SACS Reaffirmation
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Assessment : 2006 - 2007 : Administrative Support :
Biological Sciences, Department of
4 Goals 13 Objectives 23 Indicators 22 Criteria 15 Findings 26 Actions
GOAL: Goal 1
| Objective | Objective 1-1 | |
| The Department will continually assess our contributions to the University's core curriculum and make adjustments as needed. Associated Goals: Goal 1 |
| Indicator | Indicator 1-1 The Department will regularly review our offerings in the core curriculum to ensure that students taking biology as one or more of their two core science courses develop a basic working knowledge of biology and an understanding of, and appreciation for, the scientific method. |
| Criteria | Criterion 1-1 Resources will be directed at deficiencies where noted. |
| Finding | Finding 1-1-1 Informal discussions during faculty meetings suggested that our freshmen courses (BIO 134/114; 137/117; 161/111; & 162/112) would benefit from a new departmental committee devoted solely to assessing the effectiveness of these courses. |
| Finding | Finding 1-1-2 The faculty and the Freshmen Biology Committee recommended an infusion of equipment and supplies into our freshmen courses. |
| Finding | Finding 1-1-3 The faculty and the Freshmen Biology Committee recommended that we re-examine our lab exercises in all freshmen courses, beginning with BIO 114, to increase the number of exercises that focus on discovery rather than memorization. |
| Finding | Finding 1-1-4 The faculty and the Freshmen Biology Committee recommended that our freshmen biology coordinator (Ms. Lori Rose) not only be encouraged, but also supported from Departmental funds, to attend workshops and conferences dealing with effective science pedagogy for the non-science student. |
| Finding | Finding 1-1-5 The faculty and the Freshmen Biology Committee recommended that all of our freshmen labs be taught by graduate students; currently, approximately half of our 50 labs are taught by undergraduates. Instilling the mystery and excitement of science in our non-science students would be facilitated by having instructors who themselves have participated directly in the discovery process. |
Actions for Objective:
| Action | Action 1-1-1 A Department of Biological Sciences Freshmen Biology Committee was established in the fall of 2006. |
| Action | Action 1-1-2 The Department spent over $80,000 to purchase new microscopes for our freshmen labs, outfitted our two non-majors labs with data projectors, and increased the expendables line item for freshmen courses by over $5000 annually. |
| Action | Action 1-1-3 Every lab exercise for BIO 114 was examined during the academic year 2006-07; many were modified and several entirely replaced with more open-ended, discovery based labs. A new publisher for the lab manual was secured, beginning with our fall ''07 offerings, leading to a more professional and engaging presentation of the laboratory exercises for BIO 114. |
| Action | Action 1-1-4 In October 2006, Ms. Lori Rose attended the NSF-sponsored Annual Conference on Case Study Teaching in Science held at the State University of New York at Buffalo. The Department is committed to sending Ms. Rose to at least one national workshop or conference annually. |
| Action | Action 1-1-5-1 The Department currently receives 8 Teaching Assistantships from the College of Arts & Sciences, and historically supported one graduate TA from course fees, annually. Beginning in the fall of 2007, the Department committed sufficient funds (from course fees/local tuition) to support three rather than just a single graduate TA from Departmental resources, bringing the total number of graduate student Teaching Assistantships to eleven. |
| Action | Action 1-1-5-2 Continued to lobby the Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences and the Dean of Graduate Studies for additional graduate teaching assistantships. |
GOAL: Goal 1
| Objective | Objective 1-2 | |
| Design and construct a new biosciences building with sufficient state-of-the-art research and teaching space to not only meet the needs of our current students, but also for the planned expansion required by the statewide initiative to accommodate 600,000 additional college-bound students in the next two decades. Associated Goals: Goal 1 |
| Indicator | Indicator 1-2 Provide justification to the Administration that Biology's space in the Lee Drain Building is not only inadequate for Biology's current needs, but also is insufficient to accommodate any growth in our programs, in our student body, or in our faculty. |
| Criteria | Criterion 1-2 Success at convincing the Administration of our critical space needs will be evidenced by a "new building for Biology" appearing on the long-range building list and strategic plan for SHSU. |
Actions for Objective:
| Action | Action 1-2-1 Pending. |
GOAL: Goal 1
| Objective | Objective 1-3 | |
| Continue to enhance the quality of instruction in our core courses through the use of appropriate technology. Associated Goals: Goal 1 |
| Indicator | Indicator 1-3 The Department will maintain, and where possible upgrade, the audio, visual, and computing capabilities associated with our core courses. |
| Criteria | Criterion 1-3 All lecture and laboratory classrooms for our core courses should be "smart" - i.e., should possess dedicated computers, data projectors, audio, Elmo''s, and student personal response systems (i.e., "clickers"). |
Actions for Objective:
