Program: Cell & Molecular Biology (PhD)
Degree: Doctorate
Date: Thu Oct 09, 2014 - 8:46:52 am
1) Below are your program's student learning outcomes (SLOs). Please update as needed.
1.Sufficient breath and depth of knowledge to assume responsibility for teaching classes in Cell and Molecular Biology at least at the undergraduate level, and teaching experience in these and related topics;
2. Knowledge of the process of research, including: familiarity with techniques for searching the literature; principles of measurement; and practical experience in the design and conduct of scientific experiments, collection of data, and interpretation of data sufficient to enable students to interpret current literature, and to embark upon the next level of development as researchers;
3. Familiarity with the mechanics of scientific reporting sufficient to enable students to prepare a publication for a scholarly journal and sufficient to enable students to successfully prepare applications for various types of funding;
4. Experience with oral presentation of material sufficient to enable students to prepare and deliver reports on their work at seminars or meetings of scientific societies; present posters, give seminars and short presentations;
5. A degree of understanding and scientific maturity sufficient to enable students to assess the work of others;
6. An understanding of the administrative procedures common to academic departments.
2) Your program's SLOs are published as follows. Please update as needed.
Department Website URL: www.hawaii.edu/cmb/ Student Handbook. URL, if available online: www.hawaii.edu/cmb/
Information Sheet, Flyer, or Brochure URL, if available online: UHM Catalog. Page Number: 393-94, 242-244 Course Syllabi. URL, if available online: http://www2hawaii.edu/~lesaux/cmb621/Home Other: Portions are distributed to prospective applicants by e-mail Other: 3) Select one option:
- File (03/16/2020)
4) For your program, the percentage of courses that have course SLOs explicitly stated on the syllabus, a website, or other publicly available document is as follows. Please update as needed.
0% 1-50% 51-80% 81-99%
100%5) Did your program engage in any program assessment activities between June 1, 2013 and September 30, 2014? (e.g., establishing/revising outcomes, aligning the curriculum to outcomes, collecting evidence, interpreting evidence, using results, revising the assessment plan, creating surveys or tests, etc.)
Yes No (skip to question 14)6) For the period between June 1, 2013 and September 30, 2014: State the assessment question(s) and/or assessment goals. Include the SLOs that were targeted, if applicable.
We targeted Question 1, SLO #3. Familiarity with the mechanics of scientific reporting sufficient to enable students to prepare a publication for a scholarly journal and sufficient to enable students to successfully prepare applications for various types of funding to support their research.
Our curriculum committee identified a need for development of grant writing skills and have designed a course in the essentials of grant writng.
7) State the type(s) of evidence gathered to answer the assessment question and/or meet the assessment goals that were given in Question #6.
This past year each student in the class gave an oral presentation to the grant writing class and then did an application for a fellowship or grant with the help of the course Instuructor and volunteer mentors. The students also formed small groups and critiqued each other.
8) State how many persons submitted evidence that was evaluated. If applicable, please include the sampling technique used.
The first class consisted of 8 students. They each gave an oral presentation that was evaluated by the class and instructor and other faculty mentors.
The 8 students then each did a fellowship or grant application with the help of the Instructor and faculty mentors.
These applications were submitted and reviewed by outside reviewers.
9) Who interpreted or analyzed the evidence that was collected? (Check all that apply.)
Course instructor(s) Faculty committee Ad hoc faculty group Department chairperson Persons or organization outside the university Faculty advisor Advisors (in student support services) Students (graduate or undergraduate) Dean/Director Other: 10) How did they evaluate, analyze, or interpret the evidence? (Check all that apply.)
Used a rubric or scoring guide Scored exams/tests/quizzes Used professional judgment (no rubric or scoring guide used) Compiled survey results Used qualitative methods on interview, focus group, open-ended response data External organization/person analyzed data (e.g., external organization administered and scored the nursing licensing exam) Other: 11) For the assessment question(s) and/or assessment goal(s) stated in Question #6:
Summarize the actual results.
The 8 students filled in a course evaluation form at the end of the course.
All 8 students felt it was valuable to learn how to write each section of a grant or fellowship application and especially appreciated the review process with faculty members.
During the course, each student was able to meet one on one with a faculty member and have their application reviewed and corrected.
This course was given in Spring 2014. No grants or fellowships were awarded for these applications so far but many constructive comments were received from outside reviewers.
Three students are now independently writing their 2nd fellowship applications.
12) State how the program used the results or plans to use the results. Please be specific.
Our new grant writing course has turned out to be such a success that we had several faculty sit in along with the 8 students.
Further refinement of this new course will take place over the next couple of years.
Students expressed a wish for a more streamlined schedule and clear expectations and examples of assignments.
The instructor felt that more time was needed to fully explore the different types of grants and has asked to increase the class time from 1 hour to 2 hours per week next year.
We intend to make this course a graduation requirement.
Students from the Department of Tropical Medicine, Medical Microbiology and Pharmacology are interested in the course and at least 3 of their graduate students and one faculty member will be involved when the course is offered again in Spring 2015.
13) Beyond the results, were there additional conclusions or discoveries?
This can include insights about assessment procedures, teaching and learning, program aspects and so on.
N/A
14) If the program did not engage in assessment activities, please explain.
Or, if the program did engage in assessment activities, please add any other important information here.
N/A