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Objectives to be met by Biology majors at UW-River
Falls
Portfolio requirements for biology majors
Professional and graduate school entrance tests
Surveys of students after graduation
BIOLOGY DEPARTMENT ASSESSMENT PLAN PHASE 1
The following goals/objectives are established by the Biology Department to be met by students graduating from UW-River Falls with a major in Biology:
1. Students will demonstrate knowledge and comprehension of basic biological principles, concepts and theories, including the ability to evaluate and synthesize information and ideas.
2. Students will demonstrate the ability to communicate technical information relating to biological topics in written materials and oral presentations.
3. Students will demonstrate competency in the acquisition, analysis, organization, evaluation and presentation of scientific data, including technical facility in accomplishing laboratory and field procedures and the use of appropriate equipment and instrumentation.
4. Students will demonstrate the ability to understand, analyze and evaluate original research literature in their chosen area of biology.
5. Students will demonstrate the ability to compete effectively for entry level employment and graduate or professional schools in their chosen area and the ability to be successful in these endeavors.
The following methods of assessment will be used to evaluate student outcomes in the areas described above.
1. FACULTY ASSESSMENT OF STUDENTS IN COURSES -
Biology faculty will assess students' progress in achieving the stated goals/objectives in each course in the major using appropriate measures. These measures will include objective and essay examinations, written assignments, laboratory work and oral presentations. They will be evaluated by the individual faculty teaching each course and examples will be included in the student portfolio (see below).
| Note: The portfolio (described in the formal statement below) will include a web-page document as a component, with links to assignments from various courses in the major. The completed portfolio will be assessed in Senior Colloquium (Biology 410). Techniques for compiling an electronic portfolio will be taught in Freshman Colloquium. |
"A portfolio will be kept for each biology major. For students entering the university as biology majors, the portfolio will be started when the student takes Biology 100 or 110, whichever comes first. For transfer students or those changing to a biology major after entering the university, the portfolio will be started when they take their first biology course as a biology major at UWRF. The portfolio will be maintained by each student's academic advisor and will be an extension of the student file currently used. The portfolio will contain the information now included in student files such as the ACT profile, placement exam scores and records of course grades. In addition, the portfolio will contain at least one example of the student's work from each course taken by the student in the major. Examples of such documents might include exams, papers, laboratory reports and other written assignments. By graduation, the portfolio must contain at least three examples of written work other than exams and at least three items that represent laboratory or field work. At least one of the items must include analysis of original research literature. The item(s) to be included from each course will be selected by the student to represent her/his best work in that course. The portfolio will include the written reports from all independent study, internship and study abroad credits accepted toward the major. It is the responsibility of the student to see that these items are placed in the portfolio."
3. STANDARDIZED COMPREHENSIVE GENERAL BIOLOGY
TEST -
Graduating seniors in biology will complete the ETS Major Field Achievement Test in biology. This will allow the department to compare its graduates with national norms and provide valuable feedback on areas of the curriculum that may need to be strengthened.
Graduating seniors in biology will complete an exit level survey. This will provide information on students' perception of strengths and weaknesses of the biology program. It will also be used to collect data on students' plans and their status relative to employment and acceptance into graduate and professional schools.
5. PROFESSIONAL AND GRADUATE SCHOOL ENTRANCE TESTS -
The results obtained by students who complete standardized tests in applying to graduate or professional schools will be collected and tabulated. This will provide additional comparisons to national samples of students.
6. SURVEYS OF GRADUATES AFTER GRADUATION -
Surveys will be sent to graduates one to five years after graduation as part of the existing five year program review cycle. This will provide information on students success in employment and graduate or professional schools and the quality of their preparation in biology at UWRF.