Evaluating Curriculum Quality

An Audit of Library and Information Science Specialization Courses to the Competency-Based Standard for Filipino Librarians

Abstract

The Library and Information Science (LIS) program is vital in educating and training library professionals in the Philippines. To further illustrate the embodiment of professionalism among librarians, the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) promulgates the adoption of the National Competency-Based Standards for Filipino Librarians (NCBSFL). The Standards are used as a reference by all LIS schools in crafting and implementing curricula on librarianship. The Philippine Normal University (PNU) is one of the institutions offering a Bachelor in Library and Information Science (BLIS) program, which already follows an outcomes-based design. A curriculum audit was done to assess the alignment of the revised BLIS curriculum of PNU vis-à-vis the NCBSFL using its language. Basic and differentiated auditing, including a heat map, was utilized to identify gap/s. The audit covers only the LIS Specialization Subjects (Core and IT Courses), Elective Courses, Reading Courses, and Library Practice Courses. Content and linguistic analyses were used to facilitate the study, and a CQA form was used to document the mapping. Findings revealed that the BLIS curriculum is fully aligned with personal and professional competencies when analyzed using the language of the standard. Several gaps not addressed in the standard and partial alignments were identified.