PROGRAM ASSESSMENT PLAN
Undergraduate Chemistry Program
Leading to B.S. and B.A. Degrees
1. OBJECTIVES of the program.
 Employment as a practicing chemist, or

Entrance into a graduate program in chemistry or a related field

Entrance into a professional degree program (e.g., medicine, dentistry, law, or
veterinary science).
2. How the department will know the extent to which OBJECTIVES are achieved.
 Survey of alumni distributed via email annually

Survey of faculty advisors regarding plans/actions of graduates.

CHM 419 course where students will be surveyed at the end regarding their plans
after graduation.
3. LEARNING OUTCOMES of the program.
 Mastery of basic and advanced chemical concepts.

Mastery of fundamental laboratory techniques

Proficiency in using instrumentation commonly found in modern chemistry
laboratories and the ability to interpret the data obtained from these instruments

Ability to write in a style proper for reports in scientific journals and the ability to
give scientific presentations of an appropriate quality

Mastery of basic computer programs commonly used in scientific work
4. MEASURES that will be used to assess the learning outcomes
 The American Chemical Society (ACS) standardized exam is given in CHM 453,
a required course for all Chemistry majors

Our capstone course, CHM 419, is required by all ACS certified Chemistry
majors. The faculty instructor will ask students enrolled via survey how well they
feel they have met the five outcomes in 3 above with possible answers from: very
well, fairly well, not well, cannot judge, and any comment they may have about
each

Survey from capstone course CHM 419 will be sent via email annually to reassess
alumni graduating one, three and five years previously
5. How learning outcomes are made MEASURABLE and BENCHMARKS or other
determinants of success.
 Average American Chemical Society standardized exam results from CHM 453
should equal or exceed national norms

Benchmarks will be set when the first data become available from CHM 419 (see
2 above) and alumni survey (see 2 above).
6. Process by which FINDINGS will be derived from the measures.
 The department Undergraduate Studies Committee will review and compile the
data results of 4 above from CHM 453 and surveys from CHM 419 annually after
the courses are offered in spring quarter

Results from one, three and five year reassessment from 4 above will be compiled
by Undergraduate Studies Committee.
7. The process by which findings are analyzed to determine what IMPROVEMENTS
should be made to better meet objectives and learning outcomes.
 The Department Undergraduate Studies Committee disseminates the results from
6 above to the department faculty and chair.
•
The Department Undergraduate Studies Committee officially reports results
annually at a department meeting. The department decides if changes in courses
and/or curricula are appropriate.
8. Identify a TIMETABLE for assessment.
 The survey of alumni in 2 above will be emailed annually

The reassessment of one, three and five year alumni from 4 above will be emailed
annually

CHM 419 and CHM 453 in 4 above are offered once a year and, accordingly,
results will be compiled and reviewed annually
9. Briefly explain how the program’s assessment plan supports and interacts with
ACCREDITATION and LICENSURE requirements (if applicable).

The American Chemical Society reviews the department programs for
accreditation every five years; this was just completed in the 2003/2004 academic
year
10. Describe how the objectives and learning outcomes of the program are
COMMUNICATED to students and others.
 Objectives and expected learning outcomes are distributed in a Student Handbook
and posted in front of the department office

The University’s Undergraduate Catalog lists course requirements for the
different degree programs.

Course syllabi provide specific information on learning objectives and methods of
assessment for the topics covered