1
New Program Guidelines
EASTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY
DIVISION OF ACADEMIC AFFAIRS
OUTLINE FOR SUBMITTING PROPOSALS FOR NEW DEGREE PROGRAMS
Use this outline to prepare proposals for new programs, including undergraduate majors and minors
and graduate majors. Proposals should be submitted in narrative form, organized according to the
following outline. Guidelines for submitting such proposals are on the following pages.
PROPOSED PROGRAM NAME:
Degree:BS
NEUROSCIENCE INTERDISCIPLINARY PROGRAM (NSCI)
Requested Start Date
Department(s)/School(s):
Biology, Chemistry, Psychology
CONTACT PERSON: HEDEEL EVANS & RENEE LAJINESS-O’NEILL
CONTACT EMAIL:
Fall-2016
College(s):
CAS
CONTACT PHONE:487-1425; 487-6713
HEVANS@EMICH.EDU, RLAJINES@EMICH.EDU
I. Description:
A. Goals, Objectives, Student Learning Outcomes
Neuroscience is a dynamic, rapidly growing interdisciplinary field that aims at understanding
the carefully orchestrated structure and functions of the nervous system, and their role in
behavior and various neurological diseases. The proposed Neuroscience (NSCI) Program is
an undergraduate degree program in the College of Arts and Science (CAS). The program,
comprising both a major and minor, is a cooperative effort among the departments of Biology,
Chemistry and Psychology devoted to understanding brain-behavior structure, function and
relationships and reflects the contemporary growth of neuroscience as its own discipline.
A number of areas of specialization and courses that evolved during the last century, such as
biopsychology, biochemistry, neurobiology, pathophysiology, reflect a trend toward
interdisciplinary approaches in the sciences. “Interdisciplinary studies is a process of
answering a question, solving a problem, or addressing a topic that is too broad or complex to
be dealt with adequately by a single discipline and draws on disciplinary perspectives and
integrates their insights to produce a more comprehensive understanding or cognitive
advancement (Repko, 2012).” The proposed program in Neuroscience exemplifies essential
characteristics of interdisciplinary studies (Repko, 2012; Newell, 1998):
● The selection of the disciplines was not random, but purposeful with the goals and
outcomes clearly in view.
● The process will be integrative, meaning that each discipline will offer unique
contribution and insights.
● The goals and outcomes (knowledge gained and degree secured), compared to
knowledge gained from each discipline independently, will constitute something new
and comprehensive.
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The undergraduate program has a course sequence of four neuroscience courses, including a
major laboratory course, in which the breadth and depth of neuroscience is explored together
with demonstrations of the ways in which neuroscience data are collected. The introductory
Neuroscience course (NSCI 301) will introduce students to the field through lecture and
demonstration, and provide an overview of the kinds of careers available to students with this
degree. The second course, NSCI 401, is a lecture/lab course that allows students to engage
in the concepts in this field through experimentation and lab work. Students will be encouraged
to engage in their own research projects in this track. The sequence culminates with a twosemester seminar series in which students and faculty will discuss contemporary literature and
students will conduct research of their own. The core curricular structure is preceded by
requirements and foundational courses in biology, chemistry, and psychology so students have
sufficient background in the sciences to engage meaningfully in the more advanced concepts
in neuroscience. Existing courses in anatomy, physiology, behavior, cellular processes and
biochemical processes are taken in while students go through the neuroscience core to bolster
their understanding of particular areas of interests within neuroscience. The program is
constructed to provide students a solid foundation of knowledge and skill for further career
work in neuroscience or in other biomedical-related areas.
The view of this program is that complex behavior, disorders, and diseases are best
understood by using translational insights and methodologies. That is, scientific insights are
advanced when disorders are understood concurrently from a molecular, cellular,
physiological, systems, behavioral, and cognitive perspective. Such an approach requires
competence in biology, chemistry and psychology.
Further consistent with the characteristics of interdisciplinary studies, the proposed
interdisciplinary Neuroscience Program will provide an applied and integrated, student-focused
dynamic training that emphasizes an “Inquiry Across the Curriculum” (IAC) approach. The
highly integrative training and knowledge acquired on topics with broader contexts gathered
from interdisciplinary learning through courses, research activities, discussion, teamwork,
project development, written reports and oral presentations, will be applied to specific inquiries
adhering to an interdisciplinary research process. Full-time faculty from the disciplines of
chemistry, psychology, and biology are dedicated and committed to preparing students for
various careers in neuroscience with improved success.
