Learning Goals

Original Learning Goals Assignment

Click here to open this pdf file.

Over the reading week, the students of SCIB03 were required to come up with four “learning goals” that they wished to make by the end of their placement. They should be meaningful to the individual, so we had to explain why we thought each of our learning goals was important to us. Also, we had to determine a way that we can eventually “measure” the progress of the goal—by the end of the placement, were you able to achieve the goals?

And so, here I go through each of my learning goals, and through survey/data analysis, I determine whether I felt that I did or did not achieve the goals.

1. To be able to manage my time in this placement more efficiently.

To be more specific, I want to make sure I spend an appropriate amount of time each week working on the presentation material. This is important to me because I have the tendency to procrastinate and I end up getting things completed late. It's a very important skill to be able to manage my time efficiently and set priorities so that I can get things done efficiently and on time. I plan to track the number of hours I spend each week on my placement from now on, and see if I spend too much or too little each week (with midterms and major assignments in mind).  

The number of hours I spent in my placement each week in the latter part of the term

After seeing the results, I feel I have only somewhat achieved my goal. In a sense, my time management in the placement turned out to be sort of “forced”. As shown by the table, I spent a lot fewer hours on the weeks that we did not have to complete any slides as compared to the weeks where we did. I would not say it was the result of procrastination, but instead it was due to my availability each week. I spent fewer hours on my placement on the weeks I had a midterm and several assignments. But fortunately, I was more available the weeks we had to finish the slides, so I spent a lot more hours to get them done, practice presenting, and then actually do the presentations. Thus, I had to manage my time so that I spent an uneven amount each week, depending on how busy I was. So, I feel that I was able to become more aware of my time management, and perhaps I have developed that skill from what I had to go through. I had to learn to adapt to a more “fluid” or “dynamic” schedule rather than a strict unchanging one. Each week can be very different, so I became aware that I had to be able to account for such changes. Next time, I need to try to work harder to plan ahead and be able to expect when I will be busier. Through this learning goal, I can continue to develop my time management skills so that in the future I will be able to become more efficient with my time.

2. To be more comfortable when I present.

That is, I want to improve my public speaking skills by being able to speak more smoothly without awkward pauses, hesitations, and doubtful phrases. This is important to me because presentation skills are an essential in the professional world. Improving these skills can be very useful whenever I need to attend an interview for a new position. It will also be very important if I pursue a career as a physician, in which I can be presenting clinical studies to colleagues. I plan to assess this goal by comparing the results of student surveys that are conducted throughout this term.

To assess this goal, I tried to look upon the results of our student surveys that we conducted (comparing midterm and final, see last section below for more details). Two of the questions can be related to my presentation skills:

b) The mentor’s know the subject material taught by him/her very well and can explain thoroughly without regurgitating what’s in the lab manual.

Frequency histogram results for question b) of the midterm surveys

Frequency histogram results for question b) of the final surveys

It turns out the average score (1 being completely disagree to 5 being completely agree) was ~3.8 for both sets of surveys. However, as shown by the histograms, a lot more people “agreed” in the midterm survey, while the final survey results seemed to plateau somewhat (people became split for being more “neutral” or more “completely agreeing”). This probably meant, as the seminars went on, some people felt that they agreed less with question b) while others were beginning to agree more. To me, I feel that it could mean my presentation skills in this time period did not change too much, and I was able to maintain a decent performance. However, it does not take into account which individuals the surveys could be focusing on (midterm ones applied to both Donald and me, while the final ones applied to all four of us). Nonetheless, I would say it was certainly an improvement from the views of our initial online survey (see last section below for more details).

d) How would you rate the mentor’s presentation skills? Were they organized, confident and clear during presentations?

Frequency histogram results for question d) of the midterm surveys

Frequency histogram results for question d) of the final surveys

Again, for some reason, the average score for both sets of surveys were around the same (~3.6). The histograms also look quite similar (only main difference is that in the final, less people were neutral, but more people either agreed or disagreed). Therefore, again, this could mean that the students’ opinions of our presentation skills did not really change as the seminars went on for the latter part of our placement. This could mean that my presentation abilities were again mostly decent, but constant throughout this time. As mentioned before, this does not take into account specific individuals, but it was still an improvement from the negative feedback we were getting from the initial survey.

I present at one of the LSS

As for the written responses, a lot of students did mention in the midterm survey that they thought our presentation skills could still get some work done, since there were still times that we were unclear, we mumbled, were a bit too slow, and unorganized. They also said that we sometimes seemed unconfident and can sound monotone. Although it was not as negative as the first survey, we tried to work on all these issues by continuing to practice more and become more familiar with the material. The final survey written responses seemed to reflect some progress; for the ones that seemed to refer to Donald and me, our presentation skills did not seem to be an issue too much anymore (instead they concentrated on other things like how they do not like the time of the seminars). This made me feel like I did probably improve slightly in my presentation skills, even if there is still a lot of room for improvement. It allowed me to realize that I need to work harder and practice more (such as by continuing to do more presentations) to improve these skills further, so that I can become even more comfortable when I present.

