STUDENT LEARNING ASSESSMENT PROGRAM
SUMMARY FORM AY 2012-2013
Degree and
Program Name:
B.S. Biological Sciences
Submitted By:
Dr. Gary A. Bulla, Associate Chair, Biological Sciences
Please use size 10 font or larger.
Please complete a separate worksheet for each academic program
(major, minor) at each level (undergraduate, graduate) in your
department. Worksheets are due to CASA this year by June
14, 2013. Worksheets should be sent electronically to
kjsanders@eiu.edu and should also be submitted to your college
dean. For information about assessment or help with your
assessment plans, visit the Assessment webpage at
http://www.eiu.edu/~assess/ or contact Karla Sanders in CASA at
581-6056.
PART ONE
What are the learning
objectives?
1. Students will
demonstrate the ability
to perform basic
laboratory techniques.
2. Students will
demonstrate the ability
to conduct a research
project using scientific
principles and
methods, then interpret
their results in terms of
current theories and
issues in the biological
sciences.
How, where, and when are
What are the expectations?
they assessed?
a. Assessed during laboratory a. 80% will demonstrate
exercises and examinations, appropriate lab skills in each
by instructors in core courses which
BIO core
has acourse
with lab component
(BIO1200G, BIO1300G,
BIO3800 and BIO3120)
b. 75% of graduating seniors
will agree or strongly agree
b. Exit survey will be used
that they have the laboratory
to assess the number of
skills to be employed;
graduating seniors that agree
or strongly agree
that they have the laboratory
skills to be employed (Tallied
by Assoc Chair)
a. Rubric (see appendix 2)
used to determines students
abilities to interpret
graphs and analyze data.
Assess sophomore (BIO3120)
and Junior/Senior(BIO3800)
scores using similar rubric.
Course instructors will gather
data. Grant Committee will
collect and analyze data in
What are the results?
a. Scores from laboratory
competency final exams in
BIO core courses given in Fall
2012 and Spring 2013 indicate
that 69.0% of students
demonstrated acceptable lab
skills.
b. Exit surveys issued to
graduating seniors in 2013
showed that 84% of students
agreed that they had adequate
preparation for research.
a. Students will average 5.0/6.0 a.Students attained average
in each rubric category
of >5.0/6.0 in 5 of 8 rubric
categories
b. 50% of graduating seniors
will conduct original research b. 41 of 68 (60%) seniors
indicated that they had
conducted independent
c. 25% of graduating seniors
research on the exit survey
(excluding CLS and TC) will
present results at a research
c. 15% of graduating seniors
Committee/ person responsible?
How are results shared?
Instructors will collect data and
provide to Assoc Chair
-Faculty will be informed that
BIO did not meet expectations
for laboratory competency nor
student-rated preparedness. This
aspect will be revisited by the
Curriculum and Assessment
committees and mechanisms
sought for improvement.
a. Report Rubric prepared by
TUES Grant Committee ;
Results shared with BIO Faculty
and Assessment Committee
b-d. Exit surveys tabulated by the
Associate Chair- Communicated
to BIO Faculty and Assessment
Committee
preparation for National
Science Foundation teaching
Grant (TUES grant).
b. Number of graduating
seniors (excluding CLS and
TC) that have been
engaged in undergraduate
research projects (Tallied by
Assoc Chair)
conference.
d. Total number of 80
student semesters engaged in
undergrad research will be
met
presented results at a research
conference.
d. Total number of student
semesters engaged in
undergraduate research
was 94 for FY13
c. Number of graduating
seniors excluding CLS and
TC) presenting at research
conferences (Tallied by
Assoc Chair)
d. Number of total Bio
students engaged in undergraduate
research projects (Tallied by
Assoc Chair)
3. Students will
demonstrate an
ability to write
effectively.
EWP data will be utilized
EWP submissions will
average 3.5 or above in
critical writing samples
in BIO courses
4. Students will be able
to construct a
professional
research poster
Bio3120 ( a core BIO course) Students will average 3.0/4.0
students will produce
in each rubric category
professional posters;
A rubric (see Appendix 3)
will be used to assess poster
quality .
Not yet instituted
5. Student will enhance
global citizenship by
participation in biology
clubs with conservation
and/or volunteer efforts.
