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Assessment Plan For The Department of Mathematics, 2015-2018 BA and BS in Mathematics

The assessment plan evaluates four student learning outcomes over a three-year cycle. In year one, student work from an introductory number theory course will be analyzed to assess ability to construct mathematical arguments. Year two examines problem solving and application of mathematics skills through sequence courses. Student communication skills will be evaluated in year three by analyzing projects from a capstone course. Assessment results are reviewed annually to identify areas for curricular improvement.

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29 views3 pages

Assessment Plan For The Department of Mathematics, 2015-2018 BA and BS in Mathematics

The assessment plan evaluates four student learning outcomes over a three-year cycle. In year one, student work from an introductory number theory course will be analyzed to assess ability to construct mathematical arguments. Year two examines problem solving and application of mathematics skills through sequence courses. Student communication skills will be evaluated in year three by analyzing projects from a capstone course. Assessment results are reviewed annually to identify areas for curricular improvement.

Uploaded by

chua0726
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Assessment Plan for the Department of Mathematics, 2015-2018

BA and BS in Mathematics

1. Introduction

The undergraduate program has many separate strands:

• Service courses for general education


• Service courses for pre-major requirements in engineering, science majors, and business.
• Upper division and graduate service courses for Engineering and the Sciences.
• The mathematics major.
• Courses offered primarily for prospective school teachers.
• The mathematical economics major. (Assessed separately)
Some of these will be assessed by other units. Here, we concentrate on assessing student learning
in the mathematics major.

1.1 Mission Statement

The Department of Mathematics is a community of aspiring and practicing mathematical


scientists at the undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral levels which holds its members to a
high standard of excellence in teaching, research, and service. We aspire to prepare our students
for careers in academe and industry, to sustain an internationally recognized research presence,
and to support statewide instructional efforts in Mathematics at all levels.

Assessment of the Undergraduate Program in the Department of Mathematics

1.2 Student learning outcomes will be assessed on a three year cycle.

2. Assessment oversight

The assessment of the undergraduate major will be supervised by the Director of Undergraduate
Studies with the assistance of the Undergraduate Committee. Teaching effectiveness will be evaluated
as part of the FMER process by the Chair and the Salary Committee.

3. Learning outcomes for the undergraduate BS and BA.

Math Major Goal A: Students will be able to formulate and solve mathematical problems and interpret
the solutions.

Math Major Goal B: Students will construct arguments establishing the truth of mathematical
statements.

Math Major Goal C: Students will be able to use mathematics in new contexts.

Math Major Goal D: Students will demonstrate the ability to communicate through writing in the field
of mathematics. Students will demonstrate the ability to communicate either orally or through the
creation of a visual artifact in the field of mathematics.
4. Curriculum Map

See Appendix C.

5. Assessment methods

In assessing the undergraduate program, we will collect information about numbers of majors
and graduates, numbers enrolled in core undergraduate courses and a brief summary of what our
students are doing after graduation. The DUS and undergraduate committee will conduct exit
interviews with a selection of majors to obtain student impressions of our program.

6. Data collection and review

We will collect samples of student work on a three year cycle corresponding to the assessment cycle.
In our sampling process, we will draw work from students who earn A, B and C in a course.

Year 1: We will collect exams and student work will be collected from MA 261, Introduction to
Number Theory. We will use the samples to determine if our students are meeting Goal B.

Year 2: We will collect exams and samples of student work from the second semester of our sequence
courses to evaluate goals A and C. We will use the rubrics outlined in Appendices A and B.

Year 3: We will collect written projects from MA 391, our GCCR course to evaluate Goal D. MA 391
being a new course, the appropriate rubric will be created after the MA 391is taught for the first time in
Spring 2016.

7. Assessment cycle and data analysis

Each year an assessment report will be produced by the undergraduate committee summarizing the
results of the evaluation of student work. The report will identify deficiencies and make
recommendations for improvement. This will be shared with the faculty in the fall.

8. Teaching effectiveness

As part of the FMER process, each faculty member will submit documents regarding their teaching.
This will be reviewed by the salary committee.

The chair will communicate the decision of the committee with additional feedback for the instructor.

We will examine how our prerequisite courses prepare students for the second course in MA 109->MA
123, MA 110->MA 113, and MA 113->MA 114. We will use this to identify instances where the
which are not well-matched and should be revised.

9. Post-graduation success

We will conduct exit interviews in which we will track the first placement of our graduates after
leaving UK.
Appendix A: Rubric for assessing Major Goal A

Needs improvement
Student fails to formulate and solve a problem.

Adequate
Student formulates and solves problems, but with minor imprecisions or omissions. The
interpretation may be lacking in depth.

Outstanding
Student shows mastery by recasting the problem using appropriate mathematical
language. The interpretation illuminates the connection between the original question
and the mathematical content used.

Appendix B: Rubric for assessing Major Goals B and C

Needs improvement
Student fails to identify the theorems/results relevant to the current situation.

Adequate
Student identifies the relevant theorems/results, but fails to verify some significant
assumptions.

Outstanding
Student shows mastery in applying appropriate mathematical tools in a new situation.
The theorems used are relevant, the assumptions are stated and verified. The conclusion
is presented in a logical and concise way.

Appendix C: Curriculum Map

University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences Department of Mathematics


I=Introduce, Calculus Intro to Calculus IV Matrix Core courses Sequence 300+ Math Courses MA 391
R=Reinforce, I-III number Algebra outside
E=Evaluate theory Math
Goal A I R R R E R R
Goal B I I,E R R R R R
Goal C I R R R E R R
Goal D I R R R R R E

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