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Student Content Assessments

Instrument 3: Pre-Test and Post-Test for Biology and Chemistry

Project: Anonymous 1

Funding Source: NSF: Course and Curriculum Development (DUE)

Purpose: To assess student knowledge and interest in biology and chemistry before and after completing courses

Administered To: Students in the two project courses

Topics Covered:

Attitudes & Beliefs (Student): content
Content Specific Assessment: biology, chemistry, inquiry concepts, mathematics
Course Evaluation: areas for program improvement, assignments, content, delivery, exemplary areas, opportunity to learn, opportunity to practice
Impact on Outcomes: collaboration, engagement, integration, knowledge, practical use, process skills, student attitudes, student interest
Mentoring & Support: instructor, peers
Plans & Expectations (Student): academic interests, career interests
Self-Assessment (Student): confidence, content knowledge, engagement, interest, performance, skills, understanding
Background Characteristics & Activities (Student): academic focus, extracurricular involvement, prior coursework
Demographics (Student): ethnicity, primary language spoken

Format/Length: 131 questions, plus 10 demographic questions. Formats include open- and closed-ended, true-false, mutiple-choice, and Likert scale. The pre-test has 53 plus 7 demographic questions; the post-test has 78 plus 3 demographic questions.

3a Pretest

January 1997

The Biology and Chemistry Department, with a grant from the National Science Foundation, are undertaking efforts to enhance Biology 108 and Chemistry 102. Moreover, it will offer a "math enhancement" component to aid you in the quantitative interpretation of laboratory experiments.

This survey, part of the NSF grant, is intended to gather information about a sampling of students in these courses--who you are, what kind of background you have, how you define your interests and skills, and how you are thinking about your future.

A part of the grant project is to offer a math enhancement component. This is not intended as an extra requirement for you! It is meant solely as support, in two ways: (1) to help you become more proficient at the math courses that are college requirements and (2) to hone some of your bio/chem skills by designing your quantitative (calculus) interpretation of the laboratory experiments.

You are asked to code your Scantron sheet code K if you are in the combined labs and code M if you are in the traditional labs. Please put the last four digits of your ID number on the questionnaire and on the answer sheets. This is for research purposes only. It is necessary to able to match your responses to this questionnaire with your responses to another survey we will be conducting later. No individual responses will be reported anywhere.

Most of your answers are to be marked on the computer answer sheet. A few items on the survey have spaces for you to fill in specific information. In these instances, please write your responses directly on the questionnaire.

We hope you find the survey interesting and we thank you for taking the time to fill one out.

INTRODUCTION TO BIOLOGY-CHEMISTRY SURVEY
JANUARY 1997

Step #1: Put the last four digits of your ID number on this questionnaire (above) and on the computer answer sheet (bottom left). If you are in the combined labs, blacken K and if in the traditional labs, blacken M. On the answer sheet also fill in the appropriate circle below each number. This information will not be used to identify you as an individual. It is merely for the purpose of matching this questionnaire with others you will be asked to fill out later in the year.

Step #2: Fill in the year of your birth (at the bottom of the answer sheet) and your gender, M or F (at the top center).

Step #3: Beginning with Question 1 (on the right-hand side of the answer sheet), fill in your response to each of the items in the questionnaire. Make certain the response number (#1-#61) matches the question number.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

This first selection asks about your background in biology, chemistry, and mathematics. Read each question, then mark your answer in the correct space on the computer answer sheet.

Is biology, chemistry, or biochemistry-molecular biology (BMB) your major?

(a)

yes

(b)

maybe

(c)

THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS ARE ABOUT THE SCIENCE/MATH COURSES YOU TOOK IN HIGH SCHOOL

Biology

How many years did you study biology in high school?

(a)

(b)

(c)

none

Chemistry

How many years did you study chemistry in high school?

(a)

(b)

(c)

none

Mathematics

How many years did you study calculus in high school?

(a)

(b)

(c)

none

In high school, how involved were you in extracurricular science activities (science club, science fair, science olympiad, math club etc.)?

not at all involved		somewhat involved		highly involved
(a)	(b)	(c)	(d)	(e)

INTERESTS AND SKILLS

The first questions in this section ask you to rate your current skills for studying biology and chemistry at the college level.

