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.
KPI
BSN Planning
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.
Result
BSN Committee
A Pre-Nursing Committee was formed. Included were several faculty from Biology and one from Chemistry who teach pre-nursing courses. Nursing was also invited to have one faculty representative. This is intended to address course and curriculum issues. Student advisement is through the Office of Medical and Allied Health.
Action
Committee Activites
Formal communication between Biological Sciences and Nursing occurs through the respective Chairs at the bimonthly College of Science Chairs’ meeting with the Dean.
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.
KPI
Recruitment From Community Colleges
Effectiveness of 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.
Result
Recruitment Results
Based on budgetary concerns, no assistant is available.
Action
Future Recruitment
The department will revisit the importance of this objective to the mission of biology.
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.
KPI
Guideline Development
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.
Result
Advising
One faculty member from Biology has now joined the SAM Center to assist in advising for all science majors at SHSU. This faculty member has contacted all Department Chairs in the College of Science for their preferences on how their majors should be advised. For the Department of Biological Sciences, this includes the BIOL (Biology) major and minor, the new BMED (Biomedical Science) major, and the ENVR (Environmental Science) minor, as the ENVR major no longer exists.
Action
Continued SAM Center Presence
The biology faculty will keep communication open with the SAM center and will try to keep one faculty member on staff in that office.
Goal
Developing An Alumni Base
Department will expand its alumni base.
Objective
Initiate Spring Graduation Recognition Event
Faculty will increase its alumni base.
KPI
Pre-Commencement Ceremony Survey
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 contact 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.
Result
Survey Data
Surveys from several hundred alumni have been collected. The Department Commencement ceremony is now held annually every May, one-two weeks before University graduation. Feedback from students and parents is strongly positive, because this event is more personal. A faculty committee determines awards which are given out for outstanding undergraduate and graduate students.
Action
Data Analysis
Student work assistants and staff in Biology are entering the responses into a database, so results can be analyzed, and the views of alumni on the Department summarized.
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.
KPI
Webpage Management
Tracking the number of prospective students who visit the webpage and their opinion of the webpage's content will document improvement of the webpage.
Result
Changed Webpage
The counters embedded in each of the pages continue to report visitors. The alumni Facebook page is also maintained. IT has added a group in Blackboard that includes all current BIOL majors, so we can easily send them announcements of our events and opportunities, as well as external opportunities, such as internships, that may be of interest to them. One faculty member, the Chair, and the office staff have access to this group. The University is going to change the format of all public web pages in the near future, and our page will be migrated at that time.
Action
Webpage Monitoring
Biology will continue to monitor webpage use but with google statistics.
Goal
Graduate Students Develop Professional Skills
Students will develop the professional skills necessary to complete projects relevant to the field of biology and communicate the results.
Objective
Graduate Students Communicate Research Findings
Graduate students will demonstrate the ability to communicate research findings in oral and written form through presentations at professional conferences.
KPI
Student Presentations
The number presentations by graduate students at professional meetings will indicate the success of the department in preparing students for oral communication.
Result
Presentation Activity
Graduate students in the Department of Biological Sciences gave 35 presentations (total) at state, regional, national and international conferences.
Action
Continued Activity
Faculty will continue to encourage student activity in conferences.