Chapter Two Appendices Academic Program Profiles
Assessment and Effectiveness
Download 3.94 Mb.
|
- Navigate this page:
- Major Changes and Significant Trends
- Department Resource, Strengths, and Limiting Factors
- Plans for the Future
Assessment and EffectivenessIt has been said that the goal of every educator is to no longer be needed. For the Department, the clearest evidence of the effectiveness of our program is not measured in the average scores of individual courses on this campus but how our students are received after they have left DSC. Despite what could be construed as severe disadvantages relative to other institutions, the biology program has proven capable of placing students within nationally recognized biomedical programs. A placement rate of almost 90% serves as the biggest indicator that the Department is successfully achieving its ultimate aim. Of the 54 graduates earning their bachelors in biology from DSC (current as of Spring 2011): 41 are currently enrolled in medical, dental or other professional health program. 7 are pursuing doctoral research at tier-one research institutes. DSC Life Science alumni can be found enrolled in post-graduate programs at the University of Utah, Brigham Young University, Tufts University, Vanderbilt University, and Case Western Reserve University. Even before they have completed the program, DSC students are being selected from amongst the nation’s top biology students for prestigious fellowships and research internships. DSC students have conducted research internships at institutions such as Duke University, Johns Hopkins University, and the University of Utah. In addition, DSC students have researched with local, state and national agencies. Each course is currently assessed by the individual instructor, most utilizing standard testing approaches in addition to other mechanisms, e.g. research papers, public presentations, standardized ‘pre’ and ‘post’ testing, etc. Currently, there is no integrated, Department-wide, system of assessment from which teaching effectiveness and student success can be quantified at the program level. Members of the Department are currently developing and implementing several assessment techniques for those courses whose enrolled students present a microcosm of the program at various stages. Gauging performance at representative, year-specific, courses will assist the faculty in assessing how well the coursework and teaching methods are advancing our students through their years in the program. As a final assessment of the program, a representative national standardized test (e.g. GRE Biology or MCAT) will be administered to students in their senior year as a practice for them but, most importantly, a gauge by which the program’s effectiveness can be determined by direct comparison to national metrics.
Outcomes can be viewed on their individual web pages. http://www.dixie.edu/biology/courses.php Major Changes and Significant TrendsThe most notable achievement in the recent history of the DSC Department of Life Sciences is its evolution from its origin in 2007 into a functional and successful biology program. With the College’s support, the faculty and staff have engineered a baccalaureate-level program that generates advanced students of biology capable of scholarly performance at the highest levels. Moreover, the Department has established a critical mass of intellectual and material resources allowing for research and teaching capabilities to advance, seeding the development of further students Exemplary indicators of the Department’s abilities include: The establishment of a research-based education program capable of placing students into nationally ranked bio- medical programs. A bachelor’s level education in the science requires an extensive exposure to scholarly research and the implementation of a respectable research-centered curriculum de novo. The development of infrastructural and technical components that have increased the Department’s capacity to instruct students in the biology of the 21st century. By any metric, the significant trend for the Department has been “growth”. As the accompanying table indicates, the number of declared biology majors, the full-time equivalent (FTE) hours, student credit hours taught, and the number of degree earning students has maintained an upward trajectory since the program’s establishment. Moreover, there are no indications from a college or macroeconomic perspective that would suggest any decrease for the foreseeable future. In fact, current social and economic trends suggest that biology will continue to be a popular field of study for students wishing to obtain advanced positions in the workforce. Fortunately, the DSC biology degree prepares students for graduate or professional training in the biomedical sciences, science education, or employment in research, industry, or governmental agencies. Above the literal growth through student enrollment, the program has grown in other important, though less tangible, ways. Since the inception of the degree, the vision of the faculty has grown beyond its previous role as a “junior” college science program. Notably, the course offerings have significantly expanded to include advanced, upper-level coursework in the various fields reflecting the interests within the Department. The Department has implemented a respectable research program, allowing students to gain first-hand experience in the practice of science while helping them remain competitive when applying for graduate or professional schools. Ultimately, the faculty has embraced the idea of a full-fledged academic program within the structure of the college. Before the bachelor’s degree, the DSC science program was simply for pre-health students and students who ultimately transferred to more established institutions. Today, the faculty understands that their charge is to generate real, formal, and lifelong students of the biological sciences and to prepare them for the rigors of academic pursuits. The program has grown because the faculty has accepted the challenges associated with a degree- granting program and has evolved accordingly.
