PROGRAM OUTCOMES
COMMUNICATION COMPETENCE
Learners will become effective communicators in their discipline.
For this program outcome, I used one of my written responses from PSY-150 (General Psychology), which I took in the fall 2020 semester. I had some practice with writing from previous classes, such as HIS-132 and ART-111, which was helpful when trying to communicate my answers for this class. In this assignment, I had to answer two questions discussing neural communication and the endocrine system and provide examples to demonstrate that I fully understood the concept. I was a little scared at first because both these topics were lengthy and complicated to explain, so I knew it would be challenging to demonstrate mastery. Ultimately, I persevered through the struggles and navigated the challenges to learn more about neurons and the endocrine system. After this assignment, I felt I had communicated my answers thoroughly enough and was confident I could explain these processes to someone unfamiliar!
My first goal was to be able to explain how drugs and chemicals can affect neurotransmission effectively. I had not learned about this process before, so I was basically starting from scratch. I re-watched the recorded lecture from class and read the textbook section dedicated to it in order to familiarize myself with the concepts. I discussed that chemicals could act as agonists, which would release neurotransmitters faster, or as antagonists, which would slow down the process. Neuroscience is an interest of mine, so I found this information to be fascinating! I even included an example of how heroin is a drug that acts as an agonist because it induces a feeling of euphoria for the users. I think the addition of the example was beneficial in further explaining agonists and antagonists in neurotransmission. It helped me communicate the difference between the two to make it easier for the reader to understand. I enjoyed discussing neurotransmission, and I ended up learning a lot of new information that I plan to explore further while navigating my way through the medical field!
My second goal was to communicate how the endocrine system delivers hormones and how they can affect our bodies. This question was a little easier to answer because I was familiar with this topic from previous biology classes. I started by explaining that hormones are released by the adrenal, pituitary, and thyroid glands. They travel in the bloodstream to spread messages throughout our bodies. I knew I needed to explain a little about the endocrine system to better communicate hormone delivery. This was why I included some examples of glands, which helped provide a bit more information about the system. I also mentioned a personal example of how when I was under a lot of stress, my adrenal glands released a hormone called adrenaline to give me a surge of energy. I think the example once again helped me explain the function of the endocrine system in our bodies. Fully describing this process and communicating how it worked was a little tricky, but I found ways to maneuver around the obstacles in my path.
I plan on studying medicine in the future, so this assignment let me immerse myself in this field and demonstrate my knowledge of the nervous and endocrine systems. I learned that teaching others new information is much easier by personalizing the topics, such as including examples. The medical field is one that consists of constant learning and teaching, so this skill is one that I will definitely be using throughout the rest of my journey. Science-related topics such as the ones in this assignment can be complicated at times, so I know it is essential to have good communication skills. I think one of the best ways to show that you have learned information is to teach it to someone else properly!
CREATIVE PROBLEM-SOLVING
Learners will apply appropriate techniques to solving problems within their discipline.
Finding an artifact to represent problem-solving was a little tricky because I wasn’t sure what I could use. I decided to go with the test corrections I did in my MAT-171 class (Precalculus) that I took in the fall 2021 semester. It was surprising to see that I was able to master this skill in such an unusual place. While I didn’t know it at the time, I realized later on that math is a great way to become a better problem solver because it teaches you to learn from your mistakes and figure out what you should’ve done differently. I’m actually very familiar with problem-solving because I’ve had to use it in not only other math classes, such as Trigonometry and Statistics, but also classes like Sociology and Principles of Management. For this assignment, we had to review the first exam to write short reflections on all the problems we had gotten wrong and how to get the correct answer for partial credit.
My first goal was to find out why I had gotten the questions wrong. I started by redoing all the problems and showing my work, which helped me visualize how I initially solved them. For additional help, I also consulted the class textbook to double-check that I followed the correct steps for each type of question. I am not a perfectionist in math, so I sometimes make small mistakes without realizing I did something wrong. When re-answering the questions on paper, I realized that this is what happened for most of them. I followed the correct steps but made a calculation mistake somewhere along the way, which gave me the wrong answer. I was a little upset when I found this out because I knew that it could’ve been avoided. In the end, I learned that double-checking my answers before submitting my work will prevent a lot of minor errors from happening. I’ve done this in my classes ever since and have avoided many mistakes before it was too late!
My second goal was to determine the difference between rational and irrational numbers and how that applied to the last question. This was the only problem I had gotten wrong because I didn’t know how to answer it. I’ve always struggled with this concept, so I started by revisiting the textbook chapter and looking at the definitions of these two terms. I learned that rational numbers can be written as fractions, and irrational numbers are continuous, so they cannot be fractions. This helped me grasp the concept better because I now knew the difference between the two. I re-looked at the problem, where it asked me to classify the square root of two. I reasoned through it and knew that if you solved that number, you would get a continuous answer, which is how I realized it was irrational. I also knew it was a real number because there was no negative sign to make it imaginary. I think looking at the definitions was extremely helpful because it gave me something to refer to when solving the problem!
This artifact does a great job of showing how I solve problems, specifically in math classes. It’s a little different from others because it involves exam corrections, but I think that makes it even better. This assignment taught me how to analyze the problem and follow a process that would lead me to the correct answer. I have noticed a lot of growth in this area, and I know that I will only improve with more practice. I may not have to answer these exact questions in my future career, but math builds practical problem-solving skills that will always be useful in my journey!
