Student Learning Assessment

Biological and Chemical Sciences Major

Fall 2007

Wells College Mission Statement

The mission of Wells College is to educate students to think critically, reason wisely, and act humanely as they cultivate meaningful lives. Through Wells’ academic program, residential atmosphere, and community activities, students learn and practice the ideals of the liberal arts. The Wells experience prepares students to appreciate complexity and difference, to embrace new ways of knowing, to be creative, and to respond ethically to the interdependent worlds to which they belong. Committed to excellence in all areas of its reach, Wells College equips students for lifelong learning and for sharing of privileges of education with others.

Wells College’s Five Institutional Goals

1. Provide an educational experience that supports students as unique individuals engaged in the study and practice of the liberal arts.

2. Maintain an excellent faculty that is skilled in teaching, dedicated to rigorous intellectual development, and actively committed to pursuing new knowledge and learning strategies.

3. Develop students’ intellectual curiosity, analytical and critical capabilities, and aesthetic awareness and creativity.

4. Provide a rich community environment that fosters awareness and sensitivity to social diversity and encourages responsible action in an interdependent world.

5. Develop self-confident individuals who exercise sound judgment and have the knowledge and skills for thoughtful decision-making.

Wells College’s Academic Program Goals

A Wells education enables students to:

• examine enduring and contemporary questions that shape human understanding

• use the scholarly and creative traditions of the liberal arts and contemporary technologies to locate and evaluate information

• communicate reasoned points of view to inform and persuade a variety of audiences

• incorporate an understanding of diversity in their academic work and as members of a learning community

• develop an appreciation of languages and cultures in a global context

• acquire knowledge based on scholarship and research about women

• engage in collaborative practices in the classroom, in campus life, and in the community at large

• develop thorough knowledge of basic principles, methods of inquiry, and current issues in an academic field of study

The Major in Biological and Chemical Sciences

Mission of the Major

The major in biological and chemical sciences provides students the opportunity and the guidance to build for themselves a foundation in the fundamental areas of biology, the study of life, and chemistry, the study of matter, with particular emphasis on the areas integrating biology and chemistry. Students engage in active learning as they apply the scientific method towards understanding the natural world. As such, students think critically and creatively in evaluating data as well as issues related to biology and chemistry in society, including ethical conflicts surrounding particular scientific theories, technologies, or applications, and are trained to write and speak effectively about science and scientific issues. The BCS major helps students to understand diversity in the practice of science, through highlighting the important contributions of women and minorities and recognizing cultural bias and societal perspectives. Students are prepared for a variety of careers as well as advanced study in graduate school or any of the health professions

Goals

Provide students the opportunity and the guidance to build for themselves a foundation in the fundamental areas of biology, the study of life, and chemistry, the study of matter, with particular emphasis on the areas integrating biology and chemistry.

Engage students in active learning as they apply the scientific method toward understanding the natural world.

Challenge students to think critically and creatively in evaluating data as well as issues related to biology and chemistry in society, including ethical conflicts surrounding particular scientific theories, technologies, or applications.

Train students to write and speak effectively about science and scientific issues.

Help students to understand diversity in the practice of science, through highlighting the important contributions of women and minorities and recognizing cultural bias and societal perspectives.

Prepare students for a variety of careers as well as advanced study in graduate school or any of the health professions.

Required of all BCS majors

BCS 301 – Introduction to Research

BCS 402 – Senior Research Paper in BCS

BIOL 151L – The Biology of Cells

BIOL 152L – The Biology of Organisms

CHEM 107L – General Chemistry

CHEM 108L – Chemical Analysis

CHEM 213L – Organic Chemistry I

CHEM 214L – Organic Chemistry II

Comprehensive Examination

We will focus our program assessment on the courses and comprehensive examination that are required of all our majors. We also have specific course objectives for each of our courses (not included here), and these will be discussed when we undergo assessment of each of our concentrations.

Objectives and Learning Outcomes

Objective 1: Knowledge. Students will acquire a working knowledge of basic principles and critical information in the biological and chemical sciences.

