Degree Program Assessment Reports : View Reports

Unit: Chemistry
Program: Biochemistry (BA)
Degree: Bachelor's
Date: Mon Dec 10, 2018 - 11:39:26 am

1) Program Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) and Institutional Learning Objectives (ILOs)

1. Cognitive Learning Objectives: Students will become well grounded in laws and theories of chemistry, including how to use quantitative measurements and spectroscopy to analyze molecular structure.

(1a. General education, 1b. Specialized study in an academic field, 2a. Think critically and creatively, 2b. Conduct research, 3a. Continuous learning and personal growth)

2. Cognitive Learning Objectives: Students will demonstrate an understanding of the fundamental principles of biochemistry, including structural and mechanistic understanding of the major pathways of metabolism, biosynthesis, replication, transcription, and translation.

(1a. General education, 1b. Specialized study in an academic field, 2a. Think critically and creatively, 2b. Conduct research, 3a. Continuous learning and personal growth)

3. Cognitive Learning Objectives: Students will demonstrate a qualitative and quantitative understanding of biomolecular structure and reactivity, and the manner by which enzymes can catalyze chemical reactions that transform biomolecules.

(1a. General education, 1b. Specialized study in an academic field, 2a. Think critically and creatively, 2b. Conduct research, 2c. Communicate and report, 3a. Continuous learning and personal growth)

4. Cognitive Learning Objectives: Students will develop the ability to use the scientific method to ask meaningful questions, to design experiments to address these questions, to acquire and critically analyze the data, to draw appropriate conclusions, and to communicate the results and conclusions in both written and oral format.

(1a. General education, 1b. Specialized study in an academic field, 2a. Think critically and creatively, 2b. Conduct research, 2c. Communicate and report, 3a. Continuous learning and personal growth)

5. Cognitive Learning Objectives: Students will learn how to use the biochemical literature and databases to obtain relevant published information.

(1b. Specialized study in an academic field, 2a. Think critically and creatively, 2b. Conduct research, 2c. Communicate and report, 3a. Continuous learning and personal growth)

6. Skills-Based Learning Objectives: Students will be able to prepare solutions, buffers, and standards, to use appropriate instrumentation to make accurate measurements, and to statistically analyze the data.

(1a. General education, 1b. Specialized study in an academic field, 2a. Think critically and creatively, 2b. Conduct research, 3a. Continuous learning and personal growth, 3c. Stewardship of the natural environment)

7. Skills-Based Learning Objectives: Students will be able to use modern instrumentation and computational tools to record data pertaining to the structure of molecules, to interpret the data using 4 appropriate mathematical models and statistical analysis, and to propose structures consistent with the data.

(1a. General education, 1b. Specialized study in an academic field, 2a. Think critically and creatively, 2b. Conduct research, 2c. Communicate and report, 3a. Continuous learning and personal growth)

8. Skills-Based Learning Objectives: Students will be able to grow microorganisms in order to purify, characterize, and manipulate small biomolecules, proteins, and DNA.

(1b. Specialized study in an academic field, 2a. Think critically and creatively, 2b. Conduct research, 3a. Continuous learning and personal growth, 3c. Stewardship of the natural environment)

9. Skills-Based Learning Objectives: Students will be able to use modern instrumentation to monitor biochemical reactions catalyzed by enzymes and to analyze the resulting data to extract meaningful thermodynamic and kinetic information.

(1b. Specialized study in an academic field, 2a. Think critically and creatively, 2b. Conduct research, 2c. Communicate and report, 3a. Continuous learning and personal growth, 3c. Stewardship of the natural environment)

2) Your program's SLOs are published as follows. Please update asneeded.

Department Website URL: http://manoa.hawaii.edu/chem/academics/undergraduate/

Student Handbook. URL, if available online:

Information Sheet, Flyer, or Brochure URL, if available online: http://manoa.hawaii.edu/chem/academics/undergraduate/

UHM Catalog. Page Number: http://www.catalog.hawaii.edu/schoolscolleges/arts-sciences/departments/chem.htm

Course Syllabi. URL, if available online: http://manoa.hawaii.edu/chem/course-program/undergraduate/

Other:

3) Please review, add, replace, or delete the existing curriculum map.

