Assessment : 2013 - 2014 : Educational Programs :
Biology MA
1 Goal 2 Objectives 2 Indicators 2 Criteria 2 Findings 2 Actions
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GOAL: Develop MA Curriculum
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Objective
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Disseminating Critical Thinking
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Students leaving the MA program will demonstrate an ability to disseminate critical thinking skills in a classroom setting.
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Indicator
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Disseminating Critical Thinking
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Students exiting the program will develop critical thinking curricula for a science classroom which will be evaluated by the MA committee composed of Biology faculty.
A committee to resurrect the MA program in biology is currently working on a rubric that will be used to evaluate student performance under this objective. Once completed this rubric will be posted with this objective.
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| Criterion |
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Evaluation Of Disseminating Skills
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The curriculum developed by the MA student will be graded by the committee using a faculty defined rubric. An approval score of 80% by the faculty committee will be use as a criterion for passing.
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| Finding |
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Critical Thinking Assessment
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The MA program had no students during the 2013-14 period
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Actions for Objective:
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Begin examining feasibility of developing a new MA program.
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GOAL: Develop MA Curriculum
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Objective
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Mastering Critical Thinking
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Students will demonstrate an understanding of the new MA curriculum designed to incorporate critical learning into science education.
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Indicator
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Demonstrating Critical Thinking Skills
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Students entering and exiting the MA program will take pre and post-test, respectively. These tests will examine critical thinking abilities and changes between tests will be used to gauge progress.
A committee to resurrect the MA program in biology is currently working on developing this assessment tool. Once completed this pre-test will be uploaded under this objective.
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| Criterion |
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Critical Thinking Evaluation
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An average increase of 50% (pre to post-test) will be used as an acceptable level of understanding.
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| Finding |
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Mastering Critical Thinking Assessment
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There were no students in the MA program during the 2013-14 period.
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Actions for Objective:
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Begin examining feasibility of developing a new MA program.
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Previous Cycle's "Plan for Continuous Improvement"
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The Biology MA program is currently stagnant with no students.
First, the faculty in Biology will discuss whether we should work on reviving this program.
In doing so, the faculty will consider the follow:
1. the type of MA programs we could offer
2. the goals of these MA programs
3. the target student for the MA programs
4. the course work requireed for the MA to meet these goals.
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Update on Previous Cycle's "Plan for Continuous Improvement"
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We changed graduate coordinators in the Department of Biological Sciences. This new coordinator will begin working on the plan outlined above.
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Plan for Continuous Improvement
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The Department of Biology will continue to evaluate the demand for MA in Biology. We have decided that a science educator aspect to the MA may be fruitful. To begin this processes of developing this program, a new science educator faculty will be hired for FA15 by the Department of Biological Sciences. Once hired, the faculty will begin evaluating the plan set forward in 2012-13 review period.
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