ASSESSMENT REPORT
FOR
Bachelor of Arts with a major in Mathematics with Grades 8th -12th
Certification (BA)
Instructional Degree Program
Spring 2003
Assessment Period Covered
June 9, 2003
Date Submitted
Expanded Statement of Institutional Purpose Linkage:
Institutional Mission Reference:
Texas A&M International University, a Member of The Texas A&M
University System, is committed to the preparation of students for leadership
roles in their chosen profession and in increasingly complex, culturally
diverse state, national, and global society … Through instruction, faculty
and student research, and public service, Texas A&M International
University is a strategic point of delivery for well-defined programs
and services that improve the quality of life for citizens of the border
region, the State of Texas, and national and international communities.
College/University Goal(s) Supported:
The faculty and administrators of the College of Arts and Sciences
and the Department of Mathematical and Physical Sciences are committed
to providing a scholarly environment in which students prepare for productive
lives in a dynamic world and in a changing global and technologically
advancing environment.
Intended Educational (Student) Outcomes:
1. Students will demonstrate their mastery of formulating and
solving problems in various areas of mathematics as related to the program
of study.
2. Students will be able to communicate mathematics in well-structured
sentences.
3. Students will be able to develop a variety of examples to
illustrate mathematical concepts and to present several ways to solving
a problem as related to the program of study.
ASSESSMENT REPORT
FOR
Bachelor of Arts with a major in Mathematics with Grades 8th -12th
Certification (BA)
Instructional Degree Program
Spring 2003
Assessment Period Covered
June 9, 2003
Date Submitted
Intended Educational (Student) Outcome:
NOTE: There should be one form for each intended outcome
listed. The intended outcome should be restated in the box immediately
below and the intended outcome number entered in the blank spaces.
1. Students will demonstrate their mastery of formulating
and solving problems in various areas of mathematics.
First Means of Assessment for Outcome Identified Above:
_1a._ Means of Program Assessment & Criteria for
Success:
Two content-specific questions will be designed by the course instructor and
reviewed jointly by the mathematics faculty and included in an examination
(more suitably the final examination) for each senior (4000-level) mathematics
courses every semester. The mathematics faculty will review jointly the data
and comments received from the course instructor for answers to the problems.
This will occur in accordance with a course-specific rubric to determine the
degree to which the stipulated criteria for success are met. An average of
2.5 on a 4-point scale will be considered satisfactory. A guideline for development
of the course rubric is: 1) Understanding o the questions—25%; 2) the right
approach to the solutions—25%; 3) Presentation of the solutions—25%; and 4)
Accuracy of the reasoning and solutions—25%.
_1a._ Summary of Assessment Data Collected:
The average for data collected from three courses is 3.0 on a 4-point scale.
The benchmark established was met.
_1a._ Use of Results to Improve Instructional Program:
The following will be discussed through departmental meetings to
beconsidered for implementation: Students’ grasp of the concept of
mappings (functions, transformations, correspondences, operators) is
very weak at this point. As a tool for understanding and solving problems,
the mapping concept should be emphasized more throughout the curriculum.
In fact, since “mapping” is such a central concept in mathematics and
it is so ubiquitous, it can be used both as a guideline for instruction
as well as a benchmark for assessment: by incorporating the mapping
concept as much as possible in the instruction, we can improve students’ overall
proficiency in mathematics, and by measuring how well students can
use the mapping concept, we can assess. Partially how well we are doing
in this program.
Second Means of Assessment for Outcome Identified Above:
_1b._ Means of Program Assessment & Criteria
for Success:
Students in 3000- and 4000-level courses will be required to keep
a portfolio and turn it in to their course instructors. The mathematics
faculty will review the data, as well as comments received from course
instructors, in accordance with the rubric. An average of 2.5 on a 4-point
scale will be considered satisfactory. A guideline for development of
the course rubric is: 1) Organization of portfolio—25%; 2) Understanding
of problem statements —25%; 3) Presentation of the solutions—25%; and
4) Accuracy of the reasoning and solutions—25%.
_1b._ Summary of Assessment Data Collected:
Only partially implemented this semester. One course used a collection of ten
homework problems for this purpose. The average score for the semester was
3.5; from this data, the benchmark was achieved.
_1b._ Use of Results to Improve Instructional Program:
Program faculty will take a more systematic approach to implementing
this instrument. Data too limited to make additional recommendations
for program change.
Third Means of Assessment for Outcome Identified Above:
_1c._ Means of Program Assessment & Criteria
for Success:
Graduating students will be required to take part in a pilot study program
towards the end of their final semester of studies by taking the Major Fields
Test
in mathematics by ETS; 70% of the students taking the standardized examination
will score at or above the national 50th percentile.
_1c._ Summary of Assessment Data Collected:
The pilot program was postponed because of changes in mathematics administration.
_1c._ Use of Results to Improve Instructional Program:
Program faculty members could not make recommendations at this time.
ASSESSMENT REPORT
FOR
Bachelor of Arts with a major in Mathematics with Grades 8th -12th
Certification (BA)
Instructional Degree Program
Spring 2003
Assessment Period Covered
June 9, 2003
Date Submitted
Intended Educational (Student) Outcome:
NOTE: There should be one form for each intended outcome
listed. The intended outcome should be restated in the box immediately
below and the intended outcome number entered in the blank spaces.
__2__ Students will be able to communicate mathematics
in well-structured sentences.