As for the results to my peer evaluation (see the next learning goal), I received an average score of 4.00 for having a good understanding of the material so that I can present effectively. However, for the other presentation related questions, most of them received the lowest scores out of all the rest of the questions (3.67, 3.00, and 2.33), which would show that this aspect would be one of my weaknesses. In my peers’ written responses, they also mentioned that I am sometimes quiet and shy, and that I should talk louder, be more authoritative, be more lively, be less monotone, and interact more with the students. I found this really honest and I was glad that they were able to point out all these specific aspects that I lack in order to be a good presenter. With all these pointers, I felt I was more aware of what I needed to do to improve even more, and now hopefully I can more effectively practice to develop them well. 

3. To improve my teamwork.

To be more specific, I want to make sure I am contributing well to the work of the team. This is important to me because I will very likely be working with people in a group all the time, especially in a career as a physician. It is important to be able to coordinate well with people so that together we can effectively get projects done that I cannot do by myself. I plan to create a peer evaluation form that I can distribute with my group (Donald, Natalia, and Taleen) so that we can rate each other on different aspects of our performance as team members.

In the last section below is the link to the actual peer evaluation survey I used to asses this goal. It included several questions in which peers would rate different skills (most which are related to teamwork skills) and again, this was with 1 being completely disagree to 5 being completely agree. Here were the results after I compiled the data from Donald, Natalia, and Taleen:

Results of the peer evaluation (of me) completed by the rest of the LSS team, ordered by average scores

Donald and I review the material for the last Lab 5 seminar

For the most part, it seemed I had a lot of important and valuable teamwork skills in which I received high average scores. Ranging from 5.00 to 4.00, they agreed that I make a significant contribution to the team, I am able to take initiative and am well organized, I do extra work when I’m more available, I’m hardworking and I produce high quality work, I communicate well and seek for clarifications, and I am a good planner. However, some aspects got lower scores (such as the presentation skills; see previous goal), which included problem-solving and creativity (3.67) and ability to try new ideas (2.33). I feel with these qualities, I have been able to successfully achieve my goal for the most part. It seems to show that I definitely play a significant role and I make sure things get done. However, even if this included a lot of my strengths, it showed that I’m not perfect. Accompanying this, written responses from my peers indicated that I was sometimes not willing to compromise (stubborn), I can sometimes be too slow because I’m too picky about unnecessary details, and that this could result me in working needlessly too hard. I found these points very important—in a way, I have been blind to these issues. It made me become aware of ways that I could have brought the team down, or cause irritation and uneasiness. It made me realize that I could sometimes act too bossy, legalist, and like a perfectionist. Through this I was able to think more about how I can make situations better, and perhaps be able to be more careful when I need to work in a group again. However, there were also other more positive written responses from them as well. They said that they appreciate my hard work, being able to attend to peer’s concerns, my knowledge in the material, and my excellent quality in my work. One of them even wrote that they would be nothing without me! These responses allowed me to reflect on my good qualities that I have already been able to develop over the years. It was important that I continued to use them to benefit the whole team, so that we are able to perform well and fulfill the placement to the fullest. But it also allowed me to beware that I do not end up doing all the work. As a team, I needed to be able to find a better balance and encourage everyone to participate as equally as possible. Together we can achieve more than what I can achieve on my own. I hope that I can use these experiences with the LSS team to be able to form and monitor more efficient teams in the future!

4. To be able to understand students better and be a better teacher.

This is important to me because if I pursue a career as a physician, I will have to be able to teach to my colleagues (such as when I perform studies and need to present it to them). Also, I need to be able to understand patients and be able to educate them about health and disease so that they can understand their condition and well-being. Again, I plan to assess this goal by comparing the results of student surveys that are conducted throughout this term.

The other two main questions from the student midterm and final surveys can be used to asses this goal. Again, the midterm results can be compared with the final results to try to determine if there was any progress:

a) The lab skills seminars have helped me better understand the lab theories, procedures and techniques.

Frequency histogram results for question a) of the midterm surveys

Frequency histogram results for question a) of the final surveys

The average score for the midterm survey was ~4.0, but for the final survey, it seemed to have increased slightly to ~4.1. The histograms show that although numbers decreased for those who agree and increased for neutral, there was a significant increase in those who completely agree. This probably meant, as the seminars went on, that a significant portion of the students found the material presented to be more helpful and relevant. This was important to me, because it meant we understood better what the students needed to know, and thus we were able to be better teachers. However, it was only a slight increase and it does not take into account specific individuals. Even so, it was definitely a big improvement from the start with the online survey, and the scores were relatively high.

c) I would highly recommend other students to attend the lab skills seminar because I could see my performance improve after attending the seminars.

Frequency histogram results for question c) of the midterm surveys

Frequency histogram results for question c) of the final surveys

This question would also be a good indicator of being able to understand the students and teach them more effectively. They would only agree to this question if we were teaching them properly and they actually benefitted from the seminars. For the midterm survey, the average score was ~3.5, but for the final survey, it was ~4.0! This showed the biggest difference out of all the main questions from the survey. The histograms also showed this significant difference; compared to the midterm results, the final one seems to show a sharp rise in people that agree and completely agree. This probably meant that many of the students were certainly benefitting from the seminars and have been able to improve in the labs. To me, I felt that I have been successful in achieving my goal; I have been able to determine what the students need help on, and I was able to more effectively teach them the material they needed to succeed in the lab. On the other hand, as mentioned before, this does not take into account specific individuals, but we all did try to help each other out to become better teachers, and these results could have been due to our own teamwork in preparing well for the presentation material.

