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Erin Baumgartner & Ava Howard Biology Department Western Oregon University

Data Driven Decision-Making. Erin Baumgartner & Ava Howard Biology Department Western Oregon University. How do you get a group of passionate faculty with diverse backgrounds to agree on instructional practice?. DATA!. For Example…. What’s better for students- many small or few large exams?

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Erin Baumgartner & Ava Howard Biology Department Western Oregon University

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  1. Data Driven Decision-Making Erin Baumgartner & Ava HowardBiology DepartmentWestern Oregon University

  2. How do you get a group of passionate faculty with diverse backgrounds to agree on instructional practice? DATA!

  3. For Example… • What’s better for students- many small or few large exams? • What’s better for students to have the same lecture and lab instructor or different instructors? • What’s better for students – multiple choice or open-ended assessments? • How do we improve the laboratory experience? • How consistent are exam practices between instructors? Does it matter? • Is there a difference between 4-item or 5-item response choices on multiple choice questions? • How are we serving non-traditional, underrepresented, and other student groups?

  4. Hypothesis: Exam Size & Frequency • More frequent, smaller exams will improve student study habits and performance and decrease anxiety.

  5. Methods: • Control-comparison • Two midterms, 90 points, 50 minutes • Four miniexams, 45 points, 25 minutes • Quantitative: • Embedded indicator questions on exams • Student survey – Likert response scale • Qualitative: • Student comments

  6. Results: … But students love them • Decrease anxiety – No • Improved study habits – No • Improved performance – Minimal

  7. Conclusions: Conclusions

  8. Lecture and Lab Instructors • Students with same lecture and lab instructor gain more content knowledge and improve attitudes about science. Hypothesis:

  9. Methods: • Naturally occurring comparison groups • Students with same lecture-lab • Students with different lecture-lab • Quantitative: • Proportion of correct answers on concept inventory • Student attitude survey – Likert response scale • Two-sample t-test overall comparison • MANOVA across demographic groups

  10. Results:

  11. Conclusions: Conclusions

  12. Types of Exam Questions Hypothesis: • Students perform better on open-ended assessment items. • Open Ended: • What is a sphincter?Identify a place in the body where you might find one. • Multiple Choice: • What is the role of the sphincters in the digestive system? • Secrete enzymes • Prevent food from moving too quickly or moving backward through the system • Keep food moving through the system • Adjust pH in different parts of the system

  13. Methods: • Within group comparison • Exams consisted of multiple choice and open-ended items (short-answer, fill-in-the-blank, labeling, essay) • Quantitative: • Correlation of performance on item type against overall performance

  14. Results:

  15. Conclusions:

  16. Dissemination is Important 5 items? 4 items? A carefully formulated scientific explanation that is based on a large accumulation of observations and has been tested and supported by multiple scientists Control Theory Hypothesis Fact • A carefully formulated scientific explanation that is based on a large accumulation of observations and has been tested and supported by multiple scientists • Control • Theory • Hypothesis • Fact • Postulate • Morrison, Susan and Free, Kathleen. (2001). Writing multiple-choice test items that promote and measure critical thinking. Journal of Nursing Education 40, 17-24. • Rodriguez, M.C. (2005). Three Options are Optimal for Multiple-Choice Items: A Meta-Analysis of 80 Years of Research. Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice, 24(2), 3-13.

  17. IRBs are Important

  18. A Consistent Framework is Important

  19. Thanks! • Lindsay Biga • Karen Bledsoe • Jim Dawson • Bryan Dutton • Emma Dutton • Amy Harwell • Kelly Kissane • Kristin Latham • Liz Martin • Jeffrey Snyder Julie Grammer

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