Learning Outcome: Students' working knowledge of basic principles is assessed through a variety of means, including exams and laboratory reports

Assessed By:

COURSE	COURSE OBJECTIVE	Specific Assignments (see attached)
BCS 301	4	Problem sets, exercises
BCS 402
BIOL 151L	1	Exams questions
BIOL 152L	1, 2, 3, 4, 5	Exam questions, labs
CHEM 107L	1, 2, 3, 4	Exam questions, labs
CHEM 108L	1, 2	Exam questions, labs
CHEM 213L	1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7	Exam questions, case studies, labs
CHEM 214L	1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9	Exam questions, projects, labs
Comps	1	Written Exam

Objective 2: Critical Thinking. Students will develop creative and critical thinking as they apply scientific reasoning toward understanding the natural world.

Learning Outcome: Students participate in inquiry-based lab activities, engage in case studies, analyze problem sets, and conduct directed and independent research projects, culminating in a senior thesis.

Assessed By:

COURSE	COURSE OBJECTIVE	Specific Assignments (see attached)
BCS 301	1, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9	Worksheet, in class exercises
BCS 402	1, 3	Thesis
BIOL 151L	4	Labs, student debates
BIOL 152L	1, 2, 3, 4, 5	Exam questions, labs
CHEM 107L	1, 2 ,3 ,4	Exam questions, labs
CHEM 108L	1, 2	Exam questions, labs
CHEM 213L	2, 3, 4, 6	Exam questions, case studies, labs
CHEM 214L	2, 3, 4	Exam questions, projects, labs
Comps	1	Written exam

Objective 3: Skills. Students will be active participants in learning the skills necessary for work in the fields of biology and chemistry.

Learning Outcome: As BCS majors students learn

a) basic laboratory and field techniques, including appropriate qualitative/quantitative analysis.

b) to work in collaboration with others

c) to apply the scientific method to investigate the natural world

d) to use, evaluate, and appropriately cite the scientific literature

e) to communicate the results of scientific investigation (oral and/or written)

f) to recognize that many problems require cross-disciplinary approaches

Assessed By:

a) basic laboratory and field techniques, including appropriate qualitative/quantitative analysis.

COURSE	COURSE OBJECTIVE	Specific Assignments (see attached)
BCS 301	5	Worksheet, in class exercises
BCS 402	1, 3	Thesis
BIOL 151L	4	Labs, student debates
BIOL 152L	1, 4, 5	Exam questions, labs
CHEM 107L	2, 3, 4	Exam questions, labs
CHEM 108L	1, 2	Exam questions, labs
CHEM 213L	3, 5, 6, 7	Exam questions, case studies, labs
CHEM 214L	3, 5, 6, 7, 9	Exam questions, projects, labs
Comps

b) to work in collaboration with others

COURSE	COURSE OBJECTIVE	Specific Assignments (see attached)
BCS 301	2, 5, 9	Worksheet, in class exercises
BCS 402	1, 3	Thesis
BIOL 151L	5	Labs
BIOL 152L	1, 5	Exam questions, labs
CHEM 107L	1, 2, 3, 4	Exam questions, labs
CHEM 108L	1, 2	Exam questions, labs
CHEM 213L	1, 4, 5, 7	Exam questions, case studies, labs
CHEM 214L	1, 4, 5, 7, 9	Exam questions, projects, labs
Comps

c) to apply the scientific method to investigate the natural world

COURSE	COURSE OBJECTIVE	Specific Assignments (see attached)
BCS 301	1, 4, 5	Worksheet, in class exercises
BCS 402	1, 3	Thesis
BIOL 151L	4	Labs, student debates
BIOL 152L	1	Exam questions, labs
CHEM 107L	1, 2, 3, 4	Exam questions, labs
CHEM 108L	1, 2	Exam questions, labs
CHEM 213L	1,2, 5, 6, 7	Exam questions, case studies, labs
CHEM 214L	1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 9	Exam questions, projects, labs
Comps

d) to use, evaluate, and appropriately cite the scientific literature

COURSE	COURSE OBJECTIVE	Specific Assignments (see attached)
BCS 301	1, 2, 3, 4, 5	Worksheet, in class exercises
BCS 402	1, 3	Thesis
BIOL 151L
BIOL 152L	1	Exam questions, labs
CHEM 107L	4	Exam questions, labs
CHEM 108L	1	Exam questions, labs
CHEM 213L	3, 6	Exam questions, case studies, labs
CHEM 214L	3, 6, 9	Exam questions, projects, labs
Comps

e) to communicate the results of scientific investigation (oral and/or written)

COURSE