Closing the loop 2007

Student Learning Outcome Assessed:

Students will be able to conduct independent studies in biology

Desired Outcome:

•  In order to conduct independent studies in biology, students need to:
• Formulate a research question based on a review of the scientific method.
• Write a proposal describing previous literature, their hypotheses and how they will use the scientific method to text the hypothesis – proposal goes through many drafts.
• Present their proposed research in an oral presentation.
• Conduct independent research based on methods used in previously published papers.
• Write and orally present a formal scientific paper presenting methods, data analysis and conclusions.

Data Collection:

Grades will be tabulated from the two instructors teaching Senior Seminar I and II and passing grades on assignments such as, generating a testable hypothesis, research proposal and presentation, lab notebook, and formal research papers and oral presentations in Bio 401& BIO 402 will be used as assessment of student learning. Senior Seminar will be analyzed to identify patterns that illustrate whether students meet the established criteria or need additional instruction in some form earlier in their coursework.

Interpretation of the Data:

Student research proposals and presentations generated at the conclusion of BIO 401 were evaluated by the instructors of the course and could be examined by other faculty in the Math & Science Division to determine if the goals of the course were met. Of the 29 students registered for BIO 401 during fall semester 2006, 27 of the students passed the course with 2 students dropping or withdrawing from the course, and 23 of the 27 students successfully completed the course requirements with a grade of B- or better.

Student research projects and presentations generated at the conclusion of BIO 402 were evaluated by the instructors of the course and could be examined by other faculty in the Math & Science Division to determine if the goals of the course were met. Senior Seminar BIO 402 during spring semester 2007 had 25 students registered for the course and 24 of the students successfully completed a research project. Each student conducted his/her research by compiling data, statistically analyzing the data, and writing a series of research reports culminating in a final research paper and an oral presentation to the Saint Martin’s University community. Seven of the students submitted their abstracts and were selected to present their research results at Scholar’s Day. Of the 25 students registered for BIO 402 during spring semester 2007, 23 students successfully completed the course requirements with a grade of C or better.

One concern for the BIO 401/402 Senior Seminar courses is the amount of time required of the instructors of the course in helping the students design their projects, provide helpful edits of the research writing and teach research protocol. During the BIO 402 course the instructors spend time in the laboratory and field teaching appropriate laboratory methods, reading and editing the research reports, teaching statistical methods of analysis, assisting with oral presentations and teaching how to use various computer programs, such as Excel and Minitab for graphing and statistical analyses. This resulted in the instructors spending many weekends and evenings reading research papers and coming to campus to help each student complete their project, perhaps averaging 15-20 hours of work for each professor for this course. Another area in need of improvement is in student writing abilities. Many of the students have little experience in writing for the sciences or in designing experiments. A majority of the students have never conducted a literature search for scientific papers.

Changes to implement:

One change in the BIO 401/402 Senior Seminar courses is adding an additional biology instructor to the sequence. Dr. Aaron Coby and Dr. Margaret Olney will be team-teaching the fall Semester 2007 BIO 401 course, and Dr. Coby and Dr. Mary Jo Hartman will be team-teaching the spring semester 2008 BIO 402 course. This should help the biology faculty understand the needs of the students and their abilities in writing and research, which should, in turn help the biology faculty better prepare their students for scientific writing and hypothesis testing by incorporating these topics in biology courses throughout the curriculum. Students could be asked to do scientific writing and hypothesis testing in the freshman through senior courses in biology at Saint Martin’s University, which should help prepare them for Senior Seminar and increase their scientific literacy and critical thinking skills. As the number of students increase in BIO 401/402, the department will need to assess the best way to prepare the students for the Senior Seminar series and to efficiently use the instructors for the course.