Chemistry Department
UIUC
I. Developing the Plan
An Outcomes Assessment Committee was appointed by Paul Bohn, Head, to develop the plan. This committee is constituted as follows:
Chair: Steven Zumdahl, Associate Head and Professor
Susan Bekiares, Assistant to the Head
R. Linn Belford, Professor
Rebecca Simon, Director, Placement Office
Wilfred vanderDonk, Assistant Professor
Andrzej Wieckowski, Professor
The outcomes and the plans for assessing the outcomes were developed by this committee in consultation with Paul Bohn.
II. Learning Outcomes
The Chemistry Department has the following expectations and goals for the graduates from our undergraduate programs.
A. A thorough knowledge of the basic principles of chemistry, including
atomic and molecular structure, chemical dynamics and the chemical and physical properties of substances.
B. A thorough knowledge of the subfields of chemistry, including analytical, inorganic, organic and physical chemistry.
C. A thorough knowledge of cognitive areas such as mathematics and physics to facilitate the understanding and manipulation of fundamental chemical theories.
D. The ability to read, evaluate and interpret numerical, chemical and general scientific information.
E. The ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing.
F. The ability to design experiments and to use appropriate experimental apparatus effectively.
G. The opportunity to pursue an individualized research experience as an undergraduate.
H. The expectation that students will be broadly educated in areas outside of science.
I. The opportunity to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in the workplace or in professional school after graduation.
III. The Chemistry Department at UIUC plans to evaluate the success of the outcomes it has set forth for its graduates in the following ways:
A. Using existing survey instruments:
1. ICES Evaluations (goals A-D)
2. Chancellor’s Senior Survey on the Undergraduate Experience (goals A-H)
3. GRE Scores (goals A-D)
B. Creating new survey instruments
1. Faculty survey (goals A-H) The faculty survey will include rating types of questions and open-ended questions. Cheryl Bullock in CTE will process these surveys to insure anonymity.
2. Survey of major employers of UIUC Chemistry Graduates to determine adequacy of undergraduate preparation for industry (goal I)
3. Survey of current majors (goals A-H) This annual survey will be on-line. The students will be notified of the survey by email and will be sent two reminders by email.
4. Survey of Graduates of University of Illinois (goal I)
5. Exit survey
6. Survey of graduates 1-3 years after graduation
C. Annual Report of Placement Director detailing where our graduates will be employed or what professional school they will attend, as a measure of general success of preparation, and an indicator that graduates are prepared to work in their chosen field.
IV. Using the Results
An annual report incorporating the results from section III will be assembled by the Outcomes Assessment Committee and presented to the Department Head who will disperse the results to the Faculty. The Outcomes Assessment Committee will make specific recommendations to the Head for addressing issues that arise from the assessment of the learning outcomes.
V. Timetable
The faculty survey, the current student survey and the employer survey will be developed over the next year. The final plan will be in place by March 30, 1999.
VI. Support
The $1,000 grant from CTE will be used to develop the new surveys we plan to use.