University of Nebraska Kearney

Chemistry Assessment Report 2005: Goal 1

Submitted Fall, 2005

Department Learning Goal #1 -- Upon completing a course required for a Chemistry degree, students will have developed the ability to critically evaluate and solve problems through the application of appropriate chemistry principles.

Measurement Tools and Participants

The learning objectives associated with Department Learning Goal #1 were measured in two ways:

Standardized national exams (Direct Measure category 1. a. i.) produced by the American Chemical Society (ACS).  Participants were all students in the following courses, each of which has an associated subject-specific ACS Exam.

Direct measure 1. a. ii. – local final exams – were used for assessing academic achievement in CHEM 145 (Introductory Chemistry) and 150 (Introduction to Organic & Biochemistry).  Participants were all students in these courses.  Instructors divided their final exam questions into sections corresponding to material covered in the course. While individual exam questions may vary slightly from year-to-year, the types of exam sections and relative weighting will remain consistent.

Benchmark criteria for successful achievement:

• Standardized national exams -- student exam scores will average at or above the 50^th percentile (the national average)

• CHEM 145, 150 Exams -- The average score on each exam section for each course will be no lower than 70%.  If this benchmark is not met in three successive years, the format and delivery of the course will be reviewed and modified as appropriate.  

Only CHEM 160 failed to meet the benchmark criterion.  Exceptional results are noted for the Instrumental Analysis (CHEM 475) and Physical Chemistry (CHEM 481) Dynamics exams.  Future standardized exam results from all of the above courses will be monitored.  Three successive years of failing to meet the benchmark criterion will trigger a more detailed review.

*did not meet benchmark criterion

Scores from two content areas in CHEM 145 failed to meet the benchmark criterion.  This is the second year in a row for the intermolecular forces contact, while it is the first year for the states of matter content.  Future exam results will be monitored.  For any content area, three successive years of failing to meet the benchmark criterion will trigger a more detailed review.