Assessment/Accreditation

Assessment of Undergraduate Degree Programs in the College of Science

Faculty in the College of Science are engaged in full cycle assessment of undergraduate degree programs, using a variety of direct and indirect assessment methods. Methods used to directly assess student learning and degree programs involve learning activities in capstone courses, comprehensive exams, culminating projects, mid program or end of program student assessments, final exams/projects/papers, course embedded assessments (CATs) in course work, oral proficiency, interviews, portfolios, practicum/internship, thesis/dissertation, and certification results. Methods used to indirectly assess student learning and degree programs include graduation rates, retention rates, alumni satisfaction surveys, employment/employer satisfaction surveys, exit interviews/surveys, professional school acceptance rates, and advisory board input. College of Science faculty offer numerous high impact student learning experiences, some of which serve as the medium for implementing assessment methods. These high impact student learning experiences include, First-Year Seminars and Experiences, Learning Communities, Service and/or Community-based Learning, Study Abroad, Undergraduate Research, Internships, Writing-Intensive Courses, Collaborative assignments and projects, and Culminating Experiences.

Full cycle assessment, in the College of Science, includes the steps:

Faculty propose learning outcomes for their courses and degree programs,
Assessment methods are proposed and implemented by faculty to test learning outcomes,
Data is collected and interpreted,
Faculty discuss data and interpretations to form recommendations,
Recommendations are agreed upon and implemented to make changes in the curriculum and the learning environment,
Learning outcomes are created, removed or evolved as a result of full cycle assessment, and
Full cycle assessment process is documented, through yearly written reports and bi-yearly meetings.

The contact information for departmental assessment representatives and department chairs is listed below:

1. Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics

Chair: Gary Merrill; merrillg@science.oregonstate.edu

Assessment Representative: Indira Rajagopal; rajagopi@onid.orst.edu

2. Biology Program

Chair: Robert Mason; masonr@science.oregonstate.edu

Assessment Representative: Brock Mc Leod; mcleodb@science.oregonstate.edu

3. Department of Chemistry

Chair: Kevin Gable; kevin.gable@oregonstate.edu

Assessment Representative: Chris Pastorek; christine.pastorek@oregonstate.edu

4. Environmental Sciences Program

Director: Patricia Muir; muirp@science.oregonstate.edu