Minutes of the Education Policy Committee

Tuesday, March 4, 2003

Present:

Terry Schlabach (TS)

Kris Eitrheim (KE)

Nathan Schlueter (NS)

Barb Wiese (BW)

Randy Richards (RR)

Michael Hustedde (MH)

Pam Long (PL)

Lori Rodrigues-Fisher (LR)

Rich Legg (RL)

Nate Mundy (NM)

Guests:

Dan Bozick (DB)

Dan Zeimet (DZ)

Bob Danash (BD)

Kirk Kelley (KK)

Paul Koch (PK)

Sarah Vortriede (SV)

Rick Koehler (RK)

Brenda Peters (BP)

Bill Hixon (BH)

Sandra Cassady (SC)

Kevin Farrell (KF)

Maureen Baldwin (MB)

Organizational Business:

1) Approval of minutes from February 25 meeting

a. KE

b. PL

c. Approved

2) Program review for Biology (See appendix I)

a. KE

b. PL

c. KK presented

i. Thanked the committee for previously postponing the review

ii. 25-30 students in major

iii. Majors tend to pursue occupations in the health sciences

d. Approved

3) PT proposal for bridge or transition program for the DPT

a. PL

b. MH

c. Approved

4) Update on articulation proposals

a. LR and MB presented to the committee the procedure for preparing articulation agreements with community colleges. There followed a brief discussion over whether EPC should have governance over articulation agreements. (There did not appear to be any strong sentiment for such a motion). There was also a brief discussion on the relationship between community college transfers and academic standards.

5) Motion to conclude

a. MH

b. PL

c. Approved

Submitted by Nathan Schlueter

Agenda for March 25:

1) Theology program review

2) Bachelor of Elected Studies

I. TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. TABLE OF CONTENTS 1

II. PROPOSED ACTIONS 3

A. Modification of Biology Major and Concentration Requirements 3

B. Course Additions 4

C. Course Modifications 4

D. Course Deletions 5

E. Modification of the Departmental Major Assessment Plan 5

III. OVERALL DESCRIPTION OF THE DEPARTMENT AND ITS PROGRAMS 7

A. Catalog Description 7

B. Significant Changes since the Last Program Review 7

C. Long-Range Plans 8

IV. ASSESSMENT OF THE DEPARTMENT AND ITS PROGRAMS 10

A. Departmental Major Assessment Plan 10

B. Assessment of Teaching and Learning in the Major 15

C. General Education Assessment of Teaching 15

V. REVIEW OF COURSES OFFERED 16

APPENDIX I. Action Plan for the Implementation of Assessment Methods

APPENDIX II. General Education Compliance Grid

II. PROPOSED ACTIONS

A. Modification of Biology Major and Concentration Requirements.

1. Delete BIOL 150 from the major requirements.

Rationale: We have found that many of our students are strongly committed to their career choices already. For those students, this course is not as helpful. However, there are still many students who find it helpful in making career decisions, so the course will remain among our yearly course offerings.

2. Change the Ethics requirement to be more inclusive of other courses. The requirement should read: “One of the following: PHIL 207, 310, 311, WI-THEO 219, 311, or another course approved by the department.”

Rationale: The department felt that these changes would allow students more freedom in selecting courses to meet their personal interests/needs and still meet the basic objectives of the department.

3. Change requirements for a Concentration in Pre-Health Professions:

a. Add CHEM 319 - Biochemistry as an alternative to CHEM 208 and 210

b. Change BIOL 202 and 204 option to read: Eight (8) hours from among the following: BIOL 202, 204, 211, 302, 304, 314, or 316.

c. Add PHYS 251, 253, and 254 as an alternative to PHYS 203 and 204.

The requirements for the concentration will now read: “Eight (8) hours from among the following: BIOL 202, 204, 211, 302, 304, 314, or 316; BIOL 399, or 401 and 402; CHEM 208 and 210, or 319; MATH 191; PHYS 203 and 204, or 251 and 253 and 254.”

Rationale: Again, we felt these additional options will allow more flexibility for students in meeting their individual career needs while still meeting the departmental objectives.

