Deliver A Curriculum With Appropriate Discipline Specific Knowledge
The program will address the discipline specific knowledge dictated by professional societies and/or professionals in the workforce.
Objective
Demonstrate Advanced Chemistry Knowledge And Skills
Each student will demonstrate the ability to communicate knowledge of advanced chemistry.
Indicator
Mastery Of Advanced Chemistry Knowledge - Oral Exam
All graduate students will demonstrate a mastery of chemical knowledge through an oral graduate comprehensive examination, administered by a faculty committee. The examination will consist of questions about the practical and theoretical basis for the students' research work.
Criterion
100% Pass Oral Comprehensive Exam
Each student is expected to pass the oral comprehensive exam as determined by a consensus of the student's examining committee.
Finding
Oral Exam Result
Two graduate students took their oral exams this past summer, and one graduate student took her oral exam this spring semester. All were evaluated by their examining committee and the consensus of each of the committees was that the students passed. It is difficult to determine a cluster of weaknesses because there are so few students being evaluated. One student's weakness is another student's strength. Certainly, students are going to be stressed in an oral examination; however, they are obviously handling their stress well enough to pass.
Action
Assessment Of Knowledge And Skills
Since the oral examination is such a basic assessment for our master's students, we need to develop a oral exam rubric or checklist so we are better able to determine whether there are common strengths we need to celebrate or there are weaknesses we need to address.
Goal
Develop Presentation Skills
The ability to communicate research and knowledge are fundamental presentation skills in chemistry.
Objective
Demonstrate Presentation Skills
Students completing CHM 510 will, at least once during their tenure as graduate students, demonstrate the ability to make a research presentation.
During their tenure as graduate students, all students will present at least one departmental seminar. The faculty, through the peer-review evaluation rubric, will determine the presentation's acceptability.
Criterion
At Least One Seminar Presentation
All graduate students in chemistry are required to take CHM 510 at least once during their tenure as graduate students. To pass CHM 510, students are required to receive an acceptable peer-rating on a required research presentation. Within the course, each student evaluates all other student presentations. The rubric is the last page of the syllabus.
Finding
Seminar Credit
Chemistry Seminar (CHM 510) was offered in the fall and spring semesters. In each semester seven of our eight graduate students enrolled in the course, and all passed the required research presentation and also passed the course. The eighth graduate student had already taken CHM 510 three times (the maximum number allowed). There is a tendency for students to evaluate peers too highly to be able to identify common strengths and weaknesses.
Action
Seminar Presentation Assessment
To make this a more meaningful assessment and to provide appropriate feedback for students, we need to work on this area. While we are certain that our students can compete with others nationally, we know there are going to be areas where we could improve.
Goal
Provide Original Research Opportunities For Graduate Students
Reseasrch is a significant part of graduate programs with mentoring and original ressarch publication.
Objective
Completion Of Master's Thesis
Each student will successfully prepare and defend a master's thesis on research performed under the direction of a chemistry faculty member.
Indicator
Thesis Defense
Students will orally present their master's thesis work to the public and will defend their work through questions from the public and additional questions about the research project from their thesis committee.
Criterion
Successful Thesis Defense
Each student is expected to pass the thesis defense as determined by a consensus of the student's thesis committee.
Finding
Thesis Defense Result
Two graduate students successfully defended their master's theses, as judged by their respective thesis committees, during the summer semester of 2010.
A third student also successfully defended her master's thesis, as judged by her thesis committee, during the spring semester of 2011.
This latter student had no difficulty meeting the deadlines and format expectations set by the library.
Indicator
Thesis References/Bibliography
Each student is expected to complete a thesis describing the basis for the research, the experiments and results of those experiments, and a discussion of those results. The basis for the research and the discussion of the results must be supported by appropriate reference to the scientific literature. As part of the defense of the thesis, the thesis committee will evaluate the quality of scientific referencing in the manuscript.
Criterion
Thesis References/Bibliography Meets Expectations
At least 85% of theses presented to thesis committees will have the quality of scientific referencing evaluated as meeting expectations.
Finding
Evaluation Of Thesis References/Bibliography
Three students completed their master's thesis in the past calendar year (2 last summer and 1 this spring). The committees of all three found that the scientific references in the theses were of acceptable quality.
Action
Continue Master's Thesis Work
We are proud of our students' accomplishments and skills; however, we need to formalize the assessment a little more with a rubric or checklist for the defense.
However, one matter to consider when using the defense as an assessment is that the student's thesis committee chair has worked diligently to help the student refine the proposal and final thesis before it ever goes to the other committee members. Thus, at the defense, with so few students defending each year, one student's weakness will be another's strength. We are looking at how to make this a more meaningful assessment.