Posts

Showing posts from May, 2018

Density of soap tested in the river

Image
Laboratory one at the Kosrae campus was an investigation of the density of soap . Soaps in use included Ivory, Dial Basic, and a slab rectangular Jergens beauty bar. With data gathered in the science lab, the class moved to the computer lab. The advantage of the start the week ahead of regular classes is that the computer laboratory is available to the class. The students used Desmos  to find the slope of the volume versus mass line and thus the density of the soap. The students predicted that the Ivory and Jergens would float, and the Dial Basic would sink. The Kosrae campus is blessed with a river in the front yard, and thanks to the agriculture program and maintenance, has a new bridge over that river, a perfect place to test the soap. The soap behaved as predicted confirming the mathematics of the experiment. The Dial Basic sank. A piece of Dial Basic that came in at 0.99 g/cm³ was deemed neutral buoyancy and indeed seemed to hover in the water before sinking ever so slowly.

Numeric information in graphic forms skills pre-assessment

Image
Underneath the focus on physical systems, SC 130 Physical Science is built on a foundation of connecting physical systems to their mathematical models and communicating the results in writing. Laboratory exercises lead to the writing of a full laboratory report that is marked for content, syntax, grammar, vocabulary, organization, and cohesion. The majority of the laboratories investigate systems that involve a linear mathematical relationship. Reports include xy scatter graphs, best fit linear trend lines, slope, and y-intercept analysis. The course outline includes the learning outcome, "Students will generate mathematical models for physical science systems." This serves a general education program learning outcome, "Students will be able to present and interpret numeric information in graphic forms," which in turn serves an institutional learning outcome for quantitative reasoning: "Students will be able to reason and solve quantitative problems from a wi

Schoology assessment by faculty

Image
Spring 2018 the College of Micronesia-FSM adopted Schoology Institutional. Although a number of faculty were already using the free Schoology Basic, the adoption provided access to additional capabilities such as reporting on student learning outcomes (termed learning objectives in Schoology), additional assessment tools, Google Drive Assignments, and class role management via the college's internal student information system. An earlier article reported on student use of and reactions to Schoology . Adoption by faculty of any new technology such as a learning management system is a gradual process that evolves over time. Some faculty will engage actively with the new capabilities, others may use the system only as a grade and attendance book replacement. A few may resist using the platform all together. A survey was placed in the mailboxes of 36 faculty members. Thirteen surveys (36%) were returned my mailbox. The survey was anonymous. The survey asked the following question

Schoology assessment by students

Image
Spring 2018 the College of Micronesia-FSM adopted Schoology Institutional. Although a number of faculty were already using the free Schoology Basic, the adoption provided access to additional capabilities such as reporting on student learning outcomes (termed learning objectives in Schoology), additional assessment tools, Google Drive Assignments, and class role management via the college's internal student information system. Adoption by faculty of any new technology such as a learning management system is a gradual process that evolves over time. Some faculty will engage actively with the new capabilities, others may use the system only as a grade and attendance book replacement. A few may resist using the platform all together. As part of the roll out, no training of the students was either planned for nor occurred. Experience with Schoology suggested that the students would, by and large, adapt to using the platform with only minimal guidance. Schoology has a screen layout

Assessing Learning in Introductory Statistics

Image
MS 150 Statistics is an introductory statistics course with a focus on statistical operations and methods. The course is guided by the 2007 Guidelines for Assessment and Instruction in Statistics Education (GAISE) , the spring 2016 draft GAISE update, and the ongoing effort at the college to incorporate authentic assessment  in courses. A history of the evolution open data open data exploration exercises and associated presentations as authentic assessment in the course was covered in a May 2017 report . Andrea and Berlene present their statistical analysis to the class Three course level student learning outcomes currently guide MS 150 Introduction to Statistics: Perform basic statistical calculations for a single variable up to and including graphical analysis, confidence intervals, hypothesis testing against an expected value, and testing two samples for a difference of means. Perform basic statistical calculations for paired correlated variables. Engage in data exp

Assessing Learning in Ethnobotany

Image
SC/SS 115 Ethnobotany proposes to serve four program learning outcomes through three course level outcomes. The course serves learning outcomes in general education, the Micronesian studies program, and the Agriculture and Natural Resources program. PLO SC/SS 115 CLO GE 3.4 Define and explain scientific concepts, principles, and theories of a field of science. 1. Identify local plants, their reproductive strategies, and morphology. GE 4.2 Demonstrate knowledge of the cultural issues of a person’s own culture and other cultures. MSP 2 Demonstrate proficiency in the geographical, historical, and cultural literacy of the Micronesian region. 2. Communicate and describe the cultural use of local plants for healing, as food, as raw materials, and in traditional social contexts. ANR 2 Demonstrate basic competencies in the management of land resources and food production. 3. Demonstrate basic field work competencies related to management of culturally useful plant reso