4. Drop the Secondary Education Concentration and add a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Biology Teaching major: “Students will complete the Requirements for a Bachelor of Science Degree with a Major in Biology plus the following: One additional course from: BIOL 202, 211, 221, 231, or 241; and BIOL 310 or 321.”

“Students completing this degree are strongly encouraged to pursue endorsements in General Science, Chemistry, or other science disciplines. Some of these endorsements may only require one additional course. Please contact the Department of Education for further details.”

Rationale: Our current catalog description is somewhat confusing. This is in part, a clarification of what our department feels is important for training biology teachers. By creating a Teaching Major, we would fall more in line with what other departments are doing. It would also clarify certification issues with the Education Department and the State.

5. Change requirements for a Concentration in Molecular Biology: Add PHYS 251 and 253 and 254 as an alternative to PHYS 203 and 204.

Rationale: To offer an alternative for students to use a calculus based physics course to meet their concentration requirements.

B. Course Additions

No new courses are being added at this time. Courses approved by the Educational Policies Committee since our last Program Review are explained in section III B.

C. Course Modifications

1. Change the designation of BIOL 104 – General Biology II to General Education status.

Rationale: This course fulfills the goals of general education in natural sciences. Scientific concepts and methodologies are integral components of the course. The role and limits of science, as well as their application to contemporary issues, are particularly evident in the section of the course that deals with ecology, but they also surface in such areas as the relationship of plant nutrition to agricultural practice and HIV effects on the immune system. It should be noted that the first semester of this sequence, General Biology I (BIOL 103), has held general education status since its inception.

2. Change pre-requisite for BIOL 348 – Evolution to include “two of the following: BIOL 301, 303, or 307, or permission of instructor.”

Rationale: BIOL 348 – Evolution is considered an upper-level capstone course. Students without the proper preparation in upper-level biology content, analytical, or writing skills would have a very difficult time with this course. Requiring these courses will better prepare the student for success in Evolution. By allowing permission of the instructor, it will not prevent students with special circumstances from taking the course, e.g. students who transfer late or who student teach in the spring semester when the course is offered.

D. Course Deletions

1. Delete BIOL 410 – Human Anatomy for Orthotic Science.

Rationale: The course is no longer needed since the Master of Orthotic Science Program is no longer part of the St. Ambrose curriculum.

E. Modification of Departmental Major Assessment Plan

At the end of May 2001, our department held an Assessment Retreat. We met as a department at an off-campus location to discuss the assessment data that was collected. Different members of the department were assigned different assessment data or portions of student portfolios to review before the retreat. Meeting at this off-campus location was advantageous because it allowed us to: 1) focus on the data with little distraction, 2) look at the assessment data in toto, and 3) complete a large amount of work in one day. By being able to previously review and discuss the assessment data, we could begin discussions of possible curriculum review immediately upon the start of the Fall 2001 semester. The following changes in our Departmental Assessment Plan are the result of those discussions.

1. Alter the Student Portfolio as follows:

a. Change the Goals (“First-Year Student”) Essay so that the questions are based on the departmental learning objectives.

Rationale: We found that first-year students are extremely career-oriented and do not really have a clear concept of the program goals and carry low expectations of the program. By changing the questions to reflect our departmental objectives, we will help to direct their thinking during the writing of the essay so that they will think about how these objectives relate to them as a student and to their career goals.

b. Specify which pieces of scientific writing will be included in the portfolio.

Rationale: Currently, the portfolio contains two writings from the students. One is a “written report showing operation as a scientist” and the other is “an example of what the student considers their best writing.” We now want to specify that the portfolio contain one lab report from BIOL 301 - Cell and Molecular Biology, and one lab report from WI-BIOL 307 – Ecology. These are both required upper-level courses that students typically take late in their program. Also, both courses require that students integrate content and writing abilities learned in previous courses and these particular papers are reflective of that. The course instructors will be responsible for keeping copies of these reports for later assessment.

2. Administer Standardized Exam yearly.

Rationale: The use of the exam was helpful in allowing us to compare our students to those of similar institutions across the nation. Offering the exam on a yearly basis will allow collection of more consistent data and to allow us to compare our own student cohorts to each other.