Assessed by Biology exit
Surveys administered
electronically at end of fall
and Spring semesters
by Assoc Chair
53% of graduating seniors
Data will be shared with faculty;
indicated that they participated Faculty requested to promote club
in one or more of these clubs Activity
50% of graduating seniors
will indicate that they have
participated in biology clubs
(Botany, Wildlife, Pre-med,
Pre-vet, Eathwise)
-EWP papers submitted for Bio Benchmark not met. Discuss in
core courses received average faculty meeting how to improve
ratings of 3.37/4.0 (3.36 COS lab report submissions.
Ave) ;
Data will be evaluated by TUES
Committee and presented to
faculty
6. Students will
demonstrate the
quantitative and
analytical skills to
analyze data sets
generated by biological
experiments and
surveys.
a. Bio3120 (Molec. Cell
Biology) lab grades and
rubric , exams and research
projects; capstone course
(BIO 4984), Assessed by
instrictors.
7. Students will
demonstrate the ability
to critically read and
evaluate research papers
and review articles in
the biological sciences.
Research report written for
inclusion in writing
portfolio; term paper
written for senior
capstone course (BIO 4984)
a. 80% will demonstrate
proficiency by attaining grades
of C or higher on laboratory
finals.
a. 69% of students earned
grades of C or higher on
laboratory finals in the BIO
core courses.
b. Watson-Glaser scores
exceed the COS mean.
b. Watson-Glaser were slightly
above previous years,
increasing from 26.6 to 27.9
substantially above the EIU
mean of 25.2.
-80% will demonstrate
proficiency by attaining grades
of C or higher on research
report and term paper.
.
38 of 47 (81%) of students
earned grades of C or higher
on BIO 4984 capstone term
paper.
b. Watson-Glaser Tests (EIU
Testing Center) .
Benchmaks for lab final in core
courses not met.
Data shared with faculty and
Assessment Committee
Results shared with Faculty and
Assessment Committee.
(Continue objectives as needed. Cells will expand to accommodate your text.)
PART TWO
Describe your program’s assessment accomplishments since your last report was submitted. Discuss ways in which you have responded to the
CASA Director’s comments on last year’s report or simply describe what assessment work was initiated, continued, or completed.
In response to the CASA Directors comments for FY12, we have removed the MFT as an assessment tool, included three of the Provosts learning goals into the
assessment, moved the EWP results to a new category related to student writing, and the feedback loop more clearly explained, indicating that entire faculty
discussion will take place at the faculty retreat and during regular faculty meetings to engage faculty in assessment .
I. Content learning assessment
The MFP test in Biology was critically analyzed by the BIO Assessment Committee and deemed an inadequate assessment tool due to lack of participation by the
majority of sister institutions. Faculty discussions took place to identify another mechanisms assess student knowledge. An in-house exam is being developed to
assess learning of content.
Integrative learning- A group of BIO faculty was awarded a $7K Proposal Initiative Fund (PIF) grant from the Office of Grants and Sponsored Research to acquire
preliminary data for submission of a large grant proposal to the National Science Foundation (NSF) designed to broadly improve the BIO curriculum. The PIF project ,
entitled Using Inquiry-based Learning Modules to Vertically Integrate Core Biological Concepts into the Biology Majors Curriculum, including $2500 to hire an
outside consultant to develop assessment tools for this program. An on-site visit by tow assessment experts occurred in FA11. Curriculum has been incorporated into
Bio3120 and Bio3800, two majors courses , and will be expanded into freshman biology (BIO1100) and biostatistics (BIO4750). The projected NSF grant will include
$45K for assessment. This proposal is designed to implement inquiry-based learning techniques to bring integrative learning to our core biology curriculum. It
includes a vertically integrated curriculum to reinforce the concept that modern biological research requires input and skills in different sub-fields within biology.
The topic infused into the curriculum is global warming, with distinct aspects of fish ecology laboratory exercises infused into several core courses. The
integration of these inquiry-based modules into multiple core requirement courses will serve to reinforce the use of important skills in critical analyses, thus
making it more likely that the students can achieve the high transfer.
II. Exit Surveys: Results and Trends (Appendix 3)
Eighty six graduating seniors submitted exit surveys this year (>90 of the FY13 graduating class). Surveys were distributed to students by email using Survey
Monkey. Obvious strengths regarding BIO faculty included knowledge of subject, organization, helpfulness, attitude, (>94% agree rate in each category) and
laboratory exercise appropriateness (84% agree rate) . Concerns identified include (as in past years) helpfulness of academic advisors and helpfulness of BIO
faculty in career choice (63% and 45% students gave positive ratings, respectively), although ratings improved substantially from 3 years ago in the latter
category (from 29%). Students involved in research projects showed strong positive responses to academic preparation (84% positive), equipment availability
(88% positive), research interest (92% positive), value of the research experience (69% positive). and increased desire to pursue a graduate degree (51%).