Department Resource, Strengths, and Limiting FactorsPersonnel - The greatest concern that the Department has regarding the adequacy of the current situation and how it will affect our future performance is with personnel. Quite plainly, the faculty recognizes that they are performing at their maximum effort with the current personnel and our ability to maintain this level without drastic change is decreasing. Specifically, the increase in student enrollment requires more laboratory sections. These laboratory courses require immense amount of preparation in order for them to function and the current staff is overwhelmed by the demands. At least one more full-time (or equivalent) laboratory technician is necessary to ensure that the laboratory sections and all associated issues perform smoothly and uniformly. An additional full-time faculty member who is capable of teaching anatomy and physiology is necessary to allow for more sections and keep up with increasing demand. The increasing limitation on faculty overload hours is making it more difficult for them to meet the coursework increasingly demanded by the students’ needs. Unfortunately, the alternative is to minimize offered sections of the affected courses and risk losing students to other institutions. Facilities and Equipment – A cursory review of the last five years would reveal that the Department has built an sufficient infrastructure necessary for the teaching of the diverse areas of the biological sciences. Included in the Department’s material resources are: The complete remodeling of the Science Building into a primarily lab-based structure. The largest Living-Arts Reef aquarium in the State of Utah. The development of a molecular biology laboratory. Including Southern Utah’s only DNA sequence analyzer; awarded by the LiCor Corporation for a genomics research grant. The development of a Level 2 microbiology lab capable of conducting cell culture and virology based experimentation. A functional greenhouse for plant-based research and the establishment of a living Departmental catalog comprising non-native and exotic specimens. An on-site desert garden presenting a unique microcosm of various desert habitats for research and public utilization. However, when considering the issues of growth in enrollment it is not surprising that the Department is experiencing a severe lack of teachable space. Currently, our instructors occupy classroom spaces all over campus, a situation that often creates difficult complications for other departments. Technology – Overall the various technologies currently possessed by the Department is quite impressive considering its relative “youth” as a program. As described above, the Department applies advanced and high- technical equipment in the laboratory courses and for student research projects. Where the Department is lacking is with basic classroom equipment. Computers and electronic resources are outdated and all of the classroom spaces in the Science Building could use a technological upgrade (e.g. computers, “smartboards”, etc.). Institutional Support - The Department believes that the College recognizes the value that the Department of Life Sciences provides for the education of its students and the institution as a whole. To that end, the College has supported the Department through the transition of the last five years in financial and administrative support. Likewise, the Department continues to support the College and its mission. Plans for the FutureThe future of Dixie State College is bright and the Department of Life Sciences is committed to remaining at the forefront of its evolution. Currently and for the near-term, the Department is content to maintain the overall structure of the program unchanged while continuing to make minor adjustments to ensure the best and most effective program available to our students. Since its inception, the bachelor’s degree program is proving to be successful but time and experience have revealed small issues that can be addressed, e.g. pre-requisites, course classification, etc. Beyond the immediate, a vision for the Department has begun to emerge and efforts for their implementation will begin to commence. The philosophical theme of modern biology is the “integrated system” approach. No longer can animal biologists ignore plant biologists who ignore molecular biologists who ignore the animal biologists. Living things do not exist in a vacuum and neither should the science. Moreover, in the realm of academics, the antiquated barriers between disciplines have crumbled and a new approach to education is emerging from the ruins. The Department of Life Sciences recognizes immense opportunity for growth and advancement by its integration with other departments, programs, and fields with whom intellectual congruencies exist. Importantly, these envisioned integrations would advance the scholarly environment of the campus while providing a benefit for students who would be trained to handle the challenges of an increasingly integrated world. Some obvious expansions include: Environmental Sciences – Currently the Department of Physical Sciences is developing a four-year environmental science program. While it is still in a nascent state, this program will require input and efforts from the Life Science faculty. A program of this nature must incorporate faculty members knowledgeable in the mechanisms of ecosystem biology. While most current faculty members are familiar with principles governing the biological components of ecosystems (i.e. ecology) none would describe themselves as fluent in the exploration of the innumerable abiotic factors that bear influence on an ecosystem. The environmental sciences are a growing and increasingly vital area of the discipline and DSC is wise to earnestly pursue this program and the Department of Life Sciences enthusiastically volunteers its expertise and service towards its implementation. Physical Sciences – Biological systems are chemical and, thus ultimately, physical. The comprehension of life is impossible without extensive knowledge and application of the other natural sciences. Incorporating faculty and developing coursework and research projects that can bridge these two programs is crucial for our student’s success in an increasingly “molecular-focused” field of study. Our students are already required to take no less than eight chemistry courses and four physics; but this only represents the minimum amount necessary for success in our current program. A much more intense and involved exploration of biochemical and biophysical principles will become vital as the program pushes further towards the forefront of the science. Computer Information Technology – The science of biology has advanced light years beyond its days as a strictly observational science. From the sequencing of genomes to the mathematical models explaining ecosystems, there is a never-ending torrent of data that must be analyzed by computers. In fact, the single most pressing need in the biological sciences is for individuals who have experience in “bioinformatics”. An obvious opportunity for integration that should occur at DSC is the further cooperation and expansion between the life sciences and the computer sciences. Students of both programs will benefit as computer science students learn to develop programs that analyze data from ‘real-world’ sources while biology students learn to model living systems in silico. 
Department Chair: Dr. Clare Banks, Math Department Chair Contact Information: (435) 652-7982 banks@dixie.edu Directory: wp-content -> uploads -> sites sites -> 587 Return function, r i(X) r i(0) r i(1) r i(2) r i(3) 1 0 2 4 6 Thermal Station, I 2 0 1 5 6 3 0 3 5 6 10 sites -> Medical Radiography Program sites -> Background on the Haitian Earthquake sites -> Desk review yemen sites -> Safe Transitions for the Elderly Patient (step) sites -> District profile Haripur Introduction sites -> Germanie VanTrease and Tyler Tetzloff sites -> For more information sites -> To be completed by the cerf secretariat. Type of submission sites -> Sponsor Content Above the Clutter with Pete Krainik Download 3.94 Mb. Share with your friends:
|