CHEM 85 - Seminar in Chemistry - Stage 5 - Ronald Drucker
Assessment
| Assessment Methods | Assignments based on rubrics (such as essays, projects, and performances) |
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| Assessment Description | Using a process similar to that of Fall 12, I completed an analysis of student summaries of two of the presentations in the weekly Chem 85 seminar. I evaluated the quality of these summaries using a 1 – 4 pt rating scale. Again, following on the results of Fall 12, I also analyzed the final poster projects that the students developed and presented. Here too I analyzed the quality of the student work, using a rubric that encompassed organization and thoroughness of each poster. |
| Learning Outcomes | 1. “Describe 1 or more specific research programs in chemistry, biochemistry, or related fields.” 2. “Present results of a results of a library research project in a poster session held during the course” |
| Number of Sections | 1 section--the entire course |
| Number of Instructors | one |
| Number of Students | 22 |
Data Analysis
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| Data Summary | The first assessment produced the following results: Descriptions of seminar presentations (19 papers analyzed) Rating codes: 1. Unaccept-able; 2. Barely acceptable; 3. Accept-able; 4. Excellent Code: 1 2 3 4 Number of students 0 3 7 9 Percentage 0.0 % 15.8 % 36.8 % 47.4% The second assessment produced the following results; ratings use the same scale, but the results reported are averages of the scores for organization and thoroughness: Poster presentations (13 posters analyzed) Rating 1.0 or 1.5 2.0 or 2.5 3.0 or 3.5 4 Number 0 1 8 4 Percentage 0.0 % 7.7 % 61.6 % 30.8 % |
| Analysis Summary | These results are somewhat higher than those of Fall 12, suggesting that course enhancements introduced last spring--more explicit written guidelines for essays and posters--may have been effective. I was pleased to see that 84% of the essays and 92 % of the posters were Acceptable or More than Acceptable. |
| Next Steps Planned | Essay writing ,which for this seminar course requires writing a coherent summary of a talk by a different outside speaker each week, is made challenging because the students don't have a single resource (as they would have a textbook in a conventional course) to guide their understanding. For Fall 13, I'll ask the speakers to provide advance lists of Internet reading, including tutorials as well as research sites. I hope that these will provide more context for students as they listen to the invited speakers. |
| Learning Outcomes | 1. “Describe 1 or more specific research programs in chemistry, biochemistry, or related fields.” |
Changes
| Details | We gave the students detailed guidelines for writing summaries of presentations by speakers and for preparing posters summarizing their own library and Internet research. |
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| Learning Outcomes | Refer to previous answers |
Tentative Future Plans
| Term | Fall 2013 |
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| More Details | I'll have another look at quality of essays to see whether the distribution of Internet and other information prior to the talks leads to improved written summaries. I'll introduce pre- and post surveys to explore the question of whether course participation leads students to modify their career goals, especially to consider research as a career. |
SLO Details Storage Location
- HARD COPY - In my personal filing system (my office)
- ELECTRONIC COPY - In my electronic filing system (hard drive or web server)