Undergraduate Program Assessment Projects
The Biology Department is using several assessment programs to evaluate our progress and implement changes towards our goals. The assessment tools at hand include course evaluations, the standing departmental Curriculum Committee, designated subcommittees dealing with curricular innovations, student focus groups organized by the Biology Majors Union, datacollected from the annual survey of alumni, post-graduate placement informationwith regard to quality of graduate and professional programs, and data regarding participation in research, honors, and interdisciplinary programs.
Specific assessment and improvement projects to beimplemented in 2008 include the following:
1. Ongoing review of curriculum by the departmental Curriculum Committee (and subcommittees). Specific attention during 2008 will be on questions related to the scope of the core curriculum, the balance between depth and breadth within the core, and tailored curricula for students with differing career goals (see goals 1 & 2). Faculty and student focus groups, along with the existing student exit survey, will be used to assess progress and develop proposals for change. We also will be looking at post-graduation outcomes with respect to the success of admissions to preferred graduate and professional programs.
2. Assessing and improving the development of critical thinking skills in courses (see goals 6 & 8). We will be using the ongoing work of PP Lemons to introduce critical thinking exercises into core courses (eg, Biology 25L) and to develop faculty skills in teaching critical thinking. Because critical thinking and problem solving skills are often the limiting barrier for students with weak backgrounds in science, this project is expected to have a selective impact on students who are traditionally underrepresented in biology.
3. Assessing and improving the writing of the honors thesis (see goals 3, 4 & 7). The preparation of the honors thesis is a critical opportunity for in-depth investigation in a field, sophisticated understanding of the research experience, and development of strong writing and communication skills. To this end, we will be using the ongoing work of JA Reynolds to assess the honors thesis and develop strategies for improving the thesis writing experience.
Duke Biology Box 90338 Durham, NC 27708 Phone: 919-660-7372 Fax: 919-660-7293