Program Purpose

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The Conservation Biology major is designed to provide students with a broad scientific background in preparation for a career or graduate study in conservation fields, but with a specific focus on biodiversity science. Graduates will acquire a knowledge of the issues and problems of sustainable resource usage, conservation of endangered biota, long-term preservation of biodiversity, ecosystem services and ecological economics, and management and conservation of ecosystems. This major is recommended for those seeking graduate programs in a variety of areas of biology, especially conservation biology. The major also prepares students for graduate study in preparation for work with Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) focusing on conservation biology and for positions in government agencies the oversee the management of natural resources (e.g. US Fish & Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and state fish & game agencies).

 

List of Courses (Catalog)

 

Learning Outcomes

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Entomology, the study of insects and other arthropods.

Broad Understanding of Biology

Students will use basic biological concepts, grounded in the foundational theories, to interpret relationships among living things and to analyze and solve biological problems, from the molecular to ecosystem level.

Tools and Skill Development

Students will be able to conduct basic conservation biology research.

Professional and Career Development

Students will demonstrate professionalism (e.g., scientific integrity, intellectual honesty) and competency (effective verbal and written communication, accurate knowledge base) required by employers or graduate school.

Evidence of Learning

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Direct Measures

1. Students pass the Biology Major Field Exam with a minimum score of 140 (200 possible).
2. Students in Integrative Biology will have experience in one or more of the following areas: mentored research, museum curation, field work, proposal writing, ORCA grant submission, presentation at a professional scientific meeting and/or publication in a peer-reviewed scientific journal.
3. Each student will complete pre and post assessments to measure affective change regarding their views and attitudes on biology and its importance.
4. Student data will be collected at one, five, and ten year intervals to ascertain: (1) to what degree opportunities encountered by the student correlate with those predicted by the Conservation Biology program; (2) to what degree the student has taken advantage of opportunities encountered; and (3) if the student completed an advanced degree in graduate or professional school.

Learning and Teaching Assessment and Improvement

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1. At the end of each academic year (during spring/summer terms) the Program Director will:
   • Collect relevant assessment results for each learning outcome.
   • Identify significant gaps between expected learning outcomes and actual learning outcomes.
   • Develop strategies to improve expected learning outcomes.
2. Additionally the Program Director will:
   • Establish program improvements that involve department policy, program outcomes, and/or curriculum changes.
   • Participate in the modification of learning outcomes and the plan for collecting related evidence of student learning.
3. Faculty teaching courses should ensure students entering the program understand program learning outcomes and the characteristics of excellent work by making program learning outcomes and characteristics part of course syllabi. This means that each course will have a set of well-defined learning outcomes specific to that course that are congruent with program learning outcomes.
4. Student evaluations, alumni survey data, and program specific questionnaire results are analyzed and evaluated as they come in. The state of the department and its programs is a chief topic of discussion at an annual retreat. Faculty meetings throughout the year may also be devoted to specific program issues.
5. The degree programs and curriculum in the Department of Biology were established with renaming the department in 2007. These programs of study were developed by the Curriculum Committee based on input from the department as well as from college mandates.  Each undergraduate degree program will have an in-depth review every four years (each program will be reviewed on a 4 year rotation; the next scheduled review for the Conservation Biology BS is 2012, the year we expect to see our first cohort of graduates in this major). These reviews will involve departmental participation.
6. Curriculum and degree program input is received from individuals, ad hoc committees, and college leadership. These changes are discussed and assessed by the curriculum committee on an ongoing basis. Proposals for curriculum change are then discussed at department faculty meetings and decided by a faculty vote. Approved proposals for curriculum change are then submitted to the College Curriculum Committee.