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Quality Enhancement Plan
2.12

Comprehensive Standards
3.1.1 (Mission)

3.2.1 | 3.2.2 | 3.2.3 | 3.2.4 | 3.2.5 | 3.2.6 | 3.2.7 | 3.2.8 | 3.2.9 | 3.2.10 | 3.2.11 | 3.2.12 | 3.2.13 | 3.2.14 (Admin.)

3.3.1 (Effectiveness)

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3.5.1 | 3.5.2 (Undergraduate Program)

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3.9.1 | 3.9.2 | 3.9.3 (Students)

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Department of Biology
Mission, Core Processes, and Assessment Tools

Mission:

The Davidson College Department of Biology works within the traditional liberal arts setting to teach students how to make informed decisions about scientific issues.  Students are provided with a basic foundation in biology, enabling them to think critically about biological topics, to learn technical skills for solving biological problems, and to communicate biological information in oral and written formats.  By offering courses that span the spectrum of biological disciplines, Davidson’s Department of Biology provides students with excellent preparation for graduate or professional studies in a wide variety of fields and for leadership roles in our society. 

The department strives to achieve the central elements of this mission statement:

M1: To provide students with a strong foundation in biology;

M2: To enable students to think critically about biological topics;

M3: To teach technical and research skills for solving biological problems;

M4: To teach students to communicate biological information in oral and written formats;

M5: To prepare students for advanced studies in a wide variety of biomedical fields;

M6: To prepare all students to take a leadership role in society by furnishing them with the tools to make informed decisions about scientific issues.

Core Processes:

To attain these goals, we engage the following processes, each corresponding to one of the above six goals:

M1: The department’s curriculum offers a range of courses representing the breadth of the discipline of biology.

1. Students who hope to major in biology are required to take two introductory biology courses which cover a general introduction to almost all disciplines within the field.
2. Majors in biology are required to take 9 courses in addition to the two introductory courses. Those courses include Chemistry 115 and at least three upper level courses with laboratory components. The three upper level courses must be chosen from three different groups of courses. The groups are clustered by the levels of biological organization that are studied, e.g. courses that focus at the molecular, organismal, and population levels.
3. Throughout the curriculum, evolution is recognized as the keystone for biological understanding.
4. Faculty actively update information in the courses they teach, develop new pedagogies for existing courses, and add new and challenging courses to the curriculum.
5. Support staff enhance the ability of the faculty to work on developing new pedagogy and adding current information to their courses.

M2: The courses within the biology curriculum stress an inquiry-based approach to learning that emphasizes critical thinking.

1. Laboratory courses stress investigative, hands-on experiences.
2. Exams in courses are designed to assess problem-solving skills, in addition to retention of factual information.
3. Class discussions emphasize critical evaluation of published research, analyses of contrasting views or interpretations of results, and development of position based on logic and supporting materials.

M3: Biology students learn a range of technical skills, including the ability:

1. To evaluate the benefits and limitations of different research designs;
2. To use advanced research and information technologies to analyze biological data to test hypotheses;
3. To interpret and report quantitative data;
4. To seek external funding from foundations and government funding agencies.

M4: Help students develop abilities to convey biological information to both the scientific and lay communities in written and oral formats.

1. In courses, students are required to communicate their understanding and research outcomes in scientific papers, literature review papers, and on examinations.  Students are also required to present results of class research projects orally, to lead class discussions, and to participate actively in class discussions.
2. Students engaged in independent research are encouraged to present their findings at the annual science research poster session, and at national and regional professional meetings.  Students are also encouraged to publish the results of their work in scientific journals.

M5: The department provides many opportunities for biology majors, in addition to a broad curriculum, that are designed to prepare students for graduate and professional schools.

1. Regular review of our strategic plan allows the department to respond to the changing philosophies in science education and to take advantage of new opportunities that will enhance our students’ undergraduate experience and prepare them for future challenges.
2. The department maintains adequate operating and capital budgets to support high quality introductory and advanced laboratory experiences.
3. External funding from foundations and government agencies is sought to allow for the purchase of cutting edge technologies that will be used by students and faculty in courses and in research projects.
4. External and college-based funding is sought to support students who are selected for on-campus summer research opportunities. 
5. Students are provided with information and contacts for summer research opportunities off-campus.
6. Faculty maintain collaborative professional activities and contacts, enabling students to seek positions in graduate programs throughout the United States.
7. Departmental programs take groups of premedical students to two sites in Africa, Kikuyu, Kenya and Mwandi, Zambi, to gain experience in medical issues facing third world countries.

M6: The department helps both major and non-major students to understand the broader impact of scientific research on society. 

1. Classes throughout the curriculum address the ethical, economic, and long-range implications of biological research.
2. Students learn the importance of making informed decisions both in their personal lives and in developing public policies.

Assessment Tools:

To evaluate the effectiveness of our core processes, we utilize a number of evaluation techniques.

