Have formal Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs) or Student Learning Outcomes (SLOS) been developed?
YES
Published where? (website)
Do PLOs include or imply link to Core Competency? (AY 2021-2022: Oral Communication)?
The B.A. in Physics does not include Oral Communication as part of its SLOs.
For the B.S. in Astronomy, SLOs include the expectation that upon graduation an astronomy major will “communicate complex ideas effectively, both verbally and in writing.”
Process of Core Competency Assessment:
Course (300 or 400- level)
PHYS 495A Seminar & PHYS 495B Seminar
Assignment
Students will present their projects in a 30-minute presentation (with 5-10 minutes devoted to question and answer). Presentations should cover all the of the following: Title, Authors, Introduction, Hypothesis, Materials/Procedures, Results, Discussion of results, and a Conclusion.
Type of Student Artifact
Project presentations
Rubric or other instrument
GE Rubric for Oral Communication
Data (measurement of the competency)
Please note that Physics and Astronomy students were part of two group that included other majors who were assessed in Fall of 2021 and Spring of 2022.
Two readers external to the department undertook evaluations of the student presentations. Most of the student presentations were competent; however, the lowest scores were consistently in the category of Delivery. Evaluators noticed problems with remote delivery—meaning, many did not seem well prepared for presenting via camera to an external audience. One student was cited as not even turning on their camera; some exhibited problems with making eye contact via camera and a few seemed to be reading their presentations from the computer screen. This suggests students may need additional instruction in order to more naturally configure their presentations for the Zoom platform. Of concern is the last student who unexpectantly did not show up for the presentation. However, students generally had a strong understanding of the material they were presenting as a positive. Several of them were good at relating their topic to a lay audience.
Evaluator Tabular Data (Fall 2021)
Evaluator Tabular Data (Spring 2022)
Action Taken in Response to the Data (What will you do in response to the Findings?)
TBA
Date of Last Program Review
2017 Self-study