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BSP SoTL Institute 2008

BSP SoTL Institute 2008. Holly Ahern Associate Professor of Microbiology Adirondack Community College. The “Big” Picture. Problem for ACC administration: Assessment and accountability to SUNY and Middle States Problem for ACC faculty: Assessment and accountability to administrators

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BSP SoTL Institute 2008

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  1. BSP SoTL Institute 2008 Holly Ahern Associate Professor of Microbiology Adirondack Community College

  2. The “Big” Picture • Problem for ACC administration: • Assessment and accountability to SUNY and Middle States • Problem for ACC faculty: • Assessment and accountability to administrators • Problem for me: • Assessment as a means to improve student outcomes

  3. Observations (across ~ 30 semesters of Microbiology) • Focus on the “bell curve” phenonemon • Student achievement as measured by grade distribution is generally consistent across semesters • More “motivated” students are quickly apparent and generally more successful • For health science majors, the “grade” is everything (C+ required to continue in program)

  4. Course background • Designed so that lecture and lab are interdependent • Laboratory consists of long-term “projects” • Skill development and application to projects • “Open lab” philosophy • Graded with a rubric • Student evaluations consist of summative assessments (tests) and projects which are assessed with rubrics (50/50). • High performing students achieve A/B on both types of assessments • Low performing students achieve higher grades on project assessments (C/D/F vs. B)

  5. Pre-Institute Problem: • To better understand grade distributions, regardless of teaching/learning methods applied • Initial goal: • To develop an evaluation instrument to be used in my microbiology class that would be an “authentic” measurement of student learning.

  6. Early-Institute: Problem becomes a question… • Question 1: Why do some students learn microbiology course material at a higher level (in terms of learning taxonomies) than others. • Of the possible reasons why, one (at a time) will be investigated…

  7. Investigating student preparedness for Microbiology • Observed: weaknesses in topics grounded in chemistry, particularly metabolism (a “threshold concept?”) • Hypothesis: Poor retention of core principles of biology and chemistry from course pre-reqs • Method: develop and administer a diagnostic assessment instrument to evaluate student retention of core principles • Cognitive - What do they know? • MC quiz on core principles (10-15 Q) • Affective - What do they think they know? • Survey?

  8. Work-in-progress:Environmental Isolate Project • Developed to address observed student weaknesses in cell biology and metabolism • Overview: • Multi-week project; focus on exploration of cultural, cellular, physiological, and ecological characteristics of a bacterium isolated from skin • All lab skills are evaluated for technique • Requires analysis of growth properties and biochemical test results to determine metabolism and “trophisms” of isolates • Includes instruction in searching scientific literature databases, given by reference librarian • Assessed using a rubric

  9. Mid-to-late Institute:Question 2: • Does the Environmental Isolate laboratory project improve students’ conceptual understanding of bacterial metabolism? • Hypothesis: …that it does. • Method: • Cognitive: • Find or develop a “conceptual diagnostic test” • Pre-test (at time of the metabolism exam) and post-test (at the completion of the environmental isolate project) • Affective: • Reflection? Survey?

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