Direct Measure
As part of the degree requirements, all online students are required to take a proctored comprehensive exam. The exam was administered to seventeen students during the 2006-2007 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 research project. The essay question will be graded using the Masters Comprehensive Exam Scoring Rubric.
Graduate students are trained to communicate scientific ideas in both written and oral formats. Students are required to take Current Issues in Biology over three semesters. Current Issues in Biology, Biology 881 is structured to have distance students watch the seminars presented in Biology 880, Seminar during the previous semester. Students then discuss the seminars in group discussions, supporting their arguments with outside readings. In addition, students take online quizzes over seminar materials. As a final course requirement, each student delivers a seminar concerning his or her research progress to date or a one-hour seminar on another topic. Distance students construct PowerPoints with notes and/or voice recordings and present their findings. All distance students will be evaluated by members of the graduate faculty using the Seminar Evaluation Sheet.
Indirect Measures
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 30 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:
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. 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 research project.
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. The Course Specific Content Rubric was used to evaluate the syllabi for the two required courses (Biology 820: Introduction to Graduate Studies and Biology 802: Organic Evolution) in the program. This served as a pilot study.
Indirect measures of student knowledge of general subject matter are assessed by student evaluation of the course material by completion of an exit interview. The exit interview consisted of five open-ended, written questions and was part of the comprehensive exam students completed at the end of their program:
- During your independent research project, what do you believe is your greatest accomplishment?
- 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.
- Based on your experiences and desires for pursuing an advanced degree prior to enrolling at UNK, how successful was this program in accomplishing your goals?
- 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?
- Reflecting on your experiences during the Masters program, what suggestions would you offer for improvement to the program?
Objective
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Participants
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Evaluators
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1, 2, 3
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all students using Exit Interview
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Graduate faculty
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