How effective is our assessment program?
The ultimate measure of success of our efforts is enhanced learning. Summaries of our success are offered below, as well as links to the details of our scholarly work in teaching and learning.
Click on the icon beside each entry to examine our …
| explicit statements, supported by evidence, regarding success in student learning. |
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| established benchmarks against which students? learning outcomes are assessed. |
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| celebrations and public statements of student learning, performance, and achievement. |
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When our assessment plan becomes more fully implemented, we will begin
sharing statements and data in this space, reflecting our progress in
student learning.
We will continue to track coverage of our learner outcomes by an annual
student survey as an indirect measure. Our benchmark will be 1.0 or
greater (on a scale from 0.0 to 2.0) as acceptable, with less than 1.0
requiring steps toward improvement. Student portfolios will be reviewed by
the OA commitee. Benchmarks will be developed as faculty begin to
review the portfolio over a period of several years.
Successes in student performance and achievement
While our outcomes assessment program is still not fully completed, the
students in our department are operating already at a high level of
achievement. Some examples* of these achievements are:
- February 2004 Turf Bowl. A team from the ISU turf club placed 1st in the Turf Bowl Competition for the second straight year. The competition was held at the GCSAA National Conference in San Diego, California.
- February 2003 Turf Bowl. A team from the ISU turf club placed 1st in the Turf Bowl Competition at the GCSAA National Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. Of 71 teams entered, ISU fielded 6 teams with 5 teams placing in the upper 25 % and all 6 teams placing in the upper 50%.
- March 2004 Hort Club competition at MACHS (Mid-America Collegiate Horticulture Society). The Iowa State team captured 1st place in the team competition for the second straight year. Individual students placed 1st overall, and 1st in general knowledge.
- March 2003 Hort Club Competition at MACHS (Mid-America Collegiate Horticulture Society). In the team competition, the Iowa State team won 1st place in plant ID and 1st place in overall (plant ID, general knowledge and plant judging combined). Individual students placed 2nd and 3rd in plant ID, 1st and 2nd in general knowledge, and 2nd in overall.
- August 2003 Mendenhall Award. Marcus Jones, a turf major in the Department of Horticulture, won the award, given to the top turf student in the U.S. each year by the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America.
- October 2003. At the American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS) annual meeting in Providence, Rhode Island, Kim Hilgers, a senior Horticulture major, won the best-paper competition in the Association of Collegiate Branches of the ASHS oral competition.
