Evaluating Learning

Student Evaluation

Students are evaluated by homework and midterm and final exams covering chemical theory and problems, written assignments on Food for Thought cluster activities and class reading, laboratory experiment notebooks and lab reports, Food for Thought cluster assignments, and a final media project where they make a presentation on the chemistry of food and cooking for a non-science audience. The evaluation is divided among understanding and using chemical theory, synthesizing content of that theory and its application to social issues and, communicating scientific information in written and oral forms.

Students are evaluated on the basis of written (primarily essay) exams, quizzes based on outdoor activities, and a research paper based on a book (currently Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan). Students work on improving the quality of their writing and their ability to synthesize both facts and theory in their exams and papers.

Students are evaluated on the basis of 3 in-class exams, a 3 part nutritional assessment project, 2 written response papers to cluster activities, and participation and reflection on a service learning project. In addition, they complete one or more group cluster activities outlined elsewhere which account for 15 to 30% of their grade depending on the semester.

Students are evaluated on their class engagement, a series of writing assignments including three critiques of original research articles, an opinion editorial, and a final research paper. In addition, they participate in the spring semester cluster activities, complete one individual exam and a team final that includes verbal demonstration of competencies.

Students are evaluated on their class engagement, multiple reading reflection papers, a mid-term exam, and their individual and team completion of a set of food and nutrition guidelines for the UNCA campus. They also complete and reflect on the fall cluster activities as 25% of their work for this course.

Students are evaluated based on their class engagement, homework assignments and a group project requiring them to integrate their learning with that of their classmates to develop and present (in writing and by teaching a one day class session) a sustainable local food system.

The course uses a combination of formal and informal writing assignments as well as team-based projects. Students make weekly entries on a class WIKI page, reflecting on the interactive labs; write 5 short formal papers summarizing and applying the sociological frameworks they are learning; conduct a semester-long ethnography examining the relationship between an expert or lay-person and a technological artifact of their choice, writing a 12 page paper examining their observations. This is in addition to their work in the Food for Thought Cluster joint activities, which typically count for about 20% of their grade.

Course and Cluster Evaluation

The courses and cluster are evaluated by an adapted SENCER-SALG given as a pre- and post-test. SALG questions were modified to assess student perception of the content and context of courses from non-science disciplines and to assess student perception on learning in the Food for Thought cluster projects and activities. Pre-test questions were repeated in the post-test in order to quantify changes in student perceptions before and after the specific course and Food for Thought cluster experience. Students are tracked by their Student ID Number in order to assess changes before and after each course and as students take various courses within the cluster.

Below is the adapted SENCER-SALG where the following sections were given to each course:

Pre-Tests

Post-Tests