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EASTERN OKLAHOMA STATE COLLEGE
PROGRAM REVIEW 2017
LIFE SCIENCE
1. REVIEW PROCESS
Patricia C. Bolin Ratliff, Chair, Department of Biology
2. NAME OF PROGRAM
Life Science; Program code 005; HEGIS code 0401; CIP code 260101
3. CENTRALITY OF THE PROGRAM TO THE INSTITUTIONAL MISSION
Eastern Oklahoma State College is organized to generate student learning through its associate
degrees and other academic programs that effectively prepare graduates to complete baccalaureate
or other program degrees, obtain productive employment, and lead enriched lives of learning. It is
simultaneously the mission of the College to engage in educational programming and related
activities that promote regional economic and community development. The Life Science program is
designed to meet the needs of the individual student, in keeping with the mission of the College as
defined by the Regents of Eastern Oklahoma State College and as stated above.
The basic curriculum of the Associate of Science degree in Life Science contains the traditional
freshman and sophomore courses for students who wish to complete the four-year degree in a
number of biology-based majors and allow students to enter the four-year college as a junior. The
curriculum also contains courses that are required in the General Education portion of many
students’ degree plans, and specific courses required in other degree plans (such as agriculture)
offered by Eastern. Additionally, courses in the curriculum support the Associate of Applied Science
degree in Nursing offered at Eastern.
4. TYPE OF DEGREE
Associate of Science in Life Science
5. GOALS AND OBJECTIVE OF DEGREE PROGRAMS
Students successfully completing the Life Science program at Eastern should be prepared to enter a
four-year college or university at the junior year level, focusing on the biological sciences, as they
prepare their post-graduate degree programs at schools of Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Physical
Therapy, Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Speech and Language Pathology, Pharmacy, and Veterinary
Medicine. The program also prepares students for entry into a number of specialized health
programs, both at the Associates and Bachelor levels, such as Radiology Technician, Respiratory
Therapy, Dental Hygiene, Physical or Occupational Therapy Assistant, and Medical Laboratory
Technician. The program should also develop the knowledge and technical skills needed in the study
of sciences and other academic disciplines. The curriculum will provide students the opportunity to
reach a level of superior skills in Anatomy, Physiology, Microbiology, Nutrition, Botany, and Zoology.
The curriculum will also enhance students’ critical thinking and quantitative reasoning skills.
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6. FACULTY AND QUALIFICATIONS
• Bolin Ratliff, Patricia (2008) Professor of Zoology, Biology Department Chair, Ph.D. 1998,
University of Minnesota
• Collins, Julie (2006) Professor of Biology, Ph.D. 2003, Oklahoma State University.
• Green, Andrea (2013) Professor of Biology, Ph.D. 2013, University of Arkansas
• Juarez, David (2008) Professor of Biology, M.S. 2002, East Central University
• McAllister, Chris (2010) Professor of Biology, Ph. D. 1989, University of North Texas
One adjunct faculty is typically employed in a given year.
7. RESOURCES
A. Financial An annual budget is prepared each year to meet the financial requirements
of the Life Science program.
B. Library The Eastern Oklahoma State College library maintains books, periodicals, and
electronic media resources for students use in support of their curricular requirements.
C. Equipment The Life Science program uses computers with appropriate learning software
and ancillary equipment, printers, classroom projection systems, Promethean ActivBoard
and ActivInspire student response systems, microscopes, and other laboratory based
equipment. In addition, the science labs provide students with hands-on manipulation of
preserved animals, microbes, and cellular processes.
D. Support services Students are supported in their efforts by a number of campus-based
services. Computer labs are available for research, report writing and tutorial assistance.
Tutors are hired through work study and RCE programs. The Phi Theta Kappa honorary
fraternity and the Presidential Scholars Program provide student tutors on a volunteer basis.
Professional and peer tutors are available through the Student Support Services (TRIO)
program based on the Wilburton campus. Tutoring assistance is available from Tutor.com
without cost to the students. Students may obtain assistance in any courses from instructors
outside of class at regularly scheduled office hours or by appointment.
8. FACULTY/STUDENT RATIO
Credit courses
• General Zoology Lecture and Lab 1/20
• Human Anatomy Lecture 1/40
• Human Anatomy Lab 1/20
• Human Physiology Lecture and Lab 1/20
• Microbiology Lecture and Lab 1/20
• Nutrition Lecture 1/30
• Botany Lecture and Lab 1/20
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In order to meet the 21-25 credit hours in their Major Area, Life Science majors must also take
several of the following courses primarily from the Science and Math Division. The specific courses
selected from this list depend upon the career path chosen by the student.
• CHEM 1415 Chemistry II
• CHEM 2105 Organic Chemistry I
• CHEM 2205 Organic Chemistry II
• MATH 1613 Trigonometry
• MATH 2633 Elementary Statistics
• MATH 2235 Calculus I
• NURS 2123 Medical Terminology
• PHY 1114 General Physics I
• PHY 1214 General Physics II
9. NUMBER OF MAJORS*
YEAR
HEADCOUNT
2010
108
2011
97
2012
103
2013
92
2014
77
*As reported on the State Regents Productivity Report
Some students declare a General Studies major in which to complete the requirements for an AS
degree but have a life science career choice and complete at least 18 credit hours of the life science
courses. These are not counted in the above table.
