University of Nebraska Kearney

Biology Distance Graduate Program Assessment Report 2006

Submitted Fall, 2006

Distance MS Biology Assessment, 2005-2006
M.S. Biology Online

Demographics

During the 2005-2006 academic year 304 students were enrolled in the M.S. Biology online program. Of these students, 186 are female and 118 are male. The students in the distance program are from 45 different states and 4 foreign countries (South Korea, Canada, Iraq, and Afghanistan).

Graduates

24 students graduated from the program during the 2005-2006 academic year.  Both direct and indirect measures were used in collecting data on these graduates.  The Online degree is a non-thesis option but students take all the same required classes as on-campus M.S. students and are assessed based on the same materials.

Direct Measure of Grade Performance in Biology 881

In the most direct comparison, online students enroll in the 1-creidt hour Biology 881 for a total of three semesters during their program.  They watch pre-recorded seminars and then prepare their own seminars on current topics.  The students create PowerPoint presentations and use voice recording to deliver the seminar.  During the 2005-2006 academic year, a total of 113 students created presentations at least once.  41 students enrolled in at least two semesters of Biology 881.

Using the same scoring rubric as for on-campus students, the distance student’s seminar scores ranged from 63 to 100 with an average of 85.8%.  Students who took seminar a second time improved their scores by an average of 4.87% to 90.75%.

Exit Exam

As part of the degree requirements, all online students are required to take a proctored comprehensive exam.  The exam was administered to eighteen students during the 2005-2006 academic year.  The exam consists of 80 multiple choice questions based on knowledge gained in required classes.  In addition to the multiple choice section, students are required to answer 4 essay questions about their final project.  Of the 18 students taking the exam, scores ranged between 66% and 91%.  The student who scored 66% was required to take an additional written exam which the student passed with 88%.  Although the exam scores appear to reveal a downward trend, several explanations the averages are driven by small sample size and by a student who started the program as an on-campus student and then finished as a distance student without all of the currently required classes.

 The essay portion of the exam was assessed using the Masters Comprehensive Exam Scoring Rubric.

Distance Biology students also filled out a written exit interview consisting of five questions.

Exit interview questions.  This section is not graded.  Please give us an honest evaluation to aid in improving our program.

Included here are a portion of student responses to these questions.  The Biology Department is using the student responses to improve the distance program and its offerings. 

Question 1. During your independent research project, what do you believe is your greatest accomplishment? 

Student 1.  “The fortitude to choose, revise and formulate a problem for study. First instincts is well it isn’t significant but what I have found out that you revise your study to potentially get you meaningful results. To fight through the investigation feedback and all of the work for IRB to finally begin the study!”
         
Student 2: “I think my greatest accomplishment was conceiving of a project and seeing it through to completion. I feel great that I was able to answer some questions which may impact trumpeter swan management. Actually doing the project from start to finish as a distance student without the benefit of a university system was difficult. I had mentors in the Iowa DNR, but they were not a lot of help with the actual design of the experiment.”
 
Student 3: “The hardest part that I found to my project was analyzing the data and concluding the research. The background research methods and conducting the research did not prove to be incredibly difficult. After completing the analysis, graphs and conclusion, I felt as if I had finally done something and was ably to see the end product. Knowing that all the work was finally wrapped up and that I could show results was an enormous accomplishment.”

Student 4: “Getting it finished in a timely manner. Hoback is correct –time management is critical. I also suffered serious writers block and some of the blues.”

Student 5: “Getting the annotated bibliography done. That was the credit hour that required the most work, by far. Aside from that, just the knowledge that I did the whole thing from start to finish.”
         
Student 6: “My greatest accomplishment was that fact that I successfully identified over 1,000 chironomids to genus level with a large degree of accuracy. In addition, another major accomplishment for me was that I was able to utilize the data I collected in order to make conclusions regarding the health of a major water body of southeast South Dakota and Northeast  Nebraska.”

Student 7: “The grant proposal for my project was my greatest accomplishment. It showed me how to organize information in a concise introduction and write a convincing proposal. It is me belief that I have since been awarded a $20,000 grant for classroom equipment.”

Student 8: “Designing, performing and completing the project. Given my personal experience and very little outside influence, I was able to design an experiment that could be replicated and very inexpensive in cost (affordable to secondary schools). It provided a demonstration of how water quality can be improved, effects of water quality on a key species and involved student enrichment activities.”

