CORE Curriculum Assessment

CYCLE II Courses

Report of the Chair of CORE Review

· Mathematical Sciences

* MATH 107X, 131X, 200X, 201X, 202X, 262X, 272X

· Natural Sciences

* BIOL 105X, 106X,

* CHEM 103X, 104X

* PHYS 211X, 212X, 213X

Submitted to the Office of the Provost

The CORE Review Committee of the Faculty Senate

25 May, 2001

(Revised August 30, 2001)

Report on Student Learning Outcomes Assessment

Of the CORE Curriculum

CYCLE II Courses

Presented by Jin Brown, Chair

CORE Review Committee

Assessment of the UAF CORE Curriculum is the responsibility of the CORE Review Committee of the Faculty Senate. The Faculty Senate has approved a plan, submitted by CORE Review, for the on-going, continuous assessment of the CORE Curriculum. The CORE Curriculum is divided into two cycles for alternating year reporting. Cycle II areas for reporting are: Mathematical Sciences and Natural Sciences.

In the academic year 2000-2001, CORE Review accepted a proposal to include a course, submitted by the Alaska Native Studies Department, for inclusion in the Art/Music/Theater 200X, Aesthetic Experience area of the CORE Curriculum. This broadens the aesthetics area to include a content option recognizing indigenous cultures.

Problems with the Individual, Society, and Culture option, shared by Anthropology and Sociology, have been solved with the help of the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts. The result has been a new assessment plan developed and agreed upon by faculty of both departments and accepted by the CORE Review Committee.

The reports submitted below by Mathematical Sciences and Natural Sciences represent a second round of assessment for Cycle II areas.

Mathematical Sciences

Faculty in Mathematical Sciences has carefully used the 1999 CORE assessment findings to improve both the assessment process and CORE courses in mathematics. After the 1999 assessment, it was determined that common syllabi and common examinations would improve the consistency of course presentation. This assessment has demonstrated that those curricular adjustments have indeed improved the courses, particularly in regard to those with largest enrollments; MATH 107X and MATH 131X.

An on-going problem for Mathematical Sciences and UAF students is the incorrect placement of students into classes for which they are unprepared. The problem is complicated by the fact that the BANNER system cannot stop out the enrollments of students who lack course prerequisites. While the system will be able to identify such students by fall of 2001, it will not be able to stop enrollments. The system will identify students without prerequisites, however it will be left to the classroom instructor to act upon it and it will not be capable of checking the academic histories of in-coming freshmen; thus limiting any usefulness.

The Department of Mathematical Sciences has determined that their methods of data collection can be improved and have set in motion plans for adjustment of final examinations to clarify assessment data on student learning. Further consideration is being given to consistency. Every instructor will be asked to submit a summary of the ratio of D’s, F’s, and W’s for their courses. Changes made to the assessment processes in Mathematical Sciences are being made to both improve student education and to increase faculty awareness and involvement in assessment.

Assessment of CORE courses in Mathematical Science have been made only in regard to courses presented on the UAF Fairbanks campus. Coordination between the central campus and other routes of delivery (College of Rural Alaska, Center for Distance Education) has yet to be accomplished.

Findings from this iteration of the assessment of student learning in mathematical science were very positive. The report below addresses each course individually, with statistical evidence from the data collected. It was found that UAF students are doing very well in their course work. Students continue to struggle with word problems, however computational skills are demonstrably high. Students taking MATH 131X, a general and terminal mathematics course for students in non-technical fields, scored well on three of four content areas assessed. The fourth area, probability, was also a low score area on the previous assessment. Effort is being made to determine whether the problem exists in nature of the assessment vehicle (the problem chosen for assessment scoring) or in the flexibility given instructors in teaching the area. Results from the range of Calculus courses demonstrate very good to excellent student learning. Some variance in test scores still exists in regard to the specific problems given on the finals reviewed for assessment. Problem-solving difficulties for students are commensurate to the level of course expectations, with word problems still presenting students the greatest difficulty.

Natural Sciences

A significant selection of Natural Science courses was selected on which to base an assessment for the 2000-2001 academic year. An overall problem with reporting this assessment is that while courses were assessed and good data gathered no report was made to CORE Review that summarized this important part of the CORE Curriculum. The Chair of CORE Review makes this summary.

Both CORE guidelines and the assessment guidelines created in 1998 by the combined faculties of the Natural Sciences were used in course-by-course assessments. The Biology courses were demonstrated to have produced clear learning in the methods of science. Students in all sections were introduced to natural scientific method through hands-on practice and follow-up testing. Major concepts of natural sciences were either not well mastered or indicators were insufficient to determine student learning. Again, as last assessment of the Natural Sciences area of the CORE, the courses appear weak in making the necessary connections between science and society, or in assessing the learning in this area.

The Chemistry courses were also assessed to demonstrate very good student learning in the methods of natural science. There is a variance from course to course in how well students learn the major concepts. More intra-faculty coordination in assessment appears to be needed. Chemistry courses were weakest in regard to the interrelationship of science and society. Syllabi and course work were inconsistent in making the connections between science and social processes. Further, while some data were gathered from student surveys which show that such connections were made in one course, no overall assessment could be made.

Assessment of the Physics courses show them to rigorously ensure that students learn the methods of natural science. Strong student learning is evident from both examinations and laboratory exercises. The Natural Sciences assessment Committee members found little evidence of a clear connection between science and society being provided students and little evidence of learning in this area.

This important area of the CORE Curriculum is functioning well overall in regard to students learning the methods of science. It is difficult to make general statements about students’ learning of the major concepts provided, when assessment reports are submitted on a course-by-course basis, yet it is evident from course materials and testing that major concepts are provided and in some courses are well learned. The overall weakness of the Natural Sciences area is that the important relationships between science and society are taught and learned with great inconsistency.