10. INSTRUCTIONAL COST
The estimated cost of instruction of the Life Science majors per FTE enrolled in the specialized
courses is $__1,784____
11. NUMBER OF FULL-TIME EQUIVALENT FACULTY
There are _4__ full-time-equivalent faculty members in this program.
12. SUCCESS OF TRANFERS STUDENTS
The majority of Eastern students that complete this program transfer to University of Oklahoma,
Oklahoma State University, Northeastern University, and East Central University based on surveys of
graduating students. At the time of review, there is no formal information available about the
success of our former students. However, graduating student contact information has been
collected and additional surveys will be done in the near future.
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13. METHOD OF CURRICULUM REVIEW AND EVALUATION OF PROGRAM
Faculty developed 15 learning outcomes, below, and devised a timeline for assessing student
achievement of these outcomes. Student performance was directly assessed over Spring 2016, Fall
2016, and Spring 2017 semesters. Student performance was directly assessed in a number of ways,
such as test questions, assignment results, and rubrics. Students were also indirectly assessed in the
Spring of each semester, though only May 2016 results are reported here. In this indirect
assessment, graduating Life Science majors were given an anonymous survey asking how well they
feel they accomplished each of the learning outcomes and in which courses they learned/used the
learning outcome listed. In addition, permanent email addresses were collected so that these
students could be surveyed in the future about their university/job experiences following their
matriculation from Eastern.
Assessment Results
The following table contains the results from both direct and indirect assessment of the Life Science
Major Learning Outcomes. The first line of each learning outcome contains the results from direct
assessment, with the method assessed, the number of students assessed, and their performance on
meeting this learning outcome. The next line contains the indirect assessment information for the
same learning outcome. We are reporting the May 2016 results only, where 13 out of 15 graduating
life science majors completed this survey. Each question was followed by a 1 - 4 (Strongly Agree to
Strongly Disagree) Likert scale, with most questions asking which courses helped them meet this
outcome.
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Learning Outcomes for the Life Science Major, and results of both Direct and Indirect Assessment.
Learning Outcome
Assessment
Number of
Students
Assessed
Mean (STD)
Indirect Survey
% Achievement
Direct Assessment
1. Students will be able to apply biological knowledge to solve
problems in their everyday lives.
13
1.08 (0.28)
2. Students will be able to demonstrate knowledge of the
scientific method
47
81.7%
13
1.00 (0)
3. Students will be able to apply the scientific method to solve
biological problems
project and
25
84.8%
13
1.08 (0.28)
4. Students will be able to demonstrate mastery of basic
biological content.
69
87.6%
13
1.08 (0.28)
5. Students be able effectively find and use resources from
primary literature
46
97.7%
13
1.31 (0.48)
6. Students will demonstrate effective communication of
underlying principles of biology using (1)oral, (2) written,
(3) visual e.g. Poster, PowerPoint or demonstration
29
91.7%
13
1.15 (0.28)
7. Students will be able to demonstrate mathematical
knowledge and skills in biological sciences
25
89.8%
13
1.08 (0.28)
8. Students will be able to correctly use a microscope to
locate and identify biological specimens and their parts
54
94.8%
13
1.08 (0.28)
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Learning Outcomes for the Life Science Major, and results of both Direct and Indirect Assessment, continued from previous page.
Learning Outcome
Assessment
Number of
Students
Assessed
Mean (STD)
Indirect Survey
% Achievement
Direct Assessment
9. Students will be able to describe and practice laboratory
safety guidelines relating to working with chemicals,
microorganisms and or dissection
26
96.9%
13
1.00 (0)
10. Students will be able to work well independently and in
small groups, showing self-direction and motivation and
contributing to group work
78
90.9%
13
1.00 (0)
11. Students will be able to interpret graphical quantitative
information AND
12. Students will be able to graph quantitative information
24
89%
13
1.15 (0.38)
13. Students will be able to demonstrate critical thinking
processes as well as problem solving skills
9
88.7%
13
1.00 (0)
14. Students will be able to apply ethical principles of the
discipline in regard to human and animal subjects,
environmental protection, use of sources, and
collaboration with colleagues
56
99.1%
13
1.00 (0)
15. Students will be able to legally (copyright) and ethically
(plagiarism) retrieve and utilize information confidently,
technology appropriate for biological sciences
56
94%
13
1.00 (0)
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The results of the direct assessment clearly demonstrate that the Life Science Majors are achieving
the Life Science Learning Outcomes developed by the Biology Department faculty. Students
achieved each outcome with average scores of 81.7 to 99.1%. Students excelled (scores > 90%) at
more than half of the Learning Outcomes. The lowest percentage was in the knowledge of the
scientific method, a surprising outcome given how much this concept is reinforced in the freshman-
level courses. The results were taken from an assignment in Botany and from a final exam question
in Zoology; the measure of how well Zoology students understand the scientific method should be
reevaluated for the next assessment. The General Zoology students are required to conduct
scientific research during the course, which might explain the increased ability of those students to
apply the scientific method (84.8%).
