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| Ensure proper student academic support Students coming into biology, especially in the pre-Medicine track, often have an incorrect perception of the amount of academic preparation and competence necessary to succeed in college and the amount of work needed for successful preparation for the medical professions. We need to provide additional counseling, supplemental instruction, high school to college bridge programs and meaningful career options guidance. |  | Measure: Evaluate the utility of MFT Program level; Direct - Other | |  | | | | Proposed actions to achieve goal: Revisit the utility of the Major Field Test (MFT) in reflecting the quality of our program and its predictive power for professional success Expected Results: Evaluate utility of the test Details/Description: |
|  |  | Measure: Gauge student preparation Program level; Direct - Exam | |  | | | Proposed actions to achieve goal: Develop a pre-test about the level of Biology information the students know early in their curriculum and a "post-test" to gauge the "value added" of the curriculum.
Consider the creation of a "two-track" curriculum path within the major.Expected Results: Design proper courses to reflect the student's needs Details/Description: |
|  |  | Measure: Successful completion of courses Program level; Direct - Exam | |  | | | | Proposed actions to achieve goal: Ensure availability of proper advising, tutoring, and career counceling. Provide substantial bridge programs and supplemental instruction. Modify and augment existing curriculum to address student needs and contemporary standards. Create varying tracks within each major, as needed to address non-uniformity in student preparation Expected Results: Students more satisfied with their courses and faculty, and increased percentage of success in introductory majors' classes. Higher retention within the major. Details/Description: |
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| Increase number of biology teaching labs Increased student enrollment requires additional teaching laboratory space for student training and professional development; The three (3) existing spaces are insufficient for growth or flexibility in course scheduling |  | Measure: More teaching labs Program level; Direct - Other | |  | | | | Proposed actions to achieve goal: Increased student enrollment requires additional teaching laboratory space for student training and professional development; 3 existing spaces are insufficient for growth or flexibility in course scheduling. Identify and convert to teaching-dedicated space Expected Results: Better delivery of lab instruction and more successful student outcomes Details/Description: |
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| Recruit, retain and develop excellent faculty Biology is increasingly diverse; excellent scholarship facilitates excellent teaching |  | Measure: Excellent faculty Program level; Direct - Other | |  | | | | Proposed actions to achieve goal: Biology is increasingly diverse; excellent faculty scholarship facilitates excellent teaching and excellent faculty are achieved through recruitment, retention and development. Work to ensure number of faculty appropriate to promote excellence; encourage more Faculty Development Proposals and external grant applications Expected Results: Number of new tenure-track faculty; number of new / continuing Faculty Development Proposals; number of faculty tenured and/or promoted; number of faculty scholarly activities; number of submitted (and funded) external grant applications Details/Description: |
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| Increase undergraduate research opportunities Full-time tenure-track faculty can only mentor 2-3 significant full-year undergraduate research projects per year on average. As such, existing faculty plus external scientists are mentoring only 60% of 2015 graduating class (17 junior & senior projects; 28 projected graduates), yet the sophomore class (MC ’17) and freshman class (MC ’18) are approximately 50% higher than the running average. The new tenure-track position which started in Fall 2014 has helped, but we project no more than 60% will be able to participate in true, meaningful research. |  | Measure: Undergraduate research Program level; Direct - Portfolio | |  | | | | Proposed actions to achieve goal: Mentorship of research students encourages reflection upon and understanding of relationships among traditional academic topics and personal growth. Increase number full-time tenure-track faculty. Expected Results: Increased percentage of biology students participating in undergraduate research projects and publishing their work. Increased acceptance into graduate programs, including medical schools. Details/Description: |
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| Increase number of biology research labs Additional faculty need research space for student training and professional development; 3 existing spaces insufficient for growth |  | Measure: More research Labs Program level; Direct - Student Artifact | |  | | | | Proposed actions to achieve goal: Faculty scholarship in the Sciences requires research space. Identify and convert to research-dedicated space. Expected Results: Increased number of Biology research laboratories, faculty doing research and students participating in research with them. Details/Description: |
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