STATUS REPORT FOR APPLIED SCIENCE B.S. PROGRAM
Degree: B.S. in Applied Science
Date of Review: December 2008
Program Director: Charles Bomar
PRC Consultant: Bill Murphy
Purpose of the Review: To assess the quality of the B.S. degree program in Applied Science as part of a
mid-term review cycle required of all new UW-Stout degree programs.
Issues of Concern
1. Recruitment of students in numbers
and quality to sustain the program
2. Retention of students
3. Scheduling concerns, especially
courses scheduled unpredictably
4. Communication regarding the total
program and current requirements and
options among advisors, students and
faculty
5. “Lack of attention to people skills”
6. Depth of research background and
other preparation for advanced studies
(course content)
7. Name recognition of the degree
“Applied Science”
8. Frequency of Advisory Board meetings
9. Lab facilities are out-of-date, and
require reconfiguration to support
courses
Source
Program director’s report and student survey
Key instructor survey
Program director’s report and student survey
Student survey, program committee survey,
program director’s report and key instructor survey
Quote from program committee survey
Program director’s report; student survey; program
committee survey and key instructor survey
Program director’s report; student survey; program
committee survey and key instructor survey
Program committee survey
Program director’s report and key instructor survey
Current Status of the Following Issues:
1.
Recruitment of students in numbers and quality to sustain the program
Significant effort has been made to work with the Admissions office and first-year advisors to
identify what our concentrations are and what potential students could do for a career with our
concentrations. Moreover, we have continued to emphasize the need for math skills entering the
program. We have also developed and organized new concentrations, including Environmental
Science. A pre-professional track has been identified and a pre-professional advisor has been
assigned (Marcia Miller-Rodeberg) to help manage incoming students.
http://www.uwstout.edu/programs/bsas/preprof.html We recognize that the addition of the preprofessional programs will attract numerous students who aspire to a professional career but will
not have the capacity to enter into these programs. We believe the program provides enough other
skills to provide graduates with opportunities to enter other science professions.
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2.
Retention of students
Retention of students will always be an issue. Managing class sizes in the freshmen seminar,
development of the Life Sciences Community, and faculty engagement in the Science Club all
represent opportunities to help Applied Science students identify their career goals. We believe
students with realistic identified career goals are likely to be successful in the Applied Science
Program. Once goals are identified, students are appropriately assigned to faculty of like interests.
3.
Scheduling concerns, especially courses scheduled unpredictably
Scheduling will always be an issue until a critical mass of students in each concentration is present,
allowing for more frequent offerings of program courses. Department Chairs in Biology,
Chemistry and Physics are in communication regarding the needs of the program. Unfortunately,
students’ timetables do not always coincide with university timetables. A programmatic goal of
having at least 200 students we believe will increase our ability to offer courses more frequently,
thereby reducing conflicts. Moreover, most concentrations have built-in flexibility with 10-14
selective credits.
4.
Communication regarding the total program and current requirements and options among
advisors, students and faculty
The program sheets have been updated on a regular basis and an advisory handbook was
developed and presented to all faculty, first-year advisors (Denise Goers), and Admissions
(Melissa Haggerty). Moreover, we have developed 4-year plans for each concentration and this
information can be easily reached at: http://www.uwstout.edu/programs/bsas/bsas_hb.pdf
5.
“Lack of attention to people skills”
Results of the Self-Study report suggest that increased communication between students and
faculty advisors is necessary. The program identifies students’ interests as freshmen and for
transfer students in freshmen seminar (APSC-101). Students’ interests are now matched to faculty
interests for advisement purposes. Moreover, students doing research with faculty are also
partnered for advising.
6.
Depth of research background and other preparation for advanced studies (course content)
Since the inception of the Applied Science program, departments have had to manage the
transition from providing service and general education courses. Chemistry and Physics have
traditionally taught courses as integrated in Engineering and Construction and are well developed
courses. Biology, which traditionally has taught a vast majority of the general education science
curriculum, has had to revise its entire curriculum. There is now a concentration track biology
sequence for Biotechnology (BIO-135, 136, 235, 370, 470) and Environmental Science (BIO-111,
135, 136, 350 and 444). General Education components have been removed from upper division
biology courses for a more appropriate concentration-focused offering. This has allowed the
increase of the content and rigor of these courses. Moreover, many biology courses now integrate
research experiences in the classroom.
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7.
Name recognition of the degree “Applied Science”
Applied Science is an umbrella but with the addition of biotechnology and environmental science,
the concentrations have become the brand and instead of the program.
We are in the process of producing individual concentration flyers to further define and promote
each concentration. At some point in time, larger concentrations may consider moving out of the
Applied Science program under their own banner.
8.
Frequency of Advisory Board meetings
Traditionally, meetings have been scheduled in the fall for the program committee, and in the
spring for the industry advisory board. In the past, our program committee has been well attended
with a dynamic membership. On the other hand, our advisory board continues to be an issue with
nonresponsive members. We have assigned each program the responsibility of identifying at least
two willing representatives who represent their industry/profession. Environmental Science has
been able to identify appropriate representation for the advisory board; Biotech, Nanoscience and
Material Science have not responded to this request.
9.
Lab facilities are out-of-date, and require reconfiguration to support courses
With the construction of a new $43.2M facility with updated lab spaces, state-of-the-art equipment,
these problems should be self-correcting. Faculty, staff, administration have all played a part in
building design to best suit the needs of 21st century learners.
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