Bachelor of Science in Chemistry

Assessment Report, 2014-2015

COST, Chemistry

Assessment Identifiers

College / School:
College of Science and Technology

Department:
Chemistry and Forensic Science

Program / Major / Certificate:
Chemistry (BS)

Assessment Coordinator(s)
Dr. Binda

Has there been a change to the Assessment Coordinator(s) since the last assessment plan?
No

Person(s) responsible for writing and/or submitting this report:
Dr. Binda

Program Mission Statement

The mission of the Chemistry program at Savannah State University is to graduate students prepared to perform at high levels of excellence and productivity in their chosen fields of endeavors in a changing technological society and the global community. The academic course offerings provide strong and innovative instruction on the theory and practice of the chemical sciences. This program will prepare graduates to be proficient in the methods of scientific inquiry. This program is designed to accommodate a range of career goals such as research scientists in varied research laboratories and industrial settings, and associate professions such as health sciences and public policy.

Has this mission statement been revised since the last plan?
No

PSLOs

1. Students will be able to develop in-depth knowledge of the major concepts, theoretical principles and experimental methods in chemistry.

2. Students will be able to use modern instrumentations and classical techniques to design experiments and to interpret the results of the experiments

3. Students will be able to demonstrate effective written and oral communication skills necessary to transmit complex technical information clearly and in a concise manner.

4. Students will be able to demonstrate awareness and understanding of academic integrity and the ethical standards of the chemistry profession.

5. Students will be able to develop in-depth knowledge of procedures and regulations for the safe handling and use of chemicals.

LINK TO: Assessment Report, 2014-2015 – Supporting Documents

Assessment Results (PSLOs)

SSU Strategic Plan Goal	PSLO	Semester	Professor	Courses	Assessment Artifacts and Instruments	Target Levels	Results and Analysis of Results	Actions in Response to Results
Academic Engagement and Achievement	1. Students will be able to develop in-depth knowledge of the major concepts, theoretical principles and experimental methods in chemistry.	Spring 2015	Song, Odetokun	CHEM 1211 Principles of Chemistry I	Test – Quantitative Literacy Rubric/KEY	40% Level 3	TARGET NOT MET 38% Level 3	OVERALL: TARGET NOT MET Description of the expected use of results that will be addressed in the 2015-2016 academic year: Courses still need some improvement. More students met the target compared to previous year due to some changes the faculty made (more interactive classroom activities, more review and tutorial sessions, creating course libguides, allowing library instructional sessions, collaborating with QEP writing workshops, and providing timely feedback). We will discuss making changes to our assessment approach.
			Song	CHEM 1212L Principles of Chemistry II	Test – Quantitative Literacy Rubric/KEY	40% Level 3	TARGET NOT MET 12% Level 3
			Zhao	CHEM 2501 Organic Chemistry I	Exam – Quantitative Literacy Rubric/KEY	60% Level 3, 10% Level 4	TARGET NOT MET 17% Level 3, 4% Level 4
			Olubajo	CHEM 2511 Organic Chemistry II	Exam – Quantitative Literacy Rubric/KEY	60% Level 3, 10% Level 4	TARGET NOT MET 45% Level 3, 4% Level 4
Academic Engagement and Achievement	2. Students will be able to use modern instrumentations and classical techniques to design experiments and to interpret the results of the experiments	Fall 2014	Jones, Odetokun	CHEM 1212 Principles of Chemistry II	Quiz – critical thinking Rubric/key	40% Level 3	TARGET NOT MET 21% Level 3	OVERALL: TARGET NOT MET Description of the expected use of results that will be addressed in the 2015-2016 academic year: Courses still need some improvement. More students met the target compared to previous year due to some changes the faculty made (more interactive classroom activities, more review and tutorial sessions, creating course libguides, allowing library instructional sessions, collaborating with QEP writing workshops, and providing timely feedback). We will discuss making changes to our assessment approach.
			Zhao	CHEM 2511 Organic Chemistry II	Exam – critical thinking Rubric/key	60% Level 3, 10% Level 4	TARGET NOT MET 45% Level 3, 4% Level 4
			Olubajo	CHEM 4901 Chemical Seminar	Paper – critical thinking Rubric/key	70% Level 3, 30% Level 4	TARGET NOT MET 9% Level 3, 0% Level 4
Academic Engagement and Achievement	3. Students will be able to demonstrate effective written communication skills necessary to transmit complex technical information clearly and in a concise manner.	Fall 2014	Adeyemo	CHEM 1212 Principles of Chemistry II	Writing assignment – writing Rubric	60% Level 2	TARGET MET 64% Level 2, 6% Level 3	OVERALL: TARGET PARTIALLY MET Description of the expected use of results that will be addressed in the 2015-2016 academic year: The program will emphasize the successful strategies employed in the course where the target was met and will attempt to apply them to the other courses that are falling short.
		Fall 2014	Olubajo	CHEM 4901 Chemical Seminar	Term paper - writing Rubric	70% Level 2, 30% Level 3	TARGET NOT MET 33% Level 2, 0% Level 3
		Spring 2015	Binda	CHEM 4601 Polymer Chemistry	Research paper - QEP writing Rubric	70% Level 2, 30% Level 3	TARGET NOT MET 66% Level 2, 0% Level 3
Academic Engagement and Achievement	4. Students will be able to develop in-depth knowledge of procedures and regulations for the safe handling and use of chemicals.	Fall 2014	Binda	CHEM 1211L Principles of Chemistry I	Safety Quiz - Grading Rubric	70% Level 3, 30% Level 4	TARGET NOT MET 18% Level 3, 0% Level 4	OVERALL: TARGET NOT MET Description of the expected use of results that will be addressed in the 2015-2016 academic year: More opportunities to practice and learn chemistry safety standards will be introduced.
Academic Engagement and Achievement		Spring 2015	Binda	CHEM 2501L Organic Chemistry II	Safety Quiz - Grading Rubric	70% Level 3, 30% Level 4	TARGET NOT MET 10% Level 3, 0% Level 4