3. No longer include placement information concerning graduate school or employment.

Rationale: The placement data we received from the Alumni Office was out-dated. The Alumni Office surveys each class only once, six to ten months after graduation. We found that we were able to obtain more data directly from the Alumni Surveys. The information from the Alumni Office did, however, provide addresses for graduates, although most were those of parents.

Some of the data collected from our assessment led to changes in course content as well as changes in the way we plan to advise students. The scores from the Standardized Exam showed that our students are below average in their knowledge of the diversity of biology. We believe that the addition of Dr. Vordtriede to our department will help to round out our curriculum in this area. The exam also revealed students to be below average in their analytical skills. One option we discussed was to require research of all our majors. However, with the large number of majors we have, this would be extremely difficult to administer. We do believe, however, that these deficits can be addressed within existing required course work. In advising, we will strongly recommend research as an option.

When looking at student writing, it was noted that students’ writings are sometimes problematic, but no consistent problems could be identified. Problems seemed to differ depending upon the student and the particular writing assignment. It was agreed that, on the whole, writing of majors within the discipline was satisfactory.

III. OVERALL DESCRIPTION

A. Catalog Description

The current catalog description of the department and its programs need a few changes. The new description is as follows:

“The Biology Department offers a broad curriculum with a flexibility that allows students to tailor their studies to individual goals. Courses for majors emphasize your development as a scientist and allow you to develop a variety of specializations including environmental biology, pre-health professions, and molecular biology. Students interested in teaching biology will also benefit from this broad based training. Biology students in any program are eligible for election to Beta Beta Beta, the national honorary biology fraternity.”

B. Significant Changes since the Last Program Review

No significant changes have occurred in program design since our last program review. However, the changes we are now requesting will clarify a number of issues and make our program design more accessible for majors.

The revised curriculum will offer a total of 35 courses, 10 of which will carry a General Education course designation. The curriculum will still consist of a core of courses that will meet the requirements for a B.S. degree plus three areas of concentration (Pre-Health Professions, Molecular Biology, and Environmental Biology). One of the previous concentrations (Secondary Education) is being converted to a Teaching Major in Biology (B.S.).

We have added one faculty member to our department since the last program review: Dr. Sarah Vordtriede, an invertebrate biologist, arrived in the fall of 2001. With the addition of Dr. Vordtriede, we are now able to round out our major’s curriculum by offering expertise in one more major group of organisms. We currently have about 95 biology majors and our general education courses serve approximately 200 students per year. Even with the addition of Dr. Vordtriede, the department still has some difficulty in providing enough seats for students wanting/needing general education biology course. This is due in part to the needs of programs like Nursing and Occupational Therapy.

Space is still a consideration for the Biology Department. Office space for the most recent two faculty was created last summer, but at the expense of the Biology Museum classroom. Initial plans were to remodel other space in Lewis Hall for an “All-Sciences Museum” and to move the museum specimens into that space. However, funding for that project has not been approved for the past two years. Unfortunately, this deprives the department of much needed teaching space and keeps the museum specimens in storage – a difficult situation for those teaching certain courses and who use the specimens.

The following course additions, already approved by the Educational Policies Committee since the last Program Review, are considered significant.

1. Addition of BIOL 108 - +Principles of Evolutionary Change to the regular course offerings in General Education.

Rationale: This course was taught several years ago, and there seems to be a need for the course to be re-introduced into the General Education listings.

2. Addition of BIOL 112 - +Humans and Disease to the regular course offerings in General Education.

Rationale: This course has been taught twice now under the special topics number (BIOL 123) and has been well-received. Since it has become a regular General Education offering in the spring semester, we gave it its own number.

3. Addition of BIOL 123 - +Selected Topics in Biology to the regular course offerings in General Education.

Rationale: Offering such a course will allow the Biology Department to increase its variety of General Educational offerings while capitalizing on faculty interests and expertise. It will provide departmental faculty an opportunity to offer courses which explore contemporary issues in an open format.

