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Biology, BA/BS

Student Outcomes

Assessment of Student Outcomes

Outcome A Cellular & molecular biology content knowledge (BIO BS)

Students in the biology major will demonstrate proficient knowledge of cellular & molecular biology.
Objective 17 Students in the Biology major will demonstrate proficient knowledge of cellular and molecular biology.

Measure 1

2019 Status
Not Yet Achieved
Biology Majors surpassed threshold levels on 2 of 3 assessments. We will next assess cellular & molecular biology content knowledge again in calendar year 2020.

2018 Status
Not Yet Achieved
Biology Majors surpassed threshold levels on this assessment. We will next assess cellular & molecular biology content knowledge again in calendar year 2019.

2017 Status
Not Yet Achieved
We will next assess cellular & molecular biology content knowledge in calendar year 2018.

Outcome B Organismal biology content knowledge (BIO BS)

Students in the biology major will demonstrate proficient knowledge of organismal biology.
Objective 18 Students in the Biology major will demonstrate proficient knowledge of organismal biology.

Measure 1

2019 Status
Not Yet Achieved
Biology Majors are surpassing threshold levels on 2 of 3 assessments. We will next assess organismal biology content knowledge again in calendar year 2020.

2018 Status
Not Yet Achieved
Biology Majors are surpassing threshold levels on this assessment. We will next assess organismal biology content knowledge again in calendar year 2019.

2017 Status
Not Yet Achieved
We will next assess organismal biology content knowledge in calendar year 2018.

Outcome C Ecology and evolutionary biology content knowledge (BIO BS)

Students in the biology major will demonstrate proficient knowledge of ecology and evolutionary biology
Objective 19 Students in the Biology major will demonstrate proficient knowledge of ecology and evolutionary biology.

Measure 1

2019 Status
Achieved
Biology majors scored above threshold on both assessment indicators. We will next assess ecology and evolutionary biology content knowledge in calendar year 2020.

2018 Status
Not Yet Achieved
Biology majors scored above threshold on Indicator 8, the Ecology portion of the assessment. We will next assess ecology and evolutionary biology content knowledge in calendar year 2019.

2017 Status
Not Yet Achieved
We will next assess ecology and evolutionary biology content knowledge in calendar year 2018.

Outcome D Analytical Skills (BIO BS)

Students in the biology major will demonstrate proficient analytical skills including quantitative and scientific reasoning
Objective 20 Students in the Biology major will demonstrate proficient analytical skills including quantitative and scientific reasoning.

Measure 1

2019 Status
Achieved
Biology majors scored above threshold on this assessment indicator. We will next assess analytical skills in calendar year 2020.

2018 Status
Not Yet Achieved
We will next assess analytical skills in calendar year 2020.

2017 Status
Not Yet Achieved
We will next assess analytical skills in calendar year 2020.

Measure 2

2018 Status
Not Yet Achieved
Data will be reported for this SLO in 2020, coinciding with the General Education assessment cycle.

2017 Status
Not Yet Achieved
We will next assess analytical skills in calendar year 2020.

Outcome E Written Communication (BIO BS)

Students in the biology major will effectively communicate scientific information in writing.
Objective 21 Students in the Biology major will effectively communicate scientific information in writing.

Measure 1

2019 Status
Achieved
Students met threshold values for all four assessment criteria.

2017 Status
Not Yet Achieved
We will next assess writing skills in calendar year 2019.

Outcome F Oral Communication (BIO BS)

Students in the biology major will effectively present scientific information in oral presentations.
Objective 22 Students in the Biology major will effectively present scientific information in oral presentations.

Measure 1

2019 Status
Achieved
Assessed in 2017. Not assessed in 2018 or 2019. Next assessment in 2020.

2018 Status
Achieved
Data was not collected for this SLO this year. Data will be collected again for this SLO in 2020.

2017 Status
Achieved
In capstone (BIO495) our students surpassed our target of 90% progressing or proficient in their oral communication skills. We recommend continued emphasis on developing these skills in our major, and the inclusion of opportunities for practice prior to assessed oral communication where possible.

Outcome G Information literacy (BIO BS)

Students in the biology major will identify, evaluate and synthesize from multiple sources of scientific information.
Objective 23 Students in the Biology major will identify, evaluate, and synthesize from multiple sources of scientific information.

Measure 1

2019 Status
Achieved
Assessed in 2018. Not assessed in 2019. Next assessment in 2021.

2018 Status
Achieved
Students demonstrated strong information literacy skills, surpassing our target values. These data represent the baseline data on information literacy for the Biology Department.

2017 Status
Not Yet Achieved
We are assessing information literacy in calendar year 2018.

Outcome H High impact experiences (BIO BS)

Students in the biology major will participate in high impact learning experiences such as internships, research experiences, and volunteer and service activities.
Objective 24 Students in the Biology major will participate in high-impact learning experiences such as internships, research experiences, and volunteer and service activities.

Measure 1

2019 Status
Achieved
Overall, 74% of students indicated they had at least one high-impact experience while at GVSU.

2018 Status
Achieved
26% were involved in a research experience, 15% performed an internship, 47% were involved in relevant volunteer experiences, and 9% studied abroad.

2017 Status
Achieved
45% of our students surveyed reported at least one high-impact experience.

Outcome I Career preparation (BIO BS)

Students in the biology major will prepare to successfully enter professional careers and graduate education in the biological sciences.
Objective 25 Students in the Biology major will prepare to successfully enter professional careers and graduate education in the biological sciences.

Measure 1

2019 Status
Achieved
A majority of survey respondents expressed high confidence in their ability to find a job in their chosen field in the first year following graduation, graduate, or professional school, exceeded our threshold value of 50%.

2018 Status
Not Yet Achieved
The majority of Biology Majors feel prepared for successful careers or graduate education. We will next assess career preparation again in calendar year 2019.

2017 Status
Not Yet Achieved
We are assessing career preparation in calendar year 2018.