Executive Summary The CLO show that there has been great success in some areas but in other areas there is room for improvement. The CLO feed into the GELO as required. The CLO demonstrate that learning certain areas of chemistry and biology present a considerable challenge to our students. Based on a careful and exhaustive analysis of the data a number of conclusions can be drawn. The students benefit from instruction that includes numerous everyday examples. The pure abstractions that are often used in science texts are too difficult for the student who is not a science or a math major. Also, assuming that the students understand all the words that are used at the college level is a mistake. The vocabulary of our students is often limited. It is important for the teachers in disciplines which use difficult terminology to take extra time and effort to explain the words that are used. Given the fact that we are constantly bombarded by visual imagery in popular culture the students appear to be becoming more and more visual learners. The students may therefore expect to see the concept more often in the form of a carefully designed illustration or animation. The improvements that have been implemented include providing greater access to the lecture material online; the incorporation of a greater amount of visual aids; and the reliance of everyday analogies to make difficult scientific concepts more understandable to the students with a basic lack of interest in science. Faculty Included in the Preparation and Sharing of this Report: Dr. Robert Droual
Executive Summary The CLO show that there has been great success in some areas but in other areas there is room for improvement. The CLO feed into the GELO as required. The CLO demonstrate that learning certain areas of chemistry and biology present a considerable challenge to our students. Based on a careful and exhaustive analysis of the data a number of conclusions can be drawn. The students benefit from instruction that includes numerous everyday examples. The pure abstractions that are often used in science texts are too difficult for the student who is not a science or a math major. Also, assuming that the students understand all the words that are used at the college level is a mistake. The vocabulary of our students is often limited. It is important for the teachers in disciplines which use difficult terminology to take extra time and effort to explain the words that are used. Given the fact that we are constantly bombarded by visual imagery in popular culture the students appear to be becoming more and more visual learners. The students may therefore expect to see the concept more often in the form of a carefully designed illustration or animation. The improvements that have been implemented include providing greater access to the lecture material online; the incorporation of a greater amount of visual aids; and the reliance of everyday analogies to make difficult scientific concepts more understandable to the students with a basic lack of interest in science. Faculty Included in the Preparation and Sharing of this Report: Dr. Robert Droual