The indirect assessment asks students to rate themselves on how well they know and can
demonstrate the learning outcomes, using a Likert scale with 1 being Strongly Agree to 4 being
Strongly Disagree. Here, students clearly feel they have mastered the Life Science Learning
Outcomes given that no average score is greater than 1.31. The Learning Outcome with this higher
mean addresses the ability of the students to access primary literature. Discussions among the
science and math faculty following these results address the language issue – do students
understand what is meant by “primary” literature? In at least one of the assessed courses (General
Zoology) following the May 2016 results, the instructor made a point of defining primary, secondary,
and tertiary literature, and then repeatedly referred to primary literature throughout the course.
Surveys from May 2017 are not yet available to determine if this change made a difference in the
self-assessed scores from the Life Science students.
The curriculum is continually reviewed by instructors. This evaluation includes comparison of
course content with other instructors in the state at various professional meetings, and by reviewing
the newer texts available in the courses. The program content is reviewed by evaluating what is
expected of the student at various transfer institutions. The results from the Direct and Indirect
Assessments are used by the biology faculty to assure that students are achieving the Learning
Outcomes set by the faculty. Additionally, planned surveys with past students will be used to gauge
the effectiveness of the individual courses in preparing the student for courses taken at the transfer
institutions.
15. NUMBER OF GRADUATES IN PAST FIVE YEARS*
YEAR NUMBER OF GRADUATES
2010 13
2011 14
2012 19
2013 8
2014 8
*as reported on the State Regents Productivity Report
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16. NUMBER OF CREDIT HOURS IN DEGREE PLAN
PLAN DIVISIONS NUMBER OF CREDIT HOURS
In Program 62-66
General Education 40
Major Area 21-25
Supporting Electives 1-3
17. RECOMMENDATIONS
The primary challenge faced in the Life Science program is declining numbers of students who
declare this as a major. Certainly, the demand for health careers remains high, and this program of
study starts their preparation for such careers. However, the program requires a minimum of 21
hours within the Major Area and it also requires that they take General Zoology instead of the non-
science-majors General Biology, the latter of which many have taken. Often, students do not want
to stay an additional semester to earn another 3-4 credits in the Major Area or take General
Zoology, and by switching their major to General Studies, they can graduate with their AS degree
sooner. A recommendation, then, would be to examine the courses taken by General Studies
students to identify those that have taken the majority, say, 18 hours within the Major Area and
“count” those students in the graduating list plus include them in our Direct and Indirect
Assessment procedure.
Another challenge faced is changes that occur within the Nursing Program at Eastern. While many of
the courses taught by the Biology faculty are part of the Life Science major, we also teach a number
of the pre-nursing sciences, such as Anatomy, Nutrition, Human Physiology (Nursing Emphasis), and
Introduction to Microbiology. In fact, most of our student enrollment is toward the AAS in Nursing.
Any changes to the nursing program directly affect the number of students we have in these
courses, with Anatomy and Nutrition serving both the Life Science and the Nursing Major. This
coming year, the Nursing Division suspended their freshman nursing program at the Idabel
McCurtain County campus due to low enrollment. The result was the loss of the full-time biology
position in Idabel. This position also taught the Life Science major courses of General Zoology and
Human Physiology (Science Emphasis). Given that the Nursing Division plans to increase enrollment,
teaching those courses must continue, but teaching with adjunct faculty is not acceptable. It will be
difficult to find instructors who are as qualified as they need to be for these highly technical courses
and who are willing to work for the adjunct hourly pay. A recommendation would be to keep one
full-time science position available on the Idabel campus, regardless of enrollment numbers, to
adequately prepare students for when the Nursing program resumes and to continue to prepare
students in the Life Science major.
As always, budgetary concerns loom for all divisions on campus, not just the Biology Department.
Thankfully, due to careful spending on the part of the faculty and staff, we have been able to extend
the decreasing budget allotment to replace expendable items (e.g., preserved animals and animal
organs for dissection, bacterial cultures, laboratory supplies such as Petri dishes and microscope
slides, etc.) as needed for student laboratory sessions.
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• However, equipment such as microscopes and physiology electronics are aging and need to
be replaced.
• The physiology laboratory space on the third floor of Sullivan Hall was not designed for
physiology lab exercises and needs to be remodeled.
• Despite the request that microbiology and chemistry laboratory sessions be taught on the
McAlester campus, renovations would have to be made to the science lab space (second
exit, gas line supply, properly exhausted fume hoods).
• The Life Science faculty are scientists and as such need to keep up-to-date on changes in
their respective fields, and yet there is not sufficient money to travel to annual national
conferences for updates and collaborative work with colleagues.
While the overall budget issues will not be resolved easily, a recommendation would be to increase
grant funding to obtain the necessary funds to address these issues. A grant writer with an eye out
for such funding opportunities would be a useful addition to Eastern.