cah19@psu.edu

• Objective: To measure student learning on a specific topic, meiosis, through the use of specific questions on exams
• Evidence: Performance on multiple choice questions related to this top placing them on:
– a pretest
– an exam during the semester
– the final (use the most challenging questions)
– a pretest for a course that has Bio 110 as a prerequisite (we used Bio 240W)

• Met with a group of faculty from departments that offer a degree in Biology (UP, Altoona, Behrend,
Abington plus two other interested campuses)
• Initial meeting was seven people plus moderator
• Decided as a group to focus on the single topic – meiosis
• Decided upon using exam questions due to class sizes at UP with the hope of developing a tool that could be used at multiple campuses
• Set up an ANGEL group for assessment
• Wrote the pretest for use in the fall semester and sent it to the members of the group for their comment/use
• Specified learning goals/objectives during the semester

• Helpful strategies
– Involving multiple campuses
– Having a face-to-face meeting
– Having an “outside” moderator
(Suzanne Weinstein)
• Barriers
– Agreeing on questions to use – never reached complete agreement so initial attempt may be of limited use across campuses
– Multiple faculty teaching separate sections of the same course at the same campus using different exams

• So far……
• Fall Bio 110
– Pretest – 44 questions – 7 on meiosis
– Exams 2 and 4 – used 6 of these questions
– Final exam – repeated two questions
• Spring Bio 110
– Pretest – identical to Fall Bio 110
• Spring Bio 240W
– Pretest – used 3 questions relevant to material in that course (need to be able to ask during the semester)

Learning gains were made during the semester
Fall 2011Pretest
N=694 N=311
Exam 2
N=703 N=314
Final
N=297
Spring Pretest
N=279
Kern Quest Answers Thomas Sparks OsmondThomas Sparks Sparks
Which one of these statements is true of both mitosis and meiosis at some point during each process?
Crossing over takes place.
23.5
20.1
20.4
1.4
1.6
12
2
1
85
23.3
30.5
9
37.3
Which of these places the meiotic events that can produce genetic variation among gametes in the correct order (earliest to latest during the process of meiosis)?
25.1
24.7
17.9
The questions will be used on the
Bio 230W pretest in Fall 2012

Learning gains during the semester persisted into the next course
Fall 2011 Pretest Exam 2
N=694 N=311 N=703 N=314
Question Answers Thomas Sparks Thomas Sparks
Moderate learning gain - signficiant prior knowledge
Sp 2012 Pretest
N=279
Bio 110
N=571
240W
You are studying a species of organ pipe cactus in Utah and discover that the cells in the cactus stems have 22 chromosomes. How many chromosomes would be found in the pollen (sperm) of this species?
11
22
33
73.6
18.7
1.7
70.7
21.2
1.3
90.9
7.3
0.6
89.8
8.9
0.6
68.5
22.9
2.2
90.9
8.6
0.4
6.5
0.2
Significant learning gain - moderate prior knowledge
During the human life cycle, the process of _______________ is responsible for producing sperm and eggs; the only ______________ cells are the gametes.
meiosis / diploid mitosis / diploid meiosis / haploid mitosis / haploid
24.8
15.7
48
11.5
27
15.4
49.2
8.4
3.6
2
87.5
6.4
8
0.6
85
6.4
30.5
17.2
6.5
4.6
35.1
80.7
17.2
8.2

Material not covered in Bio 110 showed little learning gain in pretest for the next course in the sequence
Fall 2011 Pretest
N=694 N=311
Spring Pretest
N=279 N=571
Quest Answers Thomas Sparks Kern 240W-D
In humans, the meiotic division and subsequent modifications of cells produced during spermatogenesis and oogenesis ultimately result in: four sperm cells and four egg cells.
14.7
11.3
11.5
23.6
two sperm cells and two egg cells.
26.7
23.8
four sperm cells and one egg cell. 35.2
37.6
two sperm cells and one egg cell 23.3
27.3
32.3
28.7
27.6
17.3
44
15.1
This material is covered in Bio 240W and learning gains will be assessed by including this question on an exam during the semester