University of Nebraska Kearney

Biology Graduate Program Assessment Report 2006

Submitted Fall, 2006

Graduate Program Assessment 2005-2006
Biology

Assessment Mission and Objectives

Mission

Students who successfully complete a graduate degree in Biology are able to demonstrate a strong diversified background in modern biology; have specific knowledge within their area of expertise, and are able to design and conduct original research through the evaluation of existing scientific data and literature and the collection, organization, and interpretation of scientific data, and are able to communicate the results of their work in oral and written formats.

Program Objectives

1. Students obtain diversified knowledge which builds content knowledge and critical thinking ability.
    
2. Students acquire a more detailed understanding of their chosen specialty.
    
3. Students develop critical-thinking and problem-based learning skills relating to biology.
   
   
   • students will be able to develop new ideas founded in science
      
   • students will be able to effectively explore new areas of science or other academic endeavors
      
   • students will be able to design, implement, and evaluate scientific investigations
      
   • students will be able to assess, interpret and understand data
      
    
4. Graduate students communicate scientific ideas in both written and oral formats.
    
5. Students can organize and comfortably present their scientific ideas in both oral and written formats.

Methods

A graduate student is assessed on his or her knowledge of general subject matter within the sub-disciplines of biology by requiring each student to successfully complete 27 hours of course work instructed by graduate faculty members. Students obtain diversified knowledge which builds content knowledge and critical thinking ability. These objectives are directly assessed in the following manners:

1. Students learn subject-specific content including structure and function of cells, genetics, molecular biology, anatomy, and taxonomy. This knowledge is assessed through practical examinations where students identify organisms and structures.
2. In most graduate courses, students prepare term papers which requires a critical review and synthesis of peer-reviewed literature about subjects not related directly to their thesis.
3. Whenever possible, graduate course exams contain subjective, critical thinking and problem-solving questions. Critical thinking skills require students to use scientific thought processes to evaluate case studies which apply content knowledge to novel situations.

Thesis
Students are expected to acquire a more detailed understanding of their chosen specialty. Students are assessed on the quality of their thesis and defense by relevant faculty including at least one faculty member who is external to the department.

All thesis students are expected to prepare and submit at least a portion of their thesis for publication in an appropriate peer-reviewed journal.

Research Presentation
Graduate research students are encouraged to present their research in an appropriate format (written / oral) at appropriate meeting, either on campus (Research Services Council Day) or off-campus (e.g. Nebraska Academy of Sciences, Nebraska Physiological Society, other local meetings, regional meetings such as branch meetings of the Entomological Society of America, national meetings, and international meetings).

As a measure, the percentage of students giving oral or poster presentations at regional, national or international professional meetings and the percentage of students publishing papers in peer-reviewed journals or books is tracked.

Student Interview
Interviews of students are conducted by the Chair of the Biology Department and by the Graduate Committee to evaluate student critical thinking skills.

Seminar Presentation
Graduate students are trained to communicate scientific ideas in both written and oral formats. Students are required to participate in meetings of the graduate seminar program where they will present one seminar per semester. Seminars form an important part of the student's graduate education and frequently attract faculty and student audiences from several departments. Each student delivers a seminar concerning his or her research progress to date or a one-hour departmental seminar on another topic. These presentations provide experience in presenting original scientific research. Seminars (required participation during all semesters of graduate program) are presented on a regular basis within the department.

Indirect Measures

Exit Interview
Indirect measures of student knowledge of general subject matter are assessed by student evaluation of the course material by completion of an exit interview which examines student evaluation of their own learning by the department chair and/or the graduate committee.

Results

M.S. Biology On-campus

During the 2004-2005 academic year, 12 students were enrolled in the M.S. Biology on-campus program. Six students graduated from the program. Both direct and indirect measures were used in collecting assessment data on these graduates. The number of graduates last year did not provide sufficient data for analysis and recommendations. We will continue to collect data on all students and when the number of graduates reaches a sufficient number--10-12 students--to analyze and make recommendations, we will submit this portion of the assessment report.

Masters Degree in Biology Assessment Report

To date, the Department of Biology has implemented three assessment tools for the on-campus Masters Program in Biology.

1. The Department has successfully implemented the assessment rubric for graduate student seminars. In response to shortcomings in the rubric, modifications have been made and seminar attendance has increased.

Departmental seminar presentations

Students are expected to prepare and present a 45-60 minute PowerPoint presentation for credit in Biology 880, Seminar. The seminars are attended by graduate faculty and graduate students and are presented on Friday afternoons in the Continuing Education Building. The students are required to take the one-credit hour Bio880 seminar in three separate semesters. In one semester, the student presents his or her thesis proposal. In the other semesters, the student presents a seminar on a topic of his or her choosing which has been researched in the primary literature. As part of the seminar series, all presentations are videotaped for later review.

Attending faculty fill out a seminar evaluation sheet (Rubric 2 from the Department of Biology Assessment plan). Students are also provided written feedback concerning their seminar. Thus far, 20 student presentations have been evaluated. As shown below, student presentation quality has been judged by one to seven faculty members.

Table 1. Record of average score for students presenting seminar.

Although variability of assessment is high, students who have presented a seminar in the previous semester have shown significant improvement.

Table 2. Scores for each student who has presented two or more seminars.

The evaluation sheet to judge student seminar presentations during the 2005-2006 academic year is linked.

2. The Department has also implemented the tool to assess the student thesis quality and to select the Department’s nomination for “Best Thesis Award”

2005 Best Departmental Thesis

 

  
Members of the graduate committee reviewed the theses from the eight graduate students who completed their degrees in 2005. The theses were reviewed for five traits which represent specific learning objectives. The committee members found all theses to be acceptable (all received a score of Average or higher (between 6 and 10 points). The top thesis selected was written by Nic Fryda. His thesis will be submitted for evaluation by the campus committee for consideration as the best from the College of Natural and Social Sciences.

M.S. Biology Online

During the 2004-2005 academic year 202 students were enrolled in the M.S. Biology online. 11 students graduated from the program. Both direct and indirect measures were used in collecting data on these graduates. We will be preparing the Assessment Plan for delivery in May 2006 and will begin to report data in the Oct. 2006 assessment report, based on that plan. 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.

In Biology 881, online students are required to 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 Spring semester of 2005, a total of 53 students created presentations. Using the same scoring rubric as for on-campus students, the distance student’s seminar scores ranged from 82 to 99 with an average of 92.18.

As part of the degree requirements, all online students are required to take a proctored comprehensive exam. The exam was offered for the first time during the summer of 2005 and nine students completed it. The exam consisted of 100 multiple choice questions based on knowledge gained in required classes. The scores ranged from 65 to 82. In addition to the multiple choice section, students were required to answer 4 essay questions about their final project. Scores on this portion of the exam ranged from 11/20 to 17/20. Of the 9 students taking the exam, scores ranged between 65% and 82%.

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.

1. During your independent research project, what do you believe is your greatest accomplishment?
    
2. Do you anticipate continuing to collect data in an area related to your research project, either for fun or as part of your job? Please elaborate.
    
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?
    
4. Please comment on your experiences as a Masters student. What classes did you find to be the most useful in meeting your career goals and why?
    
5. Reflecting on your experiences during the Masters program, what suggestions would you offer for improvement to the program?