Can anyone point me to a [simple] pre/post test that assesses
laboratory/data analysis skills? The only think I see on the NC State
assessment web site (http://www.ncsu.edu/per/TestInfo.html) that might
apply is kinematic graphs but I think this is more narrow than what I
was looking for.
Specifically (as part of a campus wide assessment program for
accreditation purposes) some time ago we set up the following general
laboratory goals for all of the natural sciences and (naturally enough)
don't have the foggiest clue how to assess them.
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[Students should:]
1. Understand the role of empirical data in establishing scientific
knowledge.
Students explore how data are collected and combined to reach a
scientific conclusion. In lab they design and execute experiments to
obtain empirical scientific data. Specifically students:
a) Participate in laboratory work.
b) Determine if the methods of an experiment are accurate enough to
test the hypothesis (or predictions).
c) Critique experimental design and procedure.
d) Identify how the methods could be improved.
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We don't want to spend a lot of time doing this, enough effort to make
it useful to us (and of course the campus wide committee).
Anyone have any suggestions?
kyle
--
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"When applied to material things,
the term "sustainable growth" is an oxymoron."
Albert Bartlett