Student 9: “I loved my research project. It started as a 420 project and I was able to carry it through. The fact that I spent nearly two years on research and data collection and had an end result that showed significant difference was encouraging. I loved working in the lab and the sense of accomplishment that I felt directing and conducting my own research was fulfilling. Perhaps the greatest accomplishment is that my work served as the basis for a manuscript submitted to NABT’s journal by Dr. Shaffer. The paper is going to be published and I will be listed as an author.”
 
Student 10: “My students were excited about science when I worked on my research in class. They talked to their families about what we were doing and they made out of class observations. Many came to me offering information, observations, or insects they had collected. I was able to touch students with this research who normally do not like science, and that was exciting. Strong science students were also able to improve their skills.”

Student 11: “Actually coming up with what I consider a viable project. I stayed away from independent research during my undergrad work for this very reason. I hate to admit it but I already have some other ideas floating around in my head. You guys actually made me enjoy the process.”

Question 2. Do you anticipate to collect data in an area related to your research project, either for fun or as part of your job? 

Student 1: “I do anticipate collecting more data. A professor at Chaldron State College and I plan to continue collecting chironomids from streams, ponds, rivers and lakes and use the collected taxa to delineate relationships about water quality.”
 
Student 2: “I would love to be I am not sure when I’ll get back to southern Spain, the next few years are probably out, but if Jason does not get back in the military, I would be interested in finding an advisor for a Ph.D. program who would let me start the project.”

Student 3: “I may continue to work on it in related areas of nutrition claims with my students in the classroom”

Student 4: “A great deal of colleagues, students and parents reside around the lake where I conducted my research. While conducting background research, gathering sample, analyzing data. I had the opportunity to discuss the project in depth with many of them. I also discussed future possibilities and extensions off the research I was conducting. The research project that I chose to do also makes for an interesting classroom experience. There are a wide varieties of possibilities that exist to continue and extend this research. I anticipate using this research as part of my classroom activities in the following year.”

Student 5: “Yes, as aforementioned in question 4, I will continue to do research in this area. It is ironic, for years I have thought about doing this or that but until someone (like Dr. H.) instructs you to how and why I couldn’t  get going. Now I foresee myself doing some small projects the next few years.”

Student 6: “The first statement one of my mentors made after my presentations was, “we’ll see you in the office Monday, won’t we?” I told him that I needed to take two weeks off to write my  paper, but I’d be back. I plan to help maintain the database, help with swan relocations and help answer any other questions. I’ll work as a volunteer.”

Student 7: “I actually do have some other ideas possibly in the works. I live in a very unique area in regards to deer and deer hunting in general and have got a lot of ranch/landowners interested in setting up quality deer management programs. Most of which stemming off of my impromptu aging speeches at the check station and at school. I’d like to set up regional data for antler size based upon age class of bucks, effects of artificial watering sites (water tanks) in regards to deer distribution and food plot establishment in a region with 8-12” rain per year. So much to do…..so little time.”

Student 8 “I want to do some type of project similar to this every year. I would like to have my students develop an inquiry question and take them through the research project. It is fun to see students answering a question that they think has merit.”

Student 9: “Yes, I teach general biology at a community college and perform a small part of my research in a lab during the semester.”

Student 10: “Probably not. I’m going to stay in teaching, at least for a while, so it wouldn’t be job related. We’re generally supposed to steer away from having the students do micro labs with potentially pathogenic bacteria. For fun….I would probably just make myself paranoid about how dirty my kids’ bath toys are. I imagine I’ll find other things to test out and look into in my garden or with my students.”

Student 11 “Depending on my teaching assignment I plan on continuing part of the project on a annual basis. The pH viability (survivability) of dragonfly nymphs was a very interesting part of my project. The students were really involved and animated during that part of my project. I would like to continue it to other aquatic species. As for oxidation, I think I will alter it study carbon and how it works as a filter and as a lab activity.”

Question 3. Based on your expectations and desires for pursuing an advanced degree prior to enrolling at UNK, how successful was this program in accomplishing your goals? 

Student 1: “I feel the program definitely helped me meet my goals. As a matter of fact, I was able to change jobs into a career requiring a masters degree this last august. Another of my original goals was to increase my depth of knowledge, and that has definitely happened. My question, when does the distance doctorate program start?”

Student 2: “I am very happy. My goal was to attain a degree for work benefit, but to my surprise I got enthusiastic about learning. Biodiversity and evolution gave me my most gratification. I dreamed of being a reconstructive ecologist (I think that is the name) and just the other day with my knowledge of new curriculum design I dreamed of authoring a textbook on ecology utilizing themes and contents from project 20610 NSES (formative, assessments, inquiry….). This degree will likely help me attain a better position in reproductive biology.”