4. Addition of BIOL 203 – Cadaver Dissection Lab to the regular departmental offerings.

Rationale: Students perform time-consuming dissections on cadavers. For this reason, the lab is one hour longer per week than the other labs in BIOL 202. Because of the nature of dissection and the three-dimensional aspect of anatomy, students are required to learn more material compared to the other labs. Also, students are required to assist the instructors in the other labs and this requires more of their time.

C. Long-Range Plans

One of our major concerns from looking at our assessment data is that our students seem to be weak in critical reasoning skills. We are currently discussing how we can address this within our curriculum. We feel that the best approach is to address this within the individual courses across our curriculum and thus, would not affect the courses of the curriculum. Therefore, we feel these discussions can continue while the Program Review moves forward.

We would like our students to have the greatest advantage when preparing for admission to graduate programs. Many of our students take at least two upper level major requirements during their senior year after having taken the MCAT, DAT, GRE, etc. We feel that through advising, we can encourage students to take these “valued” upper-level courses earlier and to take biology electives (like BIOL 202 - Anatomy and Physiology) later. This will provide them with the necessary academic background they need prior to taking these exams. We feel strongly that by also encouraging more students to do research as well (BIOL 401/402), that they will be better prepared for graduate programs.

Another discussion revolved around the possibility of instigating a “Sophomore Portfolio.” Once a student reached 60 credits, they would compile a portfolio that would be reviewed by the faculty. A student’s progress in writing ability could be observed, thus reflecting their ability (or inability) to operate as a scientist. Students would need to “pass” their portfolio in order to progress in the major. This would allow the department to better identify students who possibly need to seek out other career goals. It would also encourage them to become more independent and pro-active in their course work and career plans.

Assessment Day was successful in order to administer the Standardized Exam and to collect essays for student portfolios. The department was able to quickly gain these student writings rather painlessly. The Assessment Retreat was also deemed successful for the reasons described in section II.E.

In thinking about long-range plans for the department, different members of the department have expressed interest in developing a minor in Environmental Science, developing an Environmental Science course to be taught in Ecuador, and a new General Education course in Insects and Society. Dr. Vordtriede has been working closely with the Criminal Justice Department in developing the new interdisciplinary major in Criminalistics. One biology course that may be developed as a part of this major is Forensic Science.

IV. ASSESSMENT OF THE DEPARTMENT AND ITS PROGRAMS

A. Departmental Major Assessment Plan

1. Departmental Mission Statement

The mission of majors' education by the Biology Department is three-fold. The first element of the Department's mission is to demonstrate Biology as a way of knowing and understanding experience. Its second component is to prepare students for entry into the work place as biologists or into graduate or professional programs in which they receive additional training. Third, the Department's programs are designed to produce graduates who reflect upon the ethical implications of biological knowledge and discovery.

2. Learning Objectives for the Major

Requirements for a major in Biology and experiences within that major are designed to produce graduates with the following characteristics.

1) Each student will be able to operate as a scientist in his/her ability both to formulate and to test appropriate biological hypotheses.

2) Each student will be able to communicate the results of scientific investigations in forms, both oral and written, standard to the discipline.

3) Each student will possess a biological knowledge base common to contemporary biologists, encompassing sub-organismic, organismic and systems levels of biological organization.

4) Each student will possess a repertoire of basic laboratory skills necessary for entry into active participation as a laboratory or field biologist.

5) Each student will be able to place biological knowledge into an ethical context.

3. Methods for Assessment in the Major

Methods are described below and are summarized in the Table 1 at the end of this section.

Objective 1: Ability to act scientifically

While all departmental courses discuss the results of scientific inquiry, a number of them explicitly develop students' abilities both to formulate and test hypotheses. This work may involve either the use of simulated data or small data sets constructed by the students themselves.

BIOL 103 and 348 - Examination of the published results of experiments and identification of scientific steps inherent in those studies. Assessment is by evaluation of in-class oral discussions and by individual student written analyses on major examinations.

BIOL 103 and 300 - Small group design of simple experiments. Assessment is by evaluation of written reports.

BIOL 303 - Individual problem solving in Genetics based upon the hypothetico-deductive method. Assessment based upon examinations and lab reports of selected genetic experiments.