The knowledge gained and degree secured will ensure success for our students in a workforce
that is yearning for individuals who are diversely trained for the varied and
expanding careers in neuroscience at both the national and regional level. Regionally, the
University Research Corridor (URC), an alliance between Michigan State University, the
University of Michigan, and Wayne State University, was formed to strengthen and diversify
the state’s economy and ensure employment in basic and/or applied research following
graduation. An undergraduate degree in neuroscience is an often sought after degree by
graduate programs in science and for students interested in medical school. Given the
increasingly broad impact of neuroscience, our majors will be sought out by leaders in law,
business, social sciences, arts, and humanities for collaboration where knowledge of the brain
sciences addresses public policy, professional practice, and a broad understanding of human
behavior. Students may find employment in a field that integrates science and the media. For
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example, journalists who can convey complex scientific findings in simple terms are in
demand. Of particular relevance to our institution, science teachers with advanced
understanding of neuroscience will be essential in the next generation of science educators.
2. The following table outlines the Goals, Objectives, and Outcomes for the program:
Goals
Objectives
Outcomes
1. Students will be
knowledgeable in the
content areas of
neuroscience.
a. Develop an interdisciplinary
concept of neuroscience.
b. Identify interdisciplinary terms
that are relevant to neuroscience.
c. Become familiar with the current
advances in neuroscience.
a-c. The ‘What is Neuroscience’
timed writing assignment will be
administered by faculty in the
beginning of the first NSCI course
and at the end of the second
NSCI seminar course. All
samples will be graded for an
increase in length, and complexity
of argument using key discipline
relevant terms from course
content. We expect more
advanced students to increase
the length of their description and
how the discipline has changed
over time.
2. Students will
demonstrate content
knowledge in the
integration of biology,
chemistry, and
psychology as well as
other relevant disciplines
within the field of
neuroscience.
a. Students will understand macro
level neuroscience approaches
including neurocognitive,
physiological, developmental,
evolutionary and genetic
methodologies.
b. Students will understand the
importance of micro level
neuroscience approaches
including neurochemistry, cellular
neurobiology, molecular genetics,
and cellular signaling.
c. Students will integrate micro and
macro level approaches to
neuroscience and how they relate
to specific brain and behavioral
functioning.
a-c. 80% of the enrolled majors
will complete Introduction to
Neuroscience (NSCI 301) and
Advanced Neuroscience (NSCI
401) with at least a C or better.
3. Students will
a. Students will become competent
demonstrate their ability to in reading, understanding, and
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a-b. Integration of neuroscience
knowledge will be assessed in the
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apply their knowledge of
neuroscience and become
effective science
communicators.
interpreting data, critically
evaluating, discussing and
presenting key points of scientific
literature.
b. Students will be able to develop
research hypotheses and then
develop a specific experimental
approach to address the research
question posed.
seminars (NSCI 330 and 440 –
SEM I and SEM II) through oral
and written presentations with a C
or better grade.
4. Students will become
effective in executing an
interdisciplinary and
collaborative
neuroscience research
project.
a. Students will be able to
generate a hypothesis from a
given dataset/scenario and to
develop an experimental design to
test the hypothesis.
b. Students will be able to execute
the research project to test their
hypotheses.
c. Students will develop research
projects in interdisciplinary,
collaborative neuroscience
laboratories.
a. Students will develop a written
research project as part of the
Neuroscience Sem II. It is
anticipated that the majority of
these written projects will be
disseminated as Honors theses,
McNair journal articles, or peer
reviewed journal articles.
b/c. Students will design and
implement a research project that
is disseminated through an oral or
poster presentation at a local or
regional venue.
3. How goals/objectives meet Department, College, and University goals:
The NSCI program reflects both the vision and mission of Eastern Michigan University and the
College of Arts and Sciences. The vision of EMU is to be “a premier public university recognized for
student-centered learning, high quality academic programs and community impact.” The College
mission is to “promote(s) an integrated education...that provides a foundation for creative
curriculum…” The College also “facilitates faculty engagement in creative and scholarly activities in
collaboration with students.” The NSCI is truly interdisciplinary as it requires the mastery of three
distinct disciplines in the natural sciences integrating basic science, applied science, and translational
processes. The program requires students and faculty to develop scholarly research projects to
address contemporary problems in neuroscience. Course work, research, and seminars will prepare
students to work in “real-life” science careers such as treating individuals with neurological
dysfunction, understanding the biological basis of behaviors in diagnostic settings, and equipping
them with essential skills for positions in pharmacotherapy.
The NSCI program meets the vision and mission statements of the three relevant departments,
specifically by:
● creating “a learning environment that integrates research concepts with inquiry-driven
pedagogy.” (Biology)
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●
●
●
promoting “an appreciation for scientific inquiry through mentoring and training in the
classroom, laboratory and community.” (Chemistry)
using “theory, research and practice...for describing, understanding, and predicting behavior
and mental processes.” (Psychology)
translating knowledge of basic science into professional practices and policies responsive to
societal needs (NSCI)
Interested parties can read the Mission and Vision of the University, College, and Departments of the
NSCI in Appendix A.
B. Program
1. Below are all current courses included in the program. All syllabi from current
courses are included in Appendix B; new course syllabi are in Appendix C and discussed in
section B.2.