How well can you...
USE OTHERS' WORK

excellent good fair so-so poor

understand biological and chemical theories
(a) (b) (c) (d) (e)

understand biological and chemical research
(a) (b) (c) (d) (e)

apply chemical concepts to numerical problems
(a) (b) (c) (d) (e)

interpret graphs and tables
(a) (b) (c) (d) (e)

understand and critique the way data are analyzed in the research reports you read
(a) (b) (c) (d) (e)

How well can you...
PRODUCE YOUR OWN WORK

excellent good fair so-so poor

design experiments to test hypotheses
(a) (b) (c) (d) (e)

observe minute and relevant details in a biology or chemistry experiment
(a) (b) (c) (d) (e)

construct graphs and tables
(a) (b) (c) (d) (e)

express experimental observations in a chemical equation
(a) (b) (c) (d) (e)

present your own work or your team's work orally
(a) (b) (c) (d) (e)

present your own work or your team's work in writing
(a) (b) (c) (d) (e)

evaluate how much your own work contributes to prior research in the field
(a) (b) (c) (d) (e)

Which of the following sounds closest to your attitude:
1. Math turns me off; I start yawning as soon as someone talks about it.
2. Math turns me on; a math problem wakes me up; I do most of math alone.
3. I am scared of math; I just don't have the self-confidence.
4. I try to follow everything the instructor says, but I still don't get the point of my math class.
5. Math classes are challenging but I enjoy them and find them conducive to discussion; I work with others a lot.
Skip this question if you are comfortable with math; if you aren't mark as many items as apply to you.
Hardest for me:
1. are formulas. I wish there were more pictures.
2. are pictures. I wish there were more time/guidance devoted to interpreting them.
3. are word problems, i.e., transferring data (a horse's speed is 2 meters per second) into symbols (s=2t m)
4. is motivation. I would love to do the math problems if they were related to life (i.e., how tall does a plant grow in a month.)
5. is memorizing theorems, facts to be used.

How much do you AGREE or DISAGREE
with each of the following statements?

agree neither agree
nor disagree disagree

I have a good feel for what is entailed in carrying out valid and reliable research.
(a) (b) (c) (d) (e)

I am confident I could design a valid and reliable experiment.
(a) (b) (c) (d) (e)

Just because something is published doesn't mean it is correct.
(a) (b) (c) (d) (e)

FUTURE INTENTIONS

The questions in this section are about your future plans—what you think you might be doing next year and beyond.

HOW LIKELY IS IT....

extremely
likely somewhat
likely not at all
likely

you will graduate with a major in biology or chemistry
(a) (b) (c) (d) (e)

you will go to graduate school in science or medicine
(a) (b) (c) (d) (e)

you will have a career in science
(a) (b) (c) (d) (e)

If your advisor were to tell you it was unlikely you could get into medical school, would you continue to take biology, chemistry or math courses?

(a) yes (b) maybe (c) no

Now think about your long-term future, maybe ten years from now. Imagine you could be anything you want to be. What would you like to be doing? What field do you want to work in? What career would you like to have? PLEASE WRITE YOUR RESPONSE HERE ON THIS QUESTIONNAIRE.

_____________________________________________________________________________

THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION IS NEEDED FOR THE STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF THE RESULTS OF THIS SURVEY.

What is your racial or national background?
1. White
2. Black/African American
3. Hispanic
4. Asian/Asian American
5. Other _____________________________________________
What language did you most often speak at home?
1. English
2. Spanish
3. Chinese
4. Arabic
5. Other ______________________________________________

STUDIES IN BIOLOGY

Refer to the following for Questions 30-33

A researcher was interested in learning about the size of a DNA molecule in a bacteriophage (virus). To do this, she used enzymes, called restriction endonucleases, to cut the DNA at specific sites. The treated DNA is referred to as "digests." She took her digests and ran them on an electrophoretic gel to observe different fragment lengths. By calculating the different lengths of the digests, she can obtain an overall picture of the DNA size.

