Q&A About the Final Exam Portfolio for the MLS

Why

A final examination is required of all graduate students in order to earn a graduate degree at Texas Woman’s University. The final examination for the MLS degree is the Final Exam Portfolio.   

When

Q: When does a student take the Final Exam Portfolio?
A: The Final Exam Portfolio is offered for students in the semesters after they have completed 24 credit hours. That’s 24 credit hours completed, not in progress. Students may take the Final Exam Portfolio in any fall or spring semester after completing 24 hours.

Q: When will the Final Exam Portfolio be given?
A: The Final Exam Portfolio will be administered once in the fall semester and once in the spring semester. There will be no Final Exam Portfolio in the summer session.

Q: How does a student sign up to participate in the Final Exam Portfolio?
A: Within the first three weeks of the fall or spring semester, the SLIS faculty Final Examination Committee will publish a deadline date for completing an Application to take the Final Exam Portfolio. The application form will be available in the SLIS Student Resources organization in Blackboard, in the menu item called Final Exam Portfolio. The usual deadline for submitting an application will be the same as the Graduate School deadline for filing an Application for Graduation.

Q: Where does the student submit the application to take the Final Exam Portfolio?
A: Students submit the completed application to participate in the Final Exam Portfolio in the Academic Advising organization in Blackboard, in the Document Submissions area. 
	
Q: When will the Final Exam Portfolio be due?
A: The Final Examination Committee will post the Final Exam Portfolio submission dates every semester, via the Cassandra listserv and the SLIS Student Resources organization in Blackboard. 

Who

Q: Who administers the Final Exam Portfolio?
A: The Faculty Final Examination Committee administers the Final Exam Portfolio. Each Final Exam Portfolio will be read by two faculty members (three if there is not agreement).

How 

Q: How will students submit their Final Exam Portfolio?  
A: Students will submit their Final Exam Portfolio according to instructions provided in the Final Exam Portfolio organization in Blackboard. Only students who have signed up to take the Final Exam Portfolio will be enrolled in the Final Exam Portfolio organization. 

Q: How is the Final Exam Portfolio scored?
A: The Final Exam Portfolio will be scored as Pass or Fail. In the case of failure, faculty readers will write an explanation of the reasons the student did not succeed and return it with the marked readers’ grading rubric.

Q: What are the criteria for successful performance?
A: The faculty readers will use a common rubric for grading the Final Exam Portfolio. The rubric will be available in Blackboard in the Final Exam Portfolio organization and in the SLIS Student Resources organization. See “What” below for a full description of the Final Exam Portfolio. 

Q: What if a student doesn’t pass?
A: There will be only one submission for the Final Exam Portfolio; there will be no resubmission during the same semester. Students who do not pass the Final Exam Portfolio on the first attempt may take the Final Exam Portfolio again the next semester. Students who fail the Final Exam Portfolio twice will not be allowed to complete the program.  

Where

Q: Where can I get information about the Final Exam Portfolio?
A: General information about the Final Exam Portfolio will be available in the SLIS Student Resources Blackboard organization. Information about specific Final Exam Portfolio administrations will be in the Final Exam Portfolio organization in Blackboard. 

What 

Q: What is the Final Exam Portfolio?
A: The Final Exam Portfolio comprises (a) submission and discussion of work products which demonstrate mastery of professional competencies, and (b) a professional development plan.

Q: What are professional competencies?
A: In the context of the Final Exam Portfolio, professional competencies are statements of competence published by professional associations, which are relevant to the practice of librarianship. ALA and its various divisions have published statements of professional competencies as have many other professional organizations. Some states have published competency lists for public and/or school librarians. Part of the Final Exam Portfolio is a test of whether students are aware of professional competency sets relevant to their particular areas of interest.

A list of some competencies is available in the SLIS Student Resources Blackboard organization, under the Final Exam Portfolio menu item, but students who have questions about whether a particular competency set is suitable for the Final Exam Portfolio should consult their faculty advisor.  

Here is the Full Description of the Final Exam Portfolio:

Students shall submit a Final Exam Portfolio consisting of two parts: 1) an essay and set of Work Products, and 2) an essay presenting a Professional Development Plan.

Part 1: Work Products
A Work Product is a document produced as an assignment for a class in the MLS program.  
Students will submit an essay describing at least one Work Product prepared for each of three different LS classes. The Work Products will demonstrate different professional competencies. The essay will address the following questions:
•	What was the class assignment that led to creation of each Work Product? That is, what is the context for the creation of the work?
•	Why did you present each Work Product? That is, how does it exemplify your professional goals, learning, and accomplishments?
•	To what professional competencies does each Work Product relate? Students must specify specific competencies formally adopted by a professional association related to librarianship, such as ALA, an ALA division, ASIST, etc. Identify specific competencies within the sets approved by professional associations, not categories of competencies. 
•	In what ways does each Work Product demonstrate mastery of the competence identified?

Part 2: Professional Development Plan
Professional Development means acquisition of knowledge and skills necessary to practice a profession successfully. Mastering the knowledge and skills required to earn the MLS is an example of professional development. Professional Development differs from career development: getting a job is career development; professional development comprises maintaining and improving the skills necessary to perform the job.

Students will submit an essay describing a plan for professional development after completion of the MLS degree. The essay will demonstrate the following:
•	clear statement of career objectives
•	ability to state professional development goals and objectives
•	ability to assess one’s accomplishments in learning
•	understanding of knowledge and skills required for successful practice of librarianship, including critical understanding of trends and changes in the profession 
•	ability to analyze priorities for developing additional information, knowledge, and skills
•	knowledge of means and methods for continuing professional education 
•	ability to present a plan for achievement of professional development goals and objectives

Administration of Final Exam Portfolio

The Final Exam Portfolio will be administered once in the fall semester and once in the spring semester. The Final Exam Portfolio is not offered in summer semesters.
Students seeking the MLS may take the Final Exam Portfolio in a fall or spring semester after they have completed 24 semester credit hours. Students must also be enrolled in a course during the semester in which they plan to take the Final Exam Portfolio. 

Students will submit their Final Exam Portfolio through Blackboard following guidelines and on a schedule to be published by the Final Examination Committee each semester.

Students may not submit their Final Exam Portfolios as websites. If your Work Product shows some competency other than website design/creation and is at a URL, submit a Word file with the title of the work product, a working URL, plus one screenshot of the homepage.

No more than one group work product may be submitted.

The Final Exam Portfolio will be graded as Pass/Fail. Two faculty members will grade each Final Exam Portfolio; the Final Examination Committee will review the Final Exam Portfolio in the event that two readers disagree on the grade. Graders will use a rubric provided by the Final Examination Committee. 

Students who do not pass the Final Exam Portfolio may attempt the Final Exam Portfolio again in a succeeding semester.