Geology Discipline Assessment 2006-2007

Scope of assessment activities

___⇒__Course-embedded assessment

___⇒___ Pre- and post-testing

______ Outside the classroom

______ Across the discipline

Direct measures of student learning

______ Capstone experience

______ Portfolio assessment

______ Standardized tests

______ Performance on national licensure, certification or

preprofessional exams

______ Qualitative internal and external juried review of

of comprehensive senior projects

______ Externally reviewed exhibitions and performances in

the arts

______ External evaluation of performance during internships

Discussion and Description

Discipline goals, direct measures, and improved student learning

1. Geology discipline goals. The geology curriculum

· serves those interested in a broader knowledge of their natural environment and the geological sciences as part of their liberal arts education

· provides a firm foundation in geology, related sciences, and mathematics for students interested in the investigation and solution of geologic problems

· prepares students for graduate study in the geosciences and related areas

· provides the necessary background in earth science for those who plan to teach this field at the secondary level

· serves those in other professional or interdisciplinary programs who need geology as a related subject.

2. Course-embedded assessment: pre- and post-test.

The pre- and post-test format is used in some courses. However, no information is available for this report.

General education categories spanned by the discipline

Most Geology courses carry either the Sci-L or Sci, physical and biological sciences with or without lab, resp., general education designator. One carries the Envt designator for people and the environment. Directed study, geology senior seminar, and geology senior seminar presentations carry no designator.

German Discipline Assessment 2006-2007

Scope of assessment activities

___⇒__Course-embedded assessment

___⇒___ Pre- and post-testing

______ Outside the classroom

______ Across the discipline

Direct measures of student learning

______ Capstone experience

______ Portfolio assessment

___⇒__ Standardized tests

___⇒__ Performance on national licensure, certification or

preprofessional exams

______ Qualitative internal and external juried review

of comprehensive senior projects

______ Externally reviewed exhibitions and performances in

the arts

______ External evaluation of performance during internships

Discussion and Description

Discipline goals, direct measures, and improved student learning

1. German discipline learning objectives

· Comprehension and speaking in the target language.

· Reading skills.

· Reasoning and writing skills (includes word processing).

· Cultural immersion through study abroad programs.

The assessment plan lists expected outcomes for each objective.

2. Course-embedded assessment. Pre-test/post-test.

Beginning German. A placement test is administered to students who have had previous experience with German and wish to enroll in German at UMM. It is administered again at the end of second semester of beginning German. Results for the second administration are used for two purposes:

i. to gauge student learning during the year of beginning German.

ii. to gauge student readiness for advanced work in German.

The first purpose is undermined to some degree because not all students who enroll in beginning German take the placement test, some because they have had no previous experience with the language, and some for reasons that are not clear. However, all who take the pre-test show improvement on the post-test.

The results of the first adminstration of the placement test are used to recommend whether the student should enroll in first-, second- or third-year courses. Hence, the results of the second administration can also be interpreted as a measure of the student’s readiness for advanced work. For students finishing beginning German in the springs of 2005 and 2006, 34.3% tested at the first-, 51.4 % at the second-, and 14.3 % at the third-year level.

3. Other

Additional information about assessment in German may be found in the German assessment report in the appendices.

General education categories spanned by the discipline

German courses carry one of the following general education designators: FL, foreign language; IP, international perspective; ArtP, artistic performance; or Hum, communication, language, literature, and philosophy. Directed study and the senior project carry no general education designator.

History Discipline Assessment 2006-2007

Scope of assessment activities

___⇒__Course-embedded assessment

___⇒___ Pre- and post-testing

______ Outside the classroom

______ Across the discipline

Direct measures of student learning

___⇒__ Capstone experience

______ Portfolio assessment

______ Standardized tests

______ Performance on national licensure, certification or

preprofessional exams

______ Qualitative internal and external juried review

of comprehensive senior projects

______ Externally reviewed exhibitions and performances in

the arts

______ External evaluation of performance during internships

Discussion and Description

Discipline goals, direct measures, and improved student learning

1. History discipline goals. Students will

· approach individual and group decision-making with an awareness of a broad range of choices, demonstrating an empathy to alternative responses to life’s questions.

· be able to think critically and communicate their ideas effectively.

· integrate their academic study with their intellectual and moral maturation.

· understand the construction of historical knowledge.

· have learned how to learn.

2. History capstone experience

The capstone is a two-semester tutorial in a culminating historical research project. Assessment revealed two problems in earlier versions of the course. Not all students

· chose a research topic in a timely way.

