NCSSS Undergraduate Program Outcome Assessments

The goals of the National Catholic School of Social Service undergraduate program are the following:

1. The integration of a broad liberal arts perspective with social work knowledge, values and skills, preparing beginning level social workers for generalist practice in a variety of settings with diverse client populations.
2. The development of culturally competent social work practitioners who are steeped in the values and ethics of the social work profession and the Catholic intellectual tradition, who recognize the dynamics and impact of oppression and discrimination on all populations.
3. The preparation of social work practitioners who are committed to the development of new knowledge through avenues of renewal between the school and social work community.
4. A deep commitment to social justice and a commitment to promoting the well being of individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities in the context of the Catholic tradition.

The objectives of the National Catholic School of Social Service undergraduate program are the following:

1. Acquire critical thinking skills necessary for social work practice.
2. Apply knowledge of social work ethics and social justice values to social work practice.
3. Continue to engage in professional development through the use of supervision and continuing education.
4. Assess the dynamics of oppression and diversity in order to work and communicate effectively with individuals, families, organizations, and communities, and effect change, especially with vulnerable and at-risk populations.
5. Contribute to the ongoing analysis and improvement of social work policies and programs affecting individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities based on an understanding of social work history.
6. Apply a comprehensive and organized sequential education to the development of a culturally sensitive generalist practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
7. Apply knowledge of biopsychosocial development to an understanding of individuals and their interactions with families, groups, organizations, and communities.
8. Analyze and contribute to the ongoing improvement of social welfare policies and services in the Metropolitan D.C. area.
9. Demonstrate ability to evaluate research necessary for the continuing improvement of one’s knowledge and practice skills.
10. Demonstrate an ability to use a planful approach to the helping process including relationship building, assessment, and intervention with various client systems.
11. Understand the relationship of professional practice to the client’s faith, spirituality, and religion.
12. Engage in social work roles that promote, restore, maintain individual and collective self-worth within a social and economic justice framework during times of organizational change.

The National Catholic School of Social Service undergraduate program uses a variety of measures to assess the above outcomes.  Formal and informal measures are utilized, as well as measures that are both quantitative and qualitative.  Faculty utilize the following measures: graded course assignments, exams, and participatory class exercises.  All social work majors must fulfill the Senior Assessment requirement.  Students complete a senior comprehensive assessment in the fall semester, which takes the form of a senior comprehensive paper completed in SSS 490, Coordinating Seminar, and they take the ACAT in the spring semester as part of SSS 466.  The senior assessment serves to evaluate student learning and preparation at a number of levels.  The Coordinating Seminar course gives the seniors the opportunity to demonstrate the integration of learning across the curriculum, research skills, and writing abilities. The ACAT exam is an objective exam specific to social work, and assesses learning in the following areas: policy and services, social work practice, human behavior in the social environment, and research methods.  Through administration of the ACAT,  the students are assessed on an individual basis and as a whole, allowing for individual determinations of achievement as well as providing information on the performance of the seniors as a group in relation to the current comparison. In addition, faculty participation on the BA Program committee allows for qualitative assessment of goal achievement. 

Field instructors also contribute to the evaluation of outcomes as they play an integral role in social work education.  Field instructors utilize the following measures: field evaluation forms and field instructor’s evaluation of the Field Liaison and Office of Field Effectiveness. 

Students also have opportunities to participate in the evaluation of outcomes, including course and instructor evaluations, student evaluation of practicum experience, and ongoing surveys of the field experience.  The undergraduate social work program is currently using technology to facilitate regular, ongoing surveys of undergraduates in field regarding their experiences in field that week.  Students participate in qualitative evaluation of the outcomes through their participation on the BA Program Committee and other faculty committees and their administration of the Bachelor of Arts Student Services Organization.

Lynn Milgram Mayer

October 2004