Check for Understanding

Does additional prerequisite instructional time for the same instructional content have an effect up success in BIO201?  Do one of the four prerequisite options (BIO156 and BIO181 4 credit hours, BIO156XT and BIO181XT 5 credit hours) lead to better success in BIO201?  BIO, in conjunction with OPIE studied the results of student success when completing BIO201 and testing which of the four prerequisite options best prepared students for success.  The results of BIO201 were compared for students who successfully completed one of the four prerequisites.

An independent honors student completed a project in ACC212 that the subsequent semester was piloted as a group assignment for an in-person course. The project provided the real-world application of producing a product and calculating and analyzing the associated production costs. An update to this CATS will be provided with a comparison of the student population who completed the group project versus those who did not upon completion of the Spring 2025 semester.

The purpose of this assessment is to explore the potential benefits of reintroducing Lab Write-Ups in science courses at EMCC as a means to enhance students’ science literacy. Lab Write-Ups provide an opportunity for students to share their data collection experiences, interpret results, and engage in scientific reading and writing. They also allow students to incorporate findings into their understanding of the natural world.

This CATs explores the use of a game-based learning activity, modeled after Taboo©, to boost student engagement, communication skills, and conceptual understanding across disciplines. Students worked in pairs to describe and guess course-specific terms without using certain "taboo" words, reinforcing complex concepts while improving verbal and listening abilities. Mixed-methods assessments revealed increased engagement, deeper understanding, and enhanced skills critical for STEM, healthcare, humanities, and social sciences.

Traditional classroom level assessments does not always perform the way instructors intend it to, as it is highly subjective and internalize instructor biases. Traditional grading systems pit students and instructors against each other by making grades a commodity that students must negotiate with the instructor, instead of building trusting relationships that allow for students to learn from their mistakes, take risks, and be creative.

CAPS PLO assessment to measure CAPS student learning at the program level.  

Students teach peers how to schedule Spanish tutoring sessions to practice conversation via Cranium and Brainfuse.

Café Mariposa is an open pedagogy and experiential learning project. Students engage with the content and the campus community in a relaxed atmosphere where they can build Spanish vocabulary, and hone listening and interpersonal communication skills.

The ET (embedded tutoring) program was not sustained after the 22-23 academic school year.  Student surveys from Spring 22 report 62% of respondents say having an embedded tutor helped them feel comfortable asking for help; 60% of respondents report having an embedded tutor deepened their understanding of course topics and concepts; 49% of respondents report the embedded tutor improved their critical thinking skills.

I created a series of discussion assignments for my BIO201 courses titled Anatomy of a Superhero for the purpose of prompting students to think about human anatomy and physiology from a different perspective and to help reinforce the principles of normal human anatomy and physiology.

In conjunction with the 4DX campus initiative and the EMCC Super Goal #1, the math division developed the following WIG:  To contribute to closing the equity gap and improving a student’s sense of belonging, the Mathematics Division will increase the student’s response average on the twenty questions of the Classroom Community Survey (Rovai, 2002) from a 2.2 to 2.5 by December 2021.  Residential faculty reported what types of activities/practices were implemented in their classes to increase a student's sense of belonging.  Students reported an average

After taking a PLC assessment/Tableau workshop, I felt it was important to the new CPD101-A First Year Experience Class that I was teaching online in Fall 2021 to find out if one of the major goals for this new class (being piloted for all 10 MCCCD colleges for Fall 2022) if indeed students were able to correctly match their Field of Interest (FOI) to the associate degree that they were pursuing.

As evidenced in multiple CATS written about journaling in STEM, faculty from chemistry, physics, calculus, and biology utilize journals to improve students' deeper level of learning.  Critical thinking skills and written communication skills (EMCC ILOs) are important in STEM. I want to ensure my students leave my own course ready and prepared for the other STEM courses.  Also, these journals are used to asses physics' classroom learning outcomes.  Please see attached documents for sample survey results and journal entries. 

Using discussion protocols in a live online learning format promotes independent student collaboration and engagement in group discussions through quality instruction and student support. In conjunction with the use of Google documents and live online breakout rooms (Zoom, Webex, or Google Meets), protocols drive independent student discussion and collaboration using a set of guidelines that include student roles and responsibilities. Discussion protocols also allow for fostering student-to-student relationships and for providing immediate real-time feedback by faculty.