SACSCOC Fifth Year Interim Report
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Assessment : 2011 - 2012 : Educational Programs :
Physics BS
Physics BS
2 Goals 2 Objectives 2 Indicators 2 Criteria 2 Findings 2 Actions
| GOAL: Deliver Core Curriculum Education Appropriate To The Physics Discipline |
| Objective |
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| Students who complete the core curriculum course in Physics will be able to apply foundational concepts, particularly in the areas of (1) proofs and derivations, and (2) translation of written problems into mathematical equations. |
| Indicator |
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| Students will complete a faculty-developed comprehensive exam in Physics 1411 assessing the common foundational concepts in Physics. |
| Criterion |
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| Eighty percent of students completing the exam will score 70% or higher on the comprehensive exam. |
| Finding |
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| The exam is 25 questions with a maximum score of 100. Scores were very similar to last year’s scores: pretest average = 16.9 and post-test average = 35.1. Although there was significant learning from pre- to post-test, the average was far from 70%. |
Actions for Objective:
| Action |
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| We have proposed a new course, Physics 1401, entitled Physics Boot Camp. The course is designed to improve problem solving skills of incoming freshmen. |
| GOAL: Competence For Bachelor Of Science |
| Objective |
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Students preparing to graduate with a BS in Physics will demonstrate comprehension of fundamental principles and the ability to apply these principles in solving problems. |
| Indicator |
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| Students will complete a common earlier version of the Graduate Record Subject Exam in Physics related to PHY 4371 (Thermal and Statistical Physics) under GRE standardized conditions. Faculty will have classified the questions into domains specific to the major principles in this area. |
| Criterion |
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Students will score above the 50th percentile determined as a result of the graduating seniors' scores from the common exam. A raw score of 50% is in the 74th percentile for the Physics GRE with a ¼ penalty for wrong answers. |
| Finding |
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Pre/Post average = 34/52% with no wrong answer penalty. Thus, our average was above the 74th percentile. We were strong in adapting previous GRE exams to create a comprehensive exam for thermal and statistical physics. |
Actions for Objective:
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We are pleased with the results of the mock-GRE exam for thermal and statistical physics. The next goal is to expand the same sort of mock-GRE to other areas of physics. |
| Closing the Loop |
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In response to our dismal results in the foundations class, we have proposed a Physics Boot Camp course to improve problem solving skills of incoming freshmen. After the success of the mock-GRE exam for thermal and statistical physics, we will be expanding the mock-GRE concept other areas of physics.
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