Other required courses such as BIOL 301- Cell & Molecular Biology and BIOL 307 - Ecology, involve laboratory study. These courses require written laboratory reports which are evaluated in part for adherence to and understanding of standard scientific methodology.

Objective 2: Ability to communicate as a scientist

a. Oral communication

BIOL 221 and 231 - Oral presentations. Assessment is by instructor evaluation.

BIOL 300 - Instruction in preparation of oral reports of scientific research. Assessment is by instructor and peer evaluation of oral presentations by all class members.

BIOL 348 – Run as a seminar with small group work leading to daily oral reports. Assessment by instructor.

b. Written Communication

BIOL 103, 104, 211, 221, 301, 303, and 307 - Short written laboratory reports summarizing laboratory investigations and/or short research projects are submitted on a regular basis (weekly in some courses). Instructor evaluation of reports written.

BIOL 300 (WI) - Instruction in and student completion of the major forms of scientific writing including literature reviews, research proposals and research/laboratory reports. Assessment is by instructor evaluation of student writing.

Objective 3: Possession of basic biological literacy

Core requirements in the Biology curriculum are designed to provide students with a knowledge base representing the contemporary status of biological understanding. Assessment is by administration of instructor created examinations both during and at the end of all core courses and by periodic administration of a standardized exam prior to graduation.

Objective 4: Possession of basic laboratory skills

Skills are developed in the laboratory component of required courses (specifically BIOL 103, 104, 301, 303, and 307). Through instruction in basic bench, dissection, and field techniques students learn to observe, sample, measure, and quantify. Assessment is by instructor through laboratory reports, examinations, and practical exams.

Objective 5: Understanding of biological knowledge in ethical context

There are at least two components to this objective: scientific integrity and the ethical application of scientific knowledge. Scientific integrity is a component of BIOL 300 and all laboratory courses and is more generally modeled by instructor behavior in all courses. Assessment is by projects in BIOL 300 and through reports and projects in the laboratory courses.

The ethical application of scientific knowledge is a more general objective and one that we feel strongly about as a department. The courses chosen to meet this requirement all address ethical issues in the biological sciences.

Table 1: Summary of methods for assessment in the major. Methods are shown for each objective in each course of the major core of biology classes.

	Objectives
Courses	1	2	3	4	5
103	Oral discussion/exams	Lab reports	Individual course exams plus standardized exam	Lab rpts/practs/exams	Externally generated (PHIL 207, 310, 311; THEO 219, 311)
104		Lab reports		Lab rpts/practs/exams
211	Lab reports	(Lab reports)		Lab practical/exam
221		Jrnl rev/writ./oral present		Lab reports
231		Oral reports
241	Field observations	Field notebook		Field notebook
300	Group exp design/rpts	Oral reports/written rpts		Lab reports
301	(Lab reports)	Lab reports		Lab reports/exams
303	Exams/lab reports	Project/lab reports		Lab rpts/practs/exams
307	Lab reports	Lab reports/essay exam		Lab reports
348	Experimental design	Article rev./daily discuss
Goals Essay	NO	NO	NO	NO	NO
Senior Essay	NO	NO	NO	NO	NO
C&MB Lab	YES	YES	NO	NO	NO
Ecology Lab	YES	YES	NO	YES	NO
Stanrd Exam	NO	NO	YES	NO	NO
Alum Survey	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES

4. Documentation of Student Learning in the Major

Documentation of student learning will take place three ways:

1) A portfolio will be compiled for all seniors. The student’s advisor will keep the portfolio unless the advisor is not a member of the biology faculty; in that case, the departmental assessment coordinator will keep the portfolio. This portfolio will consist of the following:

a. a “Goals Essay” reflecting on the goals of the student early in their undergraduate career and how they anticipate the biology department will assist them in achieving those goals. Questions will be designed to address the learning objectives of the department. This essay will be written in BIOL 103 or on Assessment Day for transfer students.

b. an essay reflecting on the overall experience in the biology program. Seniors will be asked to review their Goals Essay and reflect on how their perspective has changed and upon the impact of the biology curriculum on their career preparation. This essay will be a requirement for graduation, but will not be a co