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TMCC
COURSE ASSESSMENT REPORT (CAR)
Revised 09/06/20 12
Course Prefix, Number and Title: PSY 275, Undergraduate Research
Division/Unit: School of Liberal Arts
Submitted by: Paula Frioli-Peters, Ph.D.
Contributing Faculty: Paula Frioli-Peters, Ph.D.
Academic Year: 2013-2014
Assessment Semester: Fall D Spring XO
Complete and electronically submit your assessment report to your Department Chair/Coordinator/Director. As needed, please attach supporting documents and/or
a narrative description of the assessment activities in your course.
Course Outcomes
In the boxes below, summarize
the outcomes assessed in your
course during the year.
Outcome #1
Understand the process in getting
approved by !RB (Institutional
Review Board) to conduct
research with human subjects.
Outcome#2
Identifying a research topic as
proposed by the instructor, and
conduct an empirical research
including
literature review,
research design, data analysis,
and interpretation.
Assessment Measures
Assessment Results
Use of Results
Effect on Course
In the boxes below, summarize
the methods used to assess
course outcomes during the last
year.
In the boxes below, summarize
the results of your assessment
activities during the last year.
In the boxes below, summarize
how you are or how you plan to
use the results to improve
student learning.
Based on the results of this
assessment, will you revise your
outcomes? If so, please
summarize how and why in the
boxes below:
During spring 2014 I decided to
have an in class activity with
group discussions and then ask
students to write an essay (2
pages) about all the steps
involved in the process of
getting approved by the IRB.
Online search during class,
together with group discussions,
was an efficient tactic to
enhance students'
comprehension of subject.
Students' overall average was
94% on this assignment.
It is important to promote an
intense communication between
instructors that teach PSY 210 Statistics, PSY 240 - Research
methods, and PSY 275 Undergraduate Research, once
all this courses are interrelated
and students' success in
Undergraduate Research is
intimately dependent on
students' success on these other
courses.
It is very important that students
have a clear idea of the ethics
involved in doing research with
human subjects and how to get
approved by an Institutional
Review Board, thus it is
essential to keep this assignment
at a mastery level of 85%.
For the literature review students
were expected to find at least 10
peer reviewed articles, submit
the PDF file to the instructor,
write one page summary of each
article, and present the findings
of each article in class to peers
and instructor.
All students were able to
conduct literature research and
find professional articles (and
submit PDF files of articles overall average 94%). On the
abstract assessment
(summarization of articles), the
overall average of the class was
78%. There were 2 students
Instructors should work on ways
to improve students' awareness
of commitment to data collection
and group work. In this
economy students are in general
stressed, sleep deprived and
have poor ability to compromise.
Providing some exercise that
improve interrelationshi ps
Working on students stress
management, communication
skills, responsibility towards
peers will improve data
collection and expectations
towards the course, consequently
improving students' ability of to
perfonn at the university level.
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A
TMCC
COURSE ASSESSMENT REPORT (CAR)
Course Prefix, Number and Title: PSY 275, Undergraduate Research
Division/Unit: School of Liberal Arts
Submitted by: Paula Frioli-Peters, Ph.D.
Contributing Faculty: Paula Frioli-Peters, Ph.D.
Academic Year: 2013-2014
Course Outcomes
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Assessment Measures
Assessment Results
uata collectton and ana1ys1s was
assessed through power point
and oral presentation made to
the class in mid-term exam and
during poster session.
w1tn senous personal problems
that did not submit assignments
and lowered the overall average
of the class.
Due to previous assessments
indicating students' difficulty in
communication skills and group
work, during spring 2014 the
instructor provided more in class
opportunities for group work,
and emphasized the importance
of group responsibility and
behavior. In spring 2014, to
improve students' ability to be
comfortable with data collection,
the instructor asked students to
perfonn a pilot study before data
collection. This assignment was
extremely beneficial for students
to get used to proper
methodology- following the
scrip. Students have always
expressed their concern with
statistical analyses. I worked
closely with PSY 210 instructor,
inviting the instructor to come to
my class at least 3 times during
the semester to provide support
to students.
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Use of Results
between students, dtscussmg
mechanisms to cope with stress,
helped students to become more
responsible and have better peer
interaction.
The use of a pilot study was also
crucial for proper data
collection.
Instructor needs to provide more
statistical discussion - exercises
during the course.
Effect on Course
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A
TMCC
COURSE ASSESSMENT REPORT (CAR)
Course Prefix, Number and Title: PSY 275, Undergraduate Research
Division/Unit: School of Liberal Arts
Submitted by: Paula Frioli-Peters, Ph.D.
Contributing Faculty: Paula Frioli-Peters, Ph.D.
Academic Year: 2013-2014
Course Outcomes
Outcome#J
Write papers for publishing and
grants, and present papers in
scientific meetings.
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Assessment Measures
Previous assessments have
indicated students' inability to
write a paper in proper APA
format. During Spring 2014 I
provided students with a 200
points rubric for grading their
papers. The rubric criteria were:
Format (paper written with all
specifications of format:
margins, font size, paragraphs,
and sections of the paper - max
20 points); APA Specifications
(paper has all the parts of a
research paper, first page,
abstract, introduction, methods,
results, discussion and
references - max 70 points);
Content (paper contains up to
date background infonnation
about the topic, description of
methods and data analysis,
discussion and interpretation of
results, conclusions correlate
findings with literature review max 100 points), References
(proper in text citation and
alphabetical references in last
part of paper- max 10 points).
The ability the present scientific
results was evaluated by the
Assessment Results
Use of Results
Effect on Course
For the Research Paper the
overall average of the class was
78% with subsequent specific
averages for each criteria: for
Format the class average was
93%, for APA Specifications
the class average was 89%, for
Content the class average was
63% (with great difficulty on
relating results to literature
review), and on References the
class average was 94%.
Assessment of students' ability
to present data in power point
presentations indicated that
students were creative and
comfortable with use of
technology for artistic goals
(class average on power point
presentation was 89%). On the
criterion communication (ability
to present papers in scientific
meetings) the class average was
79%.
The use of an APA template and
asking students to start writing
on the fonnat since the
beginning of the semester helped
students get more comfortable
with the format and APA
specifications. It is very
important to work with the
English department and Tutoring
Center to provide students with
opportunities to develop critical
thinking and communications
skills. Giving proper incentive
for students to write papers is
instructors' most important task.
The interaction between
instructors from different areas
will increase students'
perfonnance and instructors'
interrelations. The comfortable
relationship between PSY 210
and PSY 275 instructors in the
classroom made students more
confident and comfortable with
peers and instructors. This is an
example of how interdisciplinary
relations can improve course
content, expectations, and
students' ability to perform.
power point and by the oral
presentation that each student
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A
TMCC
COURSE ASSESSMENT REPORT (CAR)
Course Prefix, Number and Title: PSY 275, Undergraduate Research
Division/Unit: School of Liberal Arts
Submitted by: Paula Frioli-Peters, Ph.D.
Contributing Faculty: Paula Frioli-Peters, Ph.D.
Academic Year: 2013-2014
Course Outcomes
Assessment Results
Assessment Measures
made on mtd-tenn and durmg
the poster session in the end of
the semester.
Use of Results
Effect on Course
I
Please enter your name and date below to confirm you have reviewed this report:
Title
Date
Name
Department Chair/Coordinator/Director
Dean
1r-
Vice President of Academic Affairs and Student Services
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