| Action | Action 1-3-1 Data projectors have been added to our two BIO 114 laboratory classrooms, and projectors in our main BIO 134 lecture rooms have been upgraded. |
| Action | Action 1-3-2 Several of our faculty have attended national workshops on the effective use of personal response devices in the classroom. Approximately 1/3 of our faculty are using these "clickers" in their lower-division courses. |
GOAL: Goal 2
| Objective | Objective 2-1 | |
| Provide rigorous instruction in both our lower- and upper-division courses, covering the breadth of biological subdisciplines while allowing the students sufficient electives to develop depth in their chosen areas of specialization. Associated Goals: Goal 2 |
| Indicator | Indicator 2-1 All graduating seniors will take the ETS MFAT Biology exit exam. Strengths and weaknesses of our undergraduate program will be identified by comparing the average performance of our graduating seniors with the national averages in each of the 4 subdisciplines of biology assessed with this exam. |
| Criteria | Criterion 2-1 The average score for SHSU biology students taking the ETS MFAT Biology exit exam should meet or exceed the national average for results from comparable institutions. |
| Finding | Finding 2-1 Scores for our first cohort of graduating seniors (n = 36) were returned in August 2007. 255 colleges and universities used the MFAT Biology exam last year. The composite average for SHSU Biology graduates was the 35th percentile; i.e., 65% of the 255 schools scored higher than us, while 34% scored lower. Our placements in the four subdisciplines were as follows: cell biology - 35th percentile; molecular biology and genetics - 50th percentile; organismal biology - 25th percentile; population biology, ecology, and evolution - 35th percentile. |
Actions for Objective:
| Action | Action 2-1 The performance of our first cohort of graduating seniors on the MFAT Biology exit exam is currently under review by the department. |
GOAL: Goal 2
| Objective | Objective 2-2 | |
| Qualitative assessments of how well our undergraduate programs have prepared our graduates for their professions will be solicited through questionnaires distributed in our annual departmental newsletter. Associated Goals: Goal 2 |
| Indicator | Indicator 2-2  This questionnaire will be included, for the first time, in the fall 2007 Department of Biological Sciences newsletter. |
| Criteria | Criterion 2-2 Any deficiencies in our curriculum noted by at least three or more respondents in a given year will be evaluated by the Department''s Curriculum Committee. |
| Finding | Finding 2-2 No findings yet. |
Actions for Objective:
| Action | Action 2-2 Actions will be deferred pending responses to the first use of our questionnaire. |
GOAL: Goal 2
| Objective | Objective 2-3 | |
| Increase the number of students accepted into professional post-baccalaureate programs (e.g., medical school, veterinary school, PA programs, etc.) and into graduate programs (MS and PhD). Associated Goals: Goal 2 |
| Indicator | Indicator 2-3-1 Success at implementing Objective 2-3 requires that we do a better job of tracking what happens to our graduating seniors. |
| Criteria | Criterion 2-3-1 Solicit contact information and post-baccalaureate plans from all graduating seniors. |
| Finding | Finding 2-3-1 Develop "graduating seniors information" card; card should be distributed to graduating seniors at the MFAT exit exam, at our fall homecoming barbeque, and at our spring seniors'' awards banquet. |
| Indicator | Indicator 2-3-2 Work with the University Administration and the Student Advising and Mentoring Center (SAM Center) to provide the resources required by our undergraduates for better success in applying to graduate programs and professional schools. |
| Criteria | Criterion 2-3-2-1 Support the SAM Center in their efforts to recruit qualified and knowledgeable pre-professional advisors. |
| Criteria | Criterion 2-3-2-2 Support the University and the SAM Center in their efforts to secure resources directed at helping our pre-professional students better prepare for their entrance exams (e.g., training courses for the MCAT, DAT, GRE, etc.). |
Actions for Objective:
| Action | Action 2-3-1 Actions will be deferred pending acquisition of baseline data showing the number of SHSU biology students accepted into post-baccalaureate programs. |
GOAL: Goal 2
| Objective | Objective 2-4 | |
| Build scientific literacy, enhance critical thinking skills, and develop better communication skills by involving more undergraduates in research. Associated Goals: Goal 2 |
| Indicator | Indicator 2-4-1 Identify undergraduate students early in their academic career who are interested in research. |
| Criteria | Criterion 2-4-1 Encourage undergraduates to attend the Department''s seminar series. |
| Indicator | Indicator 2-4-2 Increase the number of undergraduates participating formally (i.e., through Independent Studies) or informally in faculty-mentored research projects. |
| Criteria | Criterion 2-4-2-1 Stress the importance of undergraduate research experiences for successful application to graduate programs and professional schools. |
| Criteria | Criterion 2-4-2-2 Highlight the number of scientific careers open to students whose experiences push them beyond the restrictive vocational boxes of "physician" or "crime scene investigator." Employment in the biological sciences is growing, and students who participate in meaningful research experiences as undergraduates not only are more attractive to employers, but are more aware of these career options. |
