:
Which of the following best describes your current sexual orientation? (select as many as apply)
___Asexual
___Bisexual
___Gay or Lesbian
___Straight or Heterosexual
___Pansexual
___Queer
___Questioning
___Not sure
___ A sexual orientation not listed here; please specify ___________________________
___Prefer not to answer
Race/ethnicity:
Separated ‘Black’ from African American’.
Economic hardship:
We added a new item asking “how hard has it been for you to pay for the very basics like food, housing, utilities, and transportation?” We are not sure how we will use it yet, but it seems important to gauge students’ economic challenges throughout the year.
Debt load: refined debt questions to cover overall student debt, debt from BSW or MSW program, federal/public loans vs. private loans.