Prerequisites (13): (Note: Fulfills General Education Natural Science requirements)
BIO 110/BIO 111: Introductory Biology I (3) & Lab (2) (5)
PSY 101/PSY 103: General Psychology Lecture (3) & Lab (1) (4)
CHEM 121/122: General Chemistry I Lecture (3) & Lab (1) (4)
Required courses:
BIO (15-16):
BIO 251: Human Anatomy and Physiology (4) or BIO 120: Introductory Biology II (5)
BIO 252: Human Anatomy and Physiology II (4) or BIO 326: Human Physiology (4)
BIO 301: Genetics (3)
BIO 330: Neuroanatomy (4)
CHEM (11-12):
CHEM 270: Survey of Organic Chemistry (4) OR
CHEM 370/371 Organic Chemistry/Lab (4) (Recommended for Pre-med)
CHEM 351: Foundations of Biochemistry (4)
CHEM 455/555: Neurochemistry (3)
PSY (10):
PSY 205: Quantitative Methods in Psychology (3)
PSY 301W: Introductory Experimental Psychology (4)
PSY 433: Cognitive Neuroscience (3) or PSY 457: Physiological Psychology (3)
Elective courses (Choose any 12 credits). Part of the NSCI 301 lecture content will focus on
exposing students to relevant neuroscience career paths to guide them in the choice of their electives.
BIO 305: Cell and Molecular Biology (3)
BIO 306W: Cell and Molecular Biology Lab (3)
BIO 315: Evolution (3)
BIO 443: Developmental Biology (3)
BIO 474: Comparative Anatomy of Vertebrates (4)
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CHEM 123/124 General Chemistry II (4)
CHEM 411 Toxicology I
CHEM 456/556: Cell Signaling and Disease (3)
CHEM 457/557: Medicinal Chemistry (3)
CHEM 558: Chemical Biology and Drug Design (3)
CHEM 453W: Biochemistry Lab (2)
PSY 304: Learning (3)
PSY 356: Motivation and Emotion (3)
PSY 321: Child Psychology (3) or 323: Psychology of Human Aging (3)
PSY360: Abnormal Psychology (3)
PSY458: Comparative Animal Behavior (3)
PHY 221 Mechanics, Sound, Heat (4)
PHY 222 Electricity and Light (4)
**NOTE. If interested in pre-medicine or a related field, please seek advising regarding
additional requirements. For example, pre-medicine students should take two semesters of
physics, PHY 221 (Mechanics, Sound, Heat) and PHY 222 (Electricity and Light), given that
this content is on the MCAT. They are also advised to take CHEM 123/124 (General
Chemistry II), CHEM 371/372 (Organic Chemistry) and CHEM 451/452 (Biochemistry I and II).
(MTH 105 or MTH 119) and MTH 107 or MTH 140 with a C or better or MTH 112 or MTH 120
are required for PHY 221 or 222. If students are interested in this path, they should consider
taking the CHEM 123/124 elective in the summer between their Freshman and Sophomore
years.
2. Below are all new and revised courses included in the program. All syllabi are included in Appendix
C.
Required:
NSCI 301: Introduction to Neuroscience (3)
NSCI 401: Advanced Neuroscience (4) (NSCI 301 prerequisite)
NSCI 330: Neuroscience Seminar I (1) (NSCI 401 prerequisite)
NSCI 440: Neuroscience Seminar II (1) (NSCI 401 prerequisite; can be taken concurrently with
330)
Electives:
NSCI 397/398/399 (1/2/3) and 497/498/499 (1/2/3): Individual Readings in
Neuroscience/Individual Research in Neuroscience (restricted electives).
3. Program Delivery Plan:
The core courses, Neuroscience 301, 401, 330, 440, are planned to always be traditional face-to-face,
on campus courses. The delivery mode of the remaining courses may be either face-to-face, hybrid,
or completely on-line depending on the particular section. Prior to entry into Neuroscience 301,
students must successfully complete 2 of 3 required courses and their respective labs, PSY 101/103,
BIO 110/111, CHEM 121/122.