Assessment of facilities by students were mixed. Participation in honor societies, Botany Club, and the Fish and Wildlife Ecology Club has dropped from 73%
to 53%. Most respondents (87%) reported that they made the right choice in selecting the Biological Sciences. Internship experiences were generally strong, with
a 73% positive rating of ratings of on-site supervision and preparation for graduate school or job placement success (dropping from 100% in both categories to
73% and 83%, respectively) compared to previous years.
PART THREE
Summarize changes and improvements in curriculum, instruction, and learning that have resulted from the implementation of your assessment
program. How have you used the data? What have you learned? In light of what you have learned through your assessment efforts this year and
in past years, what are your plans for the future?
Exit Survey- Biological Sciences began administering the exit survey electronically via Survey Monkey in 2010, but response rate was initially low. This year,
the survey was sent out during finals week to increase participation and an on-site exit interview was made mandatory. This resulted in an increase from 32 to 86
respondents. . In addition, survey questions were expanded to assess post-graduation plans and student comments about the program. Results from this survey are
used to assess student satisfaction with faculty, program, equipment, internship and research experiences and club participation.
Biology Forum (BIO 1150) course was added to the BIO core five years ago, and thus most graduating students would have taken this course. The course is
designed to provide a broad overview of career paths and employment opportunities in the biological sciences, as well as undergraduate research opportunities.
Attendanceat and summary of a departmental research seminar is required. Exit survey results do not indicate an obvious effect in response to the question of
BIO assistance in deciding on a career (question #7 in Ext Survey). The assessment committee will address this issue in AY14.
Integrative learning- The Department of Biological Sciences was awarded the Provost’s Integrative Learning Award in 2011 for high impact experiences
(undergraduate research, internships, volunteerism). Students involved in research experiences was very high in BIOBIO (94 students during FY13) , although
only 50% of graduating students completed at least one semester of research. This lower number likely more adequately reflects the student population since the
number of respondents more than doubled this year. Bio faculty will be encouraged to increase student research opportunities.
Curriculum change- The PIF project , entitled Using Inquiry-based Learning Modules to Vertically Integrate Core Biological Concepts into the Biology Majors
Curriculum (describe in part I above). The first phase of this project has been piloted and will be expanded over the next year, including the assessment tools used.
Appendix 2. Data interpretation Assessment
A. ASSESSMENT QUESTION SET
Assessment #1v3
Name: _______________________________________________________
Gender: M / F
Ethnic Identity (optional): ___________________
Current Class Standing: Freshman / Sophomore / Junior / Senior
Please check the Biology courses that you have completed and indicate your final grade for that course.
If you have repeated a particular course, enter the best grade from the repeats.
If you are currently taking a course, enter “on-going” under Final Grade.
Are you a transfer student (circle one)? YES *
NO
*If you are a transfer student, indicate the result of the equivalent course you have taken if you receive credit from
those courses.
A. ASSESSMENT QUESTION SET (page 2 of 5)
Course
Semester/Year
Final Grade
BIO1100: General Biology
BIO1150: Biology Forum
BIO1200G: General Botany
BIO1300G: Animal Diversity
BIO3120/BIO3100: Molecular and
Cell Biology
BIO3200: Genetics
BIO3510: Animal Physiology
BIO3520: Plant Physiology
BIO3800: Ecology
BIO4750/MAT2250G:
Biometrics/Statistics
BIO4984: Evolution
Suppose you are a scientist investigating the use of alternate sources of energy, and your focus is on the use of certain
types of algae that can produce useable fuel from biological sources, also known as biofuel. One of your colleagues
managed to isolate a type of alga (algae are aquatic unicellular photosynthetic organisms) from a lake where the annual
average temperature is 8oC. You are in a team to study whether this new type of algae might make a suitable candidate
as a source of biofuel, because the oil produced by alga to regulate their osmotic balance can be extracted and converted
to fuel.
The following graph depicts the reading of temperature at the lake over a 12-month period. Each month, 4 different
recordings are made and the average for those 4 readings are used to represent the temperature of that month.
