Assessment
How we measure our progress
We have developed an assessment plan that uses available assessment instruments wherever possible:
Incoming transfer students and freshmen will complete the Classroom Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE), an instrument developed by fellow HHMI researcher, David Lapotto.
Student transcripts will be analyzed to evaluate the impact of the experiences on course taking patterns, grades, major, retention and graduation.
The status of graduates after college will be determined using surveys and interviews.
Our tentative assessment plan is as follows:
- Measure the impact of the Northstar Institute, the HHMI Faculty Fellows, and HHMI Teaching Fellows programs will be assessed through surveys similar to that developed for the Summer Institute.
- The impact of participating in the HHMI Northstar Research Mentor program, developed to provide transfer students with experience working and collaborating in research labs under the tutelage of a mentor, will be evaluated using versions of the Survey of Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) or the Research Follow-Up Survey. In addition, the effects of having been mentored within a research lab on scientific research design and analysis skills will be assessed.
- The effects of research-oriented learning activities, incorporated within CBS courses for non-majors, will be assessed using a variety of measures of scientific design and analysis skills, and a survey of attitudes towards science.
- Analyze course artifacts, such as syllabi, exams, and videotapes of classes or activities developed by the Faculty and Teaching Fellows, to assess the degree to which they actually incorporate scientific teaching principles.
