As reported in the AY 2023-24 [BSCI]/[PSCI] Assessment Summary of Key Evidence for UCORE (PDF), assessment results indicated that that 72% of students met or exceeded expectations on the designator learning outcomes associated with Scientific Literacy. Additionally, 66% of students met or exceeded expectations for Quantitative Reasoning, 69% for Critical Thinking, 67% for Information Literacy, 69% for Written Communication, and 71% for Breadth of Learning.
Inquiry in the Biological Sciences [BSCI] and Inquiry in the Physical Sciences [PSCI] are two of the Ways of Knowing designators for UCORE, WSU’s general education curriculum. [BSCI] and [PSCI] courses advance [BSCI] / [PSCI] designator student learning outcomes associated with six of the WSU Undergraduate Learning Goals (Scientific Literacy, Quantitative Reasoning, Critical Thinking, Information Literacy, Written Communication, and Breadth of Learning) by asking students to ask and answer questions about the biological or physical world in ways that value empirical observation as a key foundation for developing evidence-based theories.
In fall 2023 and spring 2024, [BSCI] and [PSCI] course instructors were asked to complete [BSCI]/[PSCI] Assessment Reports for UCORE, to help UCORE understand how well students (including students who do not complete majors that emphasize scientific inquiry) are achieving the [BSCI]/[PSCI] designator student learning outcomes, as well as provide evidence of UCORE’s contribution towards advancing the WSU Undergraduate Learning Goals. The report asked instructors to provide an assessment of student achievement of [BSCI]/[PSCI] designator learning outcomes in their courses.
A total of 102 reports were submitted by 58 instructors, representing 67% of [BSCI] and [PSCI] classes and 75% of students completing [BSCI] and [PSCI] courses in fall 2023 and spring 2024. In 47% of reports, instructors indicated that the majority (>50%) of students in their courses were non-STEM majors (39% of reports for [BSCI] and 55% for [PSCI].
“For the first time, we have a picture of student achievement in the [BSCI] and [PSCI] designator learning outcomes for an academic year across the variety of [BSCI] and [PSCI] courses at WSU,” observed UCORE Director Ashley Boyd.
“We’d like to thank instructors for their contributions in offering quality [BSCI] and [PSCI] courses at WSU, and their efforts to help assess WSU’s general education curriculum,” Boyd added.
For additional information, contact the Office of Assessment for Curricular Effectiveness.