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Use of course-embedded projects for program assessment
1Department of Biology and Microbiology, California State University, Los Angeles, California 90032, USA. bkrilow@calstatela.ca
The American Journal of Physiology
|October 8, 2005
Summary
Science faculty can use a group project in neurophysiology courses for authentic assessment. This project involves analyzing primary literature and presenting findings, serving as both a course proficiency and culminating program assessment.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Educational Assessment
Background:
- Increasing demand for authentic assessment in science education.
- Need for versatile assessment tools applicable to individual courses and entire programs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe a quarter-long group project for assessing neurophysiology students.
- To evaluate its utility as both a course-level and program-level assessment.
Main Methods:
- Small groups of 4-5 students critically analyzed at least 10 primary literature articles.
- The project culminated in a 10-minute oral presentation and a scientific poster presentation.
- Student performance was analyzed on different cognitive task levels.
Main Results:
- Students performed significantly better on application tasks compared to analysis, synthesis, or evaluation tasks (P < 0.025).
- Student feedback on group dynamics was more positive for process-related questions (59-82%) than task-related questions (36-76%).
Conclusions:
- The project effectively assesses basic course proficiency in neurophysiology.
- It functions as a culminating undergraduate program experience, integrating cognitive skills and content knowledge.
- The project provides a flexible and authentic assessment method for science faculty.