Implementing Data Rich Assessment Tools for Scientific Reasoning
Presented by Dr. Dale Beach and Dr. Andrew Yeagley
Assessment data for scientific reasoning (SR) on the Longwood Campus has been redundantly collected for both Goal 6 (General Education) and University-wide assessments. In addition, the data collected appeared difficult to tabulate and unreliable. Cumbersome assignments and inconsistent application of assignments led to unconvincing assessments of Goal 6 SR student outcomes. University-wide SR assessment utilized a comprehensive instrument developed by Madison Assessment, but insufficient student sample sizes invalidated datasets. Within this presentation a review of the combined application of the Madison Assessment SR test to both Goal 6 and University-wide assessment requirements is discussed, and pilot data for 3 semesters is presented. The comprehensive application of the exam to all Goal 6 courses provides a plethora of data that can be mined for a multitude of comparative analyses. Herein, the results of the 2016/2017 academic year are discussed and applied as a rubric for the results of the Fall 2017 assessment. The data presented is by far more enlightening than past assessments and should act to inform an assessment strategy for the scientific reasoning aspect of Longwood’s soon to be implemented Core Curriculum.
Presenter bios:
Andrew Yeagley is an Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Longwood University. He obtained his Chemistry Bachelor’s of Science Degree from the school that pioneered student-faculty research, Lebanon Valley College, and later obtained his PhD in Organic Chemistry from the nearby University of Virginia. Andrew has been at Longwood since 2013 and has taught a multitude of chemistry courses, including the Goal 6 oriented CHEM 101, but regularly teaches the organic chemistry series and the inorganic chemistry course.
Dale Beach is an Associate Professor of Biology at Longwood University. Raised in the San Francisco Bay area, he earned his B.S. degree from the University of California at Davis. He worked in biopharmaceuticals before pursuing his doctoral degree in Cellular and Molecular Biology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dale joined Longwood University in 2010, and teaches courses in Genetics, Molecular Biology, Cellular Biology, and Genomics. His current research programs involve understanding information encoded in DNA and RNA molecules.
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