Summer end assessment

What follows are a few rambling notes to myself, data I may want to access at some future date. Placing the data here makes the data retrievable either by sequential access from the blog archive, using a label or tag, or via a restricted search.

The item analysis of the MS 101 Algebra and Trigonometry final examination:

q	topic	n	p
1	Evaluate exponential functions	25	96%
2	Solve exponential functions	23	88%
3	Calculate compound interest	22	85%
4	Calculate continuous interest	23	88%
5	Calculate best fit log function	25	96%
6	Evaluate logarithmic equation	24	92%
7	Solve logarithmic equation	24	92%
8	Evaluate exponential decay	14	54%
9	Solve exponential decay	22	85%
10	Identify coordinates on a circle	24	92%
11	Calculate trig function	25	96%
12	Interpret coordinates based on trig calculation	22	85%
13	Calculate trig function	25	96%
14	Interpret coordinates based on trig calculation	16	62%
15	Calculate trig function	24	92%
16	Interpret coordinates based on trig calculation	16	62%
17	Calculate trig function	25	96%
18	Interpret coordinates based on trig calculation	16	62%
19	Determine wavelength from graph	24	92%
20	Determine the amplitude from graph	24	92%
21	Write trigonometric wavelength function	17	65%
22	Calculate inverse trig function	22	85%
23	Calculate inverse trig function	13	50%
24	Solve using Pythagorean formula	17	65%
25	Determine Pythagorean triple from a single member	21	81%
26	Evaluate projectile equation	18	69%
27	Solve projectile equation	20	77%
28	Solve projectile equation for angle theta	23	88%
29	Calculate dot product	16	62%
30	Calculate cross product	18	69%
31	Solve two non-lin equations in two unknowns	16	62%
32	Calculate magnitude of a vector	25	96%
33	Calculate vector angle	25	96%
34	Identify Pythagorean solid	18	69%

where q is the question number on the final examination, n is the number of students out of 26 who answered correctly, and p is the percent answering correctly. The syllabus and notes on the use of WolframAlpha in the course are also available. Average performance was 81%,

Performance by course learning outcome in SC 130 Physical Science aggregated from an item analysis of a 56 question final examination:

SLO	Sp 08	Fs 08	Sp 09	Fa 09	Sp 10	Su 10	Fa 10	Sp 11	Su 11
CLO 1	0.54	0.57	0.55	0.49	0.65	0.68	0.29	0.82	0.74
CLO 2	0.61	0.62	0.51	0.30	0.64	0.76	0.34	0.63	0.66
CLO 3	0.52	0.72	0.57	0.65	0.72	0.63	0.35	0.57	0.63
CLO 4	0.50	0.38	0.53	0.47	0.53	0.71	0.10	0.70	0.55
Overall	0.54	0.57	0.54	0.49	0.63	0.70	0.27	0.65	0.63

Summer 2010 and new final examination structure was introduced. While performance was high in the summer, fall 2010 performance levels collapsed against historic norms. The final examination structure introduced summer 2010 was retained spring and summer 2011. Performance levels recovered to slightly above the historic norms. The collapse fall 2010 remains unexplained.

Five question topics that were tested on the first test and which covered a core area of SLO 1.2 were retested on the final examination. Strong gains as measured by an item analysis were seen in these areas from test one to the final. At the start of the term no more than ten students were successful on any one question, by term's end no fewer than fourteen were successful.  Student gains in graphing, obtaining and interpreting slopes saw strong improvement.

	term start			term end
Question topic	n	corr	perc	n	corr	perc	Δ%
calculate slope from line on graph	15	10	0.67	16	14	0.88	0.21
density as equal to slope	15	7	0.47	16	14	0.88	0.41
infer effect of density	15	10	0.67	16	15	0.94	0.27
calculate density from measurements	15	8	0.53	16	14	0.88	0.35
calculate mass from density and volume	15	10	0.67	16	16	1.00	0.33
plot data on graph	15	15	1.00	16
draw line through data points	15	14	0.93	16
calculate slope from line on graph	15	11	0.73	16

The high performance on the last three questions above on the first test of the term and subsequent demonstration of these skills during the term led to their intentional omission on the final examination. The students could plot data coordinates and draw a line through the points even before they began the course.

The last question on the final examination asked the students to "write a paragraph on whether you believe that nature is mathematical. Is nature mathematical? Support your answer with specific evidence."

There were five categories to the answers provided by the students. The number preceding the category is the number of students who answered that way.
2 Yes, based on doing the experiments in the class.
5 Yes, based on the cosmological theories presented in videos shown the last week of class
5 Yes, based on other examples, usually examples of numbers in life such as the price of food stuffs
1 No, cosmological theories are incomplete and some are untestable (string theory)
2 No, nature is theistically determined
1 No answer given.