BIO 100 – Student Learning Outcomes Assessment Team (SLOAT)
Fall 2011 Final Report
Lynn Wilson and Ezdehar Abu Hatab
__________________________________________________________________
Introduction
BIO 100 is a beginning laboratory science class for students who plan to continue into medical,
biological or related sciences. This course covers selected biology topics and introduces
examples of physical science vocabulary and theory related to biological study.
The aim of BIO 100 is to provide a background to the student who has never studied biology in
order to increase the chance of success in more advanced biology courses such as BIO 103 –
104, BIO 121 – 122, and BIO 211. It is notable that since BIO 100 is a foundations course, the
material taught in this course is (or should be) designed to introduce new concepts, ideas,
terminology etc. to students who have either no background in biology and are seeing it for the
first time or for those who need a refresher (including returning, older or foreign students). This
course also prepares students for chemistry, pharmacology and nursing requirements. Topics
addressed include the following: systems, tissues, inorganic and organic body chemistry, cells,
cell membranes and cell respiration. The laboratory course component includes measuring
instruments, microscopy and dissection techniques. While there are four BIO 100 course goals,
we decided to assess the following one in this study:
[Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to do the following:]
Course Goal #1 – Explain terminology and fundamental concepts relevant to the structural
organization of the human body, homeostasis and anatomical regions and cavities.
Purpose
The purpose of the Spring 2011 SLOAT study was to assess the level of student mastery of
various measurable course performance objectives (MPOs) related to the BIO 100 course goal
given above and to one other BIO 100 course goal, as well as to evaluate specific multiplechoice questions embedded in exams to determine their validity and course levelappropriateness. This follow-up Fall 2011 assessment study continued to look at student mastery
of various course learning objectives that dealt with terminology as it relates to the human body.
We chose to focus on the anatomical aspects – Course Goal #1 – of BIO 100 because our Spring
2011 results identified student underperformance in this area; i.e., showed that students were
uncomfortable with this material and had some difficulty grasping human anatomy terminology.
BIO 100 – 1
Methodology
For this assessment study, one section of BIO 100 was used – Section 001 – which was taught by
a full-time faculty member. After covering one of the major topics included in the Introduction
Chapter of the text used for this course, a total of 24 students were given an assessment activity
handout entitled Maintaining Life (see Appendix A of this report) and were then asked to match
the items from Column A (definitions of systems of the body) with answers from Column B (the
names of the systems of the body). Note that since this topic is taught at the beginning of the
semester, the assessment activity handout was distributed during the second week of classes. In
addition, the first four chapters of the current Anatomy and Physiology text book are covered in
BIO 100 because these chapters contain information on basic topics that are universal to both
A&P I (BIO 121) and General Biology I (BIO 103).
Results
The student learning outcomes data collected during this study consists of the results of the
Maintaining Life assessment activity. Student performance on each matching question was
examined to determine specifically which topics were most difficult for students to grasp. (See
Appendix B of this report.) Unfortunately, because this handout was considered supplemental to
course requirements, only 13 of the 24 students completed and handed in the assignment.
From the graph detailing student performance on the assessment handout questions included in
Appendix B, it is obvious that overall, students did very well on these questions. Based on these
results, it is possible to conclude then that many students achieved BIO 100 Course Goal #1. We
found that most students did well on the majority of the questions, and that only a few students
had some difficulty with at least one aspect of the assignment. Specifically, 6 of the 13 (46%)
students who completed the assignment answered all (9 out of 9) questions correctly; 3 students
(23%) answered 8 out of 9 questions correctly; and the remaining 4 students (31%) answered 7
out of 9 questions correctly.
Of the 9 questions on the handout, question #9 gave students the most trouble. It stated “At the
cellular level, membranes; for the whole organism, the skin.” Its answer was “Maintenance of
Boundaries.” In order for students to grasp the concept of boundaries as it pertains to the human
body and to draw correlations between two seemingly separate objects, including critical
thinking exercises and/or interactive software would be helpful in the course. Furthermore,
exploding models (Bioflix) would aid students in seeing the components of the human body at
different levels. Exploring the use of technology in the classroom, such as iPads and other
appropriate digital devices used by students and faculty might also aid in increasing student
knowledge as well as in conducting student outcome assessments.
Conclusion
In examining the collected SLO assessment data, there are some considerations that must be
taken as well as some conclusions that may be drawn. One such consideration is that the course
BIO 100 – 2
was taught by a full-time professor who was familiar with the course and also with the students
who populate the course. Having taught the course for many years and having gained an
understanding of the students and their academic goals, the professor made sure that the subject
matter was presented to the pupils in a manner that may have made it possible to do well on the
assessment activity assignment. The students were not only given a lecture on anatomical
terminology, but the information was reinforced by reviewing the information at the end of the
lecture and answering any questions posed that pertained to the topic. In addition, extra work
was given, such as a handout of examples of the function of systems of the body. This may have
affected the collected student learning outcomes assessment data of this study.
Lastly, BIO 100 is considered a “supplemental course” in that students who take Foundations of
Biology are usually looking to advance to more difficult or rigorous courses such as Anatomy
and Physiology, General Biology and other higher-level biology courses. In order to prepare
students for these challenging subjects, it is necessary that they be able to think critically about
concepts in biology. By implementing in the course some of the suggestions mentioned above,
students who pass BIO 100 successfully will be better prepared to compete with others in the
higher-level courses and later in their chosen fields of study.
BIO 100 – 3
APPENDIX A – BIO 100 Maintaining Life Assessment Activity Handout
Directions: Match the terms pertaining to functional characteristics of organisms in Column B
with the appropriate descriptions in Column A. Fill in the answer blanks with the appropriate
letter or term.
Column A
Column B
_________
1. Keeps the body’s internal environment distinct
from the external environment
A. Digestion
_________
2. Provides new cells for growth and repair
B. Excretion
_________
3. Occurs when constructive activities occur
C. Growth
_________
4. The tuna sandwich you have just eaten is broken
down to its chemical building blocks
D. Maintenance of
Boundaries
_________
5. Elimination of carbon dioxide by the lungs and
elimination of nitrogenous wastes by the kidneys
E.
Metabolism
_________
6. Ability to react to stimuli; a major role in the
nervous system
F.
Movement
_________
7. Walking, throwing a ball, riding a bicycle
G. Responsiveness
_________
8. All chemical reactions occurring in the body
H. Reproduction
_________
9. At the cellular level, membranes; for the whole
organism, the skin
BIO 100 – Appendix A – 1
APPENDIX B – BIO 100 Maintaining Life Assessment Activity Handout
Results
13
12
#
11
10
o
f
S
t
u
d
e
n
t
s
9
# of Correct
Responses
8
7
6
# of Incorrect
Responses
5
4
3
2
1
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Question #
Question #
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
System of the Body
Responsiveness
Growth
Reproduction
Digestion
Excretion
Responsiveness
Movement
Metabolism
Maintenance of Boundaries
BIO 100 – Appendix B – 1
8
9