Curriculum Map File(s) from 2018:

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.

1-50%

51-80%

81-99%

100%

5) Does the program have learning achievement results for its program SLOs? (Example of achievement results: "80% of students met expectations on SLO 1.")(check one):

Yes, on some(1-50%) of the program SLOs

Yes, on most(51-99%) of the program SLOs

Yes, on all(100%) of the program SLOs

6) Did your program engage in any program learning assessment activities between June 1, 2015 and October 31, 2018?

Yes

No (skip to question 17)

7) What best describes the program-level learning assessment activities that took place for the period June 1, 2015 to October 31, 2018? (Check all that apply.)

Create/modify/discuss program learning assessment procedures (e.g., SLOs, curriculum map, mechanism to collect student work, rubric, survey)

Collect/evaluate student work/performance to determine SLO achievement

Collect/analyze student self-reports of SLO achievement via surveys, interviews, or focus groups

Use assessment results to make programmatic decisions (e.g., change course content or pedagogy, design new course, hiring)

No (skip to question 17)

Investigate other pressing issue related to student learning achievement for the program (explain in question 7)

Other:

8) Briefly explain the assessment activities that took place.

Assessment activities at the undergraduate level have focused primarily on student success in our General and Organic Chemistry courses, assessing SLOs 1,2, and 4. In particular, in the last three years, we have experimented with three different models of "4th hours" and assessed their effectiveness at improving outcomes for these SLOs, as measured by our DFWI rates for each instructor that participated.

Additional assessment activities during this period have been in response to feedback from the American Chemical Society's last programmatic review. In particular, we have been focusing on modernizing Chem 274L, a key laboratory for SLOs 2,5,6,7,8,10, and 11.

9) What types of evidence did the program use as part of the assessment activities checked in question 7? (Check all that apply.)

Artistic exhibition/performance

Assignment/exam/paper completed as part of regular coursework and used for program-level assessment

Capstone work product (e.g., written project or non-thesis paper)

Exam created by an external organization (e.g., professional association for licensure)

Exit exam created by the program

IRB approval of research

Oral performance (oral defense, oral presentation, conference presentation)

Portfolio of student work

Publication or grant proposal

Qualifying exam or comprehensive exam for program-level assessment in addition to individual student evaluation (graduate level only)

Supervisor or employer evaluation of student performance outside the classroom (internship, clinical, practicum)

Thesis or dissertation used for program-level assessment in addition to individual student evaluation

Alumni survey that contains self-reports of SLO achievement

Employer meetings/discussions/survey/interview of student SLO achievement

Interviews or focus groups that contain self-reports of SLO achievement

Student reflective writing assignment (essay, journal entry, self-assessment) on their SLO achievement.

Student surveys that contain self-reports of SLO achievement

Assessment-related such as assessment plan, SLOs, curriculum map, etc.

Program or course materials (syllabi, assignments, requirements, etc.)

Other 1:

Other 2:

10) State the number of students (or persons) who submitted evidence that was evaluated. If applicable, please include the sampling technique used.

Grades from approximately1100 students in the various treatment groups were compared to our historical data (control group) to assess SLOs 1,2, and 4.

Feedback from our national accrediting body, faculty and students drove changes to SLOs 2,5,6,7,8,10, and 11

11) 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:

12) 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:

13) Summarize the results of the assessment activities checked in question 7. For example, report the percentage of students who achieved each SLO.

A recent attempt using undergraduates assistants (LAs), who undergo weekly preparation and complete a pedagogical course, to facilitate discussion among groups of students has shown some success at improving outcomes for SLOs 1,2, and 4. Evidence in support of this statement is the class average was about 6% higher in Sp18 Chem 162 (GenChem II) incorporating LAs compared to our 5-year average and a concurrent Chem 162 section without LA-led sections. The most significant impact was seen in converting "D" into "C" students. In comparison, another model used in Chem 272, organic chemistry I, led to no statistically significant improvements.

