Unit: Life Sciences
Program: Biology (BA, BS)
Degree: Bachelor's
Date: Thu Oct 11, 2012 - 8:39:01 am

1) Below are your program's student learning outcomes (SLOs). Please update as needed.

Student Learning Outcomes

Assessment Data-Collection Method

1. Students will be able to apply a scientific process.

Ø  Design and conduct experiments

Ø  Generate, test, and analyze hypotheses

Ø  Develop laboratories techniques with laboratory safety

Ø  Check students’ laboratory notebooks.

Ø  Observe students as they perform a laboratory practical on a specific technique

2. Students will be able to communicate about biological science.

Ø  Write scientific laboratory reports, research proposal, and poster boards.

Ø  Demonstrate ability to use scientific journals, periodicals, and electronic media to access current biological information.

Ø  Demonstrate ability to evaluate journal articles from the primary literature.

Ø  Prepare and deliver oral reports on scientific findings.

Ø   Review students’ written laboratory reports, research proposals, and poster boards.

Ø   Evaluate students’ oral presentations in various courses

3. Students will be able to recall foundational biological information necessary for entering post-baccalaureate school or entering a career in the biological sciences.

Ø  Demonstrate understanding of cell structure, cell physiology, and molecular processes of cells.

Ø  Demonstrate understanding of the principles of organismal physiology, evolution, and ecology.

Ø  Demonstrate understanding of the relationship between cellular/molecular and supraorganismic principles.

Ø   Students’ answers on exams that are similar to the standardized tests.

Ø   Obtain students’ results on different standardized tests.

Ø  Senior capstone experience

Ø   Research papers 

Ø  Student portfolios

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

Department Website URL: http://manoa.hawaii.edu/biology/?q=content/student-learning-outcomes
Student Handbook. URL, if available online:
Information Sheet, Flyer, or Brochure URL, if available online:
UHM Catalog. Page Number:
Course Syllabi. URL, if available online:
Other:
Other:

3) Select one option:

Curriculum Map File(s) from 2012:

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, 2011 and September 30, 2012? (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 June 1, 2011 to September 30, 2012: State the assessment question(s) and/or assessment goals. Include the SLOs that were targeted, if applicable.

SKIP

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.

8) State how many persons submitted evidence that was evaluated. If applicable, please include the sampling technique used.

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.

12) State how the program used the results or plans to use the results. Please be specific.

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.

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.

The Department of Biology is in the preliminary stages for assessment as the department has an assessment committee and a new faculty specialist was hired to look into undergraduate department program and course assessment. 

This past year, we have looked at the incoming freshmen class and we have noticed their difficulties in math and chemistry, which students need a summer course prior to enrolling in the fall semester to help aid their transition in the foundation of math and chemistry.

We had 275 freshmen (Biology, Marine Biology, and Zoology) part of the Fall 2011 (third week report) mandatory advising.

Of the 275 students,
58 students have either told us or have officially changed their majors (out of the Dept. of Biology).
13 students are no longer UHM students (not enrolled for Spr. 2012).

That left the department with 204 freshmen continuing to the second semester (74% retained in the Dept. of Biology) based on the third week report (The department had more freshmen, but they are not part of the Fall 2011 third week report).

Of the 204 freshmen, 137 of them (67%) need summer courses to get back on the four-year track and the scenarios are:
38 students started with CHEM 151 during Fall 2011
43 students are repeating CHEM 161 during Spring 2012
18 students need to repeat CHEM 161 (they did not register for the Chemistry course again for Spring 2012) - these students could be changing majors or have multiple CHEM courses in Summer 2012
4 students are repeating CHEM 151 during Spring 2012
3 students need to repeat CHEM 151 (did not register for CHEM 151 again for Spring 2012) - these students could be changing majors.

This shows our freshmen class MATH skills (however, not all took the math placement exam)
Of the 204 freshmen,
19 students started MATH 135 during the Fall 2011-Spring 2012 semester.
19 students started MATH 140 during the Fall 2011-Spring 2012 semester. However, 8 students placed into MATH 140, but they did not register for the course (possible time conflicts).
2 students started MATH 161 (similar to MATH 140) during the Fall 2011-Spring 2012 semester.
23 students started MATH 215 during the Fall 2011-Spring 2012 semester. However, 2 students placed into MATH 215, but they did not register for the course.
39 students started or have credit (AP or community college) of MATH 241 during prior semesters or during the Fall 2011-Spring 2012 semester. However, 1 student placed into MATH 241, but did not register for the course.
1 student placed into MATH 251A, but did not register for the course.
62 students of 204 freshmen (30%) have credit or started Calculus I their first year.