Outcomes Assessment Plan
Department of Physics
I. Plan Development
The outcomes assessment plan for the Department of Physics was developed by the Associate Head for Undergraduate Programs, Gary Gladding, in consultation with the faculty, the Undergraduate Studies Committee, and the Graduate Studies Committee. Important contributions were made by the Coordinators of Special Programs, Julia Sonnenberg and Curtis Shoaf. This final draft includes improvements on our current practices and new approaches to outcomes assessment that will be implemented in our department.
II. Desired Learning Outcomes
The mission of the Department of Physics is to serve the people of the State of Illinois, the nation, and the world through leadership in science education, physics research, public outreach, and professional service.
We aspire (i) to instill in our students the skills, attitudes, values, and vision to prepare them for successful careers in physics and other fields and for lifetimes of continued learning; (ii) to remain at the vanguard of international research in physics, generating new knowledge of our physical universe and working, in consort with the colleagues from other disciplines, to apply the fundamental advances in physics to the benefit of society; (iii) to increase public scientific literacy through widespread outreach and advocacy, in order that our citizens be able to reach informed decisions on the technologically complex issues confronting society; and (iv) to provide leadership to our discipline and public institutions through professional service.
A. Specific Educational Objectives for Undergraduate Students
The bachelor’s degree graduates of the Department of Physics should have:
1. A thorough knowledge of the basic fields of physics, including mechanics, electricity and magnetism, thermodynamics, and quantum mechanics.
2. A thorough knowledge of mathematics to facilitate the description and manipulation of fundamental physical constructs.
3. The ability to use this knowledge to assess and solve real physics problems.
4. The ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
5. The ability to use basic experimental apparatus common to the study of physical phenomena.
B. Specific Educational Objectives for Graduate Students
In addition to the knowledge and skills expected of our undergraduate students, the graduate students of the Department of Physics should also have:
1. A mastery of the concepts and the literature of a specific subdiscipline of physics, such as theoretical condensed matter physics or experimental nuclear physics.
2. A basic understanding of computational techniques applied to the study of physical systems.
3. The ability to conduct original research (Ph.D. students)
III. Measurement instruments/techniques\
A. Existing assessment tools
1. Instructor and Course Evaluations
We use both campus-wide surveys (ICES) and web-based surveys designed for specific courses to solicit student input for the evaluation of the effectiveness of the courses we offer and the performance of the instructors who teach them. We also have an ongoing program of peer review to evaluate the teaching of non-tenured professors.
2. Studies of Student Performance on Final Exams in Introductory Courses.
In the fall semester of 1996, we offered for the first time Physics 111, the first course in a completely revised elementary physics sequence. Students are required to participate actively in all phases of each of the courses; interactive lectures, collaborative learning in discussion sections and laboratories, and a web-based homework system are new features. This major revision is a "work in progress." We have recently begun a study to evaluate the innovations that we introduced into the teaching of these elementary physics courses. We have adopted the practice of repeating selected questions on final exams from year to year to determine whether more students are mastering the material under the new system. Since these exams are secure, we believe that a study of the students’ performance on these questions should provide a good indication of the effectiveness of our innovations. .
3. Student Representation on the Undergraduate Studies Committee
Two undergraduate students are selected to serve on the Undergraduate Studies Committee. The committee is responsible for the preparation of all curriculum changes. Indeed, at this time, the committee is hard at work, studying possible revisions to the curriculum that are aimed at increasing the curricular options that are available to our students.
4. GRE Scores.
Since many of our students go on to graduate school, GRE scores are a good measurement of how well they are prepared. We will maintain the history of our students’ GRE scores for regular review by the department administration and faculty.
5. Exit Survey
When undergraduate students register for the departmental convocation ceremony, we ask them to fill out an exit survey. We use these surveys to obtain information on the student’s future plans and to determine the student’s perception of his or her undergraduate education.
6. Physics Advisory Board
The Physics Advisory Board, a committee composed of 11 leaders primarily from industry, met for the first time in the fall of 1998. At this meeting, the Board met with the faculty to discuss the mission and performance of both the undergraduate and graduate programs at UIUC. The Board has been charged with providing advice and guidance to the departmental leadership on (i) maintaining the excellence of our education and research programs; (ii) developing stronger ties with the industries that hire our students; and (iii) establishing and maintaining a departmental infrastructure to support life-long learning.