First Means of Assessment for Outcome Identified Above:
_2a._ Means of Program Assessment & Criteria for
Success:
Two content-specific questions will be designed by the course instructor and
reviewed by the mathematics faculty and included in a final examination. This
will occur in accordance with a course-specific rubric to determine the degree
to which the stipulated criteria for success are met. An average of 2.5 on
a 4-point scale will be considered satisfactory. A guideline for development
of the course rubric is: 1) Understanding o the questions—25%; 2) the right
approach to the solutions—25%; 3) Presentation of the solutions—25%; and 4)
Accuracy of the reasoning and solutions—25%.
_2a._ Summary of Assessment Data Collected:
The average for data collected from three courses is 3.0 on a 4-point scale.
The benchmark was achieved.
_2a._ Use of Results to Improve Instructional Program:
The faculty makes no recommendations at this time.
Second Means of Assessment for Outcome Identified Above:
_2b._ Means of Program Assessment & Criteria
for Success:
Exit survey will be conducted with graduating seniors. The survey
will include questions asking the students’ perception of their own achievement
pertaining to the intended outcomes; each response will be in a scale
of 0 to 4, and average of 3.0 points or better for the responses to the
relevant questions will be considered satisfactory.
_2b._ Summary of Assessment Data Collected:
This was partially implemented this semester. One course used a collection
of ten homework problems for this purpose. The average score for the semester
is 3.5. The benchmark is achieved.
_2b._ Use of Results to Improve Instructional Program:
Because there were no graduates in the program during this assessment
period, the program faculty members cannot make a recommendation at this
time. But they do recommend a more systematic implementation of means
of assessment.
Third Means of Assessment for Outcome Identified Above:
_2c._ Means of Program Assessment & Criteria
for Success:
Graduating students will be required to take part in a pilot study program
towards the end of their final semester of studies by taking the Major Fields
Test in mathematics by ETS; 70% of the students taking the standardized examination
will score at or above the National 50th percentile
_2c._ Summary of Assessment Data Collected:
Recommended for Fall 2003 implementation.
_2c._ Use of Results to Improve Instructional
Program:
No recommendations for program change in this means of assessment at this time.
ASSESSMENT REPORT
FOR
Bachelor of Arts with a major in Mathematics with Grades 8th -12th
Certification (BA)
Instructional Degree Program
Spring 2003
Assessment Period Covered
June 9, 2003
Date Submitted
Intended Educational (Student) Outcome:
NOTE: There should be one form for each intended outcome
listed. The intended outcome should be restated in the box immediately
below and the intended outcome number entered in the blank spaces.
__3__ Students will be able to develop a variety of examples
to illustrate mathematical concepts, to present several ways of solving
a problem, and to illustrate applications of mathematical ideas to real
situations.
First Means of Assessment for Outcome Identified Above:
_3a._ Means of Program Assessment & Criteria for Success:
Pre-service teachers (students) will take the Texas Examinations of Educator
Standards (TExES) in mathematics for grades 8–12. A pass rate of 70% for a
cohort of students in a particular semester on TExES Mathematics 8–12 (test
135) will be considered satisfactory.
_3a._ Summary of Assessment Data Collected:
One student took TExES, and passed (100% pass rate).
_3a._ Use of Results to Improve Instructional Program:
Because of the small data sample, program faculty could not make recommendations
for this means of assessment at this time.
Second Means of Assessment for Outcome Identified Above:
_3b._ Means of Program Assessment & Criteria for
Success:
Exit survey will be conducted with graduating seniors. The survey
will include questions asking the students’ perception of their own achievement
pertaining to the intended outcomes; each response will be in a scale
of 0 to 4, and average of 3.0 points or better for the responses to the
relevant questions will be considered satisfactory.
_3b._ Summary of Assessment Data Collected:
Some questions were not included in the survey. They will be included in the
survey for the Fall 2004 semester.
_3b._ Use of Results to Improve Instructional Program:
Program faculty members could not make recommendations for this means
of assessment at this time.
Third Means of Assessment for Outcome Identified Above:
_3c._ Means of Program Assessment & Criteria
for Success: T
he students will be required to complete the mathematics capstone course (MATH
4390) in the final year of their program of study. The mathematics faculty
will review jointly the evaluations of the student performance (including the
final classroom presentation) received from the course instructor, to determine
whether the students have achieved the intended outcome. An average of 2.5
on a 4-point scale will be considered satisfactory.
_3c._ Summary of Assessment Data Collected:
Average point was 1.7 in 4-point scale.
_3c._ Use of Results to Improve Instructional Program:
(1) To develop students’ ability to apply mathematical ideas to real
situations, we recommend that each mathematics instructor incorporates
some modeling problems or projects in the courses.
(2)To enhance students’ ability to develop a variety of examples to
illustrate mathematical concepts, we recommend that each mathematics
instructor presents a variety of examples to illustrate mathematical
concepts within the instruction of the courses. In Math 4390 we recommend
that students be required to complete a project in which they develop
a particular mathematical concept using verbal, numerical, graphical,
and symbolic representations, along with a variety of examples. This
project should include a class presentation.
(3) To develop students’ ability to present several ways of solving
a problem, we recommend that each mathematics instructor incorporates
the presentation in several ways of solving a problem within the instruction
of the courses. In Math 4390 we recommend that students be required
to complete a problem solving project which includes a class presentation
in several ways of solving a particular problem.
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