F2018 Science Medicine Program Review
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Page 1 LAKE SUPERIOR ......,STATE UNIVERSITY Academic Program Review DUE DATE: November 21,2018 The HLC Criteria for Accreditation, specifically Core Component 4.A, require institutions to maintain a "practice of regular program review1ll as one component for ensuring the quality of our educational programs and evaluating our effectiveness in achieving our stated student learning outcomes. For academic units, "Program" means an academic School. School: School of Science and Medicine Degree Programs of the School: • B.S. Biology (indicate which, if any, hold Pre-Medical Concentration specialized programmatic Pre-Veterinary Concentration accreditation) • B.S. Biochemistry Pre-professional - accredited by the American Chemical Society (ACS) • B.S. Chemistry - accredited by the American Chemical Society (ACS) • B.S. Forensic Chemistry - accredited by the American Chemical Society (ACS) • B.S. Medical Laboratory Science - accredited by National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Science (NACLS) • A.D. Chemistry • A.D. Chemical Technology Academic Program Review Submission Date: Dean: David Myton, Ph.D. School Chair: Barbara Keller, Ph.D. Names of Faculty Members Barbara Evans, Ph.D. Completing Program Review Report: Jason Garvon, Ph.D. Martha Hutchens, Ph.D. Alexei Iretski, Ph.D. Steven Johnson, Ph.D. Barbara Keller, Ph.D. Stephen Kolomyjec, Ph.D. Jun li, Ph.D. R. Adam Mosey, Ph.D. Thu Nguyen-Mosey, Ph.D. Britton Ranson Olson, Ph.D. I h ttp s://www . hlcommission . or~ Policies/criteria-and-core-comnonents.html PAGE 1 Page 2 Matthew Spencer, Ph.D. Gregory Zimmerman, Ph.D. Guidelines for Completing the Academic Program Review Questions in Part 1 are focused at the School level, and should reflect School-level data, findings, etc. Questions in Part 2 should be completed for each distinct academic degree program in the School. In the cases where an academic degree holds specialized programmatic accreditation, Schools can cite the page(s) which address the prompt question. In all cases, attach evidence where available using the appendix cover sheet to identify how the evidence supports the relevant criteria or prompt. PAGE 2 Page 3 PART 1: School-Level Review School Mission and Goals 1. Provide the School's mission statement and explain its connection to the University mission. Our mission is to produce exceptional graduates through emphasis on rigorous applied programs, hands-on experiences, and interaction with highly qualified faculty members who are centered on student success. Our vision is to inspire and prepare students to positively change the Upper Great Lakes Region and beyond through science. 2. List the School-level goals and explain how they support and connect to the CAFE Master Goals of the Strategic Plan. https: /!www.lssu.edu! wp-content! uploads! 2018! 09! 2018-2023-LSSU-Strategic-Plan.pdf PAGE 3 Page 4 The School of Science & Medicine goals and their connection to CAFE are: Culture The School of Science and Medicine will cultivate an environment of collaboration and inclusion for students, faculty and staff in all fields of study. Assessment Plan: 1. Collaborations of school faculty and students within and outside of the university will be listed. 2. Survey of faculty, staff and student perceptions of College culture. Academics The School of Science and Medicine will promote faculty-student interaction, high-quality classroom instruction, hands-on research opportunities and advising. Assessment Plan: 1. Research projects, pictures of the student research symposium, abstracts from the student research presentations will be reported. 2. Advising reports from the faculty. 3. Examples of teaching innovations 4. Student responses/feedback from survey 3. Faculty and student grants and research will be listed. Finance The School of Science and Medicine will promote transparent fiscal responsibility in all budgetary processes including the collection and allocation of course and program fees to meet the needs of our students and programs. Assessment: 1. School spending will remain within budget. 2. School will build a prioritization list for equipment replacement and purchases Enrollment The School of Science and Medicine will improve recruitment and retention Assessment Plan: 1. Outreach programs with K-12, community colleges, tribal partners and other organizations will be reported. 2. School retention will be consistent with or better than the overall university retention. 