7. Graduate Examinations
Ph.D. candidates are required to pass three exams. The qualifying exam is a written exam taken before the end of the fourth semester of a student’s first enrollment in the graduate program that tests the student’s proficiency in four main areas of physics (mechanics, electricity and magnetism, quantum mechanics, and statistical mechanics). The preliminary exam, which tests the student’s readiness to perform original physics research, is an oral exam that is based on a paper of no more than 15 pages submitted by the candidate. This paper, essentially a research proposal, is on the student’s proposed thesis or a closely related topic. The preliminary examination includes general questions on the physics fundamental to the proposed thesis, in addition to specifics of the topic. The examination also tests the student’s familiarity with basic literature in the field. The final oral exam, at which the candidate presents the results of thesis research, is the last requirement for the Ph.D.
8. Ph.D. Theses
Candidates seeking the Ph.D. are required to produce a written thesis, based on their original research projects, in order to obtain their degrees. As noted in the foregoing section, the final exam is an oral defense of the written thesis.
9. National Surveys of Graduate Programs in Physics
We monitor the regularly published studies of the quality of graduate programs in physics produced by the National Research Council. Our program is currently ranked as one of the top ten programs in the country.
B. New Assessment Tools
1. Alumni Surveys
With help from the University of Illinois Alumni Association, we are in the process of creating a survey of our alumni via mail. The survey will be designed to determine whether our learning goals for our students were obtained, and if these goals were indeed relevant to the alumni’s current work.
2. Undergraduate Surveys
Many staff members feel students are better able to evaluate a class after completing it and moving on to other course work. The University’s ICES surveys, on the other hand, are usually done in the last week before the final exam in a given course, and thus do not allow for reflection and perspective. For example, a student may resent what he or she perceives as a heavy workload for an "irrelevant" course—providing a very negative ICES evaluation—and then realize in subsequent courses, as the original concepts are integrated and refined, that the hated early course provided a valuable foundation for further work. We plan to institute our own post-course surveys that will allow us to determine the student’s perception of the benefit of classes that they have already taken.
3. Exit Interviews
Our current exit surveys gather very general information, but they are completed only by students attending the department convocation ceremony. By conducting formal exit interviews, we hope to reach all graduating seniors. The interview process should allow for more in-depth and individual information. Since our graduating classes are relatively small, personal interviews are practical and will be conducted by the Coordinator of Special Programs as part of his or her regular job duties.
IV. Using the Results of Assessment Instruments
A. ICES results are reviewed by the department’s administrative officers. The instructional staff are encouraged to use the ICES results to improve their teaching performance.
B. The students on the Undergraduate Studies Committee provide key student input to the process of curriculum evaluation and revision.
C. The department’s administrative officers will monitor the performance of our graduates on the GRE exams, comparing their results to those of students worldwide who took these exams. Systematic reports will be made to the faculty.
D. Exit survey data will be reviewed by the department’s administrative officers. Ongoing analysis of this data will be provided by the Coordinator of Special Programs.
E. The periodic reports of the Physics Advisory Board will be circulated to the faculty. The insights offered by the Board have proven quite useful in our current study of revisions in the undergraduate program. We expect our programs to benefit greatly from the continued activities of the Physics Advisory Board.
F. Graduate qualifying, preliminary, and final exams are evaluated by faculty committees.
G. Ph.D. theses are evaluated by faculty committees.
H. National surveys of graduate programs in physics are monitored by the Associate Head for Graduate Programs, and the results are disseminated to the faculty.
I. The alumni surveys will be collected and analyzed by the Coordinator of Special Programs. Results will be disseminated to the faculty.
J. The undergraduate surveys will be administered and analyzed by the Coordinator of Special Programs. Results will be disseminated to the faculty.
K. Exit interviews will be administered and analyzed by the Coordinator of Special Programs. Results will be disseminated to the faculty.
V. Timeline for Implementation of New Assessment Tools
A. The first exit interviews will be conducted at the end of spring semester 1999.
B. The electronic undergraduate survey will administered by mid-semester, fall 1999.
C. Alumni surveys will begin by the end of summer semester 1999.