Weber State University
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BotanyResults of Assessment 2000-2001 (submitted 09/11/01) The Botany Department Student Learning Outcomes fall into three major categories:
Knowledge and Comprehension: Action Taken: Assessment of student knowledge and comprehension in Botany was basically placed in a hiatus status during the last two academic years because: (a) Through semester conversion we combined three quarter classes into one major semester class which resulted in a loss of opportunity to meet with only majors early enough in their program of studies to administer a formal Pre-Test (as we had in one research design class for our majors under quarters). (b) The ongoing assessment planning in the Department was going to have a significant impact upon our Portfolio requirements and until we all agreed upon the outcomes needing to be assessed and the resulting curriculum revision, administering a Pre- and Post-Test was postponed until next year. (c) The curriculum has been completely revised and more assessment opportunities have been built into each course and the program assessment plan has been revised accordingly. Future Plans (2001-02): (a) Use the new sophomore-level course "Botany 2121 "Career Planning for Botanists" to provide the opportunity to explain our Portfolio requirements and their values, explain the other aspects of the program such as Thesis requirements, motivate students to develop valuable skills for post- graduation purposes, and to deliver the Pre-Test to each incoming student. This course will be taught for the first time in Autumn 2001. (b) Administer Post-Test in capstone senior seminar course each semester.
Skills Development: (a) Field and Laboratory Research Skills, (b) Critical Thinking Skills, (c) Problem-Solving Skills, (d) Communications Skills, (e) Computer Skills, (f) Information-Seeking Skills, (g) Cooperative/Social Responsibility Skills, and (h) Self-Assessment Skills. Action Taken: (a) Skills a-d were, and continue to be, assessed at the conclusion of each upper-level course as well as the capstone senior seminar and senior thesis. The other skills were assessed in the senior capstone courses. Self-assessment opportunities were accorded graduates in an exit interview prior to graduation in spring 2000, Autumn 2001, and Spring 2001. Exit Interview: The Botany Department conducted its first formal exit interviews of graduates in spring 2000, Autumn 2001, and Spring 2001. Information was gathered on graduates through the following questions: (a) How long did your degree studies take? (b) What motivated you to choose Botany and now do you feel about having made that choice? (c) What recommendations do you have for improvement of the Botany program? (d) What did you find most useful/not useful? (e) How would you assess the advisement you received from all levels from the laboratory manager, to the professors, secretary, and advisement centers? (f) Could you assess yourself with regard to the three areas of expected learning outcomes identified by the Department of Botany? (g) What are your future short-term and long-range plans? (h) What ideas might you share with the department regarding the curriculum? (i) Do you feel you have had a good understanding of University Policies and Procedures as they affect students? (j) Are there any additional comments you wish to make? The results of these exit interview were discussed in a Department meeting this autumn and spring. Results of the spring 2001 interviews will be discussed in the department this autumn. Results: On the plus side of the ledger: (i) Each graduate was extremely pleased with their experiences at W.S.U. (ii) The Department of Botany is a small but caring department. The course offerings are diverse providing an excellent overview of botany. (iii) Advisement at the department level is excellent though one student was not clear as to how best to get advice. (iv) The curriculum restructuring idea of the department is an excellent idea. Having two "tracks" or emphases will be more attractive to students since not every student needs or wants to go to graduate school. (Though students on Track B may still be able to be admitted into Graduate School.) The present chemistry requirement for graduate school is perceived to be too extensive for non-graduate school-bound majors. On the recommendation side of the ledger: (i) Some departmental required courses are too time consuming especially during the senior year with many required courses taken then. Should have a "weeding" early rather than late in the program. The new curriculum requirements will provide students with more options reducing this concern, however. (ii) Students should be encouraged to take advantage of more advisement. (iii) The department should develop more information seminars for its majors. For example: How should students best prepare to meet the Portfolio requirement? How should students best prepare to write a scientific paper? How should a student best approach a thesis topic and research? (iv) The department should develop a Botanical Latin course. (v) The department should offer more "Topics" courses. (vi) Need more options or emphases for the major. The requirement for a Chemistry minor is too restrictive of other opportunities. (vii) Need more hands-on, outdoor activities and more extensive and diverse field trip opportunities. (viii) Need to develop more internship opportunities for students. (ix) Students need an opportunity to take some classes for fun - not just for fulfilling a major requirement, i.e., need more elective courses. (x) Need a statistics course specifically related to Biology. Future Plans (2001-02): (a) We will continue to assess skills in each upper-level course and the capstone experiences, however, more detailed and formal inclusion of these assessments will be part of the student Portfolios whose requirements have been revised. Use of the newly revised Portfolios will be made in 2001-02. (b) The department has worked very hard in restructuring its curriculum during this past year and has no plans to modify this new curriculum for some time to come. (c ) The new course entitled: "Career Planning for Botanists" will become the one where students will be introduced to the expected learning outcomes and the assessment of these expected outcomes during their undergraduate experience. We will also introduce students to additional skills including How to write a scientific paper or report, and How to conduct information research in the sciences. These skills will be added to our Portfolio as additional skills required. (d) We do need to develop more internship opportunities for our students but often those available are not taken advantage of since in many cases our students are not in a position to leave the state for such experiences. These issues could also be dealt with in the above mentioned course. It has been encouraging over the last two years to seen just how many new internship opportunities have become available and now not all of these have been filled. (e) Student desires to participate in additional field-trip opportunities have both financial resource and personnel implications. Intensive field-trips conducted in the recent past have not been very pleasant experiences and have burned-out certain faculty. Issues of liability on such extended trips into Mexico have further dampened faculty enthusiasm to take on this added responsibility.
Values: Action Taken: Inasmuch as the way we plan to assess this area is through the Portfolio process and this was in revision during 2000-2001, not much other than increasing dialogue with students has taken place. Future Plans (2001-02): The revised Portfolio requirement will be implemented this autumn and data will be collected at the completion of the student Portfolio reviews. Only preliminary data will be available since the revision of the portfolio requirements and initiation of these is just beginning in an informal way and will be formalized in Autumn of 2001. Mission Statement / Student Learning Outcomes / Curriculum Grid / Assessment Plan / Contact Person |
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