SCIENTIFIC LITERACY
Learners will demonstrate scientific literacy by explaining the process of scientific reasoning and applying scientific principles inside and outside of the laboratory or field setting.
For this outcome, I used my literary review report on plant transpiration rates from BIO-112, which I did in the spring 2022 semester. I was familiar with these reports because I had previously done them in classes such as General Psychology and Writing/Research in the Discipline. This assignment required me to use one of my lab reports in the class and do further research on the topic to explain how I conducted the experiment and why I had those results. Navigating this paper became easier the more I worked on it. In the end, I was able to breeze through it without facing many hurdles.
My first goal for this assignment was to use the scientific method to organize the introduction. I had loosely applied this method to other labs, but this would be my first time using it for a report. I started by including background research on how transpiration is vital for a plant’s survival because it must obtain a certain amount of water. Before this lab, I knew little about transpiration, so I thought this information about how a plant’s stomata will open and close to control how much water is let out was interesting! I then stated my hypothesis: that transpiration rates would be lower in darker areas because less water would be released through the stomata. I think formulating the first paragraph this way helped the reader understand the purpose of this experiment and get a general grasp of some of the terms that would be repeated throughout the report. Overall, I found this method helpful in explaining what this experiment was about and why it is essential to know this information. I’ve used this formatting in some of my other reports and will definitely continue using it for the rest of my journey in the science field!
My second goal for this assignment was to organize my results and make it easy for the reader to understand them. I knew graphs and charts would be the best way to showcase the outcomes, but I was worried because I had only used Excel a handful of times. I displayed the potometer results in two different ways. The first way was in a bar graph where I had the three controlled environments – light, darkness, and wind – as the independent variables and the transpiration rates as the dependent variables. I think this type of graph was useful in demonstrating the differences between each subject, and I’ve used it in a few other assignments since then. The second way was in a data table where I listed the environmental conditions on the left column and listed the initial and final pressures, run times, and transpiration rates on the top row. I then filled in the table with the corresponding data. The bar graph and data table made analyzing the procedure's outcomes much easier. I think it was really helpful in organizing the results, which I will definitely be using in future literary reports!
Studying neuroscience and being in the research field means I will always use scientific reasoning in my journey. Conducting studies can be difficult, but it is easier to navigate by using the scientific method to familiarize yourself with the topic and form a hypothesis on which to base the research. Also, a significant part of being able to share your results with others consists of properly organizing them so they are easily readable. I did take a bit of a risk by using Excel for the first time, but it paid off in the end. I learned to properly follow procedures, explain how I achieved the results, and display them. Although environmental science isn’t the pathway I plan to go down, the skills learned from this assignment will be helpful in future experiments and scientific reports!
MATHEMATICAL LITERACY
Learners will demonstrate mathematical literacy through solving problems, communicating concepts, reasoning mathematically, and applying mathematical or statistical methods, using multiple representations where applicable.
To represent mathematical literacy, I used my regression project from the MAT-171 class I took in the fall 2021 semester. I hadn’t done a math project of this type before, so I was a little wary of how to navigate this project since it was also my first college math class. Since then, I’ve taken two other math classes, Precalculus Trigonometry, and Statistical Methods. These classes allowed me to advance and master my literacy skills in mathematics. This project required me to complete the assigned activities and determine if the equations fit the data values well.
My first goal in this assignment was to learn how to analyze r^2 values. This value determines how well the graphed data points relate to the regression line. I watched the assigned video for this project which was very helpful in explaining how to determine if the r^2 value is good or bad. I learned that the value ranges from zero to one, where zero means the equation is not a good fit, and one means it’s a great fit. This information interested me because I thought knowing this for purposes even outside of math, such as research journals, would be helpful. The activities in my project already gave me the r^2 values. Almost all of them were between 0.8 and 1, meaning all the equations fit the data values well. I honestly found these activities enjoyable and educational because I got to learn more about another math topic while also completing some small activities!
My second goal in this assignment was determining what type of equation – linear, quadratic, or exponential – would best fit all the data values. I had some background knowledge on this topic as I knew that linear equations are a straight line, quadratic ones are a “U” shape, and exponentials are an “L” shape. The first three were easy because the questions already told me which type of equation they were. However, I started having a more challenging time with the fourth equation because I had to figure out the best type of equation myself. The regression line was curved, so I knew it was between quadratic and exponential, so I graphed both. The quadratic equation resulted in a higher r^2 value of 0.9889. In contrast, the exponential had a value of 0.9814, meaning the quadratic was a better fit. I think this question helped me better understand the difference between all the types of equations!
I think this assignment definitely advanced my mathematical literacy skills, which helped me master them in future classes such as trigonometry and statistics. Learning new math concepts is a little tricky at times, so I’ve realized that fun projects like this one help get a more thorough understanding. This project taught me the difference between a couple of types of equations as well as how to determine if they’re good fits for a set of data values. I realized that this knowledge can also be useful in my journey outside math classes, such as when analyzing research data or even collecting it yourself. I was shocked that these skills could be used in other paths I cross in my journey!