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General Education Program Requirements
1. Effective Communication: Met with ENGL 121 and CTAC 124
2. Quantitative Reasoning: Met with MATH level 3 or higher
3. Perspectives on a Diverse World: Requires 2 GEN ED electives
a. 1 for Global Awareness
b. 1 for US Diversity
4. Knowledge of the Disciplines: Requires 8 GEN ED electives (2 Natural Sciences Met)
a. 2 for the Arts
b. 2 for the Humanities
c. 2 for Natural Sciences - Met with NSCI curriculum
d. 2 for Social Sciences
5. Learning Beyond the Classroom - must satisfy two of six groups (Examples of how NSCI
curriculum could meet LBC requirements)
a. Group 1 - Self and Well-Being
b. Group 2 - Community Service, Citizenship and Leadership
c. Group 3 - Cultural and Academic Activities and Events - Met with NSCI
curriculum
d. Group 4 - Career and Professional Development
e. Group 5 - International and Multicultural Experience
f. Group 6 - Undergraduate Research - Met with NSCI curriculum, if accepted
4. Typical Program of Study:
Neuroscience Major
Suggested Course Scope and Sequence for a Four-year Program of Study
First Year – Freshman | Fall
*ENGL 121: Composition II:
Researching the Public Experience (3)
*CHEM 121/122: General Chemistry I
Lecture (3) & Lab (1) – (4)
*BIO 110: Introductory Biology I (5)
*MATH Level 3 or higher (3)
Total credits: 15 credits
First Year – Freshman | Winter
PSY 101/PSY 103: General
Psychology Lecture (3) & Lab (1) – (4)
BIO 251: Human Anatomy and
Physiology (4) or BIO 120: Introductory
Biology II (5)
*CTAC 124: Fundamentals of
Speech (3)
_ GEN ED (3)
Total credits: 15/16 credits
Second Year – Sophomore | Fall
Second Year – Sophomore | Winter
NSCI 301: Introduction to
Neuroscience (3)
BIO 252: Human Anatomy and
Physiology II (4) or BIO 326: Human
Physiology (4)
CHEM 351: Foundations of
Biochemistry (4)
BIO 330: Neuroanatomy (4)
*PSY 301W: Introductory
Experimental Psychology (4)
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CHEM 270: Survey of Organic
Chemistry (4)
*PSY 205: Quantitative Methods in
Psychology (3)
Total credits: 14 credits
_ GEN ED (3)
Total credits: 15 credits
Third Year – Junior | Fall
Third Year – Junior | Winter
NSCI 401: Advanced Neuroscience (4)
BIO 301: Genetics (3)
CHEM 455/555: Neurochemistry (3)
GEN ED (3)
_ GEN ED (3)
Total credits: 16 credits
***NSCI 330: Neuroscience
Seminar I (1)
Neuroscience Elective (3)
Neuroscience Elective (3)
PSY 433: Cognitive
Neuroscience (3) or PSY 457:
Physiological Psychology (3)
GEN ED (3)
_ Electives (3)
Total credits: 16 credits
Fourth Year – Senior | Fall
Fourth Year – Senior | Winter
Neuroscience Elective (3)
GEN ED (3)
GEN ED (3)
Electives (3)
_ Electives (3)
Total credits: 15 credits
***NSCI 440: Neuroscience
Seminar II (1)
Neuroscience Elective (3)
GEN ED (3)
Electives (3)
Electives (3)
_ Electives (3)
Total credits: 16 credits
* Courses meet General Education Program Requirements. Additional General Education Program
Requirements are noted below.
*** Meets Learning Beyond the Classroom (LBC) Group 6 General Education Requirement
_______________________________________________________________________________
Interdisciplinary programs only:
5.
How the program will be administered and evidence of support from all participating
departments/schools and/or colleges.
Within the College of Arts and Science, the departments of psychology, chemistry, and biology
will conjointly manage the NSCI Program. Faculty from all three departments and the
Department Heads have been meeting weekly for the past two years, and all department
Instruction Committees and full faculty have provided input and voted on the program. A
Program Input Document is in development for the program that includes the governance of
the program and its oversight. The draft document is available in Appendix D.
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Undergraduate programs only:
6.
Minimum number of total credit hours for completion of the program:
Students will have taken a minimum of 71 credit hours upon completion of the program.
C. Admission Process:
Given the results of a multidisciplinary survey, we anticipate high interest in this program. Of the 208
respondents (survey sent to 1,992 biology, chemistry, and psychology majors), 180 had a 3.0 GPA or
above, and 70% of those students indicated they would be interested in declaring neuroscience as a
major. Thus, approximately 130 students indicated high interest in this major. In year one, students
would declare a neuroscience major. Prior to entry into Neuroscience 301, students must successfully
complete 2 of 3 required courses and their respective labs, PSY 101/103, BIO 110/111, CHEM
121/122. We anticipate that approximately 100 students will be attracted to the introductory course in
Neuroscience, NSCI 301. From that initial pool, we anticipate that about 75 students will continue on
with the major. No minor is required. Once in the program, students must maintain a cumulative BGPA across all NSCI courses. Failure to maintain this GPA will result in a one semester probation
and student progress will be reviewed by the Neuroscience Committee.
