Legend

Majors have an understanding of the representative organisms of the major taxonomic groups: Eubacteria, Archaebacteria, Protista, Fungi, Plantae, Animalia.

Majors understand the characteristics that unite living organisms and distinguish them from non-living entities; majors understand the diversity that exits among organisms.

Majors understand how similarities and differences among organisms form the basis for systematics and serve as a means of categorizing and naming animals.

Majors understand the relationship between structure and function at all levels of organization: cellular, organismal, population, community, ecosystem.

Majors understand the physical and chemical properties of organisms and processes that occur in living things.

Majors understand the cellular basis of life.

Majors understand the nature and function of the gene and the flow of genetic information in the cell, in the organism, and in the population.

Majors understand the homoestatic control mechanisms that allow organisms to respond to changes in the internal and external environment.

Majors understand the interdependence and interrelationships among organisms and between organisms and their environment.

Majors understand the origin of life and the process of evolution

Majors have an understanding the historical background leading to contemporary views on major biological topics and an awareness of the dynamic process of scientific inquiry

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 Majors are able to understand communications about biology through diagrams, pictures, graphs, mathematical representations and the written word. Majors are able to communicate this understanding to others.

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 Majors have developed and can use scientific vocabulary.

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 Majors can access sources of information and data.

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 Majors understand experimental design and understand that experiments are tests in limited and defined situations. This means that majors can design and implement an experiment with adequate controls that test the hypothesis.

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 Majors have competence in various observation methods and have data acquisition skills.

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 Majors are able to draw inferences from sets of information and can analyze data presented.

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 Majors have problem solving skills.

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 Majors can use instruments commonly used in the discipline.

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 What core courses do you teach?

Indicate which if the following writing assignments occur in your core classes. Check all that apply.

 Written exam questions

 Short quizzes involving written answers

 Informal journal-type writing

Informal writing such as personal biography

 Reaction/opinion papers

 Abstracts

 Term papers/other long writing assignments

 Lab reports

 Critiques/reviews of scientific literature

 Other:

Nature of assignment:

 Written exam questions

 X
(8/9)

 X
(1/2)

 X
2/3

 X
(1/1)

 X
(2/2)

 X
(3/4)

 X
(2/2)

 Short quizzes involving written answers

 X

 X

 X

 Informal journal-type writing

 X

 X

 Informal writing such as personal biography

 X

 X

 Reaction/opinion papers

 X

 X

 Abstracts

 X

 X

 Term papers/other long writing assignments

 X

 X

 Lab reports

 X

 X

 X

 Critiques/reviews of scientific literature

 X

 X

 X

 X

 Other:

Nature of assignment:

 X

 X

 X

 Proper use of grammar/syntax:

3 = Student demonstrates mastery of grammar/syntax

2 = Student demonstrates reasonable ability to use proper

grammar/syntax

1 = Student demonstrates significant difficulty in using

appropriate grammar/syntax

Proper use of scientific vocabulary:

3 = Student demonstrates mastery of scientific vocabulary

appropriate to area

2 = Student demonstrates reasonable facility using

scientific vocabulary

1 = Student demonstrates limited ability to use scientific

vocabulary

Presents logical/sequential argument:

3 = Student demonstrates strong logical sequence of ideas

2 = Ideas are presented in a somewhat logical sequence

although arguments are often convoluted

1 = Sequence of ideas does not follow logical pattern;

scattered

 Can integrate and apply information from resources:

3 = Student demonstrates strong ability to integrate and

apply information from resources

2 = Can insert information from resources appropriately

into text (as an example) but cannot integrate or apply

information to their argument

1 = Minimal or no ability to apply and integrate information

from resources. Where outside resources are used,

information is not inserted properly or is quoted or

otherwise copied, involving no original thought on the

part of the student

 Can draw inferences from sets of information and analyze data presented:

3 = Student demonstrates strong ability to analyze data

and draw/connect inferences from sets of information

2 = Can analyze data appropriately but has difficulty

drawing appropriate/correct inferences

1 = Shows minimal or no ability to correctly analyze data or

to understand significance of findings

Can clearly communicate and critically present meaning of scientific findings:

3 = Student demonstrates strong ability to clearly

communicate and critically present

meaning/significance of scientific findings

2 = Has difficulty clearly presenting the significance of

scientific findings

1 = Cannot link data to concepts or draw meaningful

conclusions from presented data