OATdb Archive

2009 - 2010

Biological Sciences, Department Of

Goal
Deliver Current, Rigorous Curricula
The department will insure that all curricula meet current professional standards and will insure that the rigor of these curricula are monitored and modified appropriately

Objective
Assist COAS In Development Of The Nursing Program
Faculty and staff from Biology will participate in the development of a new SHSU Bachelor's of Science in Nursing degree program. The proposed nursing program will be housed in the COAS.

Indicator
BSN Planning
Since several pre-nursing courses are housed in Biology, faculty will assist the Director of Nursing in the expansion of the curriculum from pre-nursing to full BSN.


Criterion
Faculty/staff Participation In BSN Development
The curriculum plan for the BSN will be completed and the included BIO courses modified appropriately.

Finding
BSN Planning
The curriculum from pre-nursing to full BSN was completed. The biology section of the curriculum consist of three existing biology courses and one new developed biology course. Because the nursing program is currently housed off the SHSU campus biology faculty and chair do not have any direct means of evaluating how well the biology courses benefit nursing students. This is a problem that will be corrected in the academic year 2010 - 2011.

Action
Curriculum Plan
The nursing program will be housed on the SHSU campus beginning in the Srping 2011 semester. In the Fall 2010 semester faculty and chair will establish a permanent and formal mode of communication with the SHSU Nursing Program Director. The communication will be designed to give faculty and chair feedback regarding how well the biology courses fit the professional needs of the nursing students.

Goal
Improve External Recruitment Efforts
The department will improve the student advising process.


Objective
Enhance Institutional Collaborations
The department will enhance its efforts to recruit highly qualified students from community colleges into the biology undergraduate programs.

Indicator
Recruitment From Community Colleges
BIO faculty will visit CC campuses and make presentations to attract quality students to transfer to SHSU.

Criterion
Community College Visits
The department will schedule and participate in at least two community college visits.

Finding
Community College Visits
Biology faculty completed four recruitment visits to community colleges. The biology chair's discussion with faculty who participated in the recruitment process revealed that prospectiive students asked detailed questions about financial aid and the aplication process, two areas which  faculty typically lack detailed knowledge of. The conversation with faculty also indicated that faculty research and teaching workload often prevented them from making follow up contacts with prospective students. This problem will be corrected in the 2010 - 20111 academic year.

Action
Recruitment From Community Colleges
The biology department chair concluded that the effectiveness of future recruitment visits can be increased by providing faculty with an assistant for all 2010 - 2011 recruitment visits. The assistant will have the following duties: (1) provide prospective students with information about the application process and financial aid and (2) develop a list of the names and email addresses of prospective students and send a follow up email to the prospective students. The department chair will ask the SHSU Director of Community College Relations to provide the assistant.


Goal
Improve Student Advising Process
Improve the student advising process

Objective
Develop Clear Advising Guidelines
The advising for Bio and ESC majors and minors will be improved.


Indicator
Guideline Development
The department chair will develop advising guidelines.


Criterion
Advising Guideline Development
The advising guidelines will be developed and distributed to all biology faculty during the academic year of 2009 - 2010.


Finding
Advising Guidelines
The advising guidelines were developed and distributed to biology faculty. Faculty have indicated that the guidelines are working well. However, Bio and ESC students are advised by both biology faculty and staff at the Sam Center. The chair of biology has concluded that the guidelines are not detailed enough for the Sam Center staff as the staff lacks specific knowledge about the biology program. This problem will be corrected in the academic year of 2010 - 2011.


Action
Advising Guidelines
. During the academic year of 2010 - 2011 the chair will develop a more detailed set of advising guidelines to be used by the Sam Center staff.


Goal
Developing An Alumni Base
Department will expand its alumni base.


Objective
Initiate Spring Graduation Recognition Event
Faculty will increase its alumni base.


Indicator
Pre-Commencement Ceremony
A pre-commencement ceremony will be held each year. The commencement ceremony will include open house labs, poster sessions, dinner, and recognition/awards.


Criterion
Pre-Commencement Ceremony
At lest 50% of the graduating students will attend the pre-commencement ceremony.


Finding
Pre-Commencement Ceremony
Roughly 80% of the graduating students and their families attended the event. Faculty and chair beleived the pre-commencement ceremony attendees enjoyed viewing the displayed research projects and participating in the pre-commencement ceremony festivities. However, the chair determined that more information  (contact information, opinions about the event, etc) should be obtained from graduates who attend the ceremony.

Action
Pre-Commencement Ceremony
In an effort to increase the effectiveness of the event members of the Department Events Committee will design a short survey to be distributed at next year's event. The survey will ask graduating students to provide future contect information as well as feedback about the pre-commencement ceremony. The survey data will be used to maintain future contact with graduates as well as improve the pre-commencement ceremony.

Goal
Improve Department Webpage
The content of the department webpage will be revised and updated.

Objective
Improve Departmental Webpage
Improve the content of the department's webpage.


Indicator
Webpage Management
The content of the webpage will be revised and updated.

Criterion
Webpage Management
A trained webmaster will be hired and all revisions and updates to the webpage will be completed by the end of the 2009 - 2010 academic year.


Finding
Webpage Management
Faculty and chair are pleased with the revisions made to the webpage and believe the revisions provide users with accurate and insightful information regarding the department. The department chair did identify the need to begin tracking the number of prospective students who visit the webpage and their opinion of the webpage's content.

Action
Webpage Management
 An additional feature will be added to the webpage which will allow the chair to determine user satisfaction with the webpage, specifically prospective student satisfaction. SHSU computer services will be asked to add a feature to the webpage that allows for tracking the number of visits to the webpage's prospective student section and a feature that allows prospective students to provide brief feedback about the information contained in the prospective student section.


Update to previous cycle's plan for continuous improvement

Plan for continuous improvement In the fall of 2010 the department will establish a permanent and formal avenue of communication with the Director of the SHSU Nursing Program which will allow faculty to evaluate how well the biology courses are serving the professional needs of nursing students. Communication will be activated in spring of 2010. The department faculty will improve its recruitment efforts by adding additional features to the department website and by delivering and obtaining more information during recruitment visits to community colleges. The department faculty will expand its alumni base by obtaining more contact information from its graduates and through a survey designed to elicit feedback about the pre-commencement ceremony.