-
Annual assessment of student performance on primary general education courses
(Math 1050 and Stat 1040) began with the spring 2004 semester. The performance
of approximately 100 randomly selected students from each of Math 1050 and
Stat 1040 was evaluated by topic area on the common finals of these courses.
Summary results appear elsewhere on these web pages. The process was repeated
for Spring 2005. Together, these two years of data provide a baseline against
which future groups of students will be compared. Weaknesses in topic learning
will then be identified, and the Undergraduate Committee and course supervisors
will provide feedback to instructors in an effort to bring overall student
performance to target levels.
See the following for summary results:
2009 Math Assessment Outcomes Data
-
Core Courses: Math 1210, 1220, 2210, 2250 and Stat 1040, 2000, 3000.
Core content of these courses changes infrequently and is primarily addressed
through the selection of textbooks at 3-5 year intervals. Primary assessment
of these courses is through semester evaluations and final examination
scores and course grade profiles. Competency in these areas is essential
for any student majoring in mathematics and statistics.
-
Upper Division Major Courses: These are re-evaluated by sub-committees
of the Undergraduate Committee in terms of: level and appropriateness of
content relative to learning objectives, textbook selection, final examinations,
course grades, and student evaluations. At 2-5 year intervals, courses are
redesigned if the subject matter develops beyond traditional norms, or if
market demand suggests that an under-utilized course be replaced by one with
greater demand (e.g. development of a new cryptography course).
- Graduate Programs: Content of courses is determined by the Graduate Committee
at 3-5 year intervals as advances in the fields of mathematics and statistics
and associated technology are introduced or replace outdated material.
Graduate students are surveyed annually to determine the courses they need
to both graduate and seek employment after graduation. Course offerings
are based on these surveys.