D. Student Projections - Enrollment projections for Neuroscience program.
NSCI
course
Total #
of Ss
Ss.per
class
Cr
hrs
# of
sects
FTE
per
section
FTE
need
Student
credit
hours
(SCH)
Y1 (2016-17) 301
100
100
3
1
0.5
0.5
300
Y2 (2017-18) 301
100
100
3
1
0.5
0.5
300
401
75
25
4
3
0.5
1.5
300
330
75
25
3
3
0.25
0.75
225
100
100
3
1
0.5
0.5
300
401
75
25
4
3
0.5
1.5
300
330
75
25
3
3
0.25
0.75
225
440
75
25
3
3
0.25
0.75
225
325
175
13
10
1.5
3.5
1050
Y3 (2018-19) 301
Max Capacity Totals
II. Justification/Rationale
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National funding priorities designated the 1990's as "the Decade of the Brain," and the 2000's as the
"Decade of Behavior." Currently, the direction of behavioral and medical research is focusing more
directly on correlating behavioral and neurological processes, an obvious follow-up. The university
has acquired the minimal essential faculty expertise to execute this program. Neuroscience programs
are common in our regional peer institutions and nationally. Our peer institutions have developed
flourishing neuroscience programs more than two decades ago. The neuroscience program will
enhance our competitiveness and desirability as an institution of choice.
This program is in line with other institutional priorities and initiatives such as the PA program. As
noted above, a survey of current biology, psychology, and chemistry majors revealed high interest in
the development of an interdisciplinary neuroscience program.
In a recent review of MAC and regional schools, the Neuroscience committee found that there are 5
MAC institutions with undergraduate neuroscience programs (Central Michigan University, Bowling
Green State University, Ohio University, University of Massachusetts – Amherst, Northern Illinois
University). CMU’s program involves four different colleges, includes 210 majors with 50% exclusively
Neuroscience majors, and has 50% double majors with Psychology or Biomedical Sciences. Four new
faculty members were recently hired to handle the added load in teaching and research. For UMassAmherst, the Neuroscience major is housed in the Psychology department and requires a variety of
courses from Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Math. The program has grown from approximately 30
students in the early 2000’s to 175 majors today. About 40 students have been added to the program
each year. The program coordinator also noted that there has been a 17% increase in enrollment in
Psychology due to the Neuroscience program since 2004. The remaining MAC schools either have no
programs in Neuroscience (WMU, EMU, Akron, Ball State) or only have graduate programs in this
area (Toledo, Kent State, SUNY-Buffalo). See Appendix E for a complete listing of all MAC schools
and the programs they offer in Neuroscience. Thus, EMU’s program, along with CMU’s, would be the
only two MAC schools to have a truly interdisciplinary program that draws coursework from 3 distinct
majors. Lastly, EMU’s program would be the only freestanding undergraduate neuroscience
program within the MAC that is not attached to a graduate program.
We also spoke with the UG Neuroscience coordinator at the University of Michigan. Their program
was originally designed for 200 students, but growth in enrollment has increased to 600 students in
2014, and the number of applicants has exceeded the program’s capacity. The coordinator indicated
that there has been no impact seen on Biology or Psychology majors. We believe that EMU will attract
many of these students because of the interdisciplinary nature of the program, and our reputation for
providing students hands-on experiences and quality education at an affordable cost.
Letters of Support from local/regional institutions are provided in Appendix F.
III. Preparedness
This section analyzes adequacy of current resources. Additional resources needed are addressed in
Section IV.
A. Personnel: Core faculty for the NSCI program are ready to start the program. However, graduate
teaching assistants are needed for the labs. We also need potential lecturers and lab technicians.
Abbreviated faculty vitae are included in Appendix G.
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Biology:
Chemistry:
Psychology:
Thomas G. Mast, PhD, Neuroscience
Hedeel Evans, PhD, Biochemistry
Jin Bo, PhD, Neuroscience
Kenneth W. Rusiniak, PhD, Behavioral Neuroscience
Renee Lajiness-O’Neill, PhD, Neuropsychology
Thomas Waltz, PhD, Behavioral Economics
Joseph Breza, PhD, Neuroscience
B. Courses: Most of the courses in the program are existing courses. There are 4 new courses (See
above). (Note: Proposals for new programs must include this information.) Describe current
library resources and analyze the adequacy of these resources for the proposed program. Include
such items as books, journals, indexes, electronic resources (databases, etc.), multimedia
(instructional videos, CDs, etc.) and microforms. If additional library holdings will be needed in the
next three to five years, provide a plan for acquiring them.
Current Holdings
Books
Needed Resources
Requesting several copies of texts
for new NSCI courses
Journals
Sufficient
None requested
Indexes
Sufficient
None requested
Electronic Resources
(databases)
SciFinder Scholar; Google
Scholar, Web of Science; ACS
Chemistry Journals; Biological
Abstracts; esearch;
PsychINFO; Proquest
Psychology and Sociology
Journals; Medline/PubMed
None requested
Multimedia (videos, CD)
Sufficient
None requested
Microforms
Sufficient
None requested
C. Space and Facility: The Neuroscience Program will require a laboratory/classroom space. Ideally
the space would be located on the 5th floor, shelved space of the Mark Jefferson Science Complex. It
is estimated that we will need a total of 2400 sq. ft., with 1600 sq. ft. of a teaching lab, a 400 sq. ft.
prep lab, and a 400 sq. ft. imaging lab. The teaching lab will be used as part of the Neuroscience
course sequence and student/faculty research projects. The space needs to accommodate both
didactic instruction and animal and human testing. The prep area would house instrumentation and
provide space for housing materials.
