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 5100 at least once during their tenure as graduate students. To pass CHM 5100, 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 (CHEM 5100) was offered in the fall and spring semesters. In the Fall 2011 semester, all 11 of our graduate students were enrolled in the course and in the Spring 2012 semester, 6 of our 12 graduate students were enrolled in the course. The remaining 6 students had already taken the seminar course three times (the maximum number allowed). All of the students passed the required research presentation and also passed the course in the fall semester. In the spring semester one of the students did not make the required research presentation (he disappeared near the end of the semester and is no longer in the program) and failed the course. The other students passed both the research presentation and the course.
Action
Seminar Actions
We have just worked through a downswing in our graduate enrollments. This leads to erratic enrollment in seminar (as witnessed by 11 students enrolled in the fall but just 6 in the spring). We will continue to monitor the situation and will attempt to make the peer feedback more meaningful for the presenters.
Goal
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
In the past year, two students took their oral exams (during the spring 2012 semester). Both were evaluated by their respective examining committees and the consensus of each of the committees was that the students passed. In fact, in one case, the student was given a high pass. It is difficult to determine a cluster of weaknesses because of the small number of students being evaluated. In general, at the master's level, one student's weakness is another student's strength.
Action
Oral Exam Assessment
The nature of our graduate program is diverse. One of the two students that completed their degree this past spring was a biochemist working on luciferases. The other was an analytical chemist working on tellurium and selenium compounds. Since the comprehensive exam grows out of the thesis defense, the nature of the questions will necessarily be different under circumstances like these. We will continue to monitor the situation.
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
Successful Thesis Defense
Two graduate students successfully defended their master's theses, as judged by their respective thesis committees, during the spring semester of 2012.
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
Two students completed their master's thesis in the past calendar year (both during the spring 2012 term). Both of the committees found that the scientific references in the theses were of acceptable quality.
Action
Continue Master's Thesis Work
With two students completing their theses in the past year, it is difficult to generalize. This is an area that we will continue to monitor.