| Criteria | Criterion 2-4-2-3 Inform students that the research interests of all Biology faculty (who might serve as mentors for undergraduate research projects) can be found on our web page. |
| Indicator | Indicator 2-4-3 Support undergraduates presenting their research results at scientific venues (e.g., SHSU's Exhibition of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities, the annual meeting of the Texas Academy of Sciences, Southwestern Association of Naturalists, Southwestern Association of Parasitologists, etc.). |
| Criteria | Criterion 2-4-3 One half of our active graduate students and 5-10 undergraduates should annually present their research results at state, regional, or national/international conferences. |
| Finding | Finding 2-4-3 The SHSU Department of Biological Sciences is, by all accounts, extrememly successful in meeting Objectives 2-4-1 through 2-4-3. The number of undergraduate SHSU biology students presenting their research results at regional conferences (e.g., Texas Academy of Sciences, the Southwestern Association of Naturalists, the Texas Branch of the American Society of Microbiologists, etc.) typically overshadows the numbers sent by our sister institutions, and our students often take home the top awards from these conferences. Many of our students are now presenting at national and international conferences as well (e.g., Sigma-Xi, the World Congress of Ornithology, American Society of Parasitologists, etc.). Our ability to involve our undergraduates in research is the envy of many, but we cannot expand these efforts given our current space limitations. |
Actions for Objective:
| Action | 2-4-2 Department members gave a combined 62 research presentations at regional and national conferences. Thirty-four students were involved in these presentations. |
| Action | Action 2-4-1 Continue with our successes involving undergraduates in research; continue lobbying for additional research space. |
GOAL: Goal 2
| Objective | Objective 2-5 | |
| Develop and implement, through the planned SHSU Academic Center for Excellence, a training program for all incoming undergraduate and graduate student Teaching Assistants (TAs). Associated Goals: Goal 2 |
| Indicator | Indicator 2-5 Survey TAs at the end of the training session and again at the end of their first semester of teaching to identify strengths and weaknesses in the training program. |
Actions for Objective:
| Action | 2-5-1 Pending, the Academic Center is planned to open the end of the Fall 2008 semester, after Academic Building 5 construction is completed. |
GOAL: Goal 3
| Objective | Objective 3-1 | |
| Encourage a more active research program and increase research excellence. Associated Goals: Goal 3 |
| Indicator | Indicator 3-1-1 All faculty are expected to produce scholarly products. |
| Criteria | Criterion 3-1-1 All faculty will produce scholarly products. |
| Finding | Finding 3-1-1 All tenured and tenure-track faculty in the Department of Biological Sciences are actively engaged in producing scholarly products in their subdisciplines. |
| Indicator | Indicator 3-1-2 Maintain and increase the number of peer-reviewed publications produced annually by faculty in our department. |
| Criteria | Criterion 3-1-2 Meet or exceed the national average publication rate for Primarily Undergraduate Institutions (PUI''s). |
| Finding | Finding 3-1-2 Publication rates at PUI''s are approximately 0.5 - 0.6 peer-reviewed publications per faculty member per year. The publication rate in the Department of Biological Sciences is over one publication per faculty member per year. |
| Indicator | Indicator 3-1-3 Enhance strategies/mechanisms that provide additional time for research. Time is the one resource in shortest supply among the faculty; a reduction in teaching loads would contribute significantly to increased publication rates and successful applications to external funding agencies. |
| Criteria | Criterion 3-1-3 Achieve parity regarding FTE credit for laboratories. |
| Finding | Finding 3-1-3 A particularly difficult constraint for science faculty at SHSU is that lab courses carry half the credit of lecture courses per contact hour. For science faculty at comparable institutions in other states, labs carry full credit. Such discrepancies put science faculty at SHSU at a competitive disadvantage. |
Actions for Objective:
| Action | Action 3-1-1 No action needed. |
| Action | Action 3-1-2 For 06-07, with 15 tenured or tenure-track faculty, the Dept produced 28 publications. This is 1.87 publications per faculty member, slightly above the Dept running average. |
| Action | Action 3-1-3 Identify and implement creative mechanisms for reducing teaching loads without reducing teaching efficacy. |
GOAL: Goal 3
| Objective | Objective 3-2 | |
| Build support for our research programs through increased external funding. Associated Goals: Goal 3 |
| Indicator | Indicator 3-2 All faculty are expected to seek external funding. |
| Criteria | Criterion 3-2 Each faculty member should, in any given year, have one or more projects supported by external funding or should submit a grant to seek such support. |
| Finding | Finding 3-2 Approximately 75% of Biology faculty currently have research projects funded through external sources. A consensus among our faculty is that increased levels of external funding would be facilitated by continued growth in, and professional development of, the staff in the Office of Research and Special Programs (ORSP) and in the Office of Contract and Grants. |
Actions for Objective:
| Action | Action 3-2 Support the efforts of ORSP and the Office of Contracts and Grants to hire additional staff and enhance their professional development. Continue to encourage all faculty to seek external funding. |
GOAL: Goal 3
| Objective | Objective 3-3 | |
| Increase the visibility and national reputation of our research programs. Associated Goals: Goal 3 |
| Indicator | Indicator 3-3-1 Encourage and support all faculty members to present their research results at local, regional, and national/international professional meetings. |
| Criteria | Criterion 3-3-1 Provide sufficient funds to support every faculty member to present their research at a minimum of one regional and one national/international conference per year. |
| Finding | Finding 3-3-1 Travel budgets are currently insufficient to meet this objective. |
| Indicator | Indicator 3-3-2 Enhance support mechanisms for faculty who have been asked to provide external scholarly service, including but not limited to serving as editors and associate editors for peer-reviewed scientific journals. |
| Criteria | Criterion 3-3-2 Establish policies and incentives for such service; e.g., providing a one course reduction per semester for serving as editor for a national peer-reviewed journal. |
| Finding | Finding 3-3-2 Without meaningful reductions in load, faculty have declined invitations to serve as editors or as officers in their professional societies. While understandable, mechanisms must be sought to permit these individuals to serve their organizations; SHSU students benefit by the experiences brought back into the lab and into the classroom by these faculty, and the university benefits by increased exposure of our programs. To their credit, the Chair of Biology and the Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences have been able, this year, to provide a one course reduction for each of two Biology faculty who are serving as editors for their profesional journals. Such reassigned time must be institutionalized. |
Actions for Objective:
| Action | Action 3-3-1 Continue to lobby the College and the University for larger allocations to professional travel. Seek creative sources of funding to permit such travel. |
| Action | Action 3-3-2 Continue to lobby the College and the University for meaningful incentives for faculty to serve as editors, officers, and in other professional capacities that enhance the University but require significant investment by said faculty member. |
GOAL: Goal 4
| Objective | Objective 4-1 | |
| Through effective recruiting and scholarships, increase the number of under-represented minorities and first-generation college students pursuing degrees in the biological sciences. Associated Goals: Goal 4 |
| Indicator | Indicator 4-1-1 Support the University's high school and junior college recruitment efforts by providing necessary and up-to-date program information detailing both educational and research opportunities in the Department of Biological Sciences. |
| Indicator | Indicator 4-1-2 As fiscally prudent, increase the number and individual amount of undergraduate scholarships awarded annually in the Department by increasing the Department of Biological Sciences Scholarship endowments. |
| Criteria | Criterion 4-1 Double, by 2015, the total value of scholarships awarded by the Department of Biological Sciences from interest earned on our endowed scholarship accounts. |
| Indicator | Indicator 4-1-3 Coordinate our fundraising efforts (to improve the Department's scholarship endowments) with the University's Advancement Office and with University President Gaertner's recently announced Capital Campaign. |
Actions for Objective:
| Action | Action 4-1-1 We are now actively soliciting donors in our annual newsletter and in other venues (e.g., at our annual homecoming/alumni barbeque). |
| Action | Action 4-1-1 We are now actively soliciting donors in our annual newsletter and in other venues (e.g., at our annual homecoming/alumni barbeque). |
| Action | Action 4-1-2 Letters are sent to all current donors expressing our thanks and appreciation for their efforts to help deserving students obtain science degrees. |
GOAL: Goal 4
| Objective | Objective 4-2 | |
| Help students recognize the importance of the biological sciences in preparation for future career opportunities. Associated Goals: Goal 4 |
| Indicator | Indicator 4-2-1 Increase student attendance in our Department of Biological Sciences weekly seminar series, and enhance the quality of the series. |
| Criteria | Criterion 4-2-1 Develop a source of funding for the seminar series in order to bring in more high profile scientists. Currently, funding comes partially from Department operating budget, with the bulk personally coming from individual faculty members. |
| Indicator | Indicator 4-2-2 Increase the number of undergraduates participating, formally or informally, in STEM-related internships. |
| Indicator | Indicator 4-2-3 Increase the number and proficiency of undergraduate advisors in the Department. More closely coordinate advising efforts between Biology faculty and the SAM Center. |
| Criteria | Criterion 4-2-3 Have all faculty trained for undergraduate advising. Have as part of the Departmental Assistant Chair duties to coordinate advising between all faculty and to corrdinate between the Department and the SAM Center. |
Actions for Objective:
| Action | Action 4-2-1 In progress. |
| Action | Action 4-2-3 Held an advising orientation session focusing on Sam Menu advising programs for all BIO faculty. |