D. Equipment: The equipment for the new courses needs to be purchased (see detailed budget in
Appendix H for details).
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E. Assistantships/fellowships: Some graduate assistants from the 3 departments may help with the
program, but this may depend on whether their mentor is a member of the Neuroscience program.
Depending on the growth of the program, we may need to request additional graduate assistance for
the program from the 3 departments. Since this is not a graduate program, no GAs are requested.
F. Library resources: The current library resources are sufficient.
G. Marketing and recruiting: We don’t anticipate an extensive need for marketing and recruitment for
enrollment given the interest expressed by current students based on their response pattern to the
multidisciplinary survey. We will require support for the development of a neuroscience program
website. We will require some support for local publicity (website development, fliers). We will also
require support from Admissions to target local high schools and community colleges.
IV. Assessment and Evaluation
COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCE
ASSESSMENT OF STUDENT LEARNING
Degree Program
Neuroscience (B.S.)
Department
Interdisciplinary (Biology, Chemistry, Psychology)
Academic Year
TBA
Report Submitted by
Neuroscience Planning Committee
Phone/email
Date Submitted to
Department Head
Dr. Carol Freedman-Doan (Psychology)
Dr. Steven Pernecky (Chemistry)
Dr. Daniel Clemens (Biology)
Each program should have a list of student learning outcomes (approved by an appropriate faculty
input committee). For 2012-13, each program should identify at least two specific outcomes (from the
approved list) to assess for this year.
Evaluation of Student Learning Outcomes
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I. What are your program’s Student Learning Outcomes?
Please list the program’s Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs).
1) Become familiar with the current advances in neuroscience.
2) Identify and understand the main mechanisms of energy metabolism in the brain, along with
the mechanisms of synaptic neurotransmission.
3) Recognize key signaling pathways involved in certain processes, and how they relate to the
specific brain function studied.
4) Understand the importance of molecular biology, structure-function and protein interactions
in neuroscience.
5) Be able to communicate how the neuroscience of the specific process or behavior can be
used in the design of drugs to combat certain psychiatric illnesses.
6) Become more comfortable and fluent in reading, understanding and interpreting data,
critically evaluating, discussing and presenting key points of scientific literature.
7) Develop grant proposals and/or be able to pose specific goals and objectives then develop
and design sound scientific arguments and the needed experiments to address them.
8) Be exposed and gain training in the common techniques and methods used in neuroscience
and their strengths and limitations through laboratory courses and independent research.
II. What Student Learning Outcomes will your program measure?
(Select at least two outcomes from approved list in section I.)
This first draft is an overview of potential assessment techniques.
III. What student activities or performances does the program plan in order to assess
each Student Learning Outcome listed in section II?
Describe the activity(s) or student performance(s) faculty in the program plan to observe for
purposes of determining how well students met the learning outcomes.
The new neuroscience program is developing curricula and assessment tools around core
concepts and competencies as suggested by the national ‘Vision and Change’ committee [1]
(see also: www.visionandchange.org). We are developing the curricula ‘backwards first’ to
ensure that the students are exposed to and master the core concepts and competencies,
respectively. The goal of this approach is to produce undergraduates that are both fully
scientifically literate and are competitive participants in the fast-changing field of neuroscience.
To achieve this goal we are following the model presented by Karcher et al., [2], which
combines ‘Vision and Change’ suggestions with those of undergraduate neuroscience faculty,
and are using the best available and most up-to-date assessment tools. In fact our Specific
Learning Outcomes and the core concepts and competencies described by Karcher et al., and
the ‘Vision and Change’ committee are quite similar.
1) Become familiar with the current advances in neuroscience.
2) Identify and understand the main mechanisms of energy metabolism in the brain, along with
the mechanisms of synaptic neurotransmission.
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3) Recognize key signaling pathways involved in certain processes, and how they relate to the
specific brain function studied.
Outcomes 1-3 address neuroscience knowledge or content. Students will be exposed to
content through faculty-led lectures, laboratory experiments, group exercises and self-study.
The two-semester Introduction to Neuroscience sequence will be used for this assessment
purpose (i.e. first semester pre-test and second semester post-test). The program committee—
or a designated sub-committee—will develop a short 20 question quiz which will be given once
per semester.
4) Understand the importance of molecular biology, structure-function and protein interactions
in neuroscience.
Outcome 4 addresses the interdisciplinary nature of neuroscience content and technique.
