One of the student learning outcomes of this class is to discuss current industry events. It is difficult to assess discussing events and generally the whole class doesn't participate in discussions equally. By creating a writing assignment to discuss and analyze events I gained a strong means to measure an SLO and both writing and critical thinking. The assignment was a good way to start off the class and to get student engagement for the day.
The allied-health/biology course sequence includes BIO56/181, BIO201, BIO202, and BIO205. A significant portions of students in these courses have the EMCC Nursing Program as their goal. Data have shown that only approximately 10% of pre-nursing students succeed in getting into the highly competitive EMCC nursing program. The fate of the remaining 90% of allied health students is unclear.
I am hoping that having this extra practice and group work in the long run strengthens not only their ability to do derivatives but also their algebra skills. Unfortuantely I do not have enough time in one semester to do this in every topic we cover, so I am hoping to come up with more creative ways to have them do this practice outside of class, that does not make them complain to me that I am giving them too much homework.