· chose a research adviser in a timely way.

The discipline response has been a two-fold revision of course procedures.

· Students must submit three possible research topics to the discipline coordinator by a specified date.

· The discipline faculty as a group assigns research advisers from its ranks.

The new procedures will be assessed.

3. Assessment in the adviser/advisee relationship

A close working relationship between adviser and advisee is essential for meeting disciplinary goals because the major has few specifically required courses. Adviser and advisee meet to plan a curriculum of proper breadth and depth. When the student applies for graduation, the student and adviser meet to

· document that the student has successfully demonstrated breadth across regions and time periods in the major.

· discuss ways in which the student perceives history and historical questions as a result of thinking about history at UMM.

· evaluate what historical skills and knowledge the student has gained while studying history at UMM. Supporting evidence of such skills and knowledge may include successful papers, tutorials, student initiated studies, etc.

The adviser must keep a record of this meeting.

4. Course-embedded assessments

During the 2006-2007 academic year, history faculty members assessed student learning in six courses, three of them introductory and three of them specialized courses.

4.1 Pre-test/post-test methods. This was the first time that several instructors used this method. It will be refined and used again.

World History to 1500. The pre- and post-test for different topics showed different degrees of factual recall by students for different parts of the course. Apparently pedagogical techniques influenced the degree of retention. Through this assessment, the instructor sees the necessity of clarifying the conceptual framework of the second part of the course.

Introduction to U. S. History. The pre- and post-test, administered on the first and last day of class, sought to measure both student thinking about history as well as factual recall. Results for the latter were mixed, students doing less well identifying a single-theme approach to U. S. history, but quite well on questions about primary and secondary sources, and on the notion of public memory. They did fairly well on the former, viz., on open-ended questions addressing central themes from various books read for the course. The instructor infers from assessment that more in-class interaction between students and instructor may enhance student learning.

Latin American History: A Basic Introduction. The pre-test did not work well, so the post-test was not used. The pre-test/post-test model will be redesigned for the next offering of the course.

Modern Europe. Multiple choice, open answer, yes/no and chronological ordering questions were used on the pre-test/post-test. Yes/no was not an effective tool. Students showed great improvement in the chronological ordering section. The assessment indicated which topics required additional instructional time. The instructor has decided to use a different assessment model for her Nazi Germany course, one with special attention paid to different learning styles.

Ancient Maya Civilization. The average pre- and post-test scores were 10 % and 77 %, resp. In the post-test, no student scored less than 50 %.

4.2 Use of student assessment in conjunction with written work and class discussion

Red, White, and Black: Race/Culture in Early America. Students assessed how well the course met the four substantive and six process goals of the course. Overall they expressed the opinion that greater success was achieved with the former than the latter. These opinions coupled to written work and class discussions led to a strategy for improving student learning. “Since the written work and discussion had demonstrated, for example, students’ increased critical stance toward the sources and greater sensitivity to the making of historical ‘truth,’ the instructor concluded that he needs to make more explicit connection between the stated goals and substantive discussions as the course progresses.”[1]

General education categories spanned by the discipline

Almost every history course carries one of four general education designators: Hist, historical perspectives; IP, international perspective; HDiv, human diversity; and SS, human behavior, social processes, and institutions. Directed study and the capstone course carry no general education designator.

Management Discipline Assessment 2006-2007

Scope of assessment activities

___⇒__Course-embedded assessment

___⇒___ Pre- and post-testing

______ Outside the classroom

______ Across the discipline

Direct measures of student learning

______ Capstone experience

______ Portfolio assessment

______ Standardized tests

______ Performance on national licensure, certification or

preprofessional exams

______ Qualitative internal and external juried review of

of comprehensive senior projects

______ Externally reviewed exhibitions and performances in

the arts

______ External evaluation of performance during internships

Discussion and Description

Discipline goals, direct measures, and improved student learning

1. Management discipline goals. Management students will

· understand and use a variety of techniques to manage financial, human and material resources

· be able to critically conceptualize business problems and to develop appropriate strategies for problem solving

· understand and use a variety of quantitative analysis techniques appropriate for business

· develop collaborative skills

· be competent in written and oral communication

· develop competence in computer skills

· be prepared for professional careers in business or public service, or for graduate studies

· be able to see relationships between management and other liberal arts disciplines.

