SACS Reaffirmation
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Assessment : 2006 - 2007 : Educational Programs :
Biology BA
3 Goals 9 Objectives 17 Indicators 16 Criteria 10 Findings 13 Actions
GOAL: Goal 1
| Objective | Objective 1-1 | |
| Provide rigorous instruction in both our lower- and upper-division courses, covering the breadth of biological subdisciplines while allowing our BA students sufficient electives to develop depth in their chosen areas of specialization. Associated Goals: Goal 1 |
| Indicator | Indicator 1-1 All graduating seniors pursuing a BA in Biology will take the ETS MFAT Biology exit exam. Strengths and weaknesses of our undergraduate BA 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 1-1 The average score for SHSU biology students taking the ETS MFAT Biology exit exam should meet or exceed the national average for comparable institutions. |
| Finding | Finding 1-1 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 1-1 The performance of our first cohort of graduating seniors on the MFAT Biology exit exam is currently under review by the department. |
GOAL: Goal 1
| Objective | Objective 1-2 | |
| Qualitative assessments of how well our undergraduate BA program has prepared our graduates for their professions will be solicited through questionnaires distributed in our annual departmental newsletter. Associated Goals: Goal 1 |
| Indicator | Indicator 1-2  This questionnaire will be included, for the first time, in the fall 2007 Department of Biological Sciences newsletter. |
| Criteria | Criterion 1-2 Any deficiencies in our undergraduate BA curriculum noted by at least three or more respondents in a given year will be evaluated by the Department’s Curriculum Committee. |
| Finding | Finding 1-2 No findings yet. |
Actions for Objective:
| Action | Action 1-2 Actions will be deferred pending responses to the first use of our questionnaire. |
GOAL: Goal 1
| Objective | Objective 1-3 | |
| Given that the University no longer has criteria for what constitutes a BA vs a BS degree, reassess the utility and purpose of a Bachelor of Arts degree in the Biological Sciences. Associated Goals: Goal 1 |
| Indicator | Indicator 1-3 Success at implementing Objective 1-3 requires that we do a better job of tracking what happens to our graduating seniors. |
| Criteria | Criterion 1-3-1 Solicit contact information and post-baccalaureate plans from all graduating seniors. |
| Finding | Finding 1-3-1 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. |
| Criteria | Criterion 1-3-2 Examine BA degree from University viewpoint via discussions with the University Curriculum committee, Provost, and others. |
Actions for Objective:
| Action | Action 1-3 Actions will be deferred pending acquisition of baseline data on what attracts students to the BA degree and where they go following their graduation. |
GOAL: Goal 1
| Objective | Objective 1-4 | |
| Build scientific literacy, enhance critical thinking skills, and develop better communication skills by involving more Biology BA undergraduates in research. Associated Goals: Goal 1 |
| Indicator | Indicator 1-4-1 Identify undergraduate students early in their academic career who are interested in research. |
| Criteria | Criterion 1-4-1 Encourage undergraduates to attend the Department’s seminar series. |
| Indicator | Indicator 1-4-2 Increase the number of undergraduates participating formally (i.e., through Independent Studies) or informally in faculty-mentored research projects. |
| Criteria | Criterion 1-4-2-1 Stress the importance of undergraduate research experiences for successful application to graduate programs and professional schools. |
| Criteria | Criterion 1-4-2-2 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 1-4-2-3 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 1-4-3 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 1-4-3 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 1-4-3 The SHSU Department of Biological Sciences is, by all accounts, extrememly successful in meeting Objectives 1-4-1 through 1-4-3. 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 | Action 1-4 Continue with our successes involving undergraduates in research; continue lobbying for additional research space. |
GOAL: Goal 2
| Objective | Objective 2-1 | |
| Encourage a more active research program and increase research excellence. Associated Goals: Goal 2 |
| Indicator | Indicator 2-1-1 All faculty are expected to produce scholarly products. |
| Criteria | Criterion 2-1-1 All faculty will produce scholarly products. |
| Finding | Finding 2-1-1 All tenured and tenure-track faculty in the Department of Biological Sciences are actively engaged in producing scholarly products in their subdisciplines. |
| Indicator | Indicator 2-1-2 Maintain and increase the number of peer-reviewed publications produced annually by faculty in our department. |
| Criteria | Criterion 2-1-2 Meet or exceed the national average publication rate for Primarily Undergraduate Institutions (PUI’s). |
| Finding | Finding 2-1-2 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 2-1-3 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 2-1-3 Achieve parity regarding FTE credit for laboratories. |
| Finding | Finding 2-1-3 A particularly difficult constraint for science faculty at SHSU is that lab courses carry half the credit, per contact hour, of lecture courses. 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 2-1-1 No action needed. |
| Action | Action 2-1-2 No action needed. |
| Action | Action 2-1-2 Identify and implement creative mechanisms for reducing teaching loads without reducing teaching efficacy. |
GOAL: Goal 2
| Objective | Objective 2-2 | |
| Build support for our research programs through increased external funding. Associated Goals: Goal 2 |
| Indicator | Indicator 2-2 All faculty are expected to seek external funding. |
| Criteria | Criterion 2-2 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 2-2 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 2-2 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 2
| Objective | Objective 2-3 | |
| Increase the visibility and national reputation of our research programs. Associated Goals: Goal 2 |
| Indicator | Indicator 2-3-1 Encourage and support all faculty members to present their research results at local, regional, and national/international professional meetings. |
| Criteria | Criterion 2-3-1 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 2-3-1 Travel budgets are currently insufficient to meet this objective. |
| Indicator | Indicator 2-3-2 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 2-3-2 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 2-3-2 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 thier profesional journals. Such "release" must be institutionalized. |
Actions for Objective:
| Action | Aciton 2-3-1 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 2-3-2 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 3
| Objective | Objective 3-1 | |
| 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 3 |
| Indicator | Indicator 3-1-1 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 3-1-2 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 3-1 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 3-1-3 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 3-1-1 We are now actively soliciting donors in our annual newsletter and in other venues (e.g., at our annual homecoming/alumni barbeque). |
| Action | Action 3-1-2 Letters are sent to all current donors expressing our thanks and appreciation for their efforts to help deserving students obtain science degrees. |
GOAL: Goal 3
| Objective | Objective 3-2 | |
| Help students recognize the importance of the biological sciences in preparation for future career opportunities. Associated Goals: Goal 3 |
| Indicator | Indicator 3-2-1 Increase student interaction with external speakers of our Department of Biological Sciences weekly seminar series. |
| Indicator | Indicator 3-2-2 Increase the number of undergraduates participating, formally or informally, in STEM-related internships. |
Actions for Objective:
| Action | Action 3-2-1 Held three luncheons open to students to speak with the visiting speakers about career and scientific issues. |