EZELL, WAYLAND L. Department of Biological Sciences, Saint Cloud State University, Saint Cloud, MN 56301. - Evaluating introductory botany courses using pre-tests and post-tests.
Students in two non-majors introductory botany courses (BIOL 107,
Plants in Our Society, and BIOL 108, Cultural Botany) were given a
20-item multiple-choice pre-test at the first class meeting. Each test
was designed for the specific emphasis of the course: introduction to
plants versus ethnobotany. These same questions were included on the
final examination as a post-test. The results were analyzed and used
to evaluate student success in learning major botanical and
ethnobotanical principles and concepts. Overall, the post-test scores
were significantly higher than those from the pre-test. Post-test
scores are influenced by assigning the pre-test as a study guide for
the final examination. These data, obtained from over 2000 students,
provide information on teaching effectiveness in large lecture
courses.
Key words: course evaluation, introductory botany, pre-test and post-test data