2. Discipline goals and course work

The assessment plan relates discipline goals to courses both within and without the discipline where they will be met, and to the completion of projects inside and outside of courses.

3. Course-embedded assessment

Financial Managment. The instructor set three learning objectives for the fifteen week semester, one objective for each five week subdivision of the semester. The objectives were specific instances of the general discipline objectives.[2] The instructor used exercises and homework assignments to assess student learning as excellent, good, fair or poor. These results indicated where student learning was adequate and where it needed improvement; the instructor adjusted his teaching as needed. At the end of the five week period, student learning was again assessed, but this time with an examination.[3]

General education categories spanned by the discipline

Almost all management courses bear one of the following general education designators: SS, human behavior, social processes, and institutions; IP, international perspective; HDiv, human diversity; M/SR, mathematical/ symbolic reasoning; or E/CR, ethical and civic responsibility. Directed study, principles of accounting, and the management internship bear no general education designator.

Mathematics Discipline Assessment 2006-2007

Scope of assessment activities

___⇒__Course-embedded assessment

___⇒___ Pre- and post-testing

______ Outside the classroom

______ Across the discipline

Direct measures of student learning

___⇒__ Capstone experience

______ Portfolio assessment

___⇒__ Standardized tests

______ Performance on national licensure, certification or

preprofessional exams

______ Qualitative internal and external juried review of

of comprehensive senior projects

______ Externally reviewed exhibitions and performances in

the arts

______ External evaluation of performance during internships

Discussion and Description

Discipline goals, direct measures, and improved student learning

1. Mathematics discipline goals

· to help students develop competence in mathematical techniques and methods

· to sharpen students’ mathematical intuition and abstract reasoning as well as their reasoning from numerical data

· to encourage and stimulate the type of independent thinking required for research beyond the confines of the textbook

· to provide students with the basic knowledge and skills to make mathematical contributions to modern society

The curriculum prepares students to enter graduate school, pursue careers in applied mathematics, or teach mathematics

2. Math senior seminar

The senior seminar is the principal assessment vehicle in the mathematics discipline. The seminar has been assessed annually since the 2003-2004 academic year.

Each student majoring in mathematics works for two semesters under the guidance of a faculty advisor to produce a piece of individual research. Students are expected to

· extend a mathematical concept from a primary paper in the literature

or

· use multiple references to obtain an understanding of a mathematical concept

and

· strive for some degree of originality in their project.[4]

The research product is a ten-to-fifteen page paper and a forty minute public presentation.

The mathematics faculty works closely with each student during the run-up to the presentation. Student and advisor meet periodically. Prior to the presentation, the entire mathematics faculty reads near-final drafts of all of the papers, then meets as a body with each student to critique and encourage the work, and to offer suggestions for the presentation and/or paper.

Although the faculty advisor assigns the final grade, the entire mathematics faculty meets to discuss the presentations and to ensure consistency in grading. Students receive feedback through two vehicles: the advisor’s evaluation of the paper; and the assessment sheets filled out by audience members at the presentation, which provide opportunities for both numerical ratings and evaluative comments.[5]

The faculty meets at the end of the academic year to evaluate the most recent round of papers and presentations. This is the touchstone for improved student learning. The author of the 2006-2007 assessment report writes, “All students showed mathematical growth by the end of their senior seminar experience. Overall, the faculty feel that this was a very successful year of senior seminar.” The annual critical assessments of the senior seminar have led to the mechanisms that made possible the growth and success noted in the two quoted sentences, viz., the explicitly detailed guidelines and timeline, the close-mentoring by one faculty member and the wide-mentoring by all faculty. Two changes are planned immediately based on this ongoing assessment.

3. Course-embedded assessment

The 2006-2007 report gives examples of how three instructors of Calculus I used course-embedded assessment to improve student learning. One instructor used an assessment/feedback/reassessment model to improve student understanding of functional notation. A second required that students demonstrate proficiency in four areas before receiving any credit whatsoever for an exam. A third used a glossary quiz at the beginning and end of the semester to assist students in using mathematical nomenclature precisely.[6]

A fourth instructor of calculus sought to improve student learning in the subject by making the use of Mathematica, a powerful software tool in mathematics, more appealing.[7] Overall his assessment showed more frequent use of and a better attitude towards Mathematica, but the cognitive impact was not measured.

4. Putnam Mathematical Competition

The Putnam is a national exam. Two UMM students took the exam in 2006, having prepared for it by taking the Problem Solving Directed Study. They ranked 747^th and 1089^th out of 3640 participants.