As for the written responses, for both the midterm and the final surveys, students complained about the lack of dry lab demonstrations (that is, with actual glassware and equipment) in the Tuesday seminars. This could definitely benefit their learning experience, but unfortunately, Donald and I were not allowed to bring equipment to AC223, so we had to rely on our presentation slides (with animations and images of the equipment) to run through a “dry lab”. Alternatively, many students mentioned how they like the helpful PowerPoint slides, the procedural tips, reaction mechanisms, and how we answer questions, discuss why things are done, and clarify the techniques & theory. With all these results, I feel a sense of accomplishment in this goal. Along with the rest of the team, I was able to truly help out the students so that they can do well in the labs. I was able to attend to their needs and be able to deliver a service that they could truly take advantage of. And so, I would say I did learn to understand students better and become a better teacher. It required me to think about what I had trouble with, and expect what sort of challenges they could be facing. I plan to continue to use these methods whenever I need to teach in the future, so that I can continue to develop an understanding of effective education.

Surveys Used for Goal Assessments

Near the beginning of our placement, we created a simple online survey to ask students how we were doing so far. Although an average number of students found that the seminars were somewhat to very helpful, and found them relevant and useful for their first lab, we received a lot of negative written responses. They told us that they found the seminars unorganized and the presenters were unclear and confusing. They noticed how we sometimes seemed unprepared and how the professors would have to cut in to help. We took their comments seriously, so from then on we worked hard to resolve these issues, such as by practicing the presentations and seeking clarification for concepts we were unsure of.

Click any of the surveys below to open its pdf file.

LSS Midterm Survey (Mario and Donald)

LSS Final Survey (Taleen, Natalia, Mario, and Donald)

LSS Peer Evaluation Survey (Mario)

And so, to determine if we have been improving, assess our learning goals, and collect other data, we handed out paper surveys to students soon after reading week (midterm) and at the final two lab test seminars (final). Afterwards, we would review student’s written responses and tried our best to attend to their concerns. We compiled the data which was then used to make comparisons, as shown by the assessment of learning goals above. Some supplementary information includes:

The number of LSS's attended by students by the midterm survey

The number of LSS's attended by students by the final survey

LSS Attendance: For the most part, the results showed as what was expected—the majority of attending students (those who completed surveys) have been attending about one LSS for each lab. For the midterm survey (when we were presenting our LSS’s for Lab 3 and 4), the vast majority have attended 3-4 seminars. And for the final survey (when we were presenting the LSS’s for the lab test), the majority have attended 5-6 seminars. However, there are significant numbers of students that do not answer the question (perhaps they missed the second side of the sheet). Anyway, by this, I came to realize more about how important our position was. There are several students that were attending the seminars regularly and were relying on us to help them become prepared for the labs. I was glad that we were dedicated to go on and continue improving our performance, and this can help us when we do our own projects in the future.

The lab resource preference of students by the midterm survey

The lab resource preference of students by the final survey

Lab Resources Used by Students: Again, the results turned out to be just as expected—for both surveys, about the same percentage (~60%) of students felt having both LSS’s and the online lab technique videos available to them was better than either one alone. Note, some of the percentage includes “no response” (from incomplete surveys), so this percentage could actually be higher. This made me again realize how important our position was as LSS mentors. The videos alone are not enough to prepare students for the labs effectively. And if it was LSS alone, we would have to spend too much time on explaining the techniques that are shown in detail in the videos. By having the videos, we are able to spend more time on other aspects of the lab in the LSS. With both of these resources available to the CHMB42 students, sufficient material is provided to properly prepare the students to perform well on the labs. This allows me to see the importance of how we have to make sure we deliver properly prepared presentations so that the students will be able to benefit from them. By realizing this, it encourages me to perform better, and to carry the skills I gain to future presentations as well.

Besides that, many of the student written responses in the two surveys expressed how they did not like the scheduled times that the seminars took place. For some, it even conflicted with another class. For others, it was too late in the evening (Tuesday ones from 6-7pm). Overall, they found the times really inconvenient. Perhaps this has caused a certain number of people from never being able to come to them. This could be addressed for future reference, but it is difficult to find available room scheduling. This allowed me to appreciate that although the times were less than ideal, many students were still willing to attend since they wanted to do well in the labs, and it made our placement more meaningful. In the future, I will keep things like this in mind, so as to make sure I schedule events or meetings at a time that would work best for most attendants.

The final link goes to the peer evaluation form I created in order to assess my skills (especially teamwork skills) from the perspective of my teammates (Donald, Natalia, and Taleen). This allowed me to asses my learning goals, especially the third one (see above). For future reference, this form can be reused whenever I am working in a team and would like to re-evaluate my performance.

The LSS team works on completing the slides for Lab 3