3. The development and use of marketing materials, by ourselves and in collaboration with the University marketing team, will be reported. Explain how the School works to address each of the following questions. For each question respond with a narrative and supporting evidence. PAGE 4 Page 5 Teaching and Learning Programs Evaluation and Improvement: (CC 4.A) 3. Explain how faculty determine program and course learning outcomes, course prerequisites, rigor of courses, expectations for student achievement, and student access to resources. Faculty within the school are experts in their disciplines. The course learning outcomes are determined by the faculty who are teaching the particular course based on their knowledge and expertise in the subject area. The outcomes reflect the student activities and performance that will be measured and evaluated by the faculty member to ensure that the students understand key concepts of the course material that are pertinent for their overall success in the program. Methods for measurement may include, but not be limited to, exams, quizzes, written reports, presentations, etc. The rigor of the course is determined partially by the level of the course (e.g., lower level courses have less rigor than higher level courses). It is the faculty member's responsibility to ensure that students will have access to the necessary resources to successfully achieve the course learning outcomes. 4. Explain how faculty ensure the equivalence of learning outcomes and achievement in all modes and locations where degrees are delivered. Provide examples of course syllabi from multiple delivery modes and locations of the same course(s). The degrees for the School of Science and Medicine are delivered only on the main campus. Some courses within the degrees are delivered off campus. Faculty members within the school are assigned oversight for these off campus courses. Instructor credentials are evaluated by the faculty to ensure that they have the proper educational background to teach the courses. Common syllabi are utilized for on-campus and off-campus courses. Learning outcomes for the on-campus and off campus courses are the same. Typically, a faculty member will do an onsite visit during the initial off-campus course offering to ensure that the facility has adequate equipment and resources. Off site instructors are encouraged to give the same exams, quizzes, etc. as those that are given in the on-campus course. 5. If applicable, attach the most recent report, findings and recommendations from specialized programmatic accreditations within the School. See attached reports for the medical laboratory science and chemistry programs. 6. Report data from the past two years to show what students are doing after graduation from the programs in your School. For example, statistical data should report the numbers of students in PAGE 5 Page 6 specific areas {i.e., business, government, education, military, unemployed, pursuing advanced degrees, etc.}. Attach representative data. A survey of students returned 45 responses of students in the School who self-identified as graduating 2012 to 2018. Of those 45 respondents 37.8% entered employment in their field, 44.4% entered professional or graduate schools, 6.6% were working outside of their field of study, 6.6% continued on doing internships or started a new field of study (nursing), and 4.4% were unemployed. A copy of the survey results is attached. Assessment (CC 4.B and CC 4.C) Explain how the School uses assessment to promote ongoing growth and improvement. As evidence for each question, you may choose to include content from the 'Use of Results' column in the 4-Column Program Assessment Report, or provide broader assessment results from an alternative source. 7. School-level goals and their connections to the university's CAFE Master Goals Strategic Plan were listed in Question 2 ofthis report. Select 3-5 ofthose goals as a focus for the School's 4-Column School Assessment Report; add the selected goals to the 4-Column report document, and attach the document. See attached report. 8. Describe how results from assessment have been used to improve your School. Include specific examples. PAGE 6 Page 7 The school continually evaluates curriculum and its impact on programs. As an example, several years ago the chemistry faculty deleted the CHEM220 Survey of Organic Chemistry class after consultation with faculty from the disciplines who utilized the class. The general consensus among the faculty in the various disciplines was that students who utilized CHEM220 could instead utilize CHEM225 Organic Chemistry /, the first semester of a two semester sequence in organic chemistry, that is used by chemistry majors. Assessment of this change several years later showed that students who typically would have taken the CHEM220 survey course (students in fisheries, wildlife, etc.) where not successfully completing the CHEM225 course that delved more deeply into organic chemistry. As a result, a new CHEM208 Survey of Organic Chemistry with Biological Applications has been introduced as a new