M1: Evaluation of broad-based curriculum:

1. The departmental strategic planning process includes comparisons or our curriculum with the curricula at peer institutions.
2. Evaluation of the latest disciplines in the biological sciences led the department to expand it curriculum with the addition of a genomics course and a genomics concentration.
3. Because of our assessment of the importance of immunology to modern biomedicine, the department received grant funds from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute to hire in immunologist in 2005-06.
4. The departmental external review in April 2001 (Rachel Fink of Mount Holyoke College and Gary Reiness of Lewis & Clark College) stated:

   “Overall, the departmental curriculum is strong, and reflects well the modern view of what should be covered in an undergraduate institution.  The commitment to maintain a broad curriculum, covering everything from molecules to ecosystems (with evolution woven throughout), is vital to the education of your students.  While some argue that the world is “going molecular”, your department has clear strengths in both small and large biology, and these should be maintained.  Every effort should be made to keep your department from falling into two different “camps”, and your majors should continue to be encouraged to take a wide diversity of courses.

5. Course evaluations at the end of each semester and yearly salary evaluations allow the chair and dean to assess the effectiveness of the courses taught by pre- and post-tenure faculty.

M2: Evaluation of inquiry-based pedagogy and critical thinking skills:

1. Faculty evaluate student performance in each course, based on the students ability to solve problems on written exams and in laboratory work.
2. Biology 111 faculty have a on-going evaluation of one particular investigative laboratory sequence.  The data should be published within the next year or two.
3. Dissemination and publication of pedagogical innovations by biology faculty.  Since 2000, biology department faculty have:
   • Made 54 presentations on pedagogical topics at national and regional meetings or workshops.
   • Published 26 papers on pedagogical innovations in professional journals.
4. Since 1994, biology faculty have been awarded $269,612 in funding from NSF, NCBC and other foundations to support pedagogical initiatives.
5. Since 2000, biology faculty have been awarded 15 small ACS grants for pedagogical innovations involving enhancing critical thinking skills.

M3: Student technical skills are assessed by faculty in individual courses.

M4: Student communication skills are assessed by faculty in individual courses.  Oral and written communication skills of students are also assessed by:

1. Student participation in Davidson’s annual Science Student Research symposium; and
2. The number of student awards for presentations at external scientific meetings.  Twenty-six students have received awards for presentations at national and regional meetings since 2000.

M5: Evaluation of preparation of students for graduate and professional schools:

1. The number of biology majors reflects their anticipation of future success.  For the past five years, about 12% of each graduating class at Davidson have been biology majors.
2. The number of students participating in a semester-long or summer research experience.  Approximately 76% of our majors during the past three years have participated in these types of research experiences.
3. The number of honors students in biology.  Between one and five seniors are awarded honors in biology each year.  These students write and defend an honors thesis.
4. The number of students accepted into graduate and professional schools.  From 1984 – 2002, 44% of biology majors have attended professional school, 21% have attended graduate school. 
5. The number of student/faculty presentations at scientific meetings.  Since 2000, there have been 93 biology student/faculty research presentations or posters at national and regional scientific meetings.
6. The number of student/faculty publications. Since 2000, there have been 45 papers published by biology student/faculty co-authors.
7. The number and amount of external grant awards.  Since 2003, biology faculty have obtained $1,528,429 individual research grants from NIH, NSF and Duke Power Company.  Three of these grants were the prestigious NSF-CAREER awards.  In addition $1,360,000 in foundation grants were received from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the Merck Foundation.
8. Professional activities by faculty, especially external leadership activities. Since 2000:
   • Biology faculty have been involved in 151 professional and community programs off-campus.
   • Biology faculty have taken 35 different leadership positions in national and regional professional organizations. 
   • Other professional activities performed by biology faculty include, reviewing articles for journals, reviewing grant applications for funding agencies, external reviews of other biology departments, consultancies.

M6: Evaluation of leadership role:

1. The number of courses that discuss the broader impacts of biological research.  Currently, 82% of the courses offered in our curriculum include discussions on the ethical, economic, legal, social, or political issues that can impact or that are impacted by research in the biological sciences.
2. The number of courses offered for non-majors and these course evaluations.  In recent years, non-majors have been able to select from 8 different “Special Topics” courses in biology.
3. Participation by faculty in workshops for teaching non-majors biology, including ACS workshops and Project Kaleidoscope meetings. Since 2000, three departmental faculty have attended meetings focusing on teaching non-majors.
4. Finally, we demonstrate our success in preparing students for leadership and service through the lives of our graduates. Since 1984:
   • 36% of biology graduates received a MD degree.
   • 3% of biology graduates received a JD degree.
   • 3% of biology graduates received a DVM degree.
   • 3% of biology graduates received a PhD degree.
   • 1% of biology graduates received a DDS degree.
   • 6% of biology graduates taught at the K-12 level.
   • Five biology alums joined the Peace Corps after graduation.
   • Other occupations of alums include: Sea World Animal Trainer, forestry and wildlife biologists, EPA biologists, genetic counselors, career military.
   • A number of biology graduates hold leadership positions in corporate America:  President and CEO of SmartLife, President and Director of Technology at Virtual Alchemy Studios, Inc., President and CEO of AllType Graphics and Design, VP of Clinical Operations at Pharmalink, and VP of McRae Associates.

 

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