Student 3: “This program was a grueling one. It was difficult in a way that forced you to take personal responsibilities for your own learning. I have learned not only a great deal of biology but a great deal more on what, how and why to teach in biology. I feel that I exceeded my expectations about myself and what I hoped to accomplish. I have also  realized my intense hunger for knowledge of the natural world.”

Student 4: “It is good. Much more difficult and time consuming then I had thought. I appreciate Hoback’s kindness and encouragement.”

Student 5: “In pursuing an advanced degree, I wanted to challenge myself intellectually and add to my skills as a scientist. I feel that this program has done both for me. The classes I took at UNK stimulated thinking and honed me into a better writer. It has also allowed me to experience research and feel comfortable conducting research on my own.”

Student 6: “I am incredibly satisfied with the overall end result. I as well al literally everyone around me were astounded by the quantity of paperwork required. I literally cussed a couple of professors for the 40-60 page tests but just recently was brought in by an associate as well as one of m principals to teach them how to do research. It appears it has all been very worth it.”

Student 6: “I am glad that I entered this program. It was more difficult than I thought it would be, but now that it is over I can say that I’m glad that I stuck with it. Having a degree in biology instead of science will help in giving me opportunities down the road. The local community college has already contacted me about teaching a class next fall.”

Student 7: “This program was extremely successful in allowing me to accomplish my goals. I live in a rural area, commute to work and have a young family. I would never have been able to get my masters degree had it not been for this program.”

Student 8: “Well, my main goal was to learn more about biology, and I definitely accomplished that! I’ve always agreed with the statement that the more you know, the more you realize how much you don’t know. I’ve got a reading list of books I hear about from my classes. My other goal was to move on the salary schedule at my job and I’ve definitely done that, but without the time and financial extra expense of driving to campus all the time – that was a huge benefit.”

Student 9: “This program was critical in accomplishing my goal. At the time I started this program I was unaware of any other program that was affordable to me and flexible enough for me to complete. The knowledge gained in this course of study has improved my lectures and broadened my knowledge base for educating my students.”

Student 10: “I believe that without this program I would not have been able to complete a masters degree in biology. The time commitment for other programs was simply too much for someone with full time job and family obligations. It was very difficult but that’ makes me appreciate it more than I would a masters degree in education. The masters in biology will also allow me to reach my ultimate goal of teaching at a community college.”
Student 11: “I think there has been a huge improvement made in the program since I started 9 ½ years ago. When I first started as a grad student, I didn’t start working on a thesis because I wanted my own project ( as opposed to doing someone else’s research) but didn’t know where to begin, especially in writing grants and getting funding. I wish I would have had Dr. Hoback’s Intro to Grad Studies instead of the one I took. It looks to prepare the students better for their project and for the real world after college.”

Question 4. Please comment on your experiences as a Master’s student. What classes did you find to be the most useful in meeting your career goals and why? 

Every course offered through the Biology Department’s distance MS program was mentioned by at least one respondent.  More than 60% of students responded that Evolution and Biological Perspectives were useful to their career goals.

Question 5. Reflecting on your experiences during the Masters program, what suggestions would you offer for improvement to the program? 

Student 1: “Be sure that all professors who are teaching feel positively about the distance learning model. Offer a Doctorate program.”

Student 2: “Since I joined the program, there have been many changes that have been successful and some that have not. Improvements that have already that would greatly increase the program are getting more experience for the instructors. As they get more experienced, they understand the difficulties that can arise with a distance program and draw on that experience to find solutions. This is something that is already happening and will continue in time. The net improvement would be to offer more classes, but this goes hand in hand with the instructors gaining more experience.”

Student 3: “Call your students. It is very difficult not to get to feeling like and overwhelmed cog in the wheel. I teach 300 students and still find time to call every home by the end of the year for a positive chat. I know that the work load for the instructors is horrendous , but to be honest so is mine, when on the first lecture the instructor says “don’t call me” then it totally removes the second best line of communication. Face to face is best and e-mail is third.”
Student 4: “Nothing really. Occasionally there was the rather nasty e-mail or discussion board announcement/posting from a professor. But…communicating over the internet is often difficult. I’m glad Dr. Albrecht put together the guidelines. I remember writing an email to Dr. Skinner expressing my frustration 9not with her , she was great always) about the lack of  coherence for formatting. The problem was not so much the different styles desires by some professors but not knowing that the style one was using was unacceptable and getting marked off for it. How were we supposed to guess or know which style they wanted when the semester before the one we were using was acceptable? I was/am much appreciative of the fact all the faculty members are understanding of the fact we all have things outside the program that take up our time but that they don’t compromise the quality of the education. You guys are doing great. Keep it up. We appreciate it.”
           
