San Jose State University (California) School of Library and Information Science
http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/slis/competencies.htm
Each graduate of the Master of Library and Information Science program is able to...
- articulate the ethics, values and foundational principles of library and information professionals and their role in the promotion of intellectual freedom;
- compare the environments and organizational settings in which library and information professionals practice;
- recognize the social, cultural and economic dimensions of information use;
- apply the fundamental principles of planning, management and marketing/advocacy;
- design, query and evaluate information retrieval systems;
- use the basic concepts and principles related to the creation, evaluation, selection, acquisition, preservation and organization of specific items or collections of information;
- understand the system of standards and methods used to control and create information structures and apply basic principles involved in the organization and representation of knowledge;
- demonstrate proficiency in the use of current information and communication technologies, and other related technologies, as they affect the resources and uses of libraries and other types of information providing entities;
- use service concepts, principles and techniques that facilitate information access, relevance, and accuracy for individuals or groups of users;
- describe the fundamental concepts of information-seeking behaviors;
- design training programs based on appropriate learning principles and theories;
- understand the nature of research, research methods and research findings; retrieve, evaluate and synthesize scholarly and professional literature for informed decision-making by specific client groups;
- demonstrate oral and written communication skills necessary for group work, collaborations and professional level presentations;
- evaluate programs and services on specified criteria; and
- contribute to the cultural, economic, educational and social well-being of our communities.
Question: How do they test for them?
2 comments:
You asked how they test for competencies. I'm not sure how other schools do it, but at SJSU students have a choice between writing a thesis or developing an e-portfolio. Few people go the thesis route. Most choose the e-portfolio which requires students to assemble previous course work and/or new research papers that prove they've mastered each competency. Faculty advisors determine if and when the individual competencies are passed, and students have a set amount of time to do so.
Many thanks....I did a thesis at the University of Illinois in 1982--it was only the 2nd Master's thesis in the 100 years of the Library School. (There was no portfolio option.) I found that the thesis required integrating what I learned from nearly all of my courses. I think this is important--the real world does not divide into neat subject divisions.
I'm glad that at least SJSU is testing for WHAT STUDENTS LEARNED, NOT WHAT THEY STUDIED.
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