Assessment Results (POs)

SSU Strategic Plan Goal	PO Goal	Enabling Strategies	Measures	Targets	Results and Analysis of Results	Actions in Response to Results
Academic Engagement and Achievement	Maintain or increase enrollment	a. Participate at SSU open campus day to meet interested freshmen b. Redesign departmental brochure to include faculty research and chemistry instrumentation c. Starting a departmental newsletter with one publication per semester d. Visitation to local high schools by senior students and faculty e. Starting a departmental seminar series where successful researchers are invited to campus f. Involvement of High School Students in summer research projects with chemistry faculty g. Re-organization of Student Chapter of American Chemical Society (ACS) with the institution of annual ACS week.	Banner enrollment data	80 majors each year	TARGET MET 82—Enrolled Majors Target exceeded by 2 majors.	OVERALL: TARGET MET Description of the expected use of results that will be addressed in the 2015-2016 academic year: Our enabling strategies will be continued to further increase enrollment next AY.
Academic Engagement and Achievement	Increase course completion rates	Additional tutorial sessions and active instructional approaches	Banner course completion data	70% minimum pass rate for all courses	TARGET NOT MET Courses highlighted still require a lot of work to meet the target of 70%.	OVERALL: TARGET NOT MET Description of the expected use of results that will be addressed in the 2015-2016 academic year: Instructional delivery methods such as flipped classroom model will be tested.
Academic Engagement and Achievement	Help students prepare for graduate school and career placement upon graduation.	a. Encourage Chemistry students (sophomores upward) to participate in NSF funded summer Research Experience for Undergraduate (REU) programs at different sites across the US. b. Encourage students to participate in different research training programs including ethical conduct in research, professional writing, work ethic, literature review, literature search, library usage, preparations for successful graduate studies, career preparation and oral presentation. c. Encourage students to present at professional conferences such as Southeastern Regional Conference of American Chemical Society (SERMACS), Emerging Researchers National (ERN) Conference, and Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS).	Student summer research participation data	3 students participate in summer research	TARGET MET 3 student participants	OVERALL: TARGET MET Description of the expected use of results that will be addressed in the 2015-2016 academic year: Continue to encourage students to participate in summer research.