STUDENT OUTCOMES ASSESSMENT
Master of Arts in Science Education
Master of Arts in Science Education – Physics Education Emphasis
Master of Arts in Science Education – Earth Science Education Emphasis
I. Vision and Mission of Science education at the University of Northern Iowa
Vision: The vision of the UNI Science Education program is to advance exemplary science teaching and learning
for all through practice and research.
Mission: Science Education strongly supports the mission of the University and the College of Natural
Sciences in our mission of advancing exemplary science teaching and learning for all through practice
and research. This is accomplished by providing quality teaching and advising and to involve preservice science teachers in pedagogical preparation and meaningful field experiences that promote
quality inquiry science teaching and builds on sound science content knowledge.
Items in red are either new or indicate areas under revision.
II. Goals for Graduate Students in the MA in Science Education
Students will
o Understand the past and present trends in science education.
o Understand the nature of science and explore their personal philosophy of science.
o Understand important learning theories of the past and present and implement various teaching
models and strategies based on these learning theories.
o Enhance their content knowledge.
o Relate the impact of the program on their personal classroom practice.
o Make a scholarly contribution to science education and communicate this, demonstrating their
ability to reflect on the impact of this contribution and its connection to significant learnings
acquired in the master’s program and relevant science education research.
o Use their knowledge to impact a wider education community.
III. Outcomes and Competencies
Outcome 1
Students will engage in scholarly and creative pursuits that are significant, further
their knowledge in teaching science, and broaden their impact upon the professional
community of science educators.
Students shall:
Competency 1.1
Be able to demonstrate significant learnings acquired through one’s
graduate work in science education.
Measured by:
a) Completion of required core and elective graduate courses as indicated by course
grades of a B- or better; indicated by monitoring GPA.
b) Completion, presentation to faculty of a thesis or a non-thesis research paper/creative
component. For the non-thesis program completion of comprehensive exams with a
score of 3 or better (on a scale of 1-5) by both evaluators on the comprehensive exam
rubric is necessary.
Competency 1.2
Be able to reflect on what was learned in the master’s program, and its
impact on the classroom setting and professional community.
Measured by: Completion, presentation and acceptance (via an average score of 3 on the rubric
by all evaluators) of the thesis or non-thesis paper. The rubric is under revision or
will be replaced with a different measure.
Outcome 2
Students will increase their science content knowledge.
Measured by: Successful completion of content courses as indicated by course grades of a B- or
better; monitored by content course GPA.
Outcome 3
Students will make a scholarly contribution to science education.
Students shall:
Competency 3.1
Be able to design, conduct/produce, and analyze a scholarly endeavor in
science education.
Measured by: Completion, presentation and acceptance (via an average score of 3 on the rubric
by all evaluators) of the thesis or non-thesis paper.
Competency 3.2
Be able to discuss results of their scholarly endeavor in the context of
existing science education literature and to reflect on the potential impact
of these results on the science teaching practitioner and/or science
education professional community.
Measured by: Completion, presentation and acceptance (via an average score of 3 on the rubric
by all evaluators) of the thesis or non-thesis paper.
Competency 3.3
Be able to demonstrate proficiency in the use of creative and critical
thinking and effective oral and written communication.
Measured by: Completion, presentation and acceptance (via an average score of 3 on the rubric
by all evaluators) of the thesis or creative component/research paper. For the nonthesis program completion of comprehensive exams with a score of 3 or better (on
a scale of 1-5) by both evaluators is necessary.
Outcome 4
Students will provide evidence of the impact of the program on their classroom
practice.
Competency 4.1
to be completed
Measured by: to be completed
Methods and Frequency of Assessments
Assessment is a continuous process during the student’s progress towards graduation. It commences
with academic accomplishments indicated by an entrance GPA of 3.00 and continues with the
maintenance of this grade point throughout the program. An official Program of Study is created for
each graduate student upon admission to the MA in Science Education that enables student program
progress to be monitored.
The students’ scholarly and creative endeavors will be used as means of assessment.
The three assessments to be used for the thesis option are:
o grades for the required core, content and elective graduate courses
o the thesis
o public thesis presentation.
The three assessments to be used for the non-thesis option are:
o grades for the required core, content and elective graduate courses
o comprehensive exams
o non-thesis paper (options include: creative component, NBPTS portfolio & presentation, or
research paper)
Upon completion of the required core courses for the non-thesis program the student will take a
comprehensive exam. This exam is designed to assess competence in the core areas in the program.
The exam consists of two (2) questions that combine content from the 4 core courses in questions that
require synthesis level thinking. Answers to the comprehensive exam questions are evaluated by the
instructors of the respective courses as well as by an outside reader. A passing score of three on a fivepoint scale is necessary to successfully complete the exam.
Rubrics will be developed for scoring: 1) cumulative scholarly work i.e. written thesis or non-thesis
peoduct and 2) oral presentations. For non-thesis students a means of common assessment for
comprehensive exam answers will be developed. These rubrics would be scored on-line and stored in
the individual student repository. – Currently under revision or replacement.
A data base will be developed in order to track the:
 Comprehensive exam scores
 GPA – overall, content course, and required core courses
 Assessment of thesis or non-thesis products – rubric under revision
Other aspects to be tracked by this repository/server for the benefit of the program are:
•
selection lanes for thesis or non-thesis that would bring up a checklist of numbers of
content, elective and core requirements to be met
•
automatic highlighted “completed” notations added when “completed students requests”
designate courses for a specific requirement
•
all students selecting non-thesis option to register on-line for comprehensive exam times
•
allow for on-line submission of comprehensive exams via UNIeLearning
Analysis - Interpretation and Reporting of Results
The following data will be compiled and tabulated annually by the Graduate SOA Committee with the
assistance of the Science Education secretary:
1. A mean of cumulative graduate grade point averages (GPA) in content, noting the range of
GPAs included.
2. A mean cumulative graduate grade point average (GPA) on core courses.
3. Results of rubric scores of the thesis and presentation.
4. Results of rubric scores on the non-thesis paper and presentation.
5. Results of comprehensive exam rubric scores.
6. Results of the pass/retake rate of comprehensive exams.
7. The number of graduate students graduating.
8. The number of students making progress towards a degree. (Progress as measured by
successful completion of one aspect of the graduate program/year.)
The Graduate SOA committee will prepare an annual report summarizing student outcomes with
assistance from the departmental secretary and the Chair of Science Education. This will be distributed
electronically to the Science Education Faculty. The data will be used to inform changes in graduate
core courses, program structure, advising, and in developing strategic planning goals.
Fall 2010