Graduates from biology graduate program should be scientifically literate, academically competent, and intellectually competitive.
Objective
Instruction
Provide rigorous instruction in our graduate courses allowing students to develop competence in their area of specialization.
Indicator
Course Offerings
Increase the number of graduate courses offered each semester.
Criterion
Course Offerings
Encourage new tenure-track faculty to submit curriculum requests for courses in their area of specialty.
Finding
Course Offerings
In the past year, 2 of 3 new tenure track faculty have developed a total of 3 new graduate courses. These courses were initially offered as special topics and curriculum requests for 2 of those courses have now passed the departmental curriculum review.
Indicator
Primary Literature Component
Include a primary literature component in all graduate syllabi
Criterion
Primary Literature Component
All graduate course syllabi should have a current literature component.
Finding
Primary Literature Component
A survey of all graduate course offerings in the academic year 2006-2007 had a primary literature component in the syllabus.
Indicator
Mastery Of Knowledge
All graduate students will demonstrate mastery of graduate course content through a graduate comprehensive exam.
Criterion
Success at Oral Exam
Ninety percent of graduate students should pass their oral exam on their first attempt
Action
Instruction
In progress.
Objective
Assessment Of Success
Qualitative assessments of how well our graduate programs have successfully transitioned graduate students to Ph.D programs or the workforce will be solicited through questionnaires distrubuted in our annual newsletter.
Indicator
Alumni Survey
This questionnaire will be included, for the first time, in the fall 2007 Department of Biological Sciences newsletter.
Criterion
Alumni Survey
Any deficiencies in our curriculum or graduate student preparation noted by at least three or more respondents in a given year will be evaluated by the Department's Graduate Committee.
Finding
Alumni Survey
No findings yet.
Action
Alumni Survey
Actions will be deferred pending responses to first use of our questionnaire.
Objective
Scientific Literacy And Critical Thinking Skills
Build scientific literacy, enhance critical thinking and communication skills by involving graduate students in the scientific process from proposal development through publication in peer review journals.
Indicator
Research Engagement And Academic Progress
Graduate students should taken an active role in their own adacemic progress and should actively engage in research early in their graduate program.
Criterion
Selection of Research Advisor
Graduate students seeking the MS degree will select a faculty research advisor by the end of their first semester after entering the graduate program.
Finding
Selection of Research Advisor
Students turn in to the Departmental Graduate Committee a signed advisor form by the end of their first semester.
Criterion
Formation of Advisory Committee
Graduate students must have formed their thesis advisory committee by the end of their first semester.
Finding
Formation of Advisory Committee
Students turn in to the Departmental Graduate Committee a completed/signed thesis advisory committee form by the end of their first semester.
Criterion
Completion of Research Prospectus
Graduate students must have a competed research prospectus filed with the graduate committee by the end of their second semester.
Finding
Completion of Research Prospectus
Students turn in a research prospectus, accompanied by the appropirate signed form to the Departmental Graduate Committee by the end of their second semester.
Criterion
Orientation
All incoming graduate students will attend an orientation session early in their first semester. In this meeting they will be given the Department of Biological Sciences Graduate Student Handbook. This document contains all departmental policies, forms and deadlines pertaining to the graduate program
Finding
Orientation
All incoming students are required to sign a form indicating that they have received the Department of Biological Sciences Graduate Student Handbook and that they will conform to all policies and complete all forms by the specified deadlines.
Criterion
Annual Meeting
Graduate students should meet regularly with their academic advisor and at least annually with their thesis advisory committee to discuss academic and research progress.
Finding
Annual Meeting
Students and advisors work together, following the annual meeting of the student's thesis advisory committee, to complete the Departmental Annual Progress Report which is filed with the Departmental Graduate Committee.
Indicator
Student Scientific Presentations
Support graduate students presenting their research result at scientific venues.
Criterion
Number of Presentations
One half of the department's graduate students should annually present research results at state, regional, national, or international conferences.
Indicator
Student Scientific Publications
Graduate students will submit their research findings from their MS thesis for review and publication in a peer reviewed journal prior to, or soon after, graduating and leaving the graduate program.
Criterion
Mentor Guidance
Graduate advisors routinely meet with and mentor their graduate students to ensure that they are progressing toward communication of their research findings through presentation and publication.