Student 5: “I would suggest a curriculum with a stronger emphasis in preparing the student for research. I believe making statistics a requirement before the last three hours of research would be helpful. This would allow students the capability of analyzing their data confidently without a heavy reliance on advisors.”

Student 6:” The huge tests that require 40-60 hours to complete are a little extreme. Maybe trimming them down to 5-7 questions or doing a single questions per week would make it more manageable.  Require  the Intro to Grad Studies class before the research class. I feel really sorry for these new students jumping straight into research. The intro to grad study class – excellent beyond words and answered a lot of questions plus cut down the work load to be required in research.  Without using names there are a couple Prof’s that need to speed up correspondence and grading. An e-mailed question answered a week later is far from fulfilling my expectations for a Prof. The same with papers returned long after the second paper was due.  Other than these week spots, the program and the majority of the new staff since I graduated in “90 are excellent and to be commended quite highly.”

Student 7: “Overall, my experience was good. When I was finished, I had a difficult time keeping my self confidence up. My lowest grade in the program has been an A-, but I was struggling to believe I could do the required work. Some of the instructors thought we needed to work harder. I don’t have a problem pushing myself, but I didn’t always understand what was expected of me. I would put in about 40 hours on an exam and had one returned with a D. I felt like giving up. The class average ws a D but I was left with so much anxiety that it was crippling. I had a hard time getting over those experiences. The grades were curved down the road, but it was difficult to do the work when I was always on a failing(lower than a B) boarderline.”

Student 8: “Put all lectures on a DVD format.  Have instructors post material 3 to 4 weeks ahead so that we can work ahead and be more efficient at time management. Honestly, this is a fantastic program and I have few suggestions to make it any better. I took a class this semester from UNL’s distance offerings and it was a joke in comparison to the quality of UNK’s program.”

Student 9: “I know its hard logistically, but I really enjoyed that lab parts that we did get a chance to do – like the liver and milk experiments. It would be nice to have more of that. The ecology classes were all good, but I have liked more cell level and smaller classes. Advances in genetics would have been great. The sound quality on the tapes really improved from my 1st semester to the last, but it would really be so much more convenient and less bulky in a DVD format – also more portable when away from home.”

Student 10: “I personally didn’t like the switch everyone made to small group discussion boards in the last few semesters instead of the regular full discussion boards. It took a lot of time sometimes to wade through the bigger boards, but I felt the discussion were better there with more points of view. The group summaries just weren’t the same. Plus, I lost touch with students I had met on earlier classes when they were in the class, but not in my small group. It’s hard enough to get a connection with people online. Everyone did get more efficient and clear as the program went on – as far as procedures and things.”

Student 11: “As a whole concerns that I had early in the program have been addressed, (tape quality, feedback on exams). The only suggestion that I would have would be for a mentoring program, lack of a better term, for distance students. Even though chat rooms and discussion board were available sometimes these forums didn’t seem appropriate to address questions on. Maybe other  students were able to ask each other questions off site, however it would be nice to have who has completed or nearly completed the program to offer insight to time management, stress etc. that traditional masters students don’t experience.(not to say traditional students don’t have this but they also experience face time with peers.) as an online student, esp. courses that did not have a blackboard component or virtual classroom requirement I felt out on a limb or even with both requirements felt at a loss of what was expected. Granted everyone felt that way, to be sure, at times. It is like the student in class that is afraid to ask the question during class but will ask another teacher or student outside of class. As a recommendation having someone act as a mentor/contact/confident to provide feedback may benefit the program.
All in all the program is very well ran, it meets the needs of the students. Instructors are responsive and easy to work with.”

Response to Student Suggestions:

These student comments and others are being addressed by the department of Biology.  The Department implemented a distance mentoring program using on campus MS students who become friends and resources for distance students.  The Department has transitioned from VHS tapes to DVD, CD, or video streaming for all offerings.  Communication is being improved with co-teaching of larger classes and with the addition of faculty such as Dr. Tamara Smith.

The Biology department is committed to continuing improvements to the distance MS program.  These improvements will be based on direct and indirect measures of student performance and on feedback provided by the students.