Los Angeles Valley College
Student Learning Outcomes Assessment Report
Courses and Programs
Discipline: Biology
Department: Biology
Program/Course: Biology 22
Semester/Year: Spring 2015
SLO Representative: Gary Kovnat
Department Chair: Sara Huang
I. Student Learning Outcome Assessed
II. Description of Assessment Method
a. Describe the assessment tool (e.g., student
essay, performance, etc.)
b. Describe how the data was analyzed (rubric
elements, etc.). Attach rubric if applicable.
*** Please keep all data for at least 3 years.
III. Description of Sampling Methodology
a. Course Sections - How many sections of this
course were offered?
If there were more than one section offered –
i) State if the sections were offered in the
morning /afternoon /evening/ online.
ii) How many sections were assessed?
iii) Describe how these sections represent the
diversity of students represented in the
course.
b. Faculty - How many faculty (part-time and
full-time) taught this course? How many
faculty participated in the SLO assessment
Students will acquire skills necessary to identify local marine organisms of the
Southern California coast.
a. Students were assessed using answers they provided on a final lab
practical involving taxonomic classification of local flora and fauna.
b. A rubric was established to assess each students comprehension of
the following topics regarding tidal variation, 1=Limited ability to
correctly identify phylum, spelling weak, 2=Some phyla correctly
identified, spelling phonetically correct, and 3=Most phyla correctly
identified, spelling accurate most of the time.
a. Two sections of this course were offered during the spring semester,
2015, both during the day. One section was assessed; all sections
accurately reflect the diversity of students represented in the course.
b. One full-time and one adjunct faculty taught this course during the
spring semester, 2015; only the full-time faculty member participated in
this assessment.
c. 56 students were enrolled in Biology 22 at the end of the Spring 2015
semester; half were assessed (28).
d. Student assessments were sampled based on enrollment in the
assessed sections; all students from one section were assessed.
process?
c. Students - How many students in total were
enrolled? How many students were
assessed?
d. Sampling (If this course offered more than
one section, at least 1/3 of the total # of
students must be assessed) - How was the
sampling process conducted? (e.g., chose
every 3rd student from roster)
IV. Collaborative Review
a. n/a
V. Assessment Results
a. Based on the rubric, the first category of assessment (phylum
identification) resulted in an average of 1.80/3.00 (3 being highest) or
60% success. The second category (accurate spelling of taxa) had a
slightly higher result (2.10/3.00 or 70%). These results suggest that
our students possess a marginal ability to identify invertebrate and agal
taxa, but an acceptable ability to accurately spell the taxonomic
nomenclature. These results should be improved; however, the 2nd
category of the rubric indicated acceptable performance.
a. We will use these results to further emphasize skills required for
predicting tidal patterns for tide pool visitation. To improve institutional
effectiveness, we will consider better coordinating lecture and lab
topics in intertidal biology.
b. We should consider requiring students to further practice taxonomic
classification in lab. No further resources will be required.
c. The major emphasis of Biology 22 with respect to the program
outcomes is global awareness. These assessment findings suggest
that students have a limited ability to identify and scientifically classify
local taxa. These skills are applicable to local coastal areas. But can be
applied anywhere in the world.
a. Describe the norming process and how interrater reliability was achieved (if applicable).
a. Describe the relevant findings according to
the criteria set by the assessment tool. (e.g.,
report results according to rubric evaluation
criteria)
VI. How Results were Used for
Course/Program Improvement
a. Describe how the results are going to be used
for the improvement of teaching, learning, or
institutional effectiveness based on the data
assessed.
b. List any additional resources necessary to
implement the improvement plan.
c. How do your assessment findings contribute
to the achievement of your Program SLO’s?
(To access the program SLO’s http://lavc.edu/slo/programassessment.html/
and/or contact your Department Chair for the
Program Alignment Grid).
d. Describe how results will be shared with
others in the discipline/area.
d. Results from this assessment will be shared with other members of the
department during subsequent department meetings.
VII. Comparison to last SLOAC Cycle
Results (if this is the first time the course
was assessed, leave this section blank)
a. Please state the improvement plan that was
included in the report from the previous
SLOAC cycle.
b. What changes were implemented from the
previous SLOAC cycle’s improvement plan?
What changes, if any, were made that were
not included in the improvement plan? What
changes, if any, were made to the
assessment process?
c. How are the results from this SLOAC cycle
similar to or different from the results from the
previous cycle?
a. We are continuing to coordinate lab and lecture topics to improve
institutional effectiveness. No changes were made to the improvement
plan.
b. The assessment process was not modified.
c. This is the first assessment of SLO 1 for Biology 22. However, the 2nd
SLO has been assessed twice because we are attempting to line up
both SLOs each assessment period.
Insert Rubric or Assessment Tools below:
Biology 22 SLO 1 Assessment Rubric
Students will acquire skills necessary to identify local marine organisms of the Southern California coast.
Rubric elements:
a. Taxonomic classification, including phylum identification.
b. Accurate spelling of taxa.
Rubric elements scored on a scale of 1-3 (3 = highest score):
1= Limited ability to correctly identify phylum. Spelling weak.
2= Some phyla correctly identified. Spelling phonetically correct.
3= Most phyla correctly identified. Spelling accurate most of the time.