Students will be exposed to content through faculty-led lectures, laboratory experiments, group
exercises and self-study. Unlike the previous learning outcomes, this outcome requires an
interaction with the core neuroscience course sequence and basic science prerequisites. The
first Intro to Neuroscience course will again be used for pre-test assessment and the last
Neuroscience Seminar will be used for post-test assessment. Here we will apply two simple
tools described by Crisp and Muir [3]. The first is a writing exercise where students are asked
“What is Neuroscience?”. The second is an online ‘term-discipline relevance’ survey. Terms
will be based off those used by Crisp and Muir but will be vetted and updated by our faculty.
Students are asked to mark terms as relevant to: biology, chemistry, psychology,
neuroscience, physics, math/computer science, or ‘I don’t know’.
5) Be able to communicate how the neuroscience of the specific process or behavior can be
used in the design of drugs to combat certain psychiatric illnesses.
6) Become more comfortable and fluent in reading, understanding and interpreting data,
critically evaluating, discussing and presenting key points of scientific literature.
7) Develop grant proposals and/or be able to pose specific goals and objectives then develop
and design sound scientific arguments and the needed experiments to address them.
Outcomes 5-7 address both communication and scientific skills and incorporate a theme of
‘science in society’. For these competencies students must be able to accurately interpret data
(a scientific skill), critically evaluate the data (a scientific skill) and then present a cogent
description of that data (a communication skill). Throughout the core neuroscience course
sequence students will be given opportunities to read and analyze primary literature and to
discuss how neuroscience is used in society (i.e. drug discovery). We will assess the first two
skills in oral presentations using a custom rubric (available upon request) in presentations
given over both seminar courses (allowing for pre- and post-tests). All skills will be assessed
in the last senior seminar where students will be tasked to write a grant-like document replete
with data and narrative regarding societal impact. These assignments will be assessed with a
rubric designed by Karcher et al, [2].
8) Be exposed and gain training in the common techniques and methods used in neuroscience
and their strengths and limitations through laboratory courses and independent research.
Outcome 8 addresses scientific skill. Critical evaluating data will be addressed with the
outcomes above. The skill of testing hypotheses and designing experiments will be tested
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using the “Experimental Design Ability Test” (EDAT) [4]. During the EDAT students are
required to develop an hypothesis and experiment based on a short paragraph they are given.
The EDAT will be administered in each of the Intro Neuro courses. Laboratory skills will also
be tested in the Intro Neuro courses as students will be tasked with performing certain
techniques multiple times. Students will be tested for ability to perform specified techniques
(as determined by the neuroscience program committee) by the end of the second semester.
Citations:
[1] Ledbetter, MLS., 2012. Vision and change in undergraduate biology education: a call to
action presenation to faculty for undergraduate neuroscience. The Journal of Undergraduate
Neuroscience Education. 11(1): A22-A26.
[2] Karcher, M., Hardwick, J.C., and Thornton J.E. 2012. Identifying and using ‘core
competancies’ to help design and assess undergraduate neuroscience curricula. The Journal
of Undergraduate Neuroscience Education. 11(1): A27-A37.
[3] Crisp, KM., and Muir, GM. 2012. Assessing development of an interdisciplinary perspective
in an undergraduate neuroscience course. The Journal of Undergraduate Neuroscience
Education. 10(2): A88-A95.
[4] Sirum, K. and Humburg, J. 2011. The experimental design ability test. Journal of College
Biology Teaching, 37: 8-16.
IV. What methods will the program use for collecting and analyzing information about
student achievement of the selected Student Learning Outcomes?
Describe how the program plans to collect and analyze student performance samples (e.g.,
essays, projects, other artifacts, etc.) for purposes of assessing each selected learning
outcome. Also, consider how the program will distinguish levels of performance.
Outcomes 1-3
The neuroscience quiz will take 15-20 minutes and will be administered by faculty in the
beginning of the first Intro Neuro course and at the end of the second Intro Neuro course. All
quizzes will be returned to the neuroscience assessment committee (or subcommittee) and
graded. Grading will likely be done by automated grading (scantron). Our expectation is that
more advanced students will have higher scores and we hope to see a progression in scores
from the first introductory courses to the second.
Outcome 4
The ‘What is Neuroscience’ writing assignment will take 10 minutes and will be administered
by faculty in the beginning of the first Intro Neuro course and at the end of the second Neuro
seminar course. All samples will be returned to the neuroscience assessment committee (or
subcommittee) and graded. As described in the literature [3], assignments will be graded for
an increase in length, and complexity of argument using key terms from course content. We
expect more advanced students to increase the length of their description and the increase the
use of neuroscience and interdisciplinary terms. The ‘Term-discipline relevance survey’ will be
administered online in approximately the same time as the previous assessment. We will
measure terms that students mark as neuroscience related, mark as part of more than one
field, the overall usage of the response ‘I don’t know’. We expect more advanced students to:
recognize more neuroscience terms, to assign more terms to multiple fields and to dramatically
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decrease use of the category ‘I don’t know’.
