Assessment Plan

College: College of Letters and Science
Department: Mathematical Sciences
Submitted by: 

Rationale

The ability to reason quantitatively is essential for citizenship in the 21st Century world. An understanding of data and quantity, and how they are presented and interpreted by the press and on the Internet, is invaluable. Mathematics, Statistics, and logic are used throughout the world as essential tools in many fields, including natural science, engineering, medicine, and the social sciences. In the words of John Allen Paulos,

“…. There are three reasons or, more accurately, three broad classes of reasons to study mathematics. Only the first and most basic class is practical. It pertains to job skills and the needs of science and technology. The second concerns the understandings that are essential to an informed and effective citizenry. The last class or reasons involves considerations of curiosity, beauty, playfulness, and perhaps even transcendence and wisdom.”

 

Learning Outcomes

LO# LO Description
1. Students will demonstrate the ability to interpret and draw inferences from mathematical or statistical models represented as formulas, graphs, or tables
2. Students will demonstrate the ability to represent mathematical or statistical information numerically and visually
3. Students will demonstrate the ability employ quantitative methods such as arithmetic, algebra, geometry, or statistical inference to solve

Rubrics

PLO #1  Unacceptable Acceptable Threshold Values
Outcome

1

2

  
1. Students will demonstrate the ability to interpret and draw inferences from mathematical or statistical models represented as formulas, graphs, or tables

The student makes no appropriate attempt to interpret the variables, parameters, estimates, and/or other specific information given in the model due to major conceptual misunderstandings.

The student either attempts to use the model to make the required inference(s) and/or interpretation(s) but lacks a clear understanding of how to do so, or the student cannot use the model to make the required interpretation(s) or inference(s).

The student demonstrates the ability to interpret the variables, parameters, and/or other specific information given in the model or statistical output. The interpretation may contain minor flaws.

The student uses the model to draw inferences about the situation being modeled in a manner that may contain some minor flaw(s).

The interpretation(s) and/or inference(s) may be incomplete or inaccurate due to a minor flaw, such as a computational or copying error or mislabeling.

 At least 2/3 of the assignments from selected students should be at an
“Acceptable” level as defined above.
2. Students will demonstrate the ability to represent mathematical or statistical information numerically and visually

The student does not fully understand the important aspects of the mathematical or statistical information and employs the appropriate representation(s) to display the mathematical information with major conceptual flaws.

The student may show some knowledge of how to employ most of the appropriate and required aspects of the representation to display the information, but the representation or interpretation is lacking in a major way.

The representations may show some reasonable relation to the information but contain major flaws. The student may use some correct format, mathematical terminology, and/or language, but the representation is incomplete in some major conceptual way.

The student understands most of the important aspects of the mathematical or statistical information and employs the appropriate representation(s) to display the information with possible minor flaws.

The student correctly and accurately employs most of the appropriate and required aspects of the representation to display the information. The representation may be lacking in a minor way.

There may be misrepresentations of the information due to a minor computational/copying error. The student uses mostly correct format, mathematical or statistical terminology, and/or language.

 At least 2/3 of the assignments from selected students should be at an
“Acceptable” level as defined above.
3. Students will demonstrate the ability employ quantitative methods such as arithmetic, algebra, geometry, or statistical inference to solve

The student demonstrates at best a slight understanding of the problem. The student has difficulty identifying the specific arithmetic, algebraic, geometric or statistical method(s) needed to solve the problem.

The student may attempt to use a method(s) that will solve the problem, but the method itself or the implementation of it is generally incorrect. The plan is not evident nor logical.

The solution or interpretation may contain some correct aspects though there exist major conceptual or logical flaws.

The student demonstrates some understanding of the problem and/or can identify specific arithmetic, algebraic, geometric or statistical method(s) needed to solve the problem.

The student uses the method(s) to solve the problem. The plan for the solution is clear, logical, and evident but may be lacking in a minor way such misreading the problem, or a copying error.

The solution or interpretation is generally correct or well justified, but may contain minor flaws. 

 At least 2/3 of the assignments from selected students should be at an
“Acceptable” level as defined above.

Course Review Schedule

All learning outcomes for seven or eight Q-core courses will be assessed during one semester according to the following schedule (assuming the course is offered that year). Starting in 2018-2019 we will start this same schedule over again, assuming no changes have been made.

Course 2017-2018 2018-2019 2019-2020 2020-2021 2021-2022 2022-2023
M 121       x    
M 133 x          
M 145           x
M 147 x          
M 149   x        
M 151   x        
M 161     x      
M 165     x      
M 166         x  
M 171     x      
M 172         x  
M 181     x      
M 182         x  
M 273           x
M 283           x
PHL 236   x        
STAT 201           x
STAT 216       x    
STAT 217   x        
STAT 226       x    


Process for Assessing

  1. For each Q-course and each of the learning outcomes, special problem(s) or question(s) on the
    final exam, or other signature assignment, will be created, appropriate for evaluation using the
    above rubric.
  2. Several sections of each multi-section course will be randomly selected, and then students may
    be randomly selected from those sections. Special assignments from selected students will be
    evaluated by two faculty members. At least six students should be evaluated for each course.
  3. All assessed assignments should be saved electronically and provided with the assessment reports.
  4. The two faculty members will review the special problems and, using the rubrics, determine
    whether each student’s assignment demonstrates each learning outcome at an acceptable or
    unacceptable level.
  5. The percentage of students demonstrating each learning outcome at an acceptable level, as
    well as the total number assessed, will be provided in a report to the Q-representative of the
    Core 2.0 Committee and to the Department Head. The report should be well organized following the organization of the Learning Outcomes in this document.
  6. If the threshold is not met for a particular Q-course, the supervisor and instructors for the
    course will meet to determine how the course should be improved to better meet the learning
    outcomes in the future.