TDG – The Refining of an Outcome-based Social Work Curriculum: Relevant and Reliable Assessment of Student Learning Outcomes

Abstract

This project is aimed to refine the outcome-based social work curriculum, particularly in the aspect of assessment. A mapping exercise on assessment tasks, assessment rubrics and grade descriptors of the courses in the curriculum is carried out. Teachers, alumni and students are engaged to review and refine the assessment tasks, rubrics and grade descriptors used in the social work curriculum. The refined rubric and grade descriptors are benchmark against other relevant programmes in reputable local and overseas university. The relevance of assessment with intended learning outcomes of a few randomly drawn courses from the curriculum is also examined. Different results were found in the courses. Out of five courses, two of them showed statistical significant positive correlations between the learning outcomes with the assessment result, implying a high relevance of assessment with learning outcomes. Yet, three of them show no correlations. In conclusion, there is a further need to review of the choice of assessments which are aligned with specific course outcomes.

Deliverables