Outcomes 5-7
Communication will be assessed in the seminar courses. For oral presentations peerevaluations will be used and students in the will be given a rubric to score the presenting
student (rubric available upon request). All samples will be returned to the neuroscience
assessment committee (or subcommittee) and scores tallied. Importantly, the presenting
student will also be able to see their tallied rubrics. We expect students to improve from the
first presentation (first seminar) to the second (second seminar). However, due the variability
in students and public speaking, it is difficult to predict how any given student will improve
between presentations. The written communication will be scored using the rubric designed
Karcher [2] and will likely be carried about by the neuroscience assessment committee (or
subcommittee) with the help of graduate students. Unlike our other assessment techniques
this assignment and rubric will be used only in the final seminar. Therefore, the assessment
committee will be assessing neuroscience writing proficiency per cohort and using the rubric
scores to as a tool to directly assess how we can better prepare cohorts to write a complex
scientific document.
Outcome 8
The EDAT requires approximately 10-15 minutes and will be administered by faculty in the
respective courses towards the end of the semester. All forms will be returned to the
assessment committee and will be scored using a rubric based on 10 criteria (rubric available
on request). The grading will likely be done by members of the assessment committee along
with other faculty and graduate student volunteers. The student scores indicate the number of
criteria that they included in their explanation with a maximum score of 10 points. The listed
criteria are ordered to reflect increasing levels of difficulty. Our expectation is that more
advanced students will have higher scores and we hope to see an increase in scores from the
first Intro Neuro course to the second. For laboratory skills, the respective faculty and
graduate assistance will assess students ability to perform a certain skill during the second
Intro Neuro laboratory. Like the writing rubric, we will use this to assess the whole cohort and
to directly measure where we need to spend more time preparing future students. For
example, if only 50% of the cohort can successfully perform a common lab task, then
neuroscience program committee will need to address whether this is a deficiency in the
curriculum for future student cohorts.
V. Program Costs
A.
B.
C.
D.
Faculty, lecturers or supportive staff required (type, level, and approximate cost).
Space or facilities required (type and approximate cost).
Equipment required (type and approximate cost).
Assistantships/fellowships required (number and approximate cost).
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E. Library resources required (type and approximate cost of both minimal and appropriate library
resources).
F. Marketing and recruiting costs
G. Other costs not covered above (type and approximate cost).
H. Total of all financial requirements for implementation of proposed degree.
I. Percentage of total cost to be borne by Continuing Education. (Provide evidence of Continuing
Education’s willingness to bear these costs).
Appendix H is a detailed roll out of the budget for the first five years of the NSCI program. The
Science Complex currently has no available classroom/lab space to accommodate this proposed
program. Consequently, the largest portion of the budget is for construction of unfinished space in the
Science Complex on the 5th floor. This space will be required in year two of the program (2017) for
core courses in the NSCI Program. Consequently, construction for this space must occur in 2016 and
be completed by fall of 2017. This accounts for the largest percentage of the budget, which is a onetime investment that will also be used for courses beyond those in the NSCI program. We have not
included any estimated cost escalations for inflation. As such, the plan assumes a zero inflation
model for program implementation. It is very likely such a model will result in fairly substantial
underfunding several years down the line, particularly in construction and equipment. The program is
going to require 1.8 additional FTELs when fully operational, which includes a half time program
coordinator. As such, the program is requesting lecture replacement costs for the time being.
VI. Appendices
A. Mission and Vision of the University, College, and Departments of the NSCI
B. Syllabi for all current courses
C. Syllabi for all new courses
D. Program Input Document - Neuroscience Program
E. Table of Neuroscience Programs in MAC
F. Letters of support from local/regional institutions
G. Abbreviated faculty vitae
H. Detailed Budget
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VII. Action of the Department/College
1. Department/School (Include the faculty votes signatures from all submitting departments/schools.)
Vote of Biology faculty:
For
Against
Abstentions
(Enter the number of votes cast in each category.)
I support this proposal. The proposed program can
without additional College or University resources.
cannot
be implemented
Department Head/School Director Signature
Vote of Chemistry faculty:
Date
For
Against
Abstentions
(Enter the number of votes cast in each category.)
I support this proposal. The proposed program can
without additional College or University resources.
cannot
be implemented
Department Head/School Director Signature
Vote of Psychology faculty:
Date
For
Against
Abstentions
(Enter the number of votes cast in each category.)
I support this proposal. The proposed program can
without additional College or University resources.
cannot
be implemented
Department Head/School Director Signature
Date
2. College/Graduate School (Include signatures from the deans of all submitting colleges.)
A. College.
I support this proposal. The proposed program can
cannot
implemented within the affected College without additional University resources.
College Dean Signature
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B. Graduate School (new graduate programs ONLY)
Graduate Dean Signature
Date
VII. Approval
Associate Vice-President for Academic Programming Signature
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Date