A. ASSESSMENT QUESTION SET (page3 of 5)
Lake Water Temperature
Average Temperature (degree Celcius)
18
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Month
Figure 1. Average lake water temperature. Each bar represents the average of 4 readings
from the indicated month. The vertical lines represent the standard deviation.
Q1. How many months have a monthly average temperature that is at or above the annual average? Explain your answer.
Q2. Compare and contrast the average temperature of May to the average temperature of June. How are they similar,
and how are they different? What do the similarity and difference mean? Explain your answer.
Q3. In order to study this new alga to assess whether it is a suitable candidate for biofuel production, your first task is to
find a way to grow it in abundance under laboratory conditions. To achieve this, you will need to know the
temperature at which this organism will grow the best.
A. ASSESSMENT QUESTION SET (page 4 of 5)
A. Given what you know about the annual average temperature as well as the monthly average temperature of the
lake from which this alga was found, formulate a hypothesis of the effects of temperature on the rate of growth of
this alga. Provide an explanation to justify your hypothesis.
B. Design and describe an experiment that will allow you to test the hypothesis you proposed in part (A). Be sure to
identify the relevant variables.
C. Provide the predicted outcomes of your proposed experiment, as well as your interpretation of these potential
outcomes. Be sure to include sufficient detail to justify your explanation.
The next step in determining whether this new alga is a suitable candidate for biofuel production is to examine the amount
of oil produced by this alga under different conditions. You decide to investigate the impact of salinity on the production of
oil from this alga by quantifying the amount of oil produced by the alga when it is grown under different concentrations of
sodium chloride (NaCl). This experiment was done with 2 liters of algal culture per condition. The summary of your data is
presented below.
NaCl concentration (mM)
1
10
25
40
Alga mass (g/L)
5.2
4.9
2.2
0.7
Oil (% of algal mass)
12.7
22.9
46.1
61.8
Q4. Based on the data from this table, which salt concentration gives the largest amount of oil per liter? Show your work
and explain your answer.
The colleague who identified this alga also managed to collect data on the abundance of this alga from the lake
throughout the year. Along with counting the alga, she had also performed a count for total invertebrates of the same
sample. The data that she had collected is presented in the table below.
A. ASSESSMENT QUESTION SET (page 5of 5)
Month
Total Alga Mass (g/L)
Total Invertebrate Mass (mg/L)
January
4.57
21.71
February
4.19
22.34
March
10.22
44.91
April
8.87
34.39
May
7.72
36.66
June
2.91
13.14
July
2.65
12.28
August
2.11
9.84
September
5.55
12.78
October
10.87
26.45
November
8.87
35.44
December
6.12
28.17
Table 1. Total algal mass and total invertebrate mass at the lake.
Q5. Produce a graphical representation of the data in the table above. You may either hand draw it in the space below, or
you may use a software like Excel to produce the graph.
Q6. Using the data from both Figure 1 and the graph that you have just created, propose a hypothesis concerning the
population change of the invertebrates of this lake. Explain your hypothesis.
B. TUES RUBRIC ANSWER SET
Q1: According to the graph 7 months had an average temperature of 8oC or above, but only 4 months including standard deviation
bars.
Q2: The average temperature of June is more accurate than that of May both at 12oC because the error bar in May is highly greater
than that of June.
Q3A: Higher average temperatures should be efficient in algae growth by providing more sunlight for photosynthesis to be
successful. In lower temperature months there may not be valuable sunlight to aid in growth of the algae. This will also lead to the
production of biofuel due to higher osmotic pressure.
Q3B: Growing algae in the presence of efficient sunlight water and also controlling in with algae in cooler water with less sunlight
over a full month.
Q3C: Since algae are photosynthetic unicellular organisms they cannot survive in the absence of sunlight so therefore since the
algae in warmer water and more sunlight will survive and therefore producing more biofuel.
Q4: The 1 mM NaCl gave the highest percentage of oil per liter: 52/127 = 0.409
Q6: The population change of the invertebrates of the lake seemed to be fairly
standard. Invertebrates with higher (mg/L) mass seemed to have the same high
total algae mass (g/L) while invertebrates of lower mass were vice versa.
C. TUES RUBRIC FOR SCORING (page 1of 2)
C. TUES RUBRIC FOR SCORING (page 2 of 2)
D. TUES RUBRIC RESULTS –Spring 2012
Q1
Q2
Q3A
Q3B
Q4A
Q4B
Q5
Q6
Appendix 3. Scientific Poster Assessment