5. Placement in Beginning Mathematics

The mathematics discipline makes recommendations on whether beginning students should enroll in basic algebra, precalculus, first- or second-semester calculus. The recommendation is based on student success with a placement exam administered during summer registration and on the students’ high school record in mathematics. In the fall of 2006 the discipline collected data correlating the recommendation, the course actually taken, and success in the course. It believes that any change would be premature based on this data set alone, and will continue to collect data annually. It is anticipated that the placement exam will be “revisited” in the near future.

6. Course Planning

During the 2007-2008 the mathematics faculty will discuss its freshmen and sophomore level courses with an eye to increasing their number and variety for both majors and non-majors.

General education categories spanned by the discipline

Mathematics courses all bear the M/SR, mathematics/symbolic reasoning, general education designator with the exception of a few courses bearing none (basic algebra, precalculus, directed study, history of mathematics).

Music Discipline Assessment 2006-2007

Scope of assessment activities

___⇒__Course-embedded assessment

___⇒___ Pre- and post-testing

______ Outside the classroom

______ Across the discipline

Direct measures of student learning

___⇒__ Capstone experience

______ Portfolio assessment

______ Standardized tests

______ Performance on national licensure, certification or

preprofessional exams

___⇒__ Qualitative internal and external juried review of

of comprehensive senior projects

______ Externally reviewed exhibitions and performances in

the arts

______ External evaluation of performance during internships

Discussion and Description

Discipline goals, direct measures, and improved student learning

1. Music discipline objectives. The music curriculum

· cultivates familiarity with the traditions of Western and non-Western music through theoretical analysis, research, performance, and historical survey

· fosters the development of the critical ability necessary to understand those traditions

· cultivates the experience of the unique relationship between research and performance in music.

Theoretical and practical courses that provide a sound academic background in music are available for those who intend to pursue graduate study, teach, or fulfill general education requirements.

2. Course-embedded assessment. Pre-test/post-test

Conducting techniques: instrumental and choral conducting skills. The course learning objectives are:

· The ability to conduct various meters and tempos, i.e., the fundamentals of conducting movements

· Identify and demonstrate clear cues and musical expression

· Gain the ability to hear the music on the printed score and identify errors or inaccuracies in performance by ensemble

· Have a clear reference to music terms found on the respective music score

· Communicate through gestures the needed musical expression indicated by the score

· Make the critical decisions needed to interpret the composer’s intentions as seen in the score of music

· Develop a clear perspective of musical analysis enabling one to interpret the musical score.

Conducting project examples. There textbook has a series of “conducting project examples” with benchmarks to be attained for each. The instructor prepares students in the basic skills for each example.

Pre-test phase. The student conducts the example, which is video-taped. The instructor, the student-conductor, and other students in the class rate the student-conductor’s performance from one to ten for each benchmark.[8]

Improving student learning. The instructor and student-conductor review the video-tape in light of the numerical ratings, and work to reinforce successful moves and analyze unsuccessful ones. If many students in the class displayed the same shortcomings, the entire class focuses on these.

Post-test phase. There are three parts.

1. The instructor and students come to an agreement on the benchmark ratings for each example.

2. The instructor provides comments on each student’s progress.

3. As part of the final exam, students review all of their videos and write a narrative on their progress in conducting.

General education categories spanned by the discipline

Each music course bears one of the following general education designators: FA, fine arts; ArtP, artistic performance; M/SR, mathematical/symbolic reasoning; Hum, communication, language, literature, and philosophy; or Hist, historical perspectives. Exceptions are concert attendance, five techniques courses, two conducting courses, form and analysis, directed study, and senior project, which carry no general education designator.

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[1] Quoted from the discipline assessment report of May 22 2007, which is in the appendices.

[2] For example, the first objective, “Understand the principles of asset pricing and be able to price financial assets, such as stocks and bonds,” spans several of the eight learning objectives listed in § 1.

[3] The quantitative results are in the management report in the appendices.

[4] The three bullets are direct quotes from “Mathematics Discipline Assessment 2006-2007” prepared by Professor Barry McQuarrie that is in the appendices to this report.

[5] Numerical data for the 2006-2007 academic year may be found in the appendix.

[6] Again, numerical data are in the appendix.

[7] See Computer Assisted Calculus Education Project in the appendices.

[8] In the full report in the appendices, the instructor reflects on the superiority of the numerical rating scheme over comments alone from other class members.