14) What best describes how the program used the results? (Check all that apply.)

Assessment procedure changes (SLOs, curriculum map, rubrics, evidence collected, sampling, communications with faculty, etc.)

Course changes (course content, pedagogy, courses offered, new course, pre-requisites, requirements)

Personnel or resource allocation changes

Program policy changes (e.g., admissions requirements, student probation policies, common course evaluation form)

Students' out-of-course experience changes (advising, co-curricular experiences, program website, program handbook, brown-bag lunches, workshops)

Celebration of student success!

Results indicated no action needed because students met expectations

Use is pending (typical reasons: insufficient number of students in population, evidence not evaluated or interpreted yet, faculty discussions continue)

Other:

15) Please briefly describe how the program used the results.

We have expanded the use of the LA program to all Chem 162 section (Fall 2018) and will be offering LA-led discussion sections for select students in Chem 161 (GenChem I) and 272 (OChem I) in Spring 2019. More data collection with a larger cross-section of students is needed still.

16) Beyond the results, were there additional conclusions or discoveries? This can include insights about assessment procedures, teaching and learning, and great achievements regarding program assessment in this reporting period.

None

1) Program Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) and Institutional Learning Objectives (ILOs)

1. Cognitive Learning Objectives: Students will become well grounded in laws and theories of chemistry, including how to use quantitative measurements and spectroscopy to analyze molecular structure.

2. Cognitive Learning Objectives: Students will demonstrate an understanding of the fundamental principles of biochemistry, including structural and mechanistic understanding of the major pathways of metabolism, biosynthesis, replication, transcription, and translation.

3. Cognitive Learning Objectives: Students will demonstrate a qualitative and quantitative understanding of biomolecular structure and reactivity, and the manner by which enzymes can catalyze chemical reactions that transform biomolecules.

5. Cognitive Learning Objectives: Students will learn how to use the biochemical literature and databases to obtain relevant published information.

6. Skills-Based Learning Objectives: Students will be able to prepare solutions, buffers, and standards, to use appropriate instrumentation to make accurate measurements, and to statistically analyze the data.

8. Skills-Based Learning Objectives: Students will be able to grow microorganisms in order to purify, characterize, and manipulate small biomolecules, proteins, and DNA.

9. Skills-Based Learning Objectives: Students will be able to use modern instrumentation to monitor biochemical reactions catalyzed by enzymes and to analyze the resulting data to extract meaningful thermodynamic and kinetic information.

2) Your program's SLOs are published as follows. Please update asneeded.

3) Please review, add, replace, or delete the existing curriculum map.

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.

5) Does the program have learning achievement results for its program SLOs? (Example of achievement results: "80% of students met expectations on SLO 1.")(check one):

6) Did your program engage in any program learning assessment activities between June 1, 2015 and October 31, 2018?

7) What best describes the program-level learning assessment activities that took place for the period June 1, 2015 to October 31, 2018? (Check all that apply.)

8) Briefly explain the assessment activities that took place.

9) What types of evidence did the program use as part of the assessment activities checked in question 7? (Check all that apply.)

10) State the number of students (or persons) who submitted evidence that was evaluated. If applicable, please include the sampling technique used.

11) Who interpreted or analyzed the evidence that was collected? (Check all that apply.)

12) How did they evaluate, analyze, or interpret the evidence? (Check all that apply.)

13) Summarize the results of the assessment activities checked in question 7. For example, report the percentage of students who achieved each SLO.

14) What best describes how the program used the results? (Check all that apply.)

15) Please briefly describe how the program used the results.

16) Beyond the results, were there additional conclusions or discoveries? This can include insights about assessment procedures, teaching and learning, and great achievements regarding program assessment in this reporting period.

17) If the program did not engage in assessment activities, please justify.