Action
Research Engagement and Academic Progress
Students not completing requirements above risk losing their teaching assistantship and/or being removed from the program. Remind students (and their advisors) that they signed an agreement upon entering the program to adhere to all deadlines.
Goal
Goal 2--Faculty Excellence
To demonstrate, by example, the commitment of our faculty to scientific discovery and lifelong learning. Students pursuing an MS in Biology benefit by having a faculty actively engaged in generating and acquiring new knowledge.
Objective
Faculty Research Activity
Encourage a more active research program and increase research excellence
Indicator
Scholarly Products
All faculty are expected to produce scholarly products.
Criterion
Faculty Scholarly Products
All faculty will produce scholarly products.
Finding
Faculty Scholarly Products
All tenured and tenure-track faculty in the Department of Biological Sciences are actively engaged in producing scholarly products in their subdisciplines
Indicator
Peer-reviewed Publications
Maintain and increase the number of peer-reviewed publications produced annually by faculty in the Department of Biological Sciences
Criterion
Publication Rate
Meet or exceed the national average publication rate for Primarily Undergraduate Institutions (PUI's)
Finding
Publication Rate
Publication rates at PUI's are approximately 0.5-0.6 peer-reviewed publications per faculty member per year. The publication rate in the Department of Biological Sciences is over one publication per faculty member per year.
Indicator
Faculty Time For Research
Enhance strategies/mechanisms that provide additional time for research. Time is the one resource in shortest supply among the faculty; a reduction in teaching loads would contribute significantly to increased publication rates and successful applications to external funding agencies.
Criterion
FTE parity
Achieve parity regarding FTE credit for laboratories.
Finding
FTE parity
A particularly difficult constraint for science faculty at SHSU is that lab courses carry half the credit, per contact hour, of lecture courses. For science faculty at comparable institutions in other states, labs carry fulll credit. Such discrepancies put science faculty at SHSU at a competitive disadvantage.
Action
Faculty Scholarly Products
No action needed
Action
Faculty Publication Rate
No action needed.
Action
FTE parity
Identify and implement creative mechanisms for reducing teaching loads without reducing teaching efficacy.
Objective
External Funding For Research
Build support for our research programs through increases external funding.
Indicator
External Funding For Research
All faculty are expected to seek external funding.
Criterion
External Grant Expectations
Each faculty member should, in any given year, have one or more projects supported by external funding or should submit a grant to seek such support.
Finding
Research Funding
Approximately 75% of Biology faculty currently have research projects funded through external sources. A consensus among our faculty is that increased levels of external funding would be facilitated by continued growth in, and professional development of, the staff in the Office of Research and Special Programs and in the Office of Contracts and Grants
Action
External Funding
Support the efforts of the Offices of Research and Special Programs and the Office of Contracts and Grants to hire additional staff and enhance their professional development. Continue to encourage all faculty to seek external funding.
Objective
Visibility Of Research Programs
Increase the visibility and national reputation of our research programs.
Indicator
Presentation Of Research Results
Encourage and support all faculty members to present their research results at local, regional, and national/international professional meetings.
Criterion
Funding for Conference Travel
Provide sufficient funds to support every faculty member to present their research at a minimum of one regional and one national/international conference per year.
Finding
Travel Budgets
Travel budgets are currently insufficient to meet this objective.
Indicator
Support Mechanisms For Professional Service
Enhance support mechanisms for faculty who have been asked to provide external scholarly service, including, but not limited to, serving as editors and associate editors of peer-reviewed scientific journals.
Criterion
Policies for supporting professional service
Establish policies and incentives for such service: e.g., providing a one course reduction per semester for serving as editor for a national peer-reviewed journal.
Finding
Policies for supporting professional service
Without meaningful reductions in load, faculty have declined invitations to serve as editors or as officers in their professional societies. While understandable, mechanisms must be sought to permit these individuals to serve their organizations; SHSU students benefit by the experiences brought back into the lab and classroom by these faculty, and the university benefits by increased exposure of our programs.
Action
Travel Budgets
Continue to lobby the College and the University for larger allocations to professional travel. Seek creative sources of funding to permit such travel.
Action
Policies for supporting professional service
Continue to lobby the College and the University for meaningful incentives for faculty to serve as editors, officers, and in other professional capacities that enhance the University but require significant investment by said faculty member.