Refer to Figure A. It is 1 cm graph paper on which the research recorded the positions on the different bands of DNA to mimic their appearance on the gel (bands a-e). She loaded the DNA to be analyzed onto the gel at the site, labeled on the graph paper as "origin." When placed in an electrophoretic field, the digests run from top to bottom. In lane 1 she placed a DNA standard for which, electrophoretic mobility of DNA of specific sizes is known. In lane 2 she labeled DNA to be studied. In lane 3 she used the same phage DNA but incubated it differently.

She plotted her results on semilog paper shown in Figure B. Let's see if you can figure out some sizes of the phage DNA.

Lane 1 of a DNA electrophoresis gel (Fig. A) shows bands of a known DNA standard with following fragment sizes:

21.0 11.0 7.4 5.8 5.0 4.2 3.5 (in kilobases)

A standard curve is plotted on semilog paper in centimeters (Fig. B).
The axis should be labeled:
1. X = size, Y = time
2. X = number of kilobases; Y = centimeters
3. X = distance (centimeters); Y = size (kilobases)
4. X = time; Y = centimeters
5. X = migration velocity; Y = distance (centimeters)
The scale in Figure A is 2 squares = 1 centimeter. The diagram of this electrophoretic gel extrapolated to the graph demonstrates:
1. the larger the fragment, the longer the distance it travels
2. the smaller the fragment, the faster it moves
3. the larger the fragment, the slower it moves
4. the smaller the fragment, the longer the distance it travels
5. the kinds of bases which the restriction enzymes separates
In Figure B, the top left dot on the graph represents:
1. a piece of DNA 21 kilobases long which has migrated 1 centimeter
2. a piece of DNA 1 kilobase long which has migrated 2.2 centimeters
3. the rate DNA moves in one minute
4. the piece of DNA that has traveled the longest distance
Lanes #2 and #3 are restriction digests of bacteriophage. In this experiment, the DNA of this phage is linear and therefore has free ends called "sticky ends." If one incubates this DNA at 37^oC, the sticky ends of the DNA will anneal to form circular DNA. The phage DNA was also cut with a restriction enzyme that produced fragments with blunt ends. The digest in lane #2 was incubated at 65^oC and then cooled to 4^oC prior to electrophoresis, while that in lane #3 was just incubated at 37^oC. The fragments containing the sticky ends of lane #2 are:
1. 2a and 2d
2. 2b and 2c
3. 2b and 2d
4. 2a and 2b
5. 2a, 2b, and 2c
STUDIES IN CHEMISTRY
Answer the following statements with T (true) or F (false). Darken in A for True and B for False.
___ Entropy increases when ice melts.
___ Water acts as an acid in the reaction:
___ The K_a for the reaction in b is <1.
___ At equilibrium the rate of the forward reaction in b is less than that of the reverse reaction.
___ HCl is a molecule with ionic bonding.
___ HCl is a molecule with a polar covalent bond.
___ Bromine (Br₂) reacts with HF to give fluorine (F₂) and HBr.
___ is a spontaneous reaction.
___ HCl is a stronger acid than H₃O+
___ Le Chatelier's principle suggests that the Haber process

should give a better yield of ammonia at high pressure.
___ In the symbol,
A is the atomic mass number and Z is the atomic number
___ Z is the number of protons and the number of valence shell electrons in an atom.
___ The electronic configuration of oxygen is
___ Nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) is a free radical.
___ The volume occupied by one mole of an ideal gas (at constant T and P) is proportional to its molar mass.
___ The ionization energy of the sodium atom is greater than that of neon.
___ The hybridization of the C atoms in ethene
___ The Bohr model of the atom was important to Mendeleev in devising the Periodic Table.
___ F, Cl, Br, and I are expected to have similar chemical properties because they all lack one electron from having a filled-shell configuration.
___ Reaction rates usually increase with temperature because the kinetic energies of the molecular collisions increase.
___ In the rate equation, v = k[A][B], k has the dimensions of reciprocal time (for example, sec^-a).
___ In an enzyme-catalyzed reaction, the apparent order of the reaction with respect to substrate concentration may vary between zero and one.
___ The equilibrium constant of a reaction is related to the enthalpy change according to the relationship:

STUDIES IN MATHEMATICS
These questions are supposed to measure progress in the project! Respond freely on Scantron sheet. You'll get another chance!
The graph pictured below represents the total number of agitated molecules of two reactants in your ampul as a function of the temperature. Which of the following functions has that graph (over the given interval)?
If a sphere has a radius r and a right-circular cone (like an ice-cream cone without the ice-cream) has base-radius r and height also r, which has the larger volume?
1. The sphere;
2. the cone;
3. they have equal volume.

3b Post-test

INTRODUCTION TO BIOLOGY-CHEMISTRY SURVEY
APRIL 1997

This survey, part of a grant from the National Science Foundation (N.S.F.), is a follow-up to the questionnaire you completed in January. Your answers do not count toward your grade. Most of the questions ask about your experience or your opinion. The best answer to these questions is the one which most honestly reflects your views.

You are asked to put the last four digits of your ID NUMBER on the questionnaire and on the answer sheet. This is for research purposes only. It is necessary that we are able to match your responses to this questionnaire with your responses to the first one. No individual answers to these questionnaires will be shared.

Step #1: Put the last four digits of your B.U> ID number on this questionnaire (above) and on the computer answer sheet (bottom left). If you are in the combined labs, blacken K and if in the traditional labs, blacken M. On the answer sheet also fill in the appropriate circle below each number. This information will not be used to identify you as an individual. It is merely for the purpose of matching this questionnaire with others you will be asked to fill out later in the year.

Step #2: Fill in the year of your birth (at the bottom of the answer sheet) and your gender, M or F (at the top center).

INTERESTS AND SKILLS

The first questions in this section ask you to rate your current skills for studying biology and chemistry at the college level.

How well can you...

USE OTHERS' WORK

excellent good fair so-so poor

understand biological and chemical theories
(a) (b) (c) (d) (e)

understand biological and chemical research
(a) (b) (c) (d) (e)

apply chemical concepts to numerical problems
(a) (b) (c) (d) (e)

interpret graphs and tables
(a) (b) (c) (d) (e)

understand and critique the way data are analyzed in the research reports you read
(a) (b) (c) (d) (e)

How well can you...
PRODUCE YOUR OWN WORK

excellent good fair so-so poor

design experiments to test hypotheses
(a) (b) (c) (d) (e)

observe minute and relevant details in a biology or chemistry experiment
(a) (b) (c) (d) (e)

construct graphs and tables
(a) (b) (c) (d) (e)

analyze and interpret data
(a) (b) (c) (d) (e)

express experimental observations in a chemical equation
(a) (b) (c) (d) (e)

present your own work or your team's work orally
(a) (b) (c) (d) (e)

present your own work or your team's work in writing
(a) (b) (c) (d) (e)

evaluate how much your own work contributes to prior research in the field
(a) (b) (c) (d) (e)

Which of the following sounds closest to your attitude:
1. Math turns me off; I start yawning as soon as someone talks about it.
2. Math turns me on; a math problem wakes me up; I do most of math alone.
3. I am scared of math; I just don't have the self-confidence.
4. I try to follow everything the instructor says, but I still don't get the point of my math class.
5. Math classes are challenging but I enjoy them and find them conducive to discussion; I work with others a lot.
Skip this question if you are comfortable with math; if you aren't mark as many items as apply to you.
Hardest for me:
1. are formulas. I wish there were more pictures.
2. are pictures. I wish there were more time/guidance devoted to interpreting them.
3. Are word problems, i.e., transferring data (a horse's speed is 2 meters per second) into symbols (s=2t m)
4. is motivation. I would love to do the math problems if they were related to life (i.e., how tall does a plant grow in a month.)
5. is memorizing theorems, facts to be used.

EVALUATIONS OF BIOLOGY 108

TO WHAT EXTENT DID BIOLOGY 108

to a
great extent somewhat not at all

overwhelm, frustrate, or scare you
(a) (b) (c) (d) (e)

"turn you on" to biology
(a) (b) (c) (d) (e)

teach you new ideas, information, skills
(a) (b) (c) (d) (e)

provide novel, unique experiences
(a) (b) (c) (d) (e)

TO WHAT EXTENT DID CHEMISTRY 102

to a
great extent somewhat not at all

overwhelm, frustrate, or scare you
(a) (b) (c) (d) (e)

"turn you on" to chemistry
(a) (b) (c) (d) (e)

teach you new ideas, information, skills
(a) (b) (c) (d) (e)

provide novel, unique experiences
(a) (b) (c) (d) (e)

DID THE MATH LABS/PROJECTS:

to a
great extent somewhat not at all

enhance/relieve your college-required math work
(a) (b) (c) (d) (e)

fit in/help with your bio-chem expertise
(a) (b) (c) (d) (e)

provide occasions for added peer/instructor interaction
(a) (b) (c) (d) (e)

originate spontaneous interest and/or projects
(a) (b) (c) (d) (e)

Sometimes work goes better when we get support from others. Support can be concern, encouragement, or actual help. This semester, in Biology 108, how much SUPPORT did you get from each of the following?

a great deal some none

classmates
(a) (b) (c) (d) (e)

teaching fellows
(a) (b) (c) (d) (e)

other instructors
(a) (b) (c) (d) (e)

What grade do you expect to get in BIO 108?
a. A b. B c. C d. D e. F

Sometimes work goes better when we get support from others. Support can be concern, encouragement, or actual help. This semester, in Chemistry 102, how much SUPPORT did you get from each of the following?

a great deal some none

classmates
(a) (b) (c) (d) (e)

teaching fellows
(a) (b) (c) (d) (e)

other instructors
(a) (b) (c) (d) (e)

What grade do you expect to get in CHEM 102?
a. A b. B c. C d. D e. F

FUTURE INTENTIONS

The questions in this section are about your future plans—what you think you might be doing next year and beyond.

If your advisor were to tell you it was unlikely you could get into medical school, would you continue to take biology, chemistry or math courses?

(a) yes (b) maybe (c) no

THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION IS NEEDED FOR THE STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF THE RESULTS OF THIS SURVEY.

What is your racial or national background?
1. White
2. Black/African American
3. Hispanic
4. Asian/Asian American
5. Other _____________________________________________
What language did you most often speak at home?
1. English
2. Spanish
3. Chinese
4. Arabic
5. Other ______________________________________________
What year are you in?
1. FR
2. SOPH
3. JR
4. SR

STUDIES IN BIOLOGY

Refer to the following for Questions 46-49

She plotted her results on semilog paper shown in Figure B. Let's see if you can figure out some sizes of the phage DNA.

Lane 1 of a DNA electrophoresis gel (Fig. A) shows bands of a known DNA standard with following fragment sizes:

21.0 11.0 7.4 5.8 5.0 4.2 3.5 (in kilobases)

A standard curve is plotted on semilog paper in centimeters (Fig. B).
The axis should be labeled:
1. X = size, Y = time
2. X = number of kilobases; Y = centimeters
3. X = distance (centimeters); Y = size (kilobases)
4. X = time; Y = centimeters
5. X = migration velocity; Y = distance (centimeters)
The scale in Figure A is 2 squares = 1 centimeter. The diagram of this electrophoretic gel extrapolated to the graph demonstrates:
1. the larger the fragment, the longer the distance it travels
2. the smaller the fragment, the faster it moves
3. the larger the fragment, the slower it moves
4. the smaller the fragment, the longer the distance it travels
5. the kinds of bases which the restriction enzymes separates
In Figure B, the top left dot on the graph represents:
1. a piece of DNA 21 kilobases long which has migrated 1 centimeter
2. a piece of DNA 1 kilobase long which has migrated 2.2 centimeters
3. the rate DNA moves in one minute
4. the piece of DNA that has traveled the longest distance
Lanes #2 and #3 are restriction digests of bacteriophage. In this experiment, the DNA of this phage is linear and therefore has free ends called "sticky ends." If one incubates this DNA at 37^oC, the sticky ends of the DNA will anneal to form circular DNA. The phage DNA was also cut with a restriction enzyme that produced fragments with blunt ends. The digest in lane #2 was incubated at 65^oC and then cooled to 4^oC prior to electrophoresis, while that in lane #3 was just incubated at 37^oC. The fragments containing the sticky ends of lane #2 are:
1. 2a and 2d
2. 2b and 2c
3. 2b and 2d
4. 2a and 2b
5. 2a, 2b, and 2c
STUDIES IN CHEMISTRY
Answer the following statements with T (true) or F (false). Darken in A for True and B for False.
___ Entropy increases when ice melts.
___ Water acts as an acid in the reaction:
___ The K_a for the reaction in b is <1.
___ At equilibrium the rate of the forward reaction in b is less than that of the reverse reaction.
___ HCl is a molecule with ionic bonding.
___ HCl is a molecule with a polar covalent bond.
___ Bromine (Br₂) reacts with HF to give fluorine (F₂) and HBr.
___ is a spontaneous reaction.
___ HCl is a stronger acid than H₃O+
___ Le Chatelier's principle suggests that the Haber process

should give a better yield of ammonia at high pressure.
___ In the symbol,
A is the atomic mass number and Z is the atomic number
___ Z is the number of protons and the number of valence shell electrons in an atom.
___ The electronic configuration of oxygen is
___ Nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) is a free radical.
___ The volume occupied by one mole of an ideal gas (at constant T and P) is proportional to its molar mass.
___ The ionization energy of the sodium atom is greater than that of neon.
___ The hybridization of the C atoms in ethene
___ The Bohr model of the atom was important to Mendeleev in devising the Periodic Table.
___ F, Cl, Br, and I are expected to have similar chemical properties because they all lack one electron from having a filled-shell configuration.
___ Reaction rates usually increase with temperature because the kinetic energies of the molecular collisions increase.
___ In the rate equation, v = k[A][B], k has the dimensions of reciprocal time (for example, sec^-a).
___ In an enzyme-catalyzed reaction, the apparent order of the reaction with respect to substrate concentration may vary between zero and one.
___ The equilibrium constant of a reaction is related to the enthalpy change according to the relationship:

STUDIES IN MATHEMATICS
These questions are supposed to measure progress in the project! Respond freely on Scantron sheet. You'll get another chance!
The graph pictured below represents the total number of agitated molecules of two reactants in your ampul as a function of the temperature. Which of the following functions has that graph (over the given interval)?
If a sphere has a radius r and a right-circular cone (like an ice-cream cone without the ice-cream) has base-radius r and height also r, which has the larger volume?
1. The sphere;
2. the cone;
3. they have equal volume.

Answer these last questions DIRECTLY on this questionnaire.

Think over this semester and the work you have been doing in BIOLOGY 108. What stands out for you as a particularly interesting TOPIC, LECTURE, or ASSIGNMENT? What specific aspect of the course was outstandingly interesting, involving, or educational for you? Please be as specific as possible in your answer.

___________________________________________________________________________________

What stands out for you as the TOPIC, LECTURE, or ASSIGNMENT which was least interesting for you. What specific aspect of the course was particularly unexciting or confusing? Please be as specific as possible in your answer.

___________________________________________________________________________________

Think over this semester and the work you have been doing in CHEMISTRY 102. What stands out for you as a particularly interesting TOPIC, LECTURE, or ASSIGNMENT? What specific aspect of the course was outstandingly interesting, involving, or educational for you? Please be as specific as possible in your answer.

___________________________________________________________________________________

We are interested in the long-ranged development of your academic careers and your professional interests. We would like to be able to contact you in the future to ask again about your studies and your future plans. To this end, please provide the campus address at which you might be reached. This information will be used only for the purposes of this research and will be kept strictly confidential.

NAME: ______________________________________________________________

ADDRESS: ___________________________________________________________

THANK YOU for your participation in this study and your continued cooperation with the evaluation research.

Curriculum Development Instruments

Student Content Assessments

January 1997

INTRODUCTION TO BIOLOGY-CHEMISTRY SURVEY JANUARY 1997

3b Post-test

INTRODUCTION TO BIOLOGY-CHEMISTRY SURVEY APRIL 1997

INTRODUCTION TO BIOLOGY-CHEMISTRY SURVEY
JANUARY 1997

INTRODUCTION TO BIOLOGY-CHEMISTRY SURVEY
APRIL 1997