Degree Program Assessment Reports : View Reports

Unit: Molecular Biosciences & Biosystems Engineering
Program: Molecular Biosciences & Bioengineering (MS)
Degree: Master's
Date: Wed Nov 04, 2020 - 12:53:37 pm

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

1. Are able to understand, describe and explain fundamental core STEM science concepts and have proven the ability to comprehend and convert these concepts into experimental approaches and hypothesis driven research on biological systems.ï¿½

(1. Demonstrate comprehensive knowledge in one or more general subject areas related to, but not confined to, a specific area of interest., 2. Demonstrate understanding of research methodology and techniques specific to one’s field of study., 3. Apply research methodology and/or scholarly inquiry techniques specific to one’s field of study., 4. Critically analyze, synthesize, and utilize information and data related to one’s field of study., 5. Proficiently communicate and disseminate information in a manner relevant to the field and intended audience., 6. Conduct research or projects as a responsible and ethical professional, including consideration of and respect for other cultural perspectives., 7. Interact professionally with others.)

2. Wrote, contributed results and published articles, as primary author(s)/co-author(s), in peer-reviewed scientific journals of basic and applied molecular biosciences and bioengineering.

3. Present research at national and international conferences as evidenced by published abstracts and poster and/or oral presentations.

4. Can communicate orally and in writing in a clear, well-organized manner that effectively informs and clarifies scientific principles and laboratory techniques to others, as evidenced by provision of seminars, technical reports, dissertations or theses, providing details of scientific and scholarly activities.

5. Are well prepared for employment in the critically important and dynamic biotechnology, chemical and biosciences fields (government, academia, industry).ï¿½

(1. Demonstrate comprehensive knowledge in one or more general subject areas related to, but not confined to, a specific area of interest., 7. Interact professionally with others.)

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

Department Website URL: https://cms.ctahr.hawaii.edu/mbbe/

Student Handbook. URL, if available online: Available upon request

Information Sheet, Flyer, or Brochure URL, if available online: Available upon request

UHM Catalog. Page Number: http://www.catalog.hawaii.edu/schoolscolleges/ctahr/molecular.htm

Course Syllabi. URL, if available online:

Other:

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

Curriculum Map File(s) from 2020:

File (11/04/2020)

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 November 1, 2018 and October 31, 2020?

Yes

No (skip to question 17)

7) What best describes the program-level learning assessment activities that took place for the period November 1, 2018 and October 31, 2020? (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)

Investigate other pressing issue related to student learning achievement for the program (explain in question 8)

Other: Meeting students ono-on-one to assess their individual progress

8) Briefly explain the assessment activities that took place since November 2018.

o MBBE 610 Professional Portfolios (spring 2019 only)

o Required Assessment of Students meeting Dept. expectations (SLOs) in reflection to committee Assessment of MS Proposal

o Individual course grades

o Meeting students individually on zoom to assess their progress

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.

MBBE 610 Professional Portfolios (spring 2019)- 19 students, as a part of the course assessment

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: Graduate chair

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: Used guidelines from our MBBE handbook

13) Summarize the results from the evaluation, analysis, interpretation of evidence (checked in question 12). For example, report the percentage of students who achieved each SLO.

Estimate - 80-90% satisfactory achieved SLOs

Students who did MBBE 610 Professional Development maybe better prepared for workplace entry ( grp focus activity offered in 2019 spring).

Student placement - jobs/position of hire; faculty seem to track their own student more

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 its findings/results.

Graduate program handbook is currently under revision.

Plans in progress to promote faculty awareness of the SLOs and incorporation of these in the syllabus

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.

Grad chair regularly meets graduate students to assess their progress.

Student placement - jobs/position of hire; faculty seem to track their own student more

Our program has increased, as too the reporting mechanisms, and requested assessment